Where To Buy Something To Watch Astro In Bangkok?

[wantastro2]

anyone knows of any places/person selling new or used "stuff" to be able to watch the Measat (Astro)channels in Thailand?

Thank you

[Richmah]

Any of the shops selling dish in bkk sells astro as well

[astral]

Contact JSAT, one of our sponsors

http://www.jsat.tv/shop/

[wantastro2]

Contact JSAT, one of our sponsors

http://www.jsat.tv/shop/

Thank you for your suggestion but..............................................at

Price: 31,565.00

(!!!) and *** no subscription card included (this costs more) *** (!!!!!!) i think i will give it a pass.......those receivers are sold in KL at about 1.200 Bahts for a new one and 800-900 Bahts for a second hand box, i understand the sponsor will add a dish as well, but unless it is gold plated, how can the price tags be so, ehhrm, "different" ?

I really appreciate the fact that someone spent some time and effort in reply to my question and also that someone is offering what i am looking for, thanks

[Crossy]

Actually you can no longer buy SD boxes for Astro, only HD which explains the cost.

As far as I am aware all new subscriptions are also HD box only so your card would likely not work with a used box unless it already had a subscription associated with it

Do you know anyone in Malaysia who could pick up a used box and card for you?

[wantastro2]

Actually you can no longer buy SD boxes for Astro, only HD which explains the cost.

As far as I am aware all new subscriptions are also HD box only so your card would likely not work with a used box unless it already had a subscription associated with it

Do you know anyone in Malaysia who could pick up a used box and card for you?

Yes i did read something about this thing that the card must to belong to his own decoder, however it seems that the sponsor is also selling the receiver without cards? so, perhaps you can get access to a few channels??

I did saw an official satellite shop with Astro stuff on his shop windows, he had 2 models, both from Phillips, an old version, black color and quite big and then the new version, not even half the size of the first one and he said that they were the same but the small grey one was the new model, then the vendor said that i would have to purchase a card directly from Astro as he did not sell them.

Yes i also know a few people living and working there

Ohh and a bit of maths too: AirAsia RTN ticket from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur = 4.000 Bahts more or less + receiver 1.200 Bahts = 5.200 Bahts about 3 hours to go and another 3 to come back the same day.

31.565 Bahts - 5.200 Bahts = 26.365 Bahts allowance to spend in souvenirs )))))

Edited January 12, 2012 by wantastro2

[Digitalbanana]

Ohh and a bit of maths too: AirAsia RTN ticket from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur = 4.000 Bahts more or less + receiver 1.200 Bahts = 5.200 Bahts about 3 hours to go and another 3 to come back the same day.

31.565 Bahts - 5.200 Bahts = 26.365 Bahts allowance to spend in souvenirs )))))

Figure on the low cost air terminal in KL not selling Astro so need a trip into town that will cost more. Or just get all your TV fixes off the internet and forget Astro altogether.

[gkinbkk]

I would have bought Astro through him if it werent for the fact that locally in Bangkok you can pick it up for 7500 from one of the locals. I'll accept the crappy Thai service for the difference in price. Also the monthly fee he is quoting is double the local provider.

Astro is always going to be affected by atmospheric conditions so for the extra 23k he cant make that go away?!

//Reference to illegal card sharing removed//

A google search should hook you up with the other companies......

Edited January 12, 2012 by astral

[worgeordie]

Check out satthai.tv they have Astro and better yet Skynindo

which is on C band so no problems with the rain

regards Worgeordie

[astral]

I am not sure you can just walk into the Astro office and pick up the box and card.

They will want to come and install it for you.............

Then call the central control to authorise the card.

31,000 may sound steep, but is not only for the box, but installation

at your home plus the first years subscription.

[astral]

Astro is always going to be affected by atmospheric conditions so for the extra 23k he cant make that go away?!

And True is not??????????????

[zzSleepyJohn]

Check out satthai.tv they have Astro and better yet Skynindo

which is on C band so no problems with the rain

I'm a bit puzzled. Please can someone enlighten me? Are we talking here about Astro on Ku band or an Astro package on C-band?

As far as I can see from www.measat.com/satellite_91e_measat3_ku.html, the Ku footprint hardly extends into Thailand at all, so to be able to pull Ku in from Bangkok would require an outsize Ku dish, wouldn't it? What exactly is it the Bangkok shops are selling as Astro?

[jsat]

Contact JSAT, one of our sponsors

http://www.jsat.tv/shop/

Thank you for your suggestion but..............................................at

Price: 31,565.00

(!!!) and *** no subscription card included (this costs more) *** (!!!!!!) i think i will give it a pass.......those receivers are sold in KL at about 1.200 Bahts for a new one and 800-900 Bahts for a second hand box, i understand the sponsor will add a dish as well, but unless it is gold plated, how can the price tags be so, ehhrm, "different" ?

I really appreciate the fact that someone spent some time and effort in reply to my question and also that someone is offering what i am looking for, thanks

Well you need to tell that to the set top box provider here in Thailand, as all the subscription cards are now paired to their set top boxes - they think they are made of gold at the price they charge, I agree it is way to high, but that is what it is.

