NEW DELHI: Staying ahead of competition, Dish TV has launched the first-ever standard definition box with recorder to cater to the majority of subscribers who are not hooked on to high definition.

Dish TV expects the pricing to be a killer as recording facilities offered by rival direct-to-home (DTH) service providers are only in high-definition boxes and are much costlier.

The STB with recorder to be known as Dish+ would cost a mere Rs 100 more than the present STB which is priced at Rs 1590. Dish TV is also giving a 4 GB pen drive free as promotional offer.

?Dish+ is a comeback of recorders in the living room and is a clear differentiator vis-?-vis other alternatives including digital cable. Its highly competitive launch price will position it as a preferred option amongst all DTH buyers?, Dish TV chief operating officer Salil Kapoor said

Dish TV?s high-definition box which has a recording facility is priced at Rs 2690. Dish would charge another Rs 200 for installation.

Any USB port can be connected to the standard box for recording, and there is facility for unlimited recording.

A budget of Rs 250 million has been set aside for a 360 degree marketing campaign, Kapoor told Indiantelevision.com.

"The high-definition market at present is just five per cent of the total households (around 50,000 subscribers). The majority are, thus, deprived of any recording facility. Since the video cassette recorder fades out for recording facility, most subscribers are going to welcome this new innovation."

The government has mandated digitisation in the four metros of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai by 1 November. "The second phase will cover a total of 40 cities. We want to be able to give the viewers an option," said Kapoor.