Bharti Airtel’s Direct-To-Home (DTH) service arm and Samsung have joined hands over a new Integrated Digital TV venture which will see the latter’s tweaked SmartDirect TV range arriving in India at a starting price of Rs 44900. The iDTV launch product is actually a Samsung TV incorporating an Airtel digital TV Smart Card.
The Airtel component will allow users to receive DTH signal reception right through their Samsung iDTV. So there will be no need of cluttering the living room space with a TV and an accompanying set-top-box (STB). And forget about those extra wires presenting a messy appearance too since the Smart Card is well hidden within the television set.
Bharti Airtel’s CEO of DTH & Media, Shashi Arora, is calling it the ‘next phase’ in how users will watch TV. What’s more, only one remote will be required to control the Samsung system, instead of the two separate ones which come into play with regards to an STB and big screen combination. Riding on the back of ‘extensive R&D,’ is the promise of power savings and good quality audio as well as video.
Considering the way the iDTV is built, you can even expect a reduction in signal loss between the STB and TV. The screen delivers visuals in high definition and also features a user interface that is simple enough to operate. More details on the product will be provided to interested parties who dial 18605006500 or 12148. It’s the first time the Indian market is witnessing a partnership such as this one between Airtel and Samsung.
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The digital TV Smart Card-backed iDTV is up for purchase through Samsung Plazas and big retailers across India. As we’ve already noted above, the lowest you’d have to shell out for the system is Rs 44900. A limited period deal covering 4 months of free subscription to Airtel DTH services, is also being offered to buyers.