True Vision (Freeview)

[momosan]

I previously had a true vision (UBC) installation but upon cancellation they took the black box (receiver) but left the sat dish installed and still hooked up. Just yesterday I decided not the renew the cable contract, which they just cut today. The reason for canceling both isI don't watch the TV, my wife love the lakorns which are on free to air channels. So I was wondering if I can just go out and buy the box (receiver) and also the card (just for freeview). The other option being a normal antenna -- but really don't want a big TV antenna hanging up on the roof.

Forgot to mention I currently use True for the home phone and internet. But will NEVER ever again for mobile.

Edited January 17, 2011 by momosan

[happyrobert]

Sorry,can't help you but I do have a question: I'm looking to build a weekend house in a spot that only True mobile gives me a signal. What problem have you had with the mobile service?

Thanks, in advance, for the answer.

[momosan]

Sorry,can't help you but I do have a question: I'm looking to build a weekend house in a spot that only True mobile gives me a signal. What problem have you had with the mobile service?

Thanks, in advance, for the answer.

Mainly just that their GPRS service sucks. They price it so low that they have a massive user base and not enough bandwidth to go around. That was my experience with them in the past, dunno if anything's changed.

[msg362]

I think you can. We've got a UBC dish. It's linked through a True paid for box downstairs so we get the channels there. The TV man ran a second cable from the same dish, to the bedroom, installed a separate box which gets lots of Thai channels. The box cost 1000Baht i think. so you should be able to use the dish, pointed as it is now and get ,I think 30 or so mainly Thai channels.

[momosan]

I think you can. We've got a UBC dish. It's linked through a True paid for box downstairs so we get the channels there. The TV man ran a second cable from the same dish, to the bedroom, installed a separate box which gets lots of Thai channels. The box cost 1000Baht i think. so you should be able to use the dish, pointed as it is now and get ,I think 30 or so mainly Thai channels.

That's just about what I'm looking for. Thanks for letting me know such a thing has an existence out there. I'll try to find someone (local) who sells something like it and can come install it for me. I also think the dish might need a minor realignment. It hasn't been hooked into for a year, so might it have become misaligned slightly?

Again, big thanks!

[Caliguy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TrueVisions

All you need to know about free view channels.

[Pib]

If you can replace the KU band dish with a 4 to 5 ft C band dish w/LNB and then buy 500-1000 baht C band settop boxes (and 500 baht can get you a good, basic C band box) then you don't need to worry about a subscription card nor rainrade...and you'll get way over 100 free-to-view channels with well over 50 of them being Thai channels to include Ch 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc. You can still use the same RG-6 cabling currently installed. Just like the TrueVisions KU band dish, the C band dish would be pointed at the Thaicom 5 statellite. But if you live in a condo I know you may not have the option of installing the larger C band dish.

Edited January 20, 2011 by Pib

[momosan]

If you can replace the KU band dish with a 4 to 5 ft C band dish w/LNB and then buy 500-1000 baht C band settop boxes (and 500 baht can get you a good, basic C band box) then you don't need to worry about a subscription card nor rainrade...and you'll get way over 100 free-to-view channels with well over 50 of them being Thai channels to include Ch 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc. You can still use the same RG-6 cabling currently installed. Just like the TrueVisions KU band dish, the C band dish would be pointed at the Thaicom 5 statellite. But if you live in a condo I know you may not have the option of installing the larger C band dish.

Seriously struggling to find someone local who will do _ANYTHING_ for me for less than 2k. Wife's also not too happy with the reception from the rabbit ears, but it works and it's cheap so that's all she'll get for the moment.

[momosan]

Okay so I've not been doing anything much about this, but now I just want to finally get this sorted. Been doing some research and searching, the true visions dish that I already have and is hooked up is the small red one (Ku-band dish I believe). So been looking around for just the receiver, seems to be about 500thb (1, 2). Would these work with my dish? And if I buy one would the dish need realignment? And also what can it be used to connect it to (DTV?).

[Pib]

Okay so I've not been doing anything much about this, but now I just want to finally get this sorted. Been doing some research and searching, the true visions dish that I already have and is hooked up is the small red one (Ku-band dish I believe). So been looking around for just the receiver, seems to be about 500thb (1, 2). Would these work with my dish? And if I buy one would the dish need realignment? And also what can it be used to connect it to (DTV?).

