True Vision

[Niloc]

I have seen the True Vision satellite receivers many times in Chiang Mai. Here in Pai we have Cable TV, 150 baht a month and we get the BBC and Aljazeera, both in English and both quite good.

What does True offer, how much does it cost, can I supply my own dish and is there any alternative?

Thanks,

Colin

[Greenside]

A quick search will reveal the general level of satisfaction with UBC (True) but here's a snippit from a thread on the computer forum where the poster was asking about High Definition (as if).

UBC has no HD programming, in fact I'd say it's barely got any output worthy of being called programming at all and the technical quality of what does arrive at your set is mediocre at best. I ummed and ahhhd about what kind of TV setup to go for when I moved house earlier this year and despite advice from friends, got lazy and went for UBC. Here's what I think is wrong with it:

• Countless channels labelled "future programming" playing music videos or no budget talking heads (in Thai, of course)
  
• The very worst EPG imaginable with half the captions cut off and no further information available in about 25% of lookups
  
• Endless repeats of everything interrupted by endless trails for more repeats (if I have to suffer another promo by a pseudo Indiana Jones telling me he's been Digging Through History as he brushes fake dust off his sleeve in a studio in LA, I'll scream!)
  
• Even the "premium" movie channels have huge amounts of filler to pad out a very few good movies and even then it's all available at your local video rental store or the night market months before and in better quality to boot
  
• Surely there's a limit to the number of times anyone in the world wants to see "Will & Grace (Season VIII)"?
  
• Even Nat Geo Adventure and History Channel are a disappointment with poor content devised by idiots for channel hoppers. By that I mean that after every all too frequent break to run promos for the next programme they feel the need to recap for two minutes to bring you up to speed on the previous eight minute segment - irritating or what?
  
• The BBC Entertainment channel (which I had expected better of) is 70% clogged up with tired material and repeats that I can only assume they can't fob off on anyone else.
  
• The packages offered are all carefully tailored to get you to take the Platinum option which at 25,000 a year is appallingly expensive. Any other option lacks something important that you think might be OK before you sign up.
  

No really, I was prepared for it to be bad but it's even grimmer than I expected. Unless you can't live without the sport offered in the Platinum Package I would steer well clear. "We TV" sounds like a better deal if you can get cable and I feel sure that there are other (more complicated to organise perhaps) satellite options that will leave UBC standing.

Of course, if you're a refugee from the US you might feel right at home but I think ours is going back after the six month contract is up.

PS Does anyone in the world watch the Fashion Channel for more time than it takes to grab the remote? Who on earth is Luke Toong - he must be some kind of superstar with an entire channel to himself 24 hours a day. Unbelievable.

[Gonzo the Face]

Who on earth is Luke Toong - he must be some kind of superstar with an entire channel to himself 24 hours a day. Unbelievable.

[/i]

You just probably know them by other names...... You know Bo & Luke Toong, with the souped up Samlor named General Somchai.

Edited September 9, 2008 by Gonzo the Face

[Niloc]

Thanks Greenside, just what I wanted an unbiased fair assessment. I have BBC here and it is a bit pathetic, repeated promos and bloody advertisements for racing cars and 'coming attractions' which give no idea of when they are on, except for Sydney or Delhi but who cares??

I believe there is some way of accessing the Australian channels but I suspect they are mostly sport anyway... someone must care I suppose. Not me!!

Colin