After years of Big Brother addicts being forced to endure the “watch Big brother on your mobile” advert that was targeted and only accessible in Namibia, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana - DStv mobile finally launched a Drifta just over a year ago in SA. According to the DStv mobile website (
http://www.dstvmobile.com/dstvmobile/content/en/south-africa-plus/south-africa-plus-about-mobile-tv ), a Drifta is a device that works like a handheld decoder to enable you to watch 16 DSTV channels on certain gadgets like PC, iPhone, Blackberry and Nokia Samsung cellphones.
Drifta (pic from Dstv Mobile website)
Finally Big Brother addicts could access their Big Brother addiction and shower hours by using this Drifta in 9 major cities in SA, as the technology being used to deliver the service is dvb-h and not satellite. Dvb-h is a standard that can be used to deliver content to a handheld device (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-H ) without using the cellphone operator network or the satellite network. Therefore Dstv mobile had to build a network to deliver the service to the Drifta which would act as a decoder for your cellphone to view the channel.
I wonder if the addicts bought the Drifta to watch Big brother shenanigans as now they could be able to get 24 hour access to the channel wherever they were – work, taxi, car, bus, etc. Had Big Brother lost its appeal or the work rules are clear that “no type of tv will be watched during office hours even if it is your phone”? Did this give Siphiwe in Diepsloot, who does not have DStv, access to view how the Kunene’s get entertainment on DStv? Who tried it? What is or was your opinion for the mini-decoder? Considering that for R13 a week or R49 a month there are other 15 channels on there, not just Big Brother, would you get it for the sports and/or Katrashian shows channel?
Then end of last year, DStv mobile launched a mini-tv called the Walka, has anyone tried it? What is your opinion? I know Tashi got herself one as a Xmas pressie and raved about it on facebook? I wonder if she still uses it. Have any of you seen someone is a taxi or anywhere using this gadget? What would make you buy or even try it?
Walka (pic from Dstv mobile website)
As a consumer seeking ways to get entertainment and value for money, I am considering getting one of the gadgets and using it for this next season of Big Brother? And maybe the odd “keep the children entertained in the car” option when I am on a long roadtrip. I have to say that when I tried to do an analysis on the pros and cons for getting one of the gadgets, I was faced with the following board
| Drifta |
Walka |
| Can use it with my blackberry and husbands iPhone |
Bigger screen than both phones |
| Have to charge both phone and drifta |
Have only 1 device to carry to get access to tv |
| No subscription – I have a DSTv premium subscription |
No subscription – I have a DSTv premium subscription |
| I don’t have to miss Juju whenever etv has a special about him during the day while at work |
I don’t have to miss Juju whenever etv has a special about him during the day while at work |
| I don’t have to fight for the remote when there are soccer games |
I don’t have to fight for the remote when there are soccer games |
That's my list of pros and cons but before I made a mad dash to buy it, I wanted to know what other bloggers feel about this way of getting access to DStv. Has this technology been sold to you as a consumer? Is it an alternative you consider when thinking of other ways to access tv or DStv in your space? So share your thoughts on this technology as an alternative to have mobile tv “anywhere anytime” as the DStv Mobile people advertise.