Bharti Airtel and Dish TV are two prominent Direct-to-Home (DTH) operators in India. Bharti Airtel provides DTH service under the brand Airtel Digital TV. Both the companies offer users an Android Set-Top Box (STB). Airtel calls its Android STB “Xstream Box” while Dish TV calls it “dishSMRT HUB”. Both the companies are offering their STBs for the same price - Rs 2,499. Since they both are Android STBs and come for the same price, it can be hard for people to choose one. Thus I am listing all the major specs of these Android STBs so that making a decision for you can become easy.
Airtel Xstream Box Specifications/Features
The Airtel Xstream Box runs on Android TV 9 platform. Since it is an Android box, it comes with support for Google Assistant meaning users can give voice commands. Another cool thing about the Xstream Box is that it allows users to convert their smartphone into a remote or a gamepad. There is a built-in Chromecast so users can directly cast the screen of their phone on the TV. The Xstream Box can support both satellite TV and over-the-top (OTT) applications. With just a single tap of a button, users can switch between satellite TV content and OTT content. It can also support content playback in 4K quality.
dishSMRT HUB
The dishSMRT HUB is an Android TV box from Dish TV. This STB can also support both satellite TV content and OTT applications. Since it is an Android TV box, users can download and run applications from Google Play Store. The STB supports voice commands with the help of Google Assistant. Moreover, you can also control smart home devices with the help of the dishSMRT HUB. This Android TV box from Dish TV also comes with Chromecast support. This means even Dish TV users can stream the content on their smartphones directly on the TV.
Which One Should You Choose?
At the end of the day, if you have to choose between these two boxes, the better bet for you would be to go with a box that offers better channel packs. If you are already subscribed to the DTH service from either of these companies, it would be better for you to continue with that company only. Because then you won’t have to change your channel pack and you will feel very familiar with the service. However, if you have a postpaid connection from Airtel, just go for the Airtel Xstream Box because you will be able to club the services and pay a single bill for them.
