Astro Satellite

[pokemon]

...

[johng]

I understand from the source at Astro that they are planning to change their SmartCard in August to combat piracy. 

As such, I wonder is the clone smartcard or the P9000/7000 decoder still operable to view Astro's programmes?

Pokemon:

Only the poeple at Astro know the answer for sure and they won't tell you

If they change to Seca 2 encryption then it may still be possible to view again after a blackout period while the "pirates" figure out what has changed and how to get round it , do a search on Seca 2 and see what you come up with. it might be cracked allready I don't know.

[pokemon]

I understand from the source at Astro that they are planning to change their SmartCard in August to combat piracy. 

As such, I wonder is the clone smartcard or the P9000/7000 decoder still operable to view Astro's programmes?

Pokemon:

Only the poeple at Astro know the answer for sure and they won't tell you

If they change to Seca 2 encryption then it may still be possible to view again after a blackout period while the "pirates" figure out what has changed and how to get round it , do a search on Seca 2 and see what you come up with. it might be cracked allready I don't know.

JohnNG :

I don't think that SECA 2 will be cracked in this year.

Astro is not stupid enough to invest in new data encryption that is so easy to be cracked at this moment. Probably, Astro has already managed to get a marginal gain or breakeven by the time the encryption is cracked in future.

[Phil Conners]

Ok so Astro goes black, turn your dish 90 deg east and get DreamTV from Phillipines instead, so what?

[george]

For those in the know sky is the limit

Non-UBC satellite TV subscribers have access to 300 stations, several in Thai

Remember the good old days when there were only four TV channels - 3, 5, 7 and 9 - and your only concern was making sure the picture on your set wasn't too blurry?

But in this era of information technology, you can be overwhelmed with TV channels - if you have the money to invest in a good satellite dish equipped with a sophisticated receiver that can tune into one of some 25 birds orbiting Thailand.

Where satellite broadcasting is concerned, the sky literally is the limit. A local firm that makes satellite dishes and receivers counts over 300 channels of unscrambled TV signals beamed into Thailand from some 25 satellites.

As a result, while arguments rage over TV stations expanding into new satellite channels, a group of people in the know has already been tuning in to more than 300 of them.

Several are broadcast in Thai, and at least three adult movie stations are accessible in Thailand via yearly subscription rates that run from Bt5,000 to Bt6,000. These are Bluekiss, ST1 and Free XTV, which sell subscription access cards via websites.

The satellite subscribers even have their own Web board where they share technical information on how to tune in.

Even the controversial Dhamakaya Temple has its own channel beamed from the ThaiCom 3 satellite.

Members of the Web board said they had discovered a new satellite channel dedicated to Thai boxing broadcasts.

For those who desire English news, the satellite TV audience get signals from channels such as BBC World, NHK World and CNN International.

Satellite television is broadcast in two frequency bandwidths: C-band and KU-band. The signals are beamed down in either analogue or digital formats.

C-band signals require a bigger satellite dish, but the C-band's footprint is much larger than that of the KU-band. Depending on the location, a KU-band system can mostly receive signals from only ThaiCom 2/3 satellites, while a C-band dish can receive many more signals.

Some manufacturers have made products that receive both C-band and KU-band channels in both analogue and digital formats. This kind of system has become a hit amongst the satellite TV audience.

The manufacturers have also equipped their products with automatic tracking systems that turn disks to the best angle to receive signals from specific channels.

While a KU-band-only digital broadcast system runs at about Bt6,000, the price of a sophisticated all-in-one system with moveable dish ranges from Bt15,000 to Bt20,000.

However, as members of the "Thai satellite problem" Web board put it, most of the free-to-air satellite channels accessible in Thailand are "rubbish", mere repetitions of terrestrial TV from the countries where those channels originate. Most of them are also broadcast in local languages, such as Hindi, Chinese and Nepalese.

As a result, the members of the Web board are ogling subscription satellite television. These subscription channels are encrypted with digital codes, but the satellite TV audience - with the help of some manufacturers - has been able to decode the signals and watch for free.