Both of those receivers are for Free-To-Air (FTA), Unencrypted channels on C and KU bands. By hooking either receiver to your small red KU band dish you will only be able to pick up FTA, unencrypted KU band channels.

Assuming you still have the dish pointed at Thaicom 5 which is what TrueVisions uses, you could pick up the "digital/clear color-coded" KU band channels (those around 12GHz) identified in the the "System Encryption" column of the following LyngSat web site: http://www.lyngsat.com/thai5.html Look at the color code at the bottom of the page. Sorry, all the other channels listed have some type of encryption which usually requires a subscription, like a slide-in subscription card. Neither of the receivers have a slot for a subscription card. Please note that the core Thai channels such as Ch 3, 5, 7, 9, etc., are encrypted on KU band (need a subscription) but not on C band (the 3-4GHz band).

The dish wouldn't need realignment, assuming it hasn't been moved since disconnecting the TrueVisions service and you got a good signal before disconnecting service (the Thaicom 5 satellite is still in the same spot in the sky...well, actually it was moved a few degrees to the same spot the old Thaicom 2 satellite was occupying which TrueVisions signals use to be transmitted from).

If you are after the core Thai channels with no subcription you will need to switch to a C band system. That is a system that uses the large, usually black dish in the 4 to 12 ft range....a 5" dish is more than big enough to get you good reception even in the heaviest rain storms. I have a 5.5 ft C band dish and small TrueVisions KU band dish, but I no longer have the TrueVisions hooked up as I moved the LNB to the C Band dish. Anyway, during rain, I would experience rain-fade on the KU band dish for KU band channels; with the C band disk I never experience rain-fade for C band channels and very little rain-fade for KU band channels. Good luck.

Edited February 24, 2011 by Pib

[momosan]

Lots of great information, thanks Pib :jap:

[trevorg]

Similar subject - but different question (and Pib seems extremely knowledgeable on the subject), I've attempted to research myself but to little avail!

I have a TOPFIELD IR-T200S Box from TrueVision with a UBC 'Subscriber' Card and pay for a Gold package - it has a single LNB in, AV out and a couple of 'unused' in/out aerial connections, S-Video & RS232 - and all works fine (except for the never ending disrupted programmes with the same adverts over and over again – which is what I'm attempting to resolve)!

I also have a 1 year old (bought in the UK - as I had to live there for 4 months last year) 320GB Humax Foxsat HDR for FreeSat which has 2 x LNB in (2 xtuners) and an LNB out as well as AV, 2 x SCART, HDMI, 2 x USB etc etc! It has a Common interface Slot, which looked huge and as it turned out was huge when I attempted to slide the UBC subscriber card in!! (Managed to retrieve it with tweezers! – all with power off of course!) See link!

http://www.trustedreviews.com/Humax-Foxsat-HDR-Freesat-PVR_TV-recorder---set-top-box_review_humax-foxsat-hdr_Page-2

What this PVR doesn't appear to be able to do is receive an input from the TrueVision Box – only via the LNB's – unless you have any other suggestions!

The Humax does have multiple options that may be set within the Menus, though I haven't yet been able to change the satellite from Freesat 28.2E, though there are multiple 'Transponder' changing options.

I purely wish to be able to record whatever I want and fast forward through the repetitive adverts – any alternative solutions will be considered (as shutting my eyes and going la la la la, so I don't hear them again makes my wife think that I'm losing my mind!).

I watch ESPN & Star Sports (mainly for motorsport),and Discovery, Nat Geo etc for documentaries – I don't understand why they have to make a ½ hour programme last an hour! They are not generating any external advertising revenue as all the adverts are about their own programmes! I've written to them about it – but nothing has changed (surprise!) (I assume that in the originating countries they do generate revenue from these advert breaks – but not when they sell them on)!

At least the True Sport channels don't break up actual live sporting action to advertise the game that you are trying to watch!!

Apologies- came here for a 'technical' question and ended up in a TV style TV relevant rant!

Edited May 31, 2011 by trevorg