Sophon Cable TV Channels

[ehs818]

Has anyone else noticed the decline in quality programming and channels on Sophon Cable TV lately? A few months ago they took away FX and a few other channels that showed mostly USA TV series programs. Now this past weekend there are more channels taken away and replaced with <deleted>. Why is this being done? Can the old channels come back? I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend my money buying DVDs of series rather than on the junk that they are offering currently. Any suggestions besides suck it up and just take it?

[worgeordie]

You can find everything you want on the Internet for Free,

just connect your PC to Tv, if you have HDMI ports on both.

On my browser speed dial I have about 50 sites I can click on

for latest movies and series ,news, documentaries, Etc. no adverts,

live sports not easy but can view next day. Just Google streaming

movies series, you will find plenty.

regards worgeordie

[Kerryd]

I gave up on Sophon last month and got one of those "boxes" that has a bunch of "free apps", some of which are movie channels, some are regular programming from different countries (including, but not limited to, Canada, the USA, UK and a number of other "non English" countries).

Instead of paying Sophon 3,600 baht a year for their "top" package and only having 3 movie channels (2 of which are never great quality in reception), I pay 4,500 baht once for this box.

But it's a bit of a pain in the butt. It's connected to your internet and it's "one box, one TV" so if you have 2-3 TVs, you'd have to buy a box for each.
And surfing the different "apps" and then looking at what is playing (on HBO or AMC or Sky Movies or Cinemax for example) is hit or miss because there is no "programming guide" and it's not as easy as simply changing a channel with your remote.

There's plenty of regular "news and business" channels too. Some of the channels are available on 3 apps (and it's usually the same program/movie so they are all getting them from the same source).

It's taking a bit of getting used to. A wireless mouse works better than the handheld remote that comes with the box.

But the quality of the movies is great and some of the "apps" have the latest movies as well (just watched Fast 9, Jungle Cruise, Black Widow and Jolt in the last couple of days).

I also have a ChromeCast device and often cast movies (or hockey games) from my computer to my TV. 

Not really missing Sophon at all right now.

[scubascuba3]

I had to get Sophon to visit the condo as Golf channel and Eurosport had disappeared, it was a signal issue, so maybe check with them whether the channels are available or not

[johng]

30 minutes ago, ehs818 said:

Why is this being done?

Probably because  all the bars and hotels/guesthouses that used to use their service are closed

so they have less customers and now either can't or don't want to pay for those  "foreign" channels.

 

34 minutes ago, ehs818 said:

I don't know about you, but I'd rather spend my money buying DVDs of series

You could try Netflix  and Amazon prime   or one of the Thai internet providers they all seem to provide TV as well    ToT, (un)True,3BB and  AIS.

 

Or as already suggested just  download what you want from the internet.......DVD's

[BigStar]

35 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

t's connected to your internet and it's "one box, one TV" so if you have 2-3 TVs, you'd have to buy a box for each.

HDMI cable splitter takes care of that problem. But each TV will show the same program, of course.

[Peterw42]

Why not ask your questions to sophom directly ? Its not like anyone on Thaivisa can answer your question, why a channel is gone, is it coming back

It may be a fault, it may be that the channels have moved, box needs to re-scan etc. If people ask, maybe they will put the channels back on. 

[ehs818]

I just came from Sophon Cables office. They said they have a problem with some signals for certain channels. They expect them to come back soon, (unknown number of days) and the problem will correct itself. BTW, this is the same nonsense they said to me 3-4 months ago when several other channels were deleted. So I have little confidence in what they say. There are other options, sure. Thanks for the suggestions to everyone.

[Kerryd]

28 minutes ago, BigStar said:

HDMI cable splitter takes care of that problem. But each TV will show the same program, of course.

Aye - I have 4 of them now. But they'd all work off the one box and you'd have to run HDMI cables from it to each TV.

I'll just use the "box" for the TV I use most often and my TRUE vision account for the other two (and the main one if there's anything worth watching on the TRUE package I have).

[sungod]

Binned Sophon, TV boxes /downloading movie and series torrents are the way ahead.

[redwood1]

Well look at the bright side.......

Sophon cable has not been playing commercials of Bighorn Steakhouse, The Moon River Pub, or Tony's Gym every 5 minutes now, like they did for at least a decade.....

 

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, ehs818 said:

Has anyone else noticed the decline in quality programming and channels on Sophon Cable TV lately?

