DD Free Dish: complete channel list 2021 and how to tune your old set-top box

DD Free Dish has become a lifeline of sorts for those wanting to consume TV channels for free in India. During the pandemic, the vast network of channels are not only keeping Indians informed and delivering general entertainment content, but are also helping education reach those with no broadband connectivity.

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India has seen a huge revamp in the way television channels are broadcasted to end consumers. Earlier this year, TRAI introduced new rules that brought DTH channels to consumers at much cheaper rates than before. While channels now come with a fixed Network Capacity Fee (NCF) and à la carte channels, Doordarshan remains a different beast.

To the uninitiated, Doordarshan is a public service broadcaster owned by the Broadcasting Ministry of India. Alongside All India Radio, Doordarshan forms one of the two divisions of Prasar Bharti. Established on September 15th 1959, Doordarshan is one of India’s largest broadcasting organisations in studio and transmitter infrastructure.

DD Free Dish: what is it?

As mentioned earlier, DD Free Dish is India’s only free Direct-To-Home service. At the time of its launch in December 2004, it offered only 33 channels. At present, the service offers 104 SDTV channels along with 40 Radio channels. It is available in Ku-Band on GSAT-15 (at 93.5°E). The DTH signals can be received through a small sized dish receive system, also known as Set-top Box and Dish of size around 60 to 90cm in diameter.

DD Free Dish channel list

Doordarshan operates a total of 21 channels and has 46 studios. It has two all-India channels in the form of DD National and DD News. It also operates 17 regional satellite channels, 11 state networks, an international channel called DD India, a sports channel called DD Sports, DD Bharati, DD Urudu and DD Kisan.

While it has an expansive network of regional channels, Doordarshan also has a free-to-air satellite television provider called DD Free Dish. Previously known as DD Direct Plus, it is estimated to serve approximately 50 million Indian households. In other words, DD Free Dish accounts for around 25 percent of total TV households in the country. It offers a national, parliamentary, regional and state network of TV channels.

DD National channel list

1. DD National
2. DD Retro
3. DD Kisan
4. DD News
5. DD India
6. DD Sports
7. DD Bharati
8. DD Urdu

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 101	001	DD News	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 102	002	DD National	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 103	003	DD Retro	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 104	004	DD Kisan	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 512	084	DD India	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 505	077	DD Sports	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 406	060	DD Bharati	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 407	061	DD Urdu	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

DD Parliamentary channel list

1. Lok Sabha TV
2. Rajya Sabha TV

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 208	026	Lok Sabha TV	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 209	027	Rajya Sabha TV	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Doordarshan Regional channel list

1. DD Assam (Assamese)
2. DD Bangla (Bengali)
3. DD Chandana (Kannada)
4. DD Girnar (Gujarati)
5. DD Kashir (Kashmiri and Urdu)
6. DD Malayalam (Malayalam)
7. DD Odia (Odia)
8. DD Podhigai (Tamil)
9. DD Punjabi (Punjabi)
10. DD Sahyadri (Marathi)
11. DD Saptagiri (Telugu)
12. DD Yadagiri (Telugu)
13. DD Arun Prabha (Hindi and English)
14. DD Bihar (Hindi and Bihari)
15. DD Madhya Pradesh (Hindi)
16. DD Rajasthan (Hindi and Rajasthani)
17. DD Uttar Pradesh (Hindi)

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 316	052	DD Assam	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 106	006	DD Bangla	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 107	007	DD Chandana	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 108	008	DD Girnar	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 109	009	DD Kashir	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 207	025	DD Malayalam	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 202	020	DD Odia	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 203	021	DD Podhigai	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 204	022	DD Punjabi	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 205	023	DD Sahyadri	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 304	040	DD Saptagiri	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 206	024	DD Yadagiri	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 111	011	DD Arun Prabha	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 506	078	DD Bihar	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 311	047	DD Madhya Pradesh	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 504	076	DD Rajasthan	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 309	045	DD Uttar Pradesh	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

DD State Network channel list

1. DD Chhattisgarh (Hindi)
2. DD Jharkhand (Hindi)
3. DD Uttarakhand (Hindi)
4. DD Manipur (Manipuri)
5. DD Meghalaya (Khasi and Garo)
6. DD Mizoram (Mizo)
7. DD Nagaland (English)
8. DD Tripura (Bengali and Kokborok)

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 318	054	DD Chhattisgarh	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 507	079	DD Jharkhand	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 417	071	DD Uttarakhand	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 118	018	DD Manipur	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 117	017	DD Meghalaya	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 317	053	DD Mizoram	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 217	035	DD Nagaland	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 218	036	DD Tripura	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Hindi General Entertainment channel list

1. Colors Rishtey
2. Zee Anmol
3. Big Magic
4. Dangal TV
5. Shemaroo TV
6. Sony Pal
7. Star Utsav
8. Star Utsav Movies
9. Sony Wah
10. Filmachi

Youth-oriented General Entertainment channel list

1. Zing

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 511	083	Zing	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Hindi Music channel list

1. MTV Beats
2. B4U Music
3. 9XM
4. Mastiii

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 514	086	MTV Beats	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 409	063	B4U Music	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 403	057	9XM	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 408	062	Mastiii	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Hindi-language Movies channel list

1. ABZY Dhakad
2. ABZY Movies
3. ABZY Cool
4. B4U Kadak
5. B4U Movies
6. Dhinchaak
7. Enterr10 Movies
8. Maha Movie
9. Manoranjan TV
10. Movie Plus
11. Rishtey Cineplex
12. Surya Cinema
13. Zee Anmol Cinema

