Airtel Digital TV has already made its intentions clear of migrating the existing Cable TV subscribers to its platform. To provide an extra option of choosing a smart Set-Top Box, the Digital TV arm of Bharti Airtel has launched a new Android TV-based 4K STB called Airtel Xstream Box. The Airtel Xstream Box is an upgraded version of the Airtel Internet TV which the company introduced back in 2017. It's already a piece of known news that Airtel Digital TV allows its SD Set-Top Box users to upgrade to HD STB, Airtel Internet TV and Xstream Box at cheaper rates. A normal Airtel Digital TV users with Standard Definition Set-Top Box can choose HD STB at a discounted price of Rs 699 (excluding engineer visit charges), whereas the new connection price comes down to over Rs 1,000. Similarly, the same SD box users can avail Xstream Box at a way lower price of Rs 1,999 (excluding engineer visit charges), from the new box price of Rs 3,999.
Upgrade to Airtel Digital TV HD Set-Top Box
The first upgrade that an Airtel Digital TV would consider is the upgrade to an HD Set-Top Box in case they are currently on an SD setup. Although it would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not use an HD Set-Top Box these days, there could be some users who would like to experience the five-time better picture quality that the HD STB offers along with Dolby Digital Sound.
To make the upgrade from an SD to HD set-top box, the subscribers will only have to pay Rs 699. In addition to this charge for the STB, the subscribers will also be required to pay an additional Rs 150 as the engineering visitation charge. So, in total, the subscribers will have to shell out Rs 849 to upgrade from their SD connection to an HD connection.
Airtel Xstream Box Upgrade: What are the Charges
The next upgrade option and probably the more sensible one is the one to Airtel Xstream Box. In this case, also, the Airtel subscribers will enjoy a good discount as they won’t have to pay the full amount as opposed to other new customers of Airtel Xstream. For existing Airtel Digital TV customers, the upgrade will only cost Rs 1,999 in addition to the Rs 250 engineer visitation charges.
In total, the subscribers will have to spend Rs 2,249 to upgrade from their existing SD or HD set-top box to the Airtel Xstream Box. It is worth noting that for regular customers, the Airtel Xstream Box costs Rs 3,999. However, the subscribers wishing to upgrade should keep in mind that the Airtel Xstream upgrade is only available in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Mohali.
The Airtel Xstream Box offers OTT content on the TV screen for the subscribers. The Xstream Box offers the Satellite TV channels and the OTT content at the same place, thus giving a lot of ease to the subscribers. The Xstream Box also comes bundled with Airtel Xstream App offering up to 350 Live TV channels and 10,000 movies and TV shows.
Tata Sky, Dish TV and Other Operators Also Running Similar Scheme
Not only Airtel Digital TV, other DTH operators like Tata Sky, Dish TV and D2h are also running a similar scheme. Tata Sky SD Set-Top Box users can upgrade to HD STB at a discounted rate, compared to the new box price of Rs 1,499. For the unaware, Tata Sky is charging Rs 1,499 for a new HD connection, but the charges do not include any monthly channel pack. Dish TV and D2h are also providing similar HD box upgrade offer to the customers and the customers can get an HD Box upgrade for Rs 799.
Like Airtel Digital TV, Tata Sky and Dish TV do not have any Android TV-based STBs to compete with the Airtel Xstream Box. However, it's rumoured that both Tata Sky and Dish TV are reportedly working on a smart Set-Top Box that brings Satellite TV and OTT services together.
