Durban - Satellite TV provider DStv has never had real competition in South Africa. Upstarts like Top TV and its successor, Star Sat, have made a game go of it, but never gained much traction.
That has all changed in the past few months with the launch of not one but two competing offerings in the form of Node and Vidi, both with the backing of serious media industry heavyweights.
But is either compelling enough to convince you to cancel your DStv subscription? Let’s take a closer look…
Node
Offered by tech group Altech, Node is a decoder-like device that plugs into your TV and delivers an impressive combination of video-on-demand content, smart TV features like apps and mobile payments, and home automation capabilities that include connections to optional add-ons like security cameras, temperature control and smart lighting.
Because content is delivered by satellite rather than over the internet, you’ll need a dish – you can use your DStv dish – as well as the Node device. Purchase and installation will set you back R3 499. Thereafter, you pay a R299 monthly subscription for the service.
Altech argues this is a better model than pushing out its content over the internet in a country where the fixed-line broadband network is unreliable and pricey. Judging by the appalling quality of my ADSL link in a central Durban suburb I’d have to agree.
As with a new DStv PVR decoder like the Explora, it’ll take up to a few days for the full bouquet of content to be beamed to the Node’s 1TB hard drive, but it’ll arrive a lot faster than over the web and with minimal data cost. The Node does need to connect to the internet, but just for account verification.
Your subscription buys you a catalogue of TV series, including shows like Weeds and Mad Men, and older movies. It will also offer popular series, including Game of Thrones, from US cable provider HBO. Then, like DStv’s Box Office, you can rent movies recently off the cinema circuit for R25, R2 cheaper than Box Office. Older but still popular movies cost R15.
So, is Node a DStv killer? Hardly. Sure, it’s significantly cheaper than DStv premium, which can cost more than R700 with XtraView. But it offers nowhere near the breadth of content, particularly when it comes to the latest big local and international sports fixtures. That said, if you’re not a sports fan and loathe reality TV which seems to comprise much of DStv’s fare these days, it may well be an alternative.
The well-heeled will be tempted to sign up on top of their DStv subscriptions for its security and home automation features.
Vidi
Times Media Group’s Vidi is an altogether simpler and cheaper offering. As a pure internet service, there’s no set-top-box or dish to buy, but you will need a good quality, high-speed internet connection – which rules it out for me and millions of other South Africans.
For a R149 monthly subscription it offers a good choice of TV shows and movies you can watch on your tablet, smartphone or internet-connected TV. And as with DStv and Node, you can rent recent blockbuster movies – in Vidi’s case for R27.
A big advantage in my books is the lack of lock-in. You can cancel whenever you want, something made all the easier thanks to there being no investment in pricey equipment.
Like Node, Vidi is not a replacement for DStv, especially for sports lovers. But its cheaper, no commitment subscription model makes it a tempting add-on. There’s a free one-month trial subscription, so trying it out is a no-brainer.
One caveat. Unlike Node and DStv, you will need to budget for the data costs of downloading content, which can be steep, particularly over a mobile connection.
Any questions or comments? E-mail alanqcooper@gmail.com or follow @alanqcooperon Twitter.
Sunday Tribune
