Wow ! You are so direct by refering directly to me for my "advice". Actually other people here can also give you the same and probably much better advice to you.

Many people used the acronym "PVR" (Personal Video Recorder) which can cause confusion because both the 2 types of boxes, Byond box and Byond PVR also have recording function. I want to be sure about this before I explain "why" later in this post.



As shown from the above picture (inside spoiler), I assume that you are using the Byond PVR (with internal 500GB harddisk).

Anyway, so you have recently installed the Byond PVR in April 2012 at your home. New subscriber account or upgrade to PVR ?

When you say that "some channels" are affected, that means NOT all the channels. Did you subscribe to Superpack or only just the "HD Service" ? If you have HD service, does ALL the SD channels have the same problem or only occur for ALL the HD channels ?

You named a few channels such as "TV3, Astro Warna and ESPNEWS" so there are some channels that never have this problem ?

IF this always happened to some specific channels, not others, then I am guessing that your Byond PVR may have some internal faults which is causing this. Yes, misaligned LNB or poor cable connection can cause reception interruptions or failure BUT this should happen randomly and not just pick some channels to fail in reception... either ALMOST ALL HD channels or ALMOST ALL SD/HD channels would be affected... sometimes ch 101, sometimes ch 102, sometimes ch 310 and not just constantly for TV3 ch 103 and so forth.

What about the Byond PVR recording ? Any problems playing recorded channels ? If playback of recorded videos have corruption, serious noise appearing, jerky video motion then you can also point your finger to probably "some fault" in your Byond PVR which may include problems with the internal harddisk too. So you can also report this too, when you phone to Astro Cust Supp.

Astro Terms And Conditions For Subscribers With Byond & Byond PVR Decoder Boxes
Previously, before Byond/Byond PVR was launched, subscribers "purchase" the old Astro DMT boxes so these units are the personal properties of subscribers except for the smartcard.

AFAIK, according to the Astro terms & conditions for subscribers who have Byond/Byond PVR installed, Astro is to provide all the necessary satellite device and accessories to enable the subscriber to receive the subscribed TV, Radio and Interactive Services during the period upon which the said subscription is still active and not suspended or terminated due to various reasons.

That means the Byond PVR and smartcard installed at your home is NOT your personal property so, under the subscriber's terms, Astro have the responsibility to make sure that there is NO disruption to its satellite services to you as a paying subscriber. As long as you pay any due monthly subscriptions on time, you have the ABSOLUTE right to demand that Astro send someone to come to your home to properly fix your problem until there is 100% no disruption in the subscribed TV and Radio channels. Hehe... except for "occassional rain fade" during heavy thunderstorms which is already mentioned in Astro's terms.

Based on what you have explained in your post, and although I am not sure because I cannot come to your home to check... I would suspect and point my finger to "some fault or problem" with your Byond PVR box. Anyway, please do not rule out the unlikely possibility that the cause could also be due to cables, alignment, connections and others.

Whatever the actual cause or causes of your problem, I do agree with you that the best solution is to persuade or "force" Astro Cust Supp to send someone to personally come to your place to fix your problem once and for all.

However...

Before you make the phone call, I suggest that you write down on a piece of paper the following checklist...

1) Go to the Byond PVT installation settings to check the "Signal Level" which is shown as numbers. For me is about 222. Write down the level number and the time, also note the weather such as cloudy, sunny, etc. Do many such checks at different times and different days and write them all to paper.

2) When problem occur, write down which actual channels got "lost reception" and which channels never got problem.

3) Check and write down your Byond PVR software version... should be Version 7.0s AND go to "System Versions" to check and write the full version number... for me with Byond (non PVR) the latest is 6.0.3.001.HYBRIDDVRLite.5B Jun 27 2012. Also, write down the smartcard number. If your PVR is still the old Version 3.0s, then you must update it... just switch off power (not standby)... wait a few minutes... switch on power and wait... don't touch anything... auto update will start.. wait until the PVR display the correct time... then check if your problem still occur or not.

4) Even if your PVR have the correct software version, try switch off power and then switch back on. Previously it happened once to my Byond where my TV screen shows only a tiny long screen, not 1080i... switching to standby did not correct it so I completely switched off and then no more problem, weird !! I believe that you have done the power off which did not fix problem. Also write this down.

5) Check all the cable connections at the Byond PVR, TV and Amplifier (if used), including the satellite cable to Byond PVR, to make sure that its tight and not loose. If possible, change cables such as the HDMI, Component Video, or RCA cables to make sure that its not caused by the cable.

6) Switch the Byond PVR to standby, remove the smartcard and clean the SIM area with slightly moist clean cotton cloth. Use only clean water, do not use any chemicals or cleaning agents. Insert the smartcard back and test your Byond PVR again.

