FAQ:-
1.
What is WICE TV?
WICE stands for Window for
Information, communication and entertainment. WICE TV is a multiplay, which
supports all interactive applications. WICE TV lets users get a lot more out of
their existing TV experience. It combines all the benefits of Pay-TV and Digital TV. WICE TV
enables you to have a two-way relationship with your TV, with you in full
control.
2.
What is this
“Multiplay” that every one is talking about?
Multiplay
is an extension of Triple-Play technology, meaning, running all sorts of
services on the same medium. BSNL Multiplay aims to make your telephone wire
carry multiple applications of voice, data and video through the WICE.box.. We
will be offering services like Video-On-Demand, Radio, Television Channels,
T-Education, T-commerce, Virtual Shopping, Video-Conferencing, Audio-On-Demand
and many more.
3.
What do you mean
by “Interactive” services?
Interactive
means having a two-way flow of information. At a more basic level
you
see interactivity in nearly all entertainment devices. But this is restricted
to interaction with the device, which has a restricted amount of memory and
processing power. We have taken interactivity to a much higher level wherein
you will be communicating with the high-end servers and specialized devices
which have a vast amount of memory and huge processing power. You will also be
interacting with other users using the same service through the WICE.box. This
means a nearly unlimited number of services and tools can be provisioned on this
platform. A classic example would be the VOD service where every user gets to
play, pause, forward or rewind the movie he is watching. This is not available
on any other platform. Some televisions are offering a close alternative but
that too is restricted to the amount of memory on the device, also known as
time-shift viewing. With the WICE.box, you can pause a movie and start it any
time within the next 24 hours and it will start from the point you paused it.
And if there are a number of movies that you have paused, you have the luxury
of resuming any of them at your convenience.
Another
example is TV-to-TV chatting where what you write on your TV screen (using a
tablet PAD) will be displayed on the TV screen of the person with whom you are
chatting.
In
T-Education the student and teacher can communicate with each other through
their television sets.
4.
What do you mean
by “T-Educational Services”?
Educational
services include providing academic syllabus based Course contents, interactive
questions and answers covering board exams, competitive exams etc. Additional
features of this service are progress tracking, personalized advice to students
etc. Progress tracking and personalized advice means maintaining a record of
the students progress in a particular subject and suggesting improvements in
the weaker areas.
Interactive
Education is an addition to the conventional educational service. Multiple
Private Tuitions with few students, t-blackboards, t-Notebooks, text, voice,
video interaction etc figure on the list.
A
T-Blackboard is a virtual blackboard where by the teacher writes down matter on
his TV set using a pen tablet and it is displayed on the student's television.
The teacher and student can interact with each other by actually penning down
matter which will be displayed on their television sets.
The
television can also be used as a notebook i.e., a T-notebook. For e.g. a student can use it to record all his notes and
review them later. His current tuition teacher can approach us and hold classes
over the network via his television. Such services are currently in the
pipeline.
5.
What do you mean
by saying that my telephone line is capable of carrying more than just
telephone calls and Internet?
A
standard telephone installation consists of a pair of copper wires that the
phone company installs in your home. The copper wires have lots of room for
carrying more than your phone conversations -- they are capable of handling a
much greater bandwidth, or range of frequencies, than that demanded for voice. DSL
exploits this extra capacity to carry information on the wire without
disturbing the line's ability to carry conversations. The entire plan is based
on matching particular frequencies to specific tasks. So the same line can be
made to carry voice, data and video without one interfering with the other.
The
telephone cable that comes to your house comes directly from the telephone
exchange. This means that there is no component between your telephone and the
exchange. The wire going to other users cannot influence the working of your
telephone or any service offered on your wire. Alternatively, in a cable
network, this is not the case as it is a shared network.
6.
What is DTH? How
is it different from what you are offering?
DTH is
a satellite based entertainment service that requires a small dish antenna and
a set top box to be installed at the customer premises. It is a one-way
communication medium in which the set top box can only accept signals from the
satellite but is unable to send any back.
Currently
the major DTH providers are offering television channels, satellite radio and
pay-per-view movies. The can offer a limited amount of local interaction like
multiple angles, zoom, picture-in-picture etc.
6. What are the benefits of IPTV over normal cable/
Dish TV?
• DVD quality
picture and sound
• All Broad
cast channel/live events (free as well as pay channel)
• Video on
demand (see any movies as per your choice)
• Interactive
Games, Dictionary service on TV
• PVR: Record
TV programmes and can be seen at any convenient time of the customer
• On line training and video class
• SMS alert and many more…
7.
What is shared
and unshared bandwidth?
