There is a reason why I am writing about TV, Media etc. Its been almost 8 months and it took us that long to figure it all out. Well, not all of it, but most of it. We were in denial and took several futile attempts to finally admit that you can only do so much with that you get here.
If you are a total movie freak and like to be glued to your home theater, then prepare yourself well before you R2I. There are lot of little annoyances and a lot of money to be spent to get the basic home video viewing experience to be well established here. I think most of this applies is all of India, could be worse in smaller cities.
For a decent home theater setup in Bangalore - you will need the following.
TV
AV Receiver
Speakers
DVD player
Cable Box
If you are planning to R2I from 110V countries, don't bother to bring a TV. Unless, you can figure out the complications of voltage, system, regions etc etc etc. There are too many factors including customs to take care of. Although the TVs are considerably more expensive in India and you might think of spending the difference in doing the patch work, trust me, Its a lot easier to buy is all here and I will tell you why. If you are into the flat screens - you get LCD and LEDs everywhere. There are more TV stores / dealers that you will need. Everything is Negotiable! So remember to bargain and ask them to throw in deals/DTH/cable etc.
If you are looking for a HD experience with your flat screen, these are the issues with it.
1. No cable or dish provider has HD. There are not HD broadcast channels in India. There are just Nat.Geo provided by SUN HD services and they have a few regional channels. Please note, most of the regional programming is just upscaled. So do not expect high quality HD consistently.
2. HD quality is limited to DVDs and that too only Blueray. Most movies are available in India as they are realeased in Region C or All regions. Make sure your DVD player plays Region C, otherwise, you are in for more frustation. This is another reason to buy your equipment in India. If you buy your own Bluray collection, then its worth investing in teh whole nine yards to get the true HD experience.
3. Upscaling to 1080p is often called as HD quality here. Alhtough they are not the same at all. None of the upscaled videos come any where near HD quality. A lof the DVD players claim to have upscaling. Also, all the upscaling devices do nothing to analog signals from cable. Barely any difference. The regular DVDs look a bit better on the upscaled versions, assuming its an original DVD :-) Which again is uncommon to find at DVD rental stores.
4. If your primary source for movies are local DVD rentals - don't bother to get anything HD or FullHD or 1080p or any of the cool stuff. The local DVD gusy never ever have the real thing. All you get in crappy copies!
5. Online HD media - We are used to watching all US prime time stuff online on the respective websites. None of these work in India! All the online US Channel websites, Netflix online, etc etc are all blocked. Unless you have a super fast web connection (which is not possible) and good enough to go through a proxy or vpn - online HD viewing is impossible. Of course there is bit torrent and illegal downloading etc... but again the bandwidth use, will make you pay much more for your internet bills. There is no unlimited internet plans in the affordable range. So, don't rely on the internet of rich media.
Now for the Receivers, Speakers, etc. You get everything here. Except for the price. Everything is super expensive. A decent receiver with all the basics and HD stuff starts at 30K. Speakers are good to bring - watch out for powered sub woofers. That will post a conversion problem. Receiver brands commonly in India in order of pricing - Yamaha, Denon & Marantz.
DVD players are alright. The basic DVD players are easy to find and cheap. Bluray is expensive - minimum of 13-15K! But again for region issues etc, its best to buy local. Philips, Sony, Samsung etc. Blurray players are again not commonly found. Most stores carry one or 2 models on the floor. Best is to nail down the model, call and order it from a dealer. Getting a PS3 is another option to play your Bluray. Again,. get it locally - region issue.
One thing to keep in mind, you can ofcourse not worry about the region issue - if you are ready to wait long enough to get the all-region Blurays. They take time and some of them never get published in all-regions.
Well, thats my 2 cents on home theatre experience in India. Good luck with your quest to make the most out of your home theatre!
