Having multiple OTT subscriptions has become the norm these days. Choose your favorite genre from Ken’s: movies, TV series, and even live sports. At the same time, keeping these subscriptions running on a regular basis can be very expensive and cumbersome, especially if you’re the only one using them. Streambox Media recently launched a subscription-based TV called Dor TV. This TV comes in 43-inch size and has an initial cost of Rs 100 million. 10,799. I’ve been using Dor TV for a few weeks now and here’s how it feels.
First off, this QLED TV has a pretty standard look and feel that you’d expect from a budget smart TV. It features slim bezels, a plastic body, and a rather flimsy back cover. The remote control is longer than usual and comes with a 110mAh battery unit, powered by solar power and via the USB Type-C port on the bottom.
When it comes to the OS, the TV runs on a custom OS based on Android TV called DorOS. Play Store is not available here, but most OTT apps are available. No Netflix or Apple TV for now.
To get started setting up your TV, riders will need to sign up with the same number you used to purchase your TV, as the first month’s subscription is included in the upfront price. With it, you can subscribe to 24 apps including SonyLiv, Hotstar, JioCinema, SunNXT, Amazon Prime, Fancode, Discovery+, and more. From the second month onwards, you will have to pay Rs 799 every month to get the same bundle. Plans starting from 299 rupees are available from the second year onwards.
Streambox said you can use the TV on your own device and subscription even if you don’t have a subscription model. However, during my use, I was unable to access other input sources unless the TV was connected to the Internet, either wirelessly or wired. This happened after the latest OS update. The company has officially confirmed that HDMI and USB ports are not available even if you do not have a dorOS subscription.
As for the OS itself, once signed, you can DD your user profile and select your favorite genres and celebrities, giving you more curated suggestions on your home screen. The home screen tabs are divided by genre, similar to live TV. Clicking on Live TV will take you to an IPTV-like interface that will show you what is being broadcast on which channel. Clicking on one of these will show you apps with the same content.
Although single sign-in is highlighted among the features, you will need to sign in to the app separately the first time you use it. The OS is generally fine in terms of UI responsiveness and has no problems navigating, but it does stutter a bit when loading content or jumping from one video to another. . One of the problems I had was that I couldn’t view the contents of my external hard disk because the built-in file manager didn’t show it, and the dorOS app store didn’t have a file manager, so I had to My solution was to sideload the app using the file manager. External drives have become a hassle.
The 43-inch 4k (3840×2160) QLED 16:9 display is plenty bright for a budget TV, and the color handling works well. HDR10 isn’t great, but it’s good enough for watching movies and TV shows. Also, 4k plans from apps like Hotstar and SonyLIV are not available. Considering this is a 4k TV, this seems like a bummer. The TV is equipped with two 10-watt speakers, which do a good job of filling a small to medium-sized room for delivering music and conversation, but can be quite immersive when playing something in Dolby Atmos. You can’t expect it to provide a meaningful experience.
Overall, Dor TV is an interesting new TV with some great features if you don’t mind being locked into a subscription model. There’s nothing major wrong with the hardware, but some of the software quirks detailed above may make it less appealing for some when pitted against the likes of Xiaomi, TCL, and Kodak.
