On your TV's antenna setup, check if you see the option to switch between "Analogue" or "Digital". Or better, check your user manual. Your TV needs to support DVB-T2 standards for digital TV. Since your TV is 4K and assuming the TV is quite new, it should be able to support.

Astro still using MPEG2 for SD channels for the sake of legacy Astro boxes.

RTM plans to upgrade to HD broadcast by end of this year. Why Malaysia FTA stations takes so long to upgrade to HD? Well, Malaysia are just being slow. Media Prima said before that they will transmit in HD once digital TV is officially launch.

Currently Malaysia's digital TV is still under test transmission. Despite this, many users (that knows about this news) are already able to receive and enjoy FTA channels in digital quality, for free.

Actually la, Astro HD channels quality is consider above average in the pay TV industry. Means, sharp enough. But, not the best. Some other pay TV in other countries offers even worst HD quality than Astro.

I'm supposed Mediacorp HD channels offers better picture quality than pay TV mainly because they use terrestrial TV platform. Pay TVs providers usually will compress the video quality into lower, because of the bandwidth. In digital world, everything is about bandwidth.

Hahaha...
You can take Thailand's IPM and Indonesia's Big TV as an example. Of course there's others.

Pay TV providers usually won't provide the "very high video quality" to customers one. Because they have limited bandwidth, as well as other technical limitations.

If you want to enjoy the best, original from channel provider quality, use C band dish, aim other satellites, decrypt Powervu channels.

Let me the explain the risks. One is, your neighbours. How much trust do you have with your neighbours? Do you think your neighbours will look at your dish, either will they be wondering what's that, or they'll know what's the dish about but just keep quiet (like me) or they didn't realise it, or they saw it but don't bother about it? Do you think will your neighbours go complain to MCMC about it?

Secondly, how would you hide your dish? If you install at rooftop, how easily will your neighbours to spot your dish, from the road (height level) or your neighbour's 1st floor windows?

Too long to read? Read this: Nobody cares about your parabolic dish. It all depends whether you dare to install C band dish or not. Think too much also no point.

Oh is it? It really, seriously depends on how you place your dish, and how easily is your dish is being spotted by people passing by or staying nearby. Because usually, if got people file a complaint to MCMC then only they will take action. If no one report, nothing would happen.

They issue summons, you say? Well someone (I can't disclose much the person due to some reasons) did told me this. I ask him, you install that C band dish, aren't you afraid of MCMC officers knock your door? He told me that he knows someone works in MCMC, and he say "it can be settled".

Hehehe, do you know what it means by ""it can be settled".

That's something that only Hypp TV has. Astro does have PVR function with PVR box, but not that rewind 2 hours feature like Hypp TV. Astro PVR one works differently.

Some channel provider/stations want their UHD channel(s) to be on a particular satellite so that the region within satellite coverage area are able to gain access to the channel. It might have several reasons why they are doing this. Maybe they chose Measat, our Malaysian satellite because of its strategic C band satellite coverage area across Asia, Australia, Eastern Europe and certain parts of Africa. Or maybe because they want to introduce new technology of UHD channel broadcast via satellite. Or maybe they are depending satellite to relay its channels to other platform. It could be many things.

But that doesn't necessarily mean, it is meant for pay TV providers to take up their channels.

If you are really interested in satellite stuff, Lyngsat is one of the well-known website for listing all satellite channels all around the world.


To see what are the channels that our Malaysian satellite, Measat is distributing/broadcasting, you can check it out here:
https://www.lyngsat.com/Measat-3-3a-3b.html

Green colour: Encrypted HD channel
Blue colour: FTA HD channel
Orange colour: Encrypted SD channel
Yellow colour: FTA SD channel

Sure... Feel free to ask anything. I'll be happy to help.

New HD channel will launch, Warner TV, channel 719. You can tune to 719 now and you'll see that it says Starts on 1 May.

That's the surprise.

Where is this?

Yes. The channel provider (TVB) transmits in 16:9. Whenever they show old 4:3 programme, pillar box will be added by them.

Still, Astro will still transmit in 4:3 with letterbox because the feed is in 16:9.

In a nutshell, TVB transmit its feed in 16:9 + add pillarbox during old 4:3 programmes = pillarboxed in 16:9 frame + Astro transmit in 4:3 with letterbox = windowboxed.

Yeah. It's not that expensive already.

I've said before. Astro uses MPEG2 video codec for SD channels while Hypp TV uses newer MPEG4 video codec for both SD and HD channels.

MPEG2 is a 1990s technology. Of course it is obsolete technology and if you compare with newer MPEG4, the video quality will be obviously better.

Astro remain using MPEG2 for SD channels for the sake of the compatibility of legacy Astro boxes. Astro will use MPEG4 for SD channels only if all Astro and Njoi customers has upgraded to Byond boxes, where legacy boxes will no longer be used. This transition has started many years ago.

But then, Astro can take their sweet time about that. While customers complain about poor SD quality, Astro will convince customers to subscribe to HD service to enjoy HD quality channels. So, Astro can still use this excuse to earn profit in HD service. See the trick there? Astro is smart, you know?

I read the news long ago, but I couldn't find where is the link. It is more than 1 million of customers, almost half or more than half of all Astro customers subscribed to HD.

No. Many customers are already using B.yond boxes but did not subscribe to HD service. In case you don't know, using B.yond boxes doesn't mean you must subscribe to HD service.

Now, less than 10% of 5 million Astro customers are still using legacy Astro boxes.

Only HD channels has Dolby audio.

To enable Dolby 5.1, press home>Settings>Digital Audio

Change "Stereo (Analogue and Digital)" to "Dolby Digital 5.1 (Digital only)". Press ok button to save changes.
After this, only HDMI or Digital Audio port (Optical or Coaxial) will output as Dolby 5.1 whenever you tune to HD channel. RCA output or if your device unable to support Dolby audio, it will be muted whenever you tune to HD channels.

Whenever you're experiencing no sound when watching HD channels, you need to change back to Stereo.

This post has been edited by joshhd: Apr 30 2017, 03:22 PM

Many years ago, it is compulsory to subscribe HD service if you upgrade your STB to B.yond box. But after that, it is optional although they will still recommend you to subscribe HD in the excuse of better viewing experience.

Promotions of upgrading Astro boxes are always changing. Last time it is used to be free upgrade from legacy boxes to Byond boxes. Now the installation fee is chargeable of either RM50 if subscribe HD, or RM150 if did not subscribe HD.

Since legacy boxes has discontinued, any new Astro subscribers will get Byond box right away, so that they can enjoy HD channels.

This post has been edited by joshhd: Apr 30 2017, 04:10 PM

Warranty 1 month??? What for?
Btw it can't work without the Astro smart card for legacy Astro boxes.