Bandwidth
is a measure of frequency range and is typically measured in hertz. It is also
a measure of speed of data transfer in a medium.
When
lots of people are using the same media to communicate either with each other
or with a server, it is known as a shared medium. The bandwidth is shared among
all the users. When an individual path exists between every user and the server
it is known as an unshared access. The bandwidth that is allotted is called
unshared bandwidth. Typically, cable technology is shared bandwidth while ADSL
is unshared.
8.
What do you mean
by upstream or downstream bandwidth?
The
data that is transferred from the user back to the server is called upstream
and the capacity of a medium to carry this data is called its upstream
bandwidth. The data that is transferred from the server to the user is called
downstream and the capacity of a medium to carry this data is called its
downstream bandwidth.
Upstream
bandwidth is required when data is to be sent to another user on the same
network or to the servers for processing. For example, file sharing, photo
album sharing, true VOD (including fast fw, rew etc.) , Audio-on-Demand,
network gaming etc.
9.
What all do I
need to avail BSNL Multiplay services?
The
prerequisites for BSNL Multiplay services are a Bfone and a Data One
connection. Both these services are available from BSNL and you can get more
details by either calling 1500 or visiting www.gujarat.bsnl.co.in.
10.
What kind of TV
required?
All normal TV as well as TV on latest technology.
11.
Can I avail BSNL
Multiplay services without having a Data One connection?
No. At
present BSNL is providing this service only to its Data One customers.
12.
I don't have Data
One. If I have to take both Data One and Multiplay, won't this be more
expensive than my cable provider?
Data
one is an Internet service and should be considered as a separate entity. It is
not combined with BSNL Multiplay except that it is a prerequisite. If you
already have Data One, BSNL Multiplay will be priced competitively.
13.
What is a
WICE.box? Where do I get one?
A
WICE.box is is a smart device that acts as an interface between your television
set and the services being offered on BSNL Multiplay. It provides an intuitive
on-screen menu allowing the viewer to easily navigate through and search for
programs. You can select radio and TV channels, send e-mails and SMS messages
etc. and much more. A user-friendly 'Remote Control' is provided with the
Set-top box to increase the flexibility of operation.
14.
How will my
WICE.box give me new services that will be offered later? Will I have to bring
my WICE.box to you?
The
WICE.box will be remotely upgraded to include any new features that are
launched. This will be done seamlessly and transparently without you having to
do anything.
15.
I have a modem
where I see only one port for my PC. Where do I connect the WICE.box?
You have
what is called a single port modem. In this case, you will require a small
Ethernet switch, similar in size to the modem. As shown in the diagram below,
this switch will be placed between the Modem and your PC. The WICE.box, Modem
and your PC will be connected to the ports of the switch using Ethernet cables.
16.
Can I switch on
my PC or use my phone when I am watching any of the Multiplay services on the
TV?
Yes
you can. The operating of a PC or Telephone has no bearing on the working of
Multiplay services or vice-versa.
17.
Can I connect to
the Internet on the PC while I am watching any of the Multiplay services on the
TV?
Yes,
you can connect to the Internet and work while Multiplay services are running
on the Television.
18.
Will watching
Multiplay affect my download speeds?
No.
Your ADSL modem is configured during installation to ensure that either service
does not affect the other one. In case you change or reset your modem configuration,
you will have to register a call at the customer care center for modem
reconfiguration.
19.
Wouldn't
Multiplay show an increase in my Internet bill?
Multiplay
services are independent of your Internet usage. Since this is a closed network
and does not require a connection to the Internet, you need not even switch on
your PC to avail Multiplay services. Using Multiplay will not reflect in your
Internet usage bill.
20.
Why have you
given a “USB” port on the WICE.box? What use is it to me?
You
can connect your 'plug and play' devices like your web-camera, mouse, keyboard,
Pen drive, tablet etc to your ¨USB¨ port.
21.
Can I connect a
second television to the same WICE.box?
The
WICE.box has two separate output ports, one AV and one S-Video. You can connect
your television to either of these ports and both will work at the same time.
For example you may want to connect your TV to the AV port and your projector
to the S-Video port. But do remember that the same signal is available at both
the ports.
22.
How about me getting
a second WICE.box? Can I use it on the same DataOne connection?
No.
Currently we are allowing only one WICE.box on one DataOne connection.
23.
Even DTH claims
VOD. How is your VOD different from it?
The
Video-On-Demand offered on the DTH system is quite different from the VOD
offered on BSNL Multiplay. In DTH, since there is no way to communicate with
the service provider through the set top box, you have to call them or SMS them
your request. They will then give you a time and a channel number where you
will be able to see the movie of your choice. This choice is also currently
limited to a few movies. This service is at best a Pay-per-View service, in
which you pay for a single view of the movie. They decide how many times you
can see the movie and they decide when you can start seeing it and stop seeing
it.
