Published: Tuesday June 1, 2010 MYT 5:31:00 PM

Astro launches B.yond PVR
BY SHAUN HO


KUALA LUMPUR: Astro has launched its B.yond PVR (Personal Video Recorder), which allows subscribers to record, pause, rewind and play television programmes broadcast by Astro.

"This service is available immediately and we expected 100,000 out of our targeted 500,00 HD (high-definition) subscribers to upgrade their service," said Astro CEO Datuk Rohana Rozhan at the launch here Tuesday.

Current Astro customers will need to pay an installation fee of RM300 for the new unit and return their old sets. New customers will have to pay RM400.

Customers who choose to upgrade to the service have two options - buy an external hard-disk drive to plug into their standard B.yond HD decoder or upgrade to B.yond PVR.

They will need to pay RM5 for the first option, and RM10 for the second option, monthly, for the recording service.

The product will replace Astro’s previous foray into personal video recording, Astro Max, which was launched to limited customers in 2006.

"There are about 26,000 Astro Max subscribers, and we are offering to swap their units with the PVR for free.

"We will also give them a one-year subscription for free," Rohana added.

Astro chief operating officer Henry Tan said currently, only one model of external hard disk was compatible with the standard B.yond box, the Western Digital My Passport AV 320GB.

He said a list of retailers selling the item can be found on Astro’s website.

Astro also launched three new HD channels, which will be available from June 16, bringing the total number its HD channels to eight.

Video recording comes to Astro B.yond

By TAN KIT HOONG

Astro Malaysia launched the B.yond Personal Video Recorder (PVR), a set-top box with a built-in hard disk that allows you to record up to two channels at the same time.

Similar to the original Astro MAX set-top box, the B.yond PVR also allows the user to pause and rewind live TV, as it uses a buffer system which saves 30 minutes (and can be set up to a maximum of 90 minutes) of the currently watched programme by default.

Also, the B.yond PVR comes with a dual tuner, which allows users to record two channels simultaneously, or alternatively, to watch a previously recorded programme while recording two other channels.

However, if the user is currently watching a live TV channel, only one other channel can be recorded during this period.

The built-in hard disk on the B.yond PVR is 500GB in size, which allows for up to 290 hours of standard definition recording or up to 100 hours of high-definition content.

However, due to the dual-tuner function, there will be extra wiring work involved as the PVR requires a special outdoor unit and dual cables to be installed together with the set-top box.

A one-time installation fee of RM400 will be charged for new subscribers, while existing subscribers need only pay RM300 for installation and have to return their current decoder.

Henry Tan, chief operating officer for Strategy, Content & Marketing for Astro, and Datuk Rohana Rozhan, Astro chief executive officer, launching the B.yond PVR

The good news is that subscribers who bought the original Astro MAX recorder will be able to swap to the B.yond PVR for free.

Additionally, there will be an RM10 monthly charge for the recording service.

Not willing to pay the installation fee and the additional RM10 monthly fee for the PVR but still want the recording feature?

You're in luck as the current B.yond set-top box can also be turned into a video recorder by simply plugging a Western Digital My Passport AV external hard disk into the B.yond box's USB port.

Users will also need to call Astro to activate the service and there will be an additional RM5 charge per month.

According to Shahrul Imran, vice-president of Technology and New Media at Astro, only the Western Digital MY Passport AV hard disk drive is currently certified to work the with the B.yond box, although the company is working to certify other brands and models.

The Western Digital external hard disk is not provided by Astro, and can be bought from any third party vendor.

However, the main difference between the B.yond PVR and the external hard disk option is that the PVR has a dual tuner while the regular B.yond box only has one, which means you cannot watch one channel while recording another.

Also, Astro announced that three new HD channels will go live on June 16 - AXN HD, Astro Zhi Zun HD and FX HD.

For more information, call 1-300-82-3838 or visit astro.com.my/byond.

This post has been edited by dannychen: Jun 1 2010, 09:13 PM

I was asked on V.4 "why can"t I use my1 TB powered HDD"

The WD My passport AV HDD has been the only HDD that has passed the requirements of having a low power consumption and several other criteria. They tested lots of HDD and many have a built in reboot function when left on longer then 24 hours, this of course would interrupt a record. Most are just too heavy on sucking the juice during power up.

I think then rather then just opening it up for any old HDD which could cause poor recording or even damage the decoder they have made a white paper and at the moment only the WD My Passport AV 320GB passes it.

Wonder what is CH310 show ?? TVB drama in HD ??? anyone know ?

The firmware up grade enabling this feature is tonight.

Now I wonder how's the interface of Byond PVR??
If i live in KL, sure already go to Midvalley to catch the PVR Roadshow. But unfortunately, my place are too far from KL...

Hi Justin, may I know what model is the PVR? Still Pace?

Other than recording functions, is the any other changelog to this new firmware... And does B.yond PVR has the same interface/GUI as normal B.yond decoder??

hi Kelvin, could you please translate to me what is the mean of Zhi Zhun in english? thx...

至尊HD kua.....

Is it for all B.yond or B.yond with PVR enabled only?

至尊 zhi zun：epitome?

ask google to translate

Should be: New Emperor package...

至尊: Extreme: Zhì Zūn

According to Babelfish:

至尊 > Zhì Zūn : Supreme

This post has been edited by Qash-M: Jun 1 2010, 09:33 PM

just got my astro byond installed today... when the installer was here, everything was working fine.. signal strength 201..

but when i tried out the byond just now.. the decoder kept hanging.. reboot.. after 5 mins.. hang again..

how come lar?

if anyone is interested, in order to use single cable, this is the frequency stacker/destacker device I found out from the net, astro may not use the exact device:

Advantage of the PVR is the dual tuner. Can watch 1 channel while record another or record 2 channel when not watching. Existing Byond can't do that. Indeed it's ridiculous to charge money to enable the recording function as previous Astro Max didn't charge anything..

EXTRME HD

wat u guys prefer

as for me i wan a new PVR Byond as it only cost rm10 extra mthly and i dun nid to buy external HDD

how big capacity is the PVR Byond internal HDD?

thx