[Review] Which DTH Service Provides Maximum HD Channels in India?

- Last updated on September 3, 2020 by VG

UPDATE: Addition of EUROSPORT HD channel on DishTV and Videocon D2H.

Ever since we posted our exclusive reviews and comparisons between India's major DTH (Direct-To-Home) services and also shared secret tricks to access hidden service menus in their Set Top Boxes, various readers have asked us about the availability of HD (High Definition) channels on different DTH platforms in India.

[Review] Comparison Between Tata Sky and Dish TV DTH Services in India

[Review] Comparison Between Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV DTH Services in India

Revealing Hidden Secret Service Menu in Tata Sky and Airtel Digital TV Set Top Box

Revealing Hidden Secret Service Menu in Dish TV DTH Set Top Box

People regularly send us emails asking whether a particular HD channel is available on their desired DTH platform or not. So today we decided to post another exclusive review and comparison list/chart of all HD channels available on all Indian DTH platforms.

In this topic we'll tell you how many HD TV channels are available in India and which Indian DTH service provides the maximum number of HD channels to its subscribers. It'll help you in deciding which DTH service provider is best for you.

We have 7 DTH service providers in India:

Tata Sky

Dish TV

Airtel Digital TV (ADTV)

Videocon D2H

Independent TV (previously known as Reliance Digital TV (RDTV) and Big TV)

Sun Direct

DD Free Dish (previously known as DD Direct+)

DD Direct+ aka Free Dish is a free-to-air satellite service in India, actually its the only FTA satellite service in India. It doesn't provide any HD channel.

Following is the exclusive all HD channels list available in India along with their availability on above mentioned DTH platforms. So let's compare all DTH services in India based on their HD channels count:

NOTE: We are counting only true HD channels here. Dish TV claims to have maximum HD channels but some of them are upscaled HD channels not true HD channels. Upscaled HD channels are modified versions of SD channels with a little higher bitrate but you'll not notice much difference between SD and upscaled HD channels. Upscaled HD channels will never provide high picture quality as true HD channels do.

NOTE: The plus sign '+' indicates availability of Dolby Digital (DD) Surround Sound. The star sign '*' indicates that those HD channels on Dish TV can only be viewed by customers whose dish is aligned towards ST2 Satellite. Customers whose dish is aligned towards NSS6 Satellite won't get those channels. Eventually all Dish TV customers will be shifted to respective satellites: North -> NSS6 and South -> ST2.