In
true VOD, which is offered by us, the WICE.box behaves just like your DVD
player. You can start a movie when you like, pause it when you like and for
whatever time you like, forward it and rewind it for whatever duration and even
stop it and see the remaining movie later. This is only possible because of the
two way communication between the WICE.box and the server. You have a choice of
selecting from hundreds of movies while VOD offered by DTH providers have only
a few movies in their repertoire.
24.
Can my cable
operator offer this VOD?
At
present the cable technology used is predominantly analog. This means such
services cannot be offered. Theoretically, all cable operators (and there have
been very few) who upgrade their system to bidirectional digital communication
can offer this service. This will still not be able to provide most other
interactive services as the technology involved does not provide sufficient
individual bandwidth for data intensive services, it being a shared medium.
Currently
very few operators have upgraded to digital and out of them, all are
unidirectional. Unidirectional means data can only be sent from the server to
the set top box and not vice versa. This is also due to the fact that no cable
set top box is designed for sending responses back to the provider.
25.
Is the choice of
content in VOD restricted to only Hindi movies?
We are
offering various content including regional language movies, Marathi plays,
Informational content like documentaries, educational content, Audio-Video
tutorials, Songs, animation content etc are also being provided.
26.
What are the
channels I'll be able to view on the WICE.box?
All
major entertainment and educational channels are available on BSNL Multiplay. A
complete list is available at http://www.wicebox.com/channels.html We
will be adding to this list as and when we get the distribution rights for
other channels.
27.
Which radio
stations are available on the WICE.box?
Currently,
ten Satellite based FM channels are available on the WICE.box. Some high
quality WorldSpace channels are also available on a trial basis on the
WICE.box.
28.
How many movies
are hosted on the Multiplay system? When will these be updated?
We
have hosted about a hundred movies under various categories on the VOD server.
You can see the list when you access VOD on the WICE.box. These movies will be
constantly added to the list and approximately every fortnight you will see
quite a few new movies coming in.
29.
What if I want to
request a movie/channel to be provided on the system?
You
can send us an email at content@divinetaccess.com
with details of what you would like to see in VOD, Audio-On-Demand or Channels
and we will try to source it.
30.
How many times
and for how long can I see a movie that I have “Accepted” to pay for?
As
soon as you select “Accept” in the VOD menu for a movie, you are allowed to
view it as many times as you like within the next 24 hours. After 24 hours of
the “Accept” the session expires and you cannot continue the earlier session.
31.
I want more
detailed help on something. Who do I contact?
Please
feel free to contact us at wicebox@divinetaccess.com for any questions
or queries. We will be happy to be of assistance.
32.
Where can I find
a list of customer care centers that I can call for assistance?
You
can call 1500 for assistance regarding Multiplay services. A list of customer
care centers is available on the BSNL website at http://www.bsnl.co.in.
You can walk into the nearest CSC and get the necessary assistance.
33.
Are these
customer care centers open 24X7?
The
local customer care center is open during business hours but you can call 1500
anytime. It is a 24X7 customer help service.
- Where can I signup for
WICE TV Services?
You can sign up for WICE TV by registering yourself on
www.wicebox.com. You can also call on WICE TV interaction center number
020-25666363.
For termination of service customers
have to call on WICE NOC center number 020-25665243
No,
customer would need a BSNL Telephone Line for the WICE TV Service. If you
terminate your BSNL Telephone line, you will no longer enjoy WICE TV Service.
35.Where
can I change my channel subscription plan?
There is only
one plan available for the customers.
36.Can I transfer my WICE TV service ownership
anytime?
NO, you cannot transfer your WICE TV Service
ownership.
37.I am relocating, what are the arrangement for my
WICE TV service?
Yes, Relocation
of WICE TV service can be done by calling WICE Interaction center number
079-26579994. It will be relocated within 3 working days.
38.What is PVR feature?
PVR stands for personal Video recorder. PVR help users
to record any TV programmes which cannot be watched on scheduled time but watch
the same at one's own freedom.
39. Can I record all channels through PVR on my WICE
TV service?
You can
only record FREE-To-Air channels. You can avail PVR recording channel list on
our website
www.wicebox.com
OR using “HELP” button on your WICE remote.
40. Can I schedule remote recordings even when my set-top
box or modem is off?
Yes, your Set-Top Box and modem can be turned off when
you are scheduling remote recordings online. However your set-top box and modem
need to be switched on in order for your recordings to take place.