Why did I ask you to write down the checklist ? Because I expect these are what the Support person will ask you to check when you phoned... so be prepared before the support person ask you to do "this and that" which is "standard procedure" so don't waste time on the phone and immediately let that person know what you have already done. Hehe... play psychology by showing that you know a lot because you wil be surprised that the support person will not try to bully you and think that you are knowledgeable.

Never, never touch anything at the LNB at the satelite dish or the cable connected to the PVR... to avoid the support person giving excuse to charge you service fee because of "tampering by unauthorised person". Even if you did it... ssssh... keep quiet about it so don't show your honesty lah.

During your phone call to Astro Cust Supp, always clearly say that you NEVER touch anything and never moved the Byond PVR location. Just mention that you only check the PVR connection to make sure its not loose and have never pull out the satellite cable at the Byond PVR. Also let the person know that you know that ONLY Astro Cust Supp is authorised to touch the LNB at the dish so you dare NOT call any other person to fix any problems. Just say that "I am not stupid to call others when I can call you lah !"

I believe the Support person have been trained to inform you that there will be service charge/fee for sending someone to fix your problem IF it was found that the problem was caused by you. Don't worry about this. Then answer... "yes, reasonable to charge me if my fault BUT I think it will be very unfair to charge me if NOT my fault ! I never dare to touch anything at the dish. I should not be blamed for wind and rain that cause problem... I cannot be blamed for using the Byond PVR to watch non-stop 6 hours everyday until it burnt or spoilt because nobody told me that I cannot watch for long hours ! Nobody told me that your Byond PVR is poor quality that cannot "tahan lama" for long hours of watching satellite channels !" Be polite and no need to shout, just be firm and show that you know your rights that Astro must make sure that subscribers can receive channels without problems because the Byond PVR is the propertyof Astro. Clearly say that... "Astro have to prove that the fault is caused by me before charging any service fee... IF I am charged anything when its not my fault, then its unfair and I will immediately terminate my account and make a phone call complaint to 1 800 18 2222 !".    That is what I mean by being firm, polite and no bad language used, hehe.

I think I have given enough info for you to be prepared on how to tackle the support person so its up to you now. Remember, I may not be right in everything so use your common sense when you call Astro Cust Supp.

I mentioned at the start of this post about Byond or Byond PVR.

If you have upgraded from the old Astro box or Byond box TO Byond PVR box, you need to know the following when installation upgrade was done...

1)  The old smaller dish and LNB must be replaced with a new grey dish (slightly larger than the old Astro dish) and a new LNB. Check if this was done. Smaller dish can cause poorer reception signal... all the HD channels are more sensitive to drop in signal level.

2) The Byond PVR have 2 tuners so it use 2 Inputs from the LNB. Not recommended to use satellite cable splitter (1 in, 2 out) to connect 1 single cable from LNB to the 2 Sat Inputs of Byond PVR ! My friend who is an Astro installer did tell me that he was sent to fix many installers mistakes by using cable splitters. Check this... if wrongly done... also inform Astro to correct this !

Sample splitter (inside spoiler)...

There are installers who used such splitters from the LNB to split to 2 cables and then connect to the 2 inputs of the Byond PVR ! Yes, it can be used in this way BUT this will cause signal strength level problems. There are also LAZY and irresponsible Astro installers who used back the old LNB, did not want to do extra work, and just used cable splitters near the Byond PVR to finish the job !

The old Single Output LNB must be changed to the new Dual Output or Quad Output LNB. If Quad LNB is used, it allows a maximum of 4 cables to be connected to it.

Picture shows the dark grey dish and my Quad LNB installed (inside spoiler)...

For proper installation of your Byond PVR... a proper slightly larger grey dish to be used... and 2 separate cables must be directly connected from the Byond PVR to the Quad LNB. Don't use any splitter to the LNB. You did not mention this so check this and let me know whether your cable installation is correct or not.

3) If possible, old satellite cables should be replaced since new cables are supplied FOC (I think about 30metres) for the upgrade so why not completely change the cabling to new ones during installation upgrade ? Depending on how long the old satellite cables have been used, sometimes years of "wear and tear" can cause signal fluctuations or signal drop. When I upgraded my old Astro box to Byond (non PVR) in 2010, my installer friend completely change the entire cabling since he told me that its included free for 30m. Mmm... my old cables was already about 14 years old ! My installer friend also told me that there were a few persons who have cables which was slightly eaten by rats which exposed the copper inside but not broken so causing weird signal problems, hehe.

Again... as usual.... sorry for being too loooong in my reply.

I am not sure if I made any mistakes here... so... if anyone here find any mistakes or anything that I failed to mention... please correct me. Its okay, I don't mind as I also learn from my mistakes too. Thanks.