I have been more irritated by the constant moving around of the channels on digital carrier. Means channels that were there suddenly become a different channel, and language..... I have to do a re-tune and sort as I group them for English and Sports. 

 

Also one of the Movie Channels that I expect to be Engish seems to be in Thai some times.

 

What is available comes and goes, sad to lose National Geographic, that Oz snake catcher in Africa was great. 

 

My other issue is it goes offline often... bloody off now!

[Kerryd]

Used to love how a movie would start, be in (dubbed) Thai, then you'd see someone clicking on the screen to rewind it, or pick a different language option, or a different movie altogether.
The "programmer" spends too much time playing on his/her phone and not enough making sure they have the next program synched up and ready to go.

And they play the same stupid "Covid-19" commercial over and over and over again between movies because they have nothing else for content apparently.

[johng]

10 hours ago, Kerryd said:

Used to love how a movie would start, be in (dubbed) Thai, then you'd see someone clicking on the screen to rewind it, or pick a different language option, or a different movie altogether.

In the "olden days"   they would also have to get up and change the video CD to disk number 2 ????????????

[topt]

On 8/4/2021 at 6:42 AM, jacko45k said:

Also one of the Movie Channels that I expect to be Engish seems to be in Thai some times.

Had this problem for a long time. Sometimes they will suddenly realise and change it but you will have missed the first 30 minutes or whatever so now I don't even bother to wait for it to change - especially as sometimes they leave it.

Especially annoying as the sub titles (if any) are in Thai.......

[Kerryd]

Probably not making a lot of revenue from "foreign" customers so no real incentive to provide decent programming. (No doubt a lot of subscriptions are done by spouses and teeraks rather than the foreigner so they may think they have very few foreign viewers.)

I remember years back they used to get some local advertisements from places like the Sportsman's Pub but it was usually one ad, played to death. And there was the (Pattaya One ?) sponsored channel for awhile.
And that one that had those 2 guys (and the wee, tiny little microphone than normally would be clipped to one's chest during an interview but they'd hold it in their hand and move it back and forth between them as they were speaking). (Or was that one and the same as the "Pattaya One" channel ?)

Ah right - that was the "Inspire" e-magazine crew. The best part was the "Ting Tong Thai With Teacher Au!!" clips.

And I wouldn't be surprised if one found out they were "pirating" their movies from the internet.

I've noticed on occasion that TRUE will have a  movie on one channel and Sophon will be playing the exact same movie on one of their channels, but either slightly ahead or slightly behind the one on TRUE (and often on the "Thai language" channel 29 where it says "dual language" but you can't change the language) !

[LongTimeLurker]

On 8/3/2021 at 4:30 PM, ehs818 said:

I just came from Sophon Cables office. They said they have a problem with some signals for certain channels. They expect them to come back soon, (unknown number of days) and the problem will correct itself. BTW, this is the same nonsense they said to me 3-4 months ago when several other channels were deleted. So I have little confidence in what they say. There are other options, sure. Thanks for the suggestions to everyone.

Had similar problems with TMN in my condo and they came out to check it and found a fault in their cabling system, all been good since.

[mercman24]

get a set top box, had mine for years, if i want an early night, just unplug the mains and hdmi, plug into tv in bedroom, and job done, it has absolutely everything on it.

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, mercman24 said:

get a set top box, had mine for years, if i want an early night, just unplug the mains and hdmi, plug into tv in bedroom, and job done, it has absolutely everything on it.

How is sitting in bed watching TV an early night? Get a book....

[johng]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

How is sitting in bed watching TV an early night? Get a book....

I'll be watching this early night very shortly.

 

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, johng said:

I'll be watching this early night very shortly.

 

How old are you, 6 (and a half) ?

[Kerryd]

11 hours ago, johng said:

I'll be watching this early night very shortly.

 

28 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

How old are you, 6 (and a half) ?

I watched that one the night before last and I think that caused my IQ to drop to a 6 1/2 year old's level.

Gahd, some of the new movies out lately are just trash. Suicide Squad 2, Fast & Furious 9 (In outer space !), Jungle Cruise.

A couple of big names have stuff that went not just "straight to DVD" but "straight to the bottom of the DVD bargain bin" movies like "Cosmic Sin" with Bruce Willis and "Escape Plan 2" with Stallone.
As well as "Breach (with Willis) and "Midnight at the Switchgrass" (with Willis again and one of Stallone's daughters - "Sistine Rose"). Willis apparently filmed all his scenes in ONE day so that should tell you how little he'll be in the movie.