HD Channel Name Tata Sky Dish TV Airtel Digital TV Videocon D2H Independent TV Sun Direct Hindi GEC Star Plus HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Sony HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Zee TV HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Colors HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Star Bharat (Life OK) HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ &TV HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Sony SAB HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - - Investigation Discovery (ID) (JEET Prime) HD - - Y - - Y Hindi Movies Star Gold HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Zee Cinema HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ &Pictures HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Sony Max HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y Star Gold Select HD Y+ Y Y+ Y - - Colors Cineplex HD Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ UTV HD Y - Y - - - &Xplor HD - - Y+ - - - English GEC Star World HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Star World Premiere HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Comedy Central HD Y+ Y Y+ - - Y+ Colors Infinity HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Zee Café HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Disney International HD Y Y Y - - Y English Movies Sony Pix HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Star Movies HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Star Movies Select HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ HBO HD Y+ - Y+ - - Y+ &Flix (Zee Studio) HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ &Privé HD Y Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y Movies NOW HD Y+ Y+ Y+ - - Y MNX (Movies NOW 2) HD Y+ Y Y - - Y MN+ (Movies NOW+) HD Y+ Y Y Y - Y Romedy NOW HD Y+ Y Y - - Y Infotainment Discovery HD World Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ TLC HD World Y+ Y+ Y+ Y - Y+ Animal Planet HD World Y+ Y+ Y+ Y - Y+ National Geographic HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Nat Geo Wild HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y - Y+ History TV18 HD Y+ Y Y+ Y - Y+ Sony BBC Earth HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ FOX Life/Traveller HD Y Y+ Y+ Y - Y Travel XP HD Y - - - - Y Living Foodz HD Y - Y+ - - - Sports Star Sports 1 HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Star Sports 2 HD Y+ Y Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Star Sports 1 Hindi HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Star Sports Select 1 HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Star Sports Select 2 HD Y+ Y Y+ Y+ Y Y+ Sony Ten 1 HD Y+ Y+ Y Y - Y+ Sony Ten 2 HD Y+ Y Y+ Y - Y Sony Ten 3 HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - - Sony Six HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ EUROSPORT (D SPORT) HD Y Y Y Y - Y Music MTV Beats HD Y+ Y+ - - Y Y MTV HD+ Y+ - - - - - VH1 HD Y - - - - Y Hindi News Aaj Tak HD Y - Y - - - DD News HD Y Y - - - - English News CNBC TV18 Prime HD Y Y - Y - - Times NOW World HD Y Y Y - - - Kids Entertainment Baby TV HD Y Y - - - - Nick HD+ Y Y Y Y - - Cartoon Network HD+ Y+ - - - - Y Tamil Zee Tamil HD Y - Y Y - - Colors Tamil HD Y+ - Y+ - - - Sun TV HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Sun Music HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ KTV HD Y+ Y Y Y - Y+ Star Vijay HD Y+ - Y+ Y+ - Y+ Jaya TV HD Y - - - - - Marathi Colors Marathi HD Y+ Y Y+ Y - Y+ Zee Marathi HD Y Y Y Y - Y Zee Talkies HD Y Y Y Y - - Star Pravah HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - - Telugu Gemini TV HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Gemini Movies HD Y - Y - - Y+ Gemini Music HD - - Y+ - - Y+ Maa TV HD Y+ Y Y+ Y+ - Y+ Maa Movies HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - - Zee Telugu HD Y - Y Y - Y Zee Cinemalu HD Y - Y Y - Y ETV HD Y Y Y Y - Y Bengali Star Jalsha HD Y+ Y Y+ Y+ - Y+ Jalsha Movies HD Y+ Y Y+ Y+ - Y+ Colors Bangla HD Y Y Y Y - Y Zee Bangla HD Y Y Y Y - Y Malayalam Zee Keralam HD Y+ - Y Y - - Asianet HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Mazhavil Manorama HD Y - Y Y - Y Surya TV HD Y+ Y* Y+ Y+ - Y+ Kannada Zee Kannada HD Y - Y Y - - Colors Kannada HD Y Y Y Y - Y Udaya TV HD Y+ Y* Y+ Y+ - Y+ Star Suvarna HD Y+ Y+ Y+ Y+ - Y+ Total HD Channels = 93 90 72 84 69 10 72

So if we look at the number, Tata Sky provides the maximum number of HD channels. Airtel, Dish TV, Videocon D2H and Sun Direct are close to it. Do we need to say anything about Independent TV (Reliance Digital TV)?

So the list of winners based on maximum number of HD channels is as following:

1st - Tata Sky HD channels count: 90

2nd - Airtel Digital TV HD channels count: 84

3rd - Dish TV and Sun Direct HD channels count: 72

4th - Videocon D2H HD channels count: 69

5th - Independent TV (Reliance Digital TV) HD channels count: 10

6th - DD Free Dish or DD Direct+ HD channels count: 0

NOTE: Independent TV (Reliance Digital TV) doesn't provide DD sound on any HD channel. DishTV provides DD sound on less number of HD channels (only 43 channels). On the other hand, Tata Sky (63), Airtel (59), Videocon (43) and Sun Direct (49) provide DD sound on almost all available HD channels.

Exclusive HD Services List:

Tata Sky has launched exclusive " Tata Sky Shorts TV HD " channel which brings 2000+ best short movies/stories from India and all over the world.

has launched exclusive " " channel which brings 2000+ best short movies/stories from India and all over the world. Tata Sky has launched exclusive " Tata Sky Telugu Cinema HD " channel which is an ad-free Telugu movie service showcasing the biggest blockbusters of Tollywood with premieres before television.

has launched exclusive " " channel which is an ad-free Telugu movie service showcasing the biggest blockbusters of Tollywood with premieres before television. Tata Sky has launched exclusive " The QYOU HD " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. It offers 24x7 curated short form videos from the Internet (Youtube, Vimeo, etc) for television.