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 201	019	ABZY Dhakad	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 110	010	ABZY Movies	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 214	032	ABZY Cool	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 306	042	B4U Kadak	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 112	012	B4U Movies	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 115	015	Dhinchaak	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 315	051	Enterr10 Movies	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 404	058	Maha Movie	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 501	073	Manoranjan TV	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 303	039	Movie Plus	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 302	038	Rishtey Cineplex	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 216	034	Surya Cinema	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 312	048	Zee Anmol Cinema	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Hindi-language News channel list

1. Aaj Tak
2. Aajtak Tez
3. ABP News
4. India TV
5. NDTV India
6. News 24
7. News Nation
8. News18 India
9. Republic Bharat
10. TV9 Bharatvarsh
11. Zee Hindustan
12. Zee News

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 414	068	Aaj Tak	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 113	013	Aajtak Tez	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 415	069	ABP News	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 410	064	India TV	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 313	049	NDTV India	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 412	066	News 24	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 411	065	News Nation	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 402	056	News18 India	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 413	067	Republic Bharat	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 308	044	TV9 Bharatvarsh	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 405	059	Zee Hindustan	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 416	070	Zee News	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Devotional channel list

1. Sadhana Bhakti
2. Lord Buddha TV

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 503	075	Sadhana Bhakti	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 513	085	Lord Buddha TV	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Bhojpuri channel list

1. B4U Bhojpuri (Movies)
2. Bhojpuri Cinema (Movies)
3. Big Ganga (General Entertainment)
4. Dabangg (Movies)
5. Surya Bhojpuri (Movies)
6. Zee Biskope (Movies)

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 114	014	B4U Bhojpuri	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 212	030	Bhojpuri Cinema	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 116	016	Big Ganga	11090 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 310	046	Dabangg	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 314	050	Surya Bhojpuri	11470 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 213	031	Zee Biskope	11170 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Marathi channel list

1. Fakt Marathi (General Entertainment)
2. Shemaroo Marathibana (Movies)

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 515	087	Fakt Marathi	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 516	088	Shemaroo Marathibana	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

Punjabi channel list

1. Maha Punjabi (Music and Movies)
2. Manoranjan Movies (Movies)
3. Zee Punjabi – (General Entertainment)

DTH Slot	Channel Number	Channel Name	Satellite Frequency	Quality System
Test 509	081	Maha Punjabi	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 501	073	Manoranjan Movies	11550 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S
Test 418	072	Zee Punjabi	11510 V 29500	MPEG-2 DVB-S

DD Free Dish: MPEG-4 streaming

DD Free Dish has been expanding from time to time. It has expanded to present capacity with the introduction of MPEG-4, DVB-S2 stream. It also has plans to add HD channels in the bouquet of DD Free Dish soon. Prasar Bharati also plans to expand the 80 MPEG-2 streams to MPEG-4 in phased manner.

It is different from other DTH operators because they provide paid service. The DTH operators charge customers because they need to uplink the encrypted TV signals to the satellite and the signals are received by subscribers through a receiving system. DD Free Dish works similarly but in this case, customers have to make only a one-time investment to purchase the dish receive system including the set-top box and dish antenna with LNB.

Doordarshan and its enormous presence

Doordarshan provides television, radio, online and mobile service throughout the metropolitan and regional India. It also provides service overseas through the Indian Network and IRadio India. From an experimental broadcaster, Doordarshan has come a long way. While rules have evolved, new players have come along, Doordarshan is still watched by a large section of the country.

If you are wondering for the reason then it is the simple fact that Doordarshan, also called DD, continues to offer free-to-air channels. Whether it is Krishi Darshan or news bulletin in your local language, Doordarshan has you covered with a wide array of channels spanning multiple Indian languages.

While it started in 1959, Doordarshan extended television service to Mumbai (then Bombay) and Amritsar only in 1972. Only seven Indian cities had television service until 1975, states a Wikipedia entry. Doordarshan for a long time remained the country’s sole television provider, giving it an enormous advantage.

How to tune your old DD Free Dish set-top box

1. Satellite Name

Step 1: Go to the Installation menu or visit the setup menu using the remote control.
Step 2: Select Satellite Edit menu.
Step 3: Select Add New Satellite menu.
Step 4: Select Sat Name Edit menu.
Step 5: Enter Satellite Name as GSAT-15.
Step 6: Enter Satellite Longitude as 93.5°E
Step 7: Press Exit.

2. LNB Configuration

Step 1: Go to LNB configuration and ensure that the satellite is selected as GSAT-15.
Step 2: Set LNB Types as Universal.
Step 3: Set LNB Power On.
Step 4: Press Exit.

3. Transport streams of Transponder (TP) Edit

Step 1: Go to Transponder (TP) Edit menu and once again ensure that the satellite selected is GSAT-15.
Step 2: Select Add New TP menu.
Step 3: Select TP frequency as 11,090MHz.
Step 4: Select Symbol rate as 29,500Ksps.
Step 5: Select Polarization as Vertical.
Step 6: Set 22K as OFF
Step 7: Set Disc. Equal to OFF
Step 8: Select Scan as FTA.
Step 9: Press OK

Once you have entered these values in your old set-top box, now go to Search and press Ok. This will add the new 16 TV and 6 Radio services and you can add other four Transport streams by entering respective frequencies, symbol rate and polarization.