As of late, the DTH industry has been going through new turns where the emphasis has turned from satellite channels to OTT content. The DTH operators are diverting their focus to come up with consumer products which would allow the subscribers to access Over-the-top (OTT) on their TV screens. Previously, the SD and HD Set-Top Boxes which were present in the industry and were available to the subscribers did not allow the customers to watch or stream OTT content without the help of some other impairment. However, after the new Trai tariff regime which pushed the subscribers to bail on their DTH connections in favour of OTT subscriptions, the DTH operators bought new innovations in the market which would allow these customers to watch OTT content on their TV screens instead of on their laptops or on the small mobile screens. One of such offerings from Airtel Digital TV is the Airtel Xstream Stick.
Airtel Xstream Stick and Airtel Xstream Box: Differences
If you are a Bharti Airtel subscriber, then chances are in the last few months you have heard the ‘Xstream’ name being thrown around a lot and there are reasons to why that is the case. Bharti Airtel has rebranded a lot of its applications, like the Airtel TV into the Airtel Xstream app which has now become a vertical of its own. Further, Bharti Airtel has launched the Airtel Xstream Box under this banner, which is a Hybrid Set-Top Box for the subscribers. Another important product which was launched beside the Airtel Xstream Box is the Airtel Xstream Stick. Now the pricing of both the Airtel Xstream Stick and the Airtel Xstream Box is the same at Rs 3,999, but there are some fundamental differences between the two products.
The first major difference between the Airtel Xstream Box and the Airtel Xstream Stick is in between the people who can use it. While the Airtel Xstream Box can only be used by the subscribers of Airtel Digital TV, since it is a Set-Top Box, that is not the case with Airtel Xstream Stick. Even the other DTH subscribers would be able to use the Airtel Xstream Stick on their TV. Another difference between these two products would be that the Airtel Xstream Stick would have to be connected to a different HDMI port and would require you to use a separate remote while switching from satellite TV channels to the OTT content, whereas, in the case of Airtel Xstream Box, the subscribers would only have to use a single remote to flip from satellite TV channels to OTT content, and it would offer much more ease while operating the TV.
Setting Up the Airtel Xstream Stick On Your TV
To set up the Airtel Xstream Stick, the users will require an additional power source. The Airtel Xstream Stick would first need to be connected to your TV with the provided HDMI cable in the HDMI slot. After that, the users will need to establish the power supply to the Airtel Xstream Stick with the micro-USB adapter and the cable provided in the box. There is a Bluetooth remote in the box as well, which comes with AAA size batteries, which you will also require to control the Airtel Xstream Stick. Once you turn on your TV and switch to the HDMI input in which you have plugged in the device, you will need to connect the Stick your Wi-Fi network, and then log in to your Airtel Xstream account if you have one.
Airtel Xstream Stick: Content and Apps
It is also worth noting that Airtel Xstream Stick will provide the users access to popular applications like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and the access to Google Play Store app as well in case you want to download additional apps to your Android TV enabled Stick. There would be Airtel Xstream’s own content repository as well, which includes TV shows and movies. However, the subscribers would be required to pay the Rs 999 annual subscription fee in case they want to access this content. The Airtel Xstream Stick comes with Android TV Oreo.