has launched exclusive " " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. It offers 24x7 curated short form videos from the Internet (Youtube, Vimeo, etc) for television. Tata Sky has launched exclusive " Tata Sky Experience HD " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. It offers 24x7 HD content, through high quality HD content snippets across key genres such as Hindi entertainment, English entertainment, Hindi movies, knowledge, lifestyle, kids and sports.

has launched exclusive " " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. It offers 24x7 HD content, through high quality HD content snippets across key genres such as Hindi entertainment, English entertainment, Hindi movies, knowledge, lifestyle, kids and sports. Tata Sky and Airtel have launched exclusive " Tata Sky Bollywood Premiere HD " and " Miniplex HD " channels respectively which showcase one Hindi movie premiere every week, along with some premium movies.

and have launched exclusive " " and " " channels respectively which showcase one Hindi movie premiere every week, along with some premium movies. Tata Sky has launched exclusive " Tata Sky Kids Cinema HD " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. Its a special movie service which telecasts Indian and international kids specific movies break free.

has launched exclusive " " channel available free of cost to all subscribers. Its a special movie service which telecasts Indian and international kids specific movies break free. Tata Sky has launched exclusive HD+1 channels for Colors , Zee TV , Star Plus , Star Gold and Zee Cinema which broadcast TV shows and movies with 1 hour delay of the same respective HD channels. It'll provide an opportunity to viewers to watch their favorite shows and movies twice or immediately if they missed it by an hour.

has launched exclusive channels for , , , which broadcast TV shows and movies with 1 hour delay of the same respective HD channels. It'll provide an opportunity to viewers to watch their favorite shows and movies twice or immediately if they missed it by an hour. Videocon has started 2 new VOD (Video-On-Demand) HD channels " D2H Cinema HD " and " D2H Hollywood HD " which telecast latest Bollywood and Hollywood movies in HD. But they don't provide DD Sound.

has started 2 new VOD (Video-On-Demand) HD channels " " and " " which telecast latest Bollywood and Hollywood movies in HD. But they don't provide DD Sound. Tata Sky has launched 5 Showcase HD channels which are PPV (Pay-Per-View) channels and telecast latest Hollywood and Bollywood movies in HD but without DD sound.

has launched which are PPV (Pay-Per-View) channels and telecast latest Hollywood and Bollywood movies in HD but without DD sound. Tata Sky has also launched 3 Star Sports Add On Service HD channels which are event-based channels and telecast live Football matches.

has also launched which are event-based channels and telecast live Football matches. Airtel has launched 2 Airtel Movies HD channels which are PPV (Pay-Per-View) channels and telecast blockbuster movies in HD but without DD sound.

has launched which are PPV (Pay-Per-View) channels and telecast blockbuster movies in HD but without DD sound. Dish TV has launched Dish Buzz HD channel which telecasts Dish TV offers, advertisements and promotions.

One more thing to add! Videocon D2H and Airtel Digital TV provide 24x7 3D channels "D2H 3D Channel HD" and "Airtel Movies" respectively which show programs and movies in 3D format. Tata Sky has also started showing 3D blockbusters on its event-based channel "Showcase 3D" but its not a permanent channel.

We'll update this list whenever new HD channels become available on any DTH platform, so keep checking this page regularly...

Also Check:

[FAQ] How to Choose TV Channels Pack / Plan After New TRAI Tariff Order in India

How to Program and Use DTH Universal Remotes with your TV Set?

How to Reset DTH Universal Remote to Factory Settings?

What is the Use of USB Port in Tata Sky, Airtel, Videocon and Other DTH Set Top Box?

[Tata Sky Bug] Favorite Audio/Language Resets to English on HD Channels

[Fix] Can't Change Volume Level on HD Channels in Tata Sky DTH

[Fix] "No Signal" Issue on Tata Sky DTH Service in India

[Tip] How to Block / Restrict All TV Channels and Services in Tata Sky Set Top Box

Advertisements

Published in: Gadgets & Internet

Share this article: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn

About the author: Vishal Gupta (also known as VG) has been awarded with Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) award. He holds Masters degree in Computer Applications (MCA). He has written several tech articles for popular newspapers and magazines and has also appeared in tech shows on TV channels. (Connect with Us)