Escape Plan 3 "The Extraction" with Dave Bautista and Stallone is apparently <deleted> as well.

It seems almost all of those Stallone/Willis movies went straight to DVD without so much as a press release.

Black Widow wasn't bad. Neither was Infinite and The Tomorrow War and The Misfits and the Wrath of Man. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard felt like they were at the end of the line and if they tried for a 3rd movie it would suck balls the way the last Austin Powers movie did. I can just see them trying something like "The Hitman's Wife's Baby's Bodyguard's Babysitting Daughter - in Space !" just to rake in a few more bucks from the overseas DVD sales.

Let's hope the next batch of new releases are better. (Spiderman - No Way Home. Jurassic World - Dominion. Venom 2 Let There be Carnage.) 

[sungod]

On 8/4/2021 at 5:44 PM, johng said:

In the "olden days"   they would also have to get up and change the video CD to disk number 2 ????????????

so funny, so true

[jacko45k]

12 minutes ago, sungod said:

so funny, so true

I seem to recall sitting there for a few minutes now and again wondering if the guy had nodded off or gone to the toilet. 

[sungod]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

I seem to recall sitting there for a few minutes now and again wondering if the guy had nodded off or gone to the toilet. 

me too, could always pop off and make a cup of tea though ????

[johng]

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

How old are you, 6 (and a half) ?

Nine and three quarters.

[scubascuba3]

9 hours ago, Kerryd said:

 

I watched that one the night before last and I think that caused my IQ to drop to a 6 1/2 year old's level.

Gahd, some of the new movies out lately are just trash. Suicide Squad 2, Fast & Furious 9 (In outer space !), Jungle Cruise.

A couple of big names have stuff that went not just "straight to DVD" but "straight to the bottom of the DVD bargain bin" movies like "Cosmic Sin" with Bruce Willis and "Escape Plan 2" with Stallone.
As well as "Breach (with Willis) and "Midnight at the Switchgrass" (with Willis again and one of Stallone's daughters - "Sistine Rose"). Willis apparently filmed all his scenes in ONE day so that should tell you how little he'll be in the movie.

Escape Plan 3 "The Extraction" with Dave Bautista and Stallone is apparently <deleted> as well.

It seems almost all of those Stallone/Willis movies went straight to DVD without so much as a press release.

Black Widow wasn't bad. Neither was Infinite and The Tomorrow War and The Misfits and the Wrath of Man. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard felt like they were at the end of the line and if they tried for a 3rd movie it would suck balls the way the last Austin Powers movie did. I can just see them trying something like "The Hitman's Wife's Baby's Bodyguard's Babysitting Daughter - in Space !" just to rake in a few more bucks from the overseas DVD sales.

Let's hope the next batch of new releases are better. (Spiderman - No Way Home. Jurassic World - Dominion. Venom 2 Let There be Carnage.) 

Nobody beats all those

[johng]

On 8/8/2021 at 7:02 AM, Kerryd said:

Let's hope the next batch of new releases are better.

I'm looking forward to Dune and The Matrix

 

Didn't watch suicide squad in the end,so instead it was 

"Top Secret UFO Projects Declassified"

watched without my tinfoil hat on..yeah risky I know ????

[Road Warrior]

sopon tv not very good now , (rubbish )if english repeats/repeats /repeats ,now chinese speaking stations replacing english programme , no chinese live here now ????

better buy dvd player better entainment !! 

[thailand49]

On 8/3/2021 at 2:19 AM, Peterw42 said:

Why not ask your questions to sophom directly ? Its not like anyone on Thaivisa can answer your question, why a channel is gone, is it coming back

It may be a fault, it may be that the channels have moved, box needs to re-scan etc. If people ask, maybe they will put the channels back on. 

That is what you expect normally but that isn't the case, I went down everyone just stirs at you they can't even speak what they do best is collect your money!

 

I went down with my son that I sick and tired of the B.S. this isn't the way to run a business this was Monday. We have been with them for over 15 years pay upfront for a year for our home and apartment building next door. I don't expect much just want a few channels particularly Fox Life, now that is gone it is today History Channel, sports once in a blue moon you get NBA NFL but when the real action starts playoff it is gone. Two months everyday expires told them I have no plans in renewing!  I'm done with these <deleted>!

 

I would love to  get one of those box hookup not being techno at all I don't have a clue I'll be willing to pay for someone to hook one up and give me the basic 101 to get shows and sports from the U.S.