If you are using an older TV and your TV is still functioning well, there is no need to change your TV and you may just buy an external DVB-T2 set top box. If you intend to buy a new TV, then built-in DVB-T2 feature is a must in the long run. However if someone is OK to have an extra decoder taking up a little more extra space, having to use another remote control, using an additional electrical socket and consuming extra electricity, then just buy a DVB-T2 set top box besides spending money to buy a new TV without built-in DVB-T2 tuner. Do also note that DVB-T2 set top boxes in current market are mostly made in China and almost all of them are made of cheap materials (plastic body, very light weight, HDMI and USB ports easily getting out of shape).

1) I think if you add another RM150, you would get better Sharp or Philips 40" TV models with built-in DVB-T2. It is shameful that Hisense/Sharp/Philips still dump obsolete models that nobody in Singapore would look at to Malaysia.
2. Singapore is fully digital and will complete anologue switch off by end of this year. After that Southern Johoreans will no longer receive Singapore TV stations unless they buy external DVB-T2 set top boxes or new TV sets with built-in DVB-T2. As you have just purchased a new TV but sadly without built-in DVB-T2 tuner, you have no choice but to buy an external DVB-T2 set top box to receive Singapore digital TV stations.

Just take a quick glance in Lazada. Definitely possible to buy Sharp 40" TV with built-in DVB-T2 tuner at around RM1k after applying discount voucher and with certain credit card promotion.
http://www.lazada.com.my/sharp-aquos-40-fu...71498.html?mp=1

I would suggest you to buy an external DVB-T2 set top box immediately to enjoy all Singapore HD digital channels.

This post has been edited by truelife: Jul 11 2017, 03:04 PM

Many of us have tried this box. It is one of the most basic and cheapest DVB-T2 set top boxes. It works fine. Its disadvantages are without having front display and manual buttons for volume and channels. So you have to solely rely on remote control.

You may up your cost by RM20 or more if you wish to have the above features.

You can just ignore Media Prima's channels. They are still testing different bitrate every week. Sometimes they use the lowest bitrate and treat viewers like fools.

Puchong is quite a distance from the nearest transmitter. Furthermore, you stay in landed house. Most likely you need an outdoor antenna. You may try a buy a cheap indoor antenna from hypermarket or hardware store to test it out first, but I doubt it would work in your house.

Unfortunately, not everyone has unlimited internet data or subscribe to Astro. MyFreeview is mainly for those non-Astro/non-Njoi subscribers, people who have no unlimited data, and those who used to enjoy free analogue RTM and Media Prima channels. This group of people will have no choice but to find their way to receive digital TV channels before the analogue switch off by the government.

Don't put much hope on that. There had been a lot of talk about Caya TV to be on air in June. Then the plan was postponed to July. It's already end of July but we have yet to sense any plan for Caya TV to be launched.

Whatever Caya TV or Syok TV is, it is useless and not watchable if the content is like TVi.

You mentioned OLD TV, so I guess the TV does not have DVB-T2 tuner. The built-in antenna you referred to must be the analogue tuner that all old TVs are using. You can check the TV user's manual and see if DVB-T2 is indicated. If not, then you need to buy an external DVB-T2 set top box.

Exactly. Just talk big and then disappear. Anyway, those staff continue getting salary until the plans are officially scrapped.

Media Prima sometimes deploys super low bitrate. Therefore, the motion is sluggish and very irritating (and bad for our eyes too).

Now 8TV is fine. But TV3, NTV7 and TV9 are all blank. What the heck Media Prima staff have been doing. Sometimes OK but sometimes super low bitrate for image and sound. Now it is worse, no image and sound at all! No quality control at all. Those staff involved should be sacked.

All Media Prima channels are back on air now. However EPG timing is still not correct. Is it so difficult to adjust the timing since it has been wrong for so many days? Are Media Prima staff all sleeping? Damn Media Prima.

Finally, EPG timing for Media Prima channels has been corrected. Hope it won't go haywire again.

Well, TV Alhijrah is also not real HD, because it is upscaled from 720.

Trust me, we won't expect all channels will be in HD format in the future, especially Media Prima channels.

Don't be surprised a lot of households in urban area still use damn heavy CRT TV. If the TV still functions well and not always utilised, some people think there is no need to change the TV. Anyway TV is not a must nowadays.

MYTV provides the infrastructure. But the broadcasters especially Media Prima feel that the infrastructure fee charged by MYTV is way too high and therefore they are not willing to pay the high bandwith fee charged for HD channels. That's why they prefer to broadcast in SD format with resolution and bitrate as low as possible. In fact most of the TV dramas of Media Prima channels are originally in HD format, but they are downgraded to SD by Media Prima.

The audio is definitely not in Dolby Digital 5.1 format. Perhaps you choose Dolby Digital function in your AV receiver, and the receiver still shows Dolby Digital but the actual output is not Dolby Digital. If you have 5.1 speakers setup, it is very easy to differentiate Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1.

In fact, sometimes audio output from Media Prima channels sounds like crap and worse than normal Stereo.

If your TV has built-in DVB-T2 tuner, you don't need to buy an external DVB-T2 digital TV set top box. Poor signal is because of your location or antenna problem.

Slowly wait!

Anyway, we just wait and see whether RTM "keep their promise" to broadcast in HD coming September 2017.

Check your TV user manual, whether it states DVB-T or DVB-T2. MyFreeview uses DVB-T2 system, not DVB-T.

Bye bye Media Prima HD channels. With Media Prima's financial in the red, we can forget about HD and even new channels from Media Prima.