Two popular subscription stations are Malaysia's Astro and the Dream DTH network from the Philippines. These two stations, according to the Web board, have similar programmes to UBC, except they are broadcast in English.

New model receivers have built-in decoders, which automatically search for keys that decode encrypted signals. Those with older models have to use remote controls to key in a decoding sequence and ask for the codes from friends on the Web board.

The price of a system with the automatic decoding capability, which can be ordered through the websites that support the Web board, is about Bt6,900.

But there is a risk. The Astro and Dream stations still use old encrypting software. Once they upgrade their security, viewers will find it hard to hack in and watch their programmes for free.

"What if I invest in an Astro system and then they change the encryption to version 2?" said a message on the Web board.

"Don't worry, you will still be able to use the system to watch free-to-air stations. Moreover, it will take months for them to upgrade the encryption. Still, if they do, I believe Thai programmers are good enough to hack them," came the reply.

And messages on the board indicate that the free viewers are eyeing UBC, but they admit that they have failed to break the Irdeto 2 encryption application, the hardest encryption to crack thus far.

Meanwhile, Jirawan Chenaphun, a manager of satellite-dish maker Dynasat, said demand for satellite TVs had been growing strongly in the past decade with 40 per cent of customers belonging to upper-low-income groups, 50 per cent to middle-income groups and the rest upper-income earners.

With a proper dish, you can access 50-60 channels of international programmes after investing a one-time fee of Bt10,000-Bt30,000 in a system.

"Most satellite TV watchers want news and up-to-date foreign information, but entertainment channels are always reliable, " she said, adding that continual technological development and increased competition will spur demand for new satellite TVs.

Trinai Kajornkiatniyom, marketing manager of satellite TV firm PSI Holding, said prices for systems had dropped from Bt50,000 to Bt10,000.

"This year's sales have increased 50 per cent from the same period last year. Our main target group is sports lovers because those audiences don't face a language barrier. They can watch the programmes in Indonesian or Indian languages," he said, adding that this month PSI will launch a new satellite package focusing on housewives. They can watch more than 30 channels for free after paying a one-time fee of Bt8,500.

Trinai said the price was expected to fall as low as Bt5,000 per system soon.

--The Nation 2004-07-04

[RDN]

The satellite subscribers even have their own Web board where they share technical information on how to tune in.

Got a URL for it, George?

[monty]

satellite forum thailand

[Dario]

Thanks for the link, Monty, But unfortunately, it's only in phasaa Thai.

[pokemon]

Astro is introducing new smartcard for its conditional access effective 1 October 2004. Can we still use the current clone card after that date?

How come Astro is so SMART now?

[diogenes]

So many issues for us non-tech types to understand, this is all more than I need or want to know.

I just want the most US channels I can get and if it costs me some serious baht for a system and for the monthly subscription, so be it.

But I want to pay for what I see, so I do not want a cloned card system or decrypters!!!

I personally find these to be forms of theft from legitimate businesses and their investors. Business who must pass on these costs to their paying customers and are not able to grow, provide better services and add more channels. I dont buy this "air is free" justification.

This personal morality does clash with how I feel about the legal UCB monopoly in Thailand. If they don't offer the services, I see that as their problem and poor business management. So I have no problem investing in a system to acquire the channels that I want from alternative sources. (Yes, I am a free market capitalist and do not believe there is any economic justification for a broadcasting monopoly.)

Does anyone know of a legitimate sort of consultant/biz who can be trusted to do the right thing? I don't want to know about this stuff, i just want to hire someone professional to get it done. All I want to know how much, how many channels and how soon?

Mostly, I am looking for things like the TCM and AMC movie channels. (I am an old movie fanatic.) What about picking up the US networks off any of the birds?

Lastly, I can not handle the biased propaganda promoted on CNN "Clinton News Network", does anyone know of a service that offers alternatives like Fox News or MSNBC?

A global verion of DirectTV would be ideal.

Good karma and happy viewing to all.

[uhuh]

so by now Astro should have the new encryption....

what does still hold of this thread?

[LivinLOS]

Took a new system late last year...

Last time I checked it was secure..

dream TV from the phillipines is weak if you are in Pattaya or BKK with big dish...