Upgrading True Ubc Cable Decoder Box

[jfchandler]

I had an original True cable decoder box installed in my living room about two years ago that had only RCA video/audio connections...and no S Video or anything else. Then recently, I had a second decoder box/outlet installed for a bedroom, and noticed that it came with an S Video outlet as well as the usual RCA outlets.

Noticing that the S video in the bedroom gave me a noticeably better picture, I contacted True the other day to say, Hey, I want to trade in my original two-year-old living room decoder box, which feeds a 32 in. LCD, for a newer box with an S Video outlet.

Over the phone, True Customer Service's original answer was sure, but they'd need to charge me a 500+ baht fee for the change. I asked what the fee was for, and the woman answered to send a technician out to my home to make the change.

I replied, Gee, changing out a decoder box is a pretty simple thing.. just unplugging the old one and taking out the card, and plugging in the new one and inserting the card. I said, back home in the U.S., I could just take my old box into the main office and they'd give me the new one when I returned the old one.

Fortunately for me, the agent I was speaking with pondered that a bit, and then put me on hold to go and check, and then returned to the line to say... Sure, if you bring your old decoder box to our Customer Service Center behind the Tipco Building on Rama 6, we'll issue you a new one with the S Video connector... no fee at all.

Sure enough, I took the BTS Skytrain to the Ari Station yesterday, then a short taxi ride to the True UBC office behind the Tipco Bldg. 5 minute wait inside and 10 minutes doing the exchange paperwork with an English speaking agent. Took the new box home, plugged it in with RCA for the audio and S Video for the video, and it looks great (greater) on my 32 in. TV.

I would assume True is no longer doing new decoder box installs with models lacking S Video connectors. But likewise, I'm guessing there are lots of people out there with the older decoder boxes that have never been upgraded... Word to the wise: don't let True hit you up for a 500 baht service fee for something that anyone can do for themselves in 5 minutes.

And the S Video really does provide a clear picture compared to the straight RCA video connection.

[Digitalbanana]

something that anyone can do for themselves in 5 minutes.

But it was actually longer than 5 minutes wasn't it? I mean you had to get off you butt and travel all the way to their office. Agree that True sucks tho.

[jfchandler]

The 5 minutes I was referring to, of course, was the actual time to install the new decoder box by attaching it to my TV.

As it happened, I had some business out that way on that particular day, so happily combined my business with a short sidetrip to UBC... Taxi roundtrip cost about 100 baht, so I saved a bit for the day.

But it was more the principle of the thing... Why do I want to pay True 500 baht to send a technician to my house for no reason, and to do something that I can just as easily do myself. Such is the luxury of being an early retiree...

[lopburi3]

One thing not mentioned is the type of cable service you have. They provide both analog and digital service systems (analog has not been available to new subscribers for a few years from my understanding and used the 1980's Scientific Atlanta converters). I believe the digital uses the same type card reader/receiver that the DTH use.

[jfchandler]

Lop, my True installation is digital cable in central BKK. The new box they gave me is a ADB ABQ 3Q76.

On the back side, it has two sets of RCA audio outputs, one S Video jack, one regular video jack and an RS-232 output, plus an RF input and output.