While most of you are going crazy over whether or not Discovery HD will be on B.yond, I've seen an ad last week but didn't think much of it. And I still don't think much will come out of it unless verified.

The content of the ad was for the NGC lineup of channels: NGC, NGC HD, NGC Wild, NGC Wild HD and NGC World Music.


fuad

I stand corrected. Having seen the Samsung 3D LED HDTV (that's really long), I can attest that they DO synthesize 3D out of 2D content.

It's not anaglyph. It's full color, full HD 3D.

THERE IS A CATCH: It doesn't work as well as as native 3D content.

As far as 3D broadcast is concerned, the codec is going to be MPEG-4 MVC, just like the one ratified for use with 3D BD. DirectTV is already touting their upcoming ESPN 3D channel to be launched soon. How ESPN capture the 3D footage is up to them.


fuad

This post has been edited by writesimply: Apr 1 2010, 11:57 AM

I wouldn't compare it to DPL II. At least that decoding works. It approximates where the sound would be and synthesize it. It doesn't distort the sonic experience.

The 3D conversion on the Samsung 3D HDTV is not even decent 60% of the time. But I'd buy one If I have the money because 3D and not fake 3D is what I want.

1920x1080p60Hz. What do you think?

Not all movies. Only movies that are upconverted from 4:3 SD source. HBO does that even in the US. You'd think they'd get it right there but they don't. I guess you can blame the studios for not providing HBO for the right HD masters.


fuad

How do you qualify or quantify "best" in your point of view? Viewership? Awards? Rabid fans?

As much as you'd like Astro to have more HD channels, you can't have everything that you want instantly. Deals will have to be signed after Astro figures out if the Malaysian population would want to watch those channels as free or paid add-ons.

Instead of writing on this forum, get your friends and relatives to sign on a petition (not online) that you'd want ___ channels to be added to Astro's line-up. Organize it such that it will gain critical mass and get some media attention.


fuad

For those who have HBO HD, the first two episodes of The Pacific is going to be on at 8PM. It's a miniseries about the war in the Pacific during World War II. Produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.


fuad

Just watched the first episode of The Pacific. Too bad it got censored visually and sonically. But I'll be getting the BD set anyway.

Reminder: If you had a firmware update on your B.yond and you are using digital coax out, make sure you enable Dolby Digital 5.1 AGAIN. Apparently the firmware resets this so I watched the first 15 minutes in stereo.


fuad

Not really, since the point in my post was that everybody is asking for so many different HD channels based on their own preferences. The channels aren't necessarily the "best" or "most demanded" but they are what they want. Seriously, what do you think the chances are that Astro will be able to please everyone posting on this thread?

Re-read my post. I didn't tell him not to write on here. I told him that if he really wants those channels, he can do more to make it happen.

Component won't work with B.yond. Only HDMI would get you HD channels. If your TV doesn't have an input, you're out of luck - get a new TV. If your TV only has one input, get a receiver with multiple HDMI inputs that you can share with your DVD/BD player.


fuad

I believe the de-listing was for the more riskier move that Astro wants to make with regards to its overseas expansion via SunTV and Indonesia. Going private means that they can make bolder financial risks than what shareholders would allow.


fuad

Though some of you may not like repeats, I find it very useful particularly when there is no recording function available yet. What you guys may not know is that in the US, channels like Discovery have repeats a week or two later; but what's worse is that between 2-8AM (depending on channel), the program is filled with infomercials. I'd rather watch repeats than that.


fuad

Every time you post something like this, I think your blood pressure goes up. So for your own health's sake, don't read this thread. And stop subscribing to Astro if they are causing you this much anxiety.

Let's put this in perspective. Say you're a BD seller/distributor (like Speedy/HVN). You sell what BDs you are licensed to sell. Then one day Discovery America asks you if you could be their middle-man to Vietnam (for example) because only Asean countries can have license to release home videos in Vietnam. They don't want you to sell Discovery titles to Malaysia because they already have a distributor but they are willing to pay you to be their middle-man company for Vietnam. Do you take the offer or are you going to let it go because you can't have it all?

That's the deal with a lot of satellite companies. Most of them are not even providing their own satellite broadcasting service. But those that do, can't have or don't want to have every single channel that is being bounced around.

Astro takes the re-transmission deal because that is part of their business model. HD is part of their new model but the speed of which the HD channels is included in the lineup is dependent on whether their financial forecast can confirm they'll make money in the long run.

One thing to note is that once Astro has fulfilled its pledge of 10 HD channels by end of this year (I don't know where that bit of news came from) and more people subscribe to B.yond, those same new B.yonders are going to demand more HD channels than the 10. And they wouldn't want foreign channels either; they'd want local channels to be in HD. That's going to be a lot more money to spend than getting deals from HD channels because each 44-minute episode is going to cost RM50-80,000.

I thought the ending for The International was spot on. It makes sense and the hero remains a hero.


fuad

Then you could engage yourself a lawyer and find out if the B.yond contract is for one or two. I doubt it's for a two-year contract especially if the copy is right in front of you.

As others have said, it's only a two-year contract if you are a new subscriber to Astro.

We'll wait until you sort this problem out. Do let us know.

