lucky me - activated within 5mins yersterday

so that u dun have to call astro many times...free maaaa.......just change la..

So you're saying that HD in the US (Dish/DirectTV?) is of lower quality than Astro with 8Mbps of H.264? If this is the case, and if one transponder can handle about 30Mbps, that means at maximum four HD channels can be used per transponder.

I'm surprised that Astro is also transmitting the stereo channels since 5.1 can be folded down to stereo.


fuad

This looks like an HDMI switch, not a splitter. Its function is to allow multiple HDMI sources to be switched into 1 HDMI display (like your TV). Don't know if it can be used 2-way both as switch and splitter...

This post has been edited by kkm: Jan 6 2010, 11:40 PM

I'm also suprised that Measat 3 also can broadcast HD channel instead of Measat 3A.
I think the different is their compression method..normal SD using MPEG 2, and HD was using MPEG 4. But it can broadcast on both measat 3/3a
Image from measat website.



This post has been edited by minimize: Jan 6 2010, 11:44 PM

from reading forumer's post I believed that HD decoder is capable of selecting particular satellite by altering "entry point", "1" for measat 3, "18" for measat 3A

based on lyngsat transponder frequency listing, astro appeared to be transmitting their HD channels on both measat 3(DVB-S mpeg4/AVC/H.264, requiring lower 9750MHz lo frequency) and 3A(DVB-S2 mpeg4/AVC/H.264, requireing higher 10600MHz lo frequency), by simply receiving measat 3 signal only, this will enable both old and HD decoders to share single dish by using simple satelliteTV-class 2000 MHz splitter without interference between decoders

try selecting "entry point #1" on HD decoder, and see if both kind of decoders can watch SD/HD channels freely without interference.

This post has been edited by neb: Jan 7 2010, 12:14 AM

In the USA Direct TV due to its early step in to HD is using MPEG 2 HD, this means 2 channels per transponder to keep the quality up at about the same as Astro B.yond. Unfortunately not all channels can justify half a transponder per channel so the Americans invented "HD Lite" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_Lite ).

Both Astro and the BBC in the UK use MPEG 4 (H264) at about 8Mbits/s fixed bandwidth.

Under DVB-S Modulation a Ku band transponder can carry about 34Mbits/s whilst in DVB-S2 Modulation this increases to about 50Mbits/s. Astro has 5 channels per transponder in DVB-S2.

Astro has really timed it right as DVB-S2 is relatively new as are HD encoders that can do "better than USA" HD at 8Mbits/s. If Astro had done HD a year ago they could only do 2 channels per transponder which I think they would charge us more than 20RM per month! (Sky in the UK have had HD for 4 years, have 30 channels but charge almost 60RM per month and the decoder cost over 1000RM which you had to buy!)

Dolby 5.1 down mixing is very complicated and licensed from Dolby itself on a per decoder basis, given that the stereo audio is only 0.2Mbits/s perhaps Astro has chosen to retransmit rather than license the dolby downmix. This is fairly normal practice as most PayTV operators try to keep the cost per box licensing down whilst the satellite capacity is a fixed cost. (but perhaps I am wrong on this one? )

That's a switcher. Three HDMI INs and one HDMI out. You want something like this:



Costs US$61. 1.3B compliant which means it's HDCP compliant too.


fuad

The diagram you have posted is for Measats "contribution" feed across the region, not Astros PayTV feed to Malaysia.

Measat has many customers, one being Astro. For example, when I was working in Hong Kong we took BBCE as a contribution feed from Measat 3. The contribution feed is C Band, not Ku Band like Astro. The sole purpose of a contribution feed is to distribute TV channels to other broadcasters.

The diagram is basically Measats marketing message to channel operators to get their distribution business.

u mean hdmi splitter fucntion like this

Maybe u can send updates and corrections about Measat 3/3A to webmaster@lyngsat.com.
Wrong info make people really confused.

Yep... for directv the resolution broadcasted for one hd channel is 1440x1080i lol and the bitrate is around 6Mbps average using h264.... someone able to hack their encryption and recorded the digital video streams... amazing... i dont know how he did it, but i did see a few of his captures.... its sharp la...but pixellated... meh!

Just changed the satelite entry point from #1 to #18 as recommended here. Signal strength terus up from 195 to 217! Great info I must say. Tq all sifus here

From what I see on dolby website their just offer a license depend on type of business.
But they not elobarate clearly the charges details on each type of license. Not sure byond decoder is Dolby compatible device or not because I did't see any Dolby logo at there.

What a suprised because i'm also did't find astro company name on their Dolby Licensee list.
Maybe astro did't apply for dolby license and that why sound got a problem. Hehehe

This post has been edited by minimize: Jan 7 2010, 12:38 AM

Yes. You only apply the splitter to divide the video signal into two. I guess with HDCP compliant, you can also use it to feed audio signal as well but I've never heard anyone doing it like that. Usually they want to split video signals.

The more splits you want to make, the more expensive the splitter is.


fuad

All,

From my measurements as you change your entry points from #1 to #18 all you are doing is changing the transponder on which the signal strength measurement is taken. Entry point 1 being a Measat 3 transponder and entry point 18 being a Measat 3a transponder.

Every transponder has a different profile and strength, if you measure the transponder of entry point #18 this does not make your signal strength better as the transponder for entry point #1 will always be the same as when you measured it.

I suggest that everyone on this forum should standardize on the two measurements and when we quote a signal strength we should all state the entry point used.

My suggestion is that where possible all of us should quote both entry point #1 and entry point #18 as a minimum this then covers both satellites and both frequency ranges of the LNB. Do we agree?

So for the above readings we have 195@#1 and 217@#18.

If we simply quote signal strength numbers without the entry point then they are meaningless.

more topak $$$
carry on ape yang ade je lah..

tQ mate

That is exactly what I am saying. If Astro do not do a down mix then there is no license needed as the decoder simply passes through the 5.1 bitstream to your home cinema system. It is actually the home cinema system that has the dolby license.

From my understanding, if Astro downmixed on the decoder from 5.1 to stereo then they would need to license the 5.1 Dolby decoder. For Astro it would then be simple maths, pay Dolby per box for dowmix or pay for the capacity on the satellite to broadcast stereo. One will be cheaper, I think Astro have done their maths and gone for the cheaper option which is the same as most other satellite operators, broadcast both!

(but I may be way off on this one, but it seems to add up!)

Update: If you look at the AVS forums ( http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1146219 ) you will see that the Western Digital WDTV product is the same and the forum concluded the same as we did!

This post has been edited by AstInst: Jan 7 2010, 01:03 AM

if u have 1 decoder...they will give u the white 60CM dish...if u have 2 thn they will give beyond dish with 2 connector
if i'm not wrong la
cuz my installer also gave the 60CM dish to me....haven't install also...using the old one...the new one kept as spare
and yes...the installer should activate it in front of u...mine did it in front of me until his HP come out saying your what what successful thn only he left...will take around 30min -1 hour

make sense though