Side note: There is a booming business for home theatre set-up companies. They design, automate and set-up equiment etc. They literally build your home theatre in your apartment or home. Their packages start at 3 lakhs and up. You get a lot of cool stuff, automated/intelligent lighting, customised furniture, etc. You name it! So, if you do not want to figure it all out, there are professionals who do this for a living!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Travel, Paperwork, Permits, foreign citizen registration etc
I have been meaning to write about the various paperwork that you might need as part of moving and living in India.
Foreign citizen registration process in India
If you are not an Indian Citizen or if your Kids are not Indian citizens, then you will need to get a residential permit stamped on your foreign passports. This is process is done at your city's Police commissioner's office. In Bangalore its at the FRO office (No1 Infantry road). The process of obtaining is permit is a bit time consuming and sometimes quite painful.
Every foreign citizen residing in India over 180 days MUST get the stamp. Regardless of age. There is some misconception about this rule for kids. But that is not true. They give you a tough time if you are beyond the 6- months limit and might make the process even more painful. Its best to simply got get this process done within the first 2-3 months of arrival. Sooner the better.
Disclaimer: This is based on our experience in Bangalore. Not sure how the other cities work.
1. Collect all the documents necessary. This list can change slightly, list on the website was fairly accurate. Take more copies than you think you will ever need! Take extra pictures, all original passports, PIO cards etc. I have notes on the paperwork necessary at the bottom of this post.
2. Your visit will start with standing in line to enter the building. This line can be long at time. The officers will take a quick picture of you and give you a visit pass. This process of getting a visit pass is not totally enforced. The second and third time we went there, we skipped this part and went straight into the concerned offices.
3. Day 1:Get into the at Single Window department. An officer will go through your paperwork to make sure you have everything place. 99% of time, you will be missing something. If its just extra copies, you can make photocopies across the street from the main gate and get back to single window. You will see a lot of people cutting the line to talk to the officer there. Knowing the local language really helps! If you run out to make copies, you can try to talk to the officer without getting back in line. The experience is quite nice, you will see people from all over the world, getting yelled at by this guy :-)
4. Next step, after all the papers are in place, you will asked to get a sign off from the Assistant commissioner. This process was simple for us. Just walk into his office, he quickly looks at your paperwork and signs it off. we did not have to wait in line.
5. Day 2: You will then be asked to take the paperwork to the assigned officer. He will take your paperwork and ask to you to come the next day. Although, we just said yes and went back the next day, there maybe chances you can get this guy to move it to the next step the same day. We assumed it will all be ready the next day, only to find out that all he did was put the papers in a file and the next day asked us to submit the passport and come back the next day.
6. Day 3: Go back to the officer and he will ask you to submit your original passport at a specific counter and take a receipt. They will give you a specified time to come back the next day to pick up the passport. In and out in 15mins.
7. Day 4: Go back to the counter with you receipt. They will make you talk to the assigned officer and one other guy and then the passport will be ready for pick up at the counter. The process only took about 15-20 mins. Make sure the passport is stamped with multiple entry and for the period the passport is valid. Now, you are free to travel and out of India and reside in India without any restrictions.
So there you go! Allow yourself 4 consecutive working day mornings/afternoons to get this stamping done. The process as such was simple except for the multiple visits. No bribes, no cost for the whole thing. Except for ofcourse get the photocopies and affidavit (about Rs200 for that)
Note on Financial affidavit:
You can download the template from the FRO website. Take to a typist/notary service store , usually found near registrar office of your area. Typically you will find several of these notary people. Some people act like they are doing some sort of free service and give you the runs, don't waste your time with them. Just go to a more professional looking one. This should not cost you more than Rs200. There is also a "Advocate" signature part, this will not be done by the notary. You will have it find a lawyer in your area ( yellowbook) call and get this done. Should cost maybe another Rs200 or so. I had it done through a friend who happened to be a lawyer.