Seriously though, if you judge from how popular Akademi Fantasia and Astro Ceria and even Vaanavil is doing, you'd find that the majority of subscribers want local content. People who want foreign programming - including expats - are in the minority.

Being in the minority doesn't mean they don't care that you're not satisfied but they probably can't justify the cost. You will get some of what you want but not all of what you want. You can't please everybody all of the time.

In some countries, this constitutes a threat. If you said that about the American president, you'd be on their bad boy list.

That runs contrary to the concept of a forum. I have the authority to say/suggest but I don't have the authority to implement/control. You can vent all you want in a forum but if that doesn't get you anywhere, you should be doing something else to get the matter resolved.

He's not happy with Astro and wants to terminate. That is his authority and his right to do so. He can vent until he's blue in the face but that only gets him angrier. The root problem is still unsolved. If a bee stings you, are you going to vent at the bee or are you going to get your sting taken care of?

See above.

1) He does want to terminate.

2) I didn't tell him to shut up. If he's not happy, he can do other stuff that can make him happy. Clearly just thinking about Astro is not making him happy.

See above.

Apart from the issue of the switch-a-roo of a two-year contract, has Astro misrepresented their intentions regarding B.yond programming?

Have they said, "If we ever become a signal re-transmitter, we would definitely be providing those channels as well?"

Have they given us a specific timetable with exact dates as to when new HD channels is going to take place?

Have they said that B.yond is going to have the same bandwidth as Blu-ray Disc?

Have they said that all the HD channels will have burnt subtitles by April 1st?

What you think they should be doing is not the same as what they promised you what the service would be. You can be angry all you want at Astro but be fair with your criticisms.


fuad

It is rather funny how we often compare to our neighbors but we compare UP and not down.

Do you have another electricity provider? Water supply? How about garbage disposal?

Malaysia is not that big a country so having two or more satellite TV providers is not economically viable, not unless those providers make the bulk of their income from being signal re-transmitters. But unlike the service providers above, you do have alternatives to your entertainment - from just what's outside your door (real world) to downloads (hmmm) and prepackaged media.

My biggest gripe about the HD channels: the Dolby Digital 5.1 comes encoded with Dialog Normalization. DialNorm should be turned off, at least for the 5.1 tracks.


fuad

As a RULE, for every one 3D TV you get one 3D glasses. The RM999 is the cost of two glasses, not the 3D version of Monsters Vs Aliens. Essentially, the 3D kit only costs RM500 for the glasses as the BD is a promotional item Samsung already paid for. So unless you're getting THREE pairs of 3D glasses, Samsung is only giving away RM500.

Makes no sense to buy a 3D TV and not get a 3D BD, since no HD channels in Malaysia has that. The 3D BD player from Samsung costs around RM1300.

If I was buying Samsung's TV, I'd rather buy the Panasonic 3D BD player. At least it has 2 HDMI output, which makes upgrading the receiver redundant.
Yes.

As for the 3D testing in SG, if Astro wants to be among the first to test 3D TV, they can do so with the subscribers they have with the Samsung promotion. All that is required is for Astro to update the channel lineup. The satellite already can accommodate the extra bandwidth the 3D channel require, especially since the 10 HD channels Astro is supposed to give us is not yet online.


fuad

I think I made that statement. Maybe it's not true in SG but it is true in the US, which is what I was referring to.


fuad

It's not an issue. It's just is, like how watching RTM using antenna has less delay than watching RTM via Astro. It's not going to damage your TV speakers. If you got B.yond hooked up to a receiver/HTiB using optical, you'd notice that SD channels is lower in volume than the HD channels.

I wish Astro would improve on these two issues: turning on the TV automatically when using a HDMI connection (how BDs and PS3s do it) and having three tuners inside future B.yond box (two to record, one to watch).


fuad

Did you remember to change the input to MD/CD-R? Because that's where the digital signal input is going to play in.


fuad

For those who don't have B.yond but are curious about the PQ, currently Astro has their B.yond road show in MidValley Megamall, KL - Ground Floor, North Court.


fuad

This post has been edited by writesimply: Apr 22 2010, 10:47 PM

I decline to comment until the topic of HD streaming pops up. I can understand the need to watch TV and I can see the possibility of enjoying streaming SD video. But B.yond's HD video is already encoded at 8Mbps (some people say) and that's MPEG-4 video. If you want the streaming box to sling it back to you over the internet to your notebook, you better make sure you have 8Mbps upload broadband service at home and 8Mbps download service at where ever you are. Otherwise, what you're getting is a mush of re-encoded low-bandwidth video that is re-encoded again.


fuad

Astro is running the Thomas & Uber cup commercials on the HD channels but it doesn't indicate that the badminton coverage would be in HD. Yes, the two commercials are in HD, including what I assume to be part of a documentary footage to be shown in conjunction with the competition. We'll know whether this coverage will be in HD pretty soon though.

Meanwhile, NGC HD showed INSIDE: FOB Salermo earlier. It's very good so book it to watch it. WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES.


fuad

Any recorder that can take a composite/component input to record PAL would be compatible.

We won't know until the recording capabilities of B.yond launches. But even IF (major if) B.yond DVR launches with SD recording only, that's still better than a separate DVD recorder in that you can program B.yond to change channels automatically. The only good thing that I could think of for a DVD recorder is that you can burn your program as a DVD.


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