Hi, I just got my Beyond PVR installed yesterday. I was one of the earliest subscribers of Astro and was given free Max a couple of years back. I signed the forms for Beyond at their roadshow in Sunway Pyramid a week ago only and they call yesterday and installed it - new dish, new cables (2 cables from dish to PVR). Took back Max and old card and he allowed me to keep my old (sentimental? over 10 yr old dish with Philips ASTRO) although he charged for the extra length of cable (the free new cable not long enough to reach PVR). After installation, he immediately set it to upgrade software - it took some 20 minutes and he called/sms Astro to get them to activate new card, I supposed. After that, installer left, told me to leave it on until picture appears - within one hour. I would say the installation and exchange went without a hitch - satisfied and beyond my expectation.

Then I played a bit with the new remote and found out a something which might be of interest to those who experienced "aspect ratio" issues like "cannot fit to screen" and so on. What I found was there are 3 important criteria that govern what kind of aspect ratio options are available to the user. I am talking about pushing the "aspect ratio" button on the remote of Beyond - the aspect ratio control on your TV set is another matter.

1) The setting for TV : whether you set it as 4:3 or 16:9, this is the first thing, I guess if you use plasma or LCD it must be set to 16:9 in the first place,
2) Whether you connect your TV to the HDMI output or not - this also determine the options available to you, for example if you only use the AV output or component video, the options are different. The set know when a HDMI connection is made.
3) Whether the channel you are watching is SD or HD.

To give you an example: If you set (1) to 16:9, (2) use HDMI for your LCD flatscreen, (3) watching Nat Geo HD, then the aspect ratio button has no option at all - only <normal> 16:9. There is no "Letterbox", "pillarbox" "fit to screen" etc, nothing to at all. However watching SD can have 3 options : Letterbox expand/Pillar box/Fit to screen. Try it. Hope it helps a little.

Applied on : 2/06/2010 for PVR in exchange with MAX
Installed on : 10/06/2010
(7 days flat) Only call made on 9/06/2010 asking about status, and they told me the order was out.

Installation : came around 1pm and left at 2pm (about 1 hour), guess my case was easy case. Location : Puchong - guess its too near to ASTRO

Hi, I can receive Fx HD and AXN HD but not the Zhizhun (310). Why? Is it because I don't subscribe to Dynasty? I thought they are letting all B.yond users to test out all the 3 channels free for awhile?

Among the B.yond subscribers - any interests for a "HD package?" I would like to see ALL the HD channels (and future new HD) are included in ONE new package + the usual local TV in SD. As it is, one have to take almost all the packages to get all the HD channels. Maybe ASTRO workers should take this up to your mgmt to seriously consider this proposal and maybe add a news channel in HD package too (is there such thing as CNN HD for eg?) and that would be quite enough. I am sure there are those who don't watch so many channels but when we watch, we want the best PQ available.

Exactly! I don't have Dynasty so I don't get to receive ZhiZun, and I don't want to subscribe to the Movies pack but I only want HBO HD - that's not good.

So, I hope ASTRO conduct survey on the level of interest in HD only package ++ local channels and expand further to include Discovery HD and a HD news channel, I think would be satisfactory for the moment. Many who has large screen HD TVs find it no longer enjoyable to watch SD from ASTRO after Byond, Bluray etc. Having an all HD Astro can save the day and with all the repetitions, at least 10 HD channels to switch around is, I think sufficient.

Of the million ASTRO subscribers, the majority would still go for your packs since they need to follow the serials and what nots or can accept the resolution if their flat panels are smaller. Its just economics, so ASTRO please calculate and work out such package price and see response.

I found my PVR would record from the beginning of a program even if you press "Record" halfway into the program - is that normally so or conditional? I guess there is alot of buffer storage (memory) but what if the PVR is "just turned on" in the middle of a program and you press record. Will it still record from beginning of program? So, we can't record a segment of a program, true? For eg. I press record at 8:40am during Wimbledon tennis when Maria Sharapova was playing and on playback it recorded the whole program from 8:00am to 9:00am. I remember previously with the Max it just start record or stop at the point we press the "record button".

I don't think they have plans to add Discovery HD to the list. We are all tied down by these so called "packages" You see, Learning & Sports packages has already got 2 HD channels each, while Dynasty and Movies only got 1 HD channel each (ZhiZun and HBO), so adding Discovery HD somemore would be like kind of "unfair" to the others. I miss Zhizun and HBO HD just because I don't subscribe to Dynasty and Movies and I am unhappy ...

I would subscribe to an ALL HD Package anytime; since ASTRO likes to put them in packages..... any supporters to lobby ASTRO? Maybe list up the HD channels you wish to see ... in the all HD Astro package (only thing how much they should price it issue):

1) HBO HD
2) FX HD
3) AXN HD
4) Nat Geo HD
5) History HD
6) ASSP HD
7) ESPN HD
8) Zhi Zun
Now only got 8 channels, it would be sweeter it they can throw in: -
1) Discovery HD
2) CNN HD
3) TVB AOD serials in HD
4) ......

Yes, suddenly we have a new HD channel 222, called EHD? Now showing some entertainment launching by Bollywood stars in Malaysia, in ASTRO studio? PQ excellent. Maybe its free for all temporarily, too bad I can't understand a thing.