Address proof: Make sure you take copies of electricity bills, bank passbooks, rental agreement, sale deed etc. If you are staying at someone's house, make sure you take a letter stating the same, written and signed by the homeowner (whose name should be on the electricty bill).
Good luck with the process, although time consuming, We did not find this process painful.
Foreign citizen registration process in India
If you are not an Indian Citizen or if your Kids are not Indian citizens, then you will need to get a residential permit stamped on your foreign passports. This is process is done at your city's Police commissioner's office. In Bangalore its at the FRO office (No1 Infantry road). The process of obtaining is permit is a bit time consuming and sometimes quite painful.
Every foreign citizen residing in India over 180 days MUST get the stamp. Regardless of age. There is some misconception about this rule for kids. But that is not true. They give you a tough time if you are beyond the 6- months limit and might make the process even more painful. Its best to simply got get this process done within the first 2-3 months of arrival. Sooner the better.
Disclaimer: This is based on our experience in Bangalore. Not sure how the other cities work.
1. Collect all the documents necessary. This list can change slightly, list on the website was fairly accurate. Take more copies than you think you will ever need! Take extra pictures, all original passports, PIO cards etc. I have notes on the paperwork necessary at the bottom of this post.
2. Your visit will start with standing in line to enter the building. This line can be long at time. The officers will take a quick picture of you and give you a visit pass. This process of getting a visit pass is not totally enforced. The second and third time we went there, we skipped this part and went straight into the concerned offices.
3. Day 1:Get into the at Single Window department. An officer will go through your paperwork to make sure you have everything place. 99% of time, you will be missing something. If its just extra copies, you can make photocopies across the street from the main gate and get back to single window. You will see a lot of people cutting the line to talk to the officer there. Knowing the local language really helps! If you run out to make copies, you can try to talk to the officer without getting back in line. The experience is quite nice, you will see people from all over the world, getting yelled at by this guy :-)
4. Next step, after all the papers are in place, you will asked to get a sign off from the Assistant commissioner. This process was simple for us. Just walk into his office, he quickly looks at your paperwork and signs it off. we did not have to wait in line.
5. Day 2: You will then be asked to take the paperwork to the assigned officer. He will take your paperwork and ask to you to come the next day. Although, we just said yes and went back the next day, there maybe chances you can get this guy to move it to the next step the same day. We assumed it will all be ready the next day, only to find out that all he did was put the papers in a file and the next day asked us to submit the passport and come back the next day.
6. Day 3: Go back to the officer and he will ask you to submit your original passport at a specific counter and take a receipt. They will give you a specified time to come back the next day to pick up the passport. In and out in 15mins.
7. Day 4: Go back to the counter with you receipt. They will make you talk to the assigned officer and one other guy and then the passport will be ready for pick up at the counter. The process only took about 15-20 mins. Make sure the passport is stamped with multiple entry and for the period the passport is valid. Now, you are free to travel and out of India and reside in India without any restrictions.
So there you go! Allow yourself 4 consecutive working day mornings/afternoons to get this stamping done. The process as such was simple except for the multiple visits. No bribes, no cost for the whole thing. Except for ofcourse get the photocopies and affidavit (about Rs200 for that)
Note on Financial affidavit:
You can download the template from the FRO website. Take to a typist/notary service store , usually found near registrar office of your area. Typically you will find several of these notary people. Some people act like they are doing some sort of free service and give you the runs, don't waste your time with them. Just go to a more professional looking one. This should not cost you more than Rs200. There is also a "Advocate" signature part, this will not be done by the notary. You will have it find a lawyer in your area ( yellowbook) call and get this done. Should cost maybe another Rs200 or so. I had it done through a friend who happened to be a lawyer.
Address proof: Make sure you take copies of electricity bills, bank passbooks, rental agreement, sale deed etc. If you are staying at someone's house, make sure you take a letter stating the same, written and signed by the homeowner (whose name should be on the electricty bill).
Good luck with the process, although time consuming, We did not find this process painful.
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