I have a pile of old second hand Astro boxes here if you want them, all phillips and nokia brands and only THB 2,000 each but the issue is no card will work with them any more as they are all paired to a HD set top box.

[jsat]

Check out satthai.tv they have Astro and better yet Skynindo

which is on C band so no problems with the rain

I'm a bit puzzled. Please can someone enlighten me? Are we talking here about Astro on Ku band or an Astro package on C-band?

As far as I can see from www.measat.com/satellite_91e_measat3_ku.html, the Ku footprint hardly extends into Thailand at all, so to be able to pull Ku in from Bangkok would require an outsize Ku dish, wouldn't it? What exactly is it the Bangkok shops are selling as Astro?

Astro is on the Ku Band

Skynindo he mentioned is on the C band

[PattayaParent]

Am I right in thinking that Astro and True are on different satellites at different positions?

Can I just re-align my True Ku band dish to point to the Astro satellite and receive Astro if I have the right box?

[zzSleepyJohn]

Am I right in thinking that Astro and True are on different satellites at different positions?

Yes, True is on Thaicom5 at 78.5°E. Astro is on Measat at 91.5°E

Can I just re-align my True Ku band dish to point to the Astro satellite and receive Astro if I have the right box?

Not unless you have a valid Astro card that's paired with the box, and then there's also the footprint issue.

I'm still puzzled about the footprint issue myself because the Measat 3 Ku band footprint maps I've seen on www.measat.com/satellite_91e_measat3_ku.html, show their Ku footprint hardly extending into Thailand at all, so pulling that Astro Ku signal in from Bangkok would appear to need an outsize Ku dish. I'd like to know how the shops that are selling Astro packages in Bangkok get over that. Or are they perhaps selling kits to be taken back to Malaysia and installed there?? Doesn't make any sense to me at the 31.565 Baht price people have quoted. Can anyone clarify, please?

[PattayaParent]

^what always puzzles me is the people that ditch True for Astro when they're paying more and not getting as many channels.

[astral]

I'm still puzzled about the footprint issue myself because the Measat 3 Ku band footprint maps I've seen on www.measat.com/satellite_91e_measat3_ku.html, show their Ku footprint hardly extending into Thailand at all, so pulling that Astro Ku signal in from Bangkok would appear to need an outsize Ku dish. I'd like to know how the shops that are selling Astro packages in Bangkok get over that. Or are they perhaps selling kits to be taken back to Malaysia and installed there?? Doesn't make any sense to me at the 31.565 Baht price people have quoted. Can anyone clarify, please?

Predicted and actual footprints are not always the same

Newer satellites may have tighter shaping and result in viewers in Thailand loosing

signal quicker in bad weather conditions.

As I understand it UBC and now True has a monopoly in Thailand for satellite TV

so sales of Astro equipment may be illegal.

Also the copyright for the Astro signals are for Malaysia so viewers

in LOS maybe cut off if Astro finds out, or cares.

This may explain the premium on the price

[zzSleepyJohn]

^what always puzzles me is the people that ditch True for Astro when they're paying more and not getting as many channels.

It's probably quality rather than quantity, for example it's got a much better selection of HD channels in MPEG4, but It would be interesting to hear from someone who has actually watched it because I stick to only free-to-air myself. There are some things that puzzle me about Astro, too.

[zzSleepyJohn]

Predicted and actual footprints are not always the same

Newer satellites may have tighter shaping and result in viewers in Thailand loosing

signal quicker in bad weather conditions.

Thanks. Yes that's fair comment, and Measat3 birds are quite new with their Ku footprints focussed on Malaysia much more tightly than they were with Measat2, so that's the point that's still puzzling me about receiving Astro up here in Thailand these days.

As I understand it UBC and now True has a monopoly in Thailand for satellite TV

so sales of Astro equipment may be illegal.

Oh, that's a new one on me. Pretty impossible for Thai authorities to stop people watching satellite TV from other countries, though, given all the shops selling all kinds of different dishes and boxes around the country, and given all the coverage on C-band. What about Skynindo, for example? and loads of others? Malaysia used to ban their citizens from watching foreign TV channels by making it illegal to install a C-band dish there. Easy to enforce because the dishes are so obvious! I don't know if that still applies.

Also the copyright for the Astro signals are for Malaysia so viewers in LOS maybe cut off if Astro finds out, or cares.

Looks to me as if they care enough to have tightened their Ku footprints in their latest Measats, and to have tied their boxes to their subscription cards, but beyond those two measures I don't see there's much else they can do.

This may explain the premium on the price

I'm still curious about what exactly people get when they pay that premium price.

[astral]

As I understand it UBC and now True has a monopoly in Thailand for satellite TV

so sales of Astro equipment may be illegal.

Oh, that's a new one on me. Pretty impossible for Thai authorities to stop people watching satellite TV from other countries, though,

Not to stop people watching

but to protect the people who own True

and do not want other pay services competing

This came up many many years ago when Star had to abandon Thailand once they

encrypted their service and could not sell in the Thai market

Looks to me as if they care enough to have tightened their Ku footprints in their latest Measats, and to have tied their boxes to their subscription cards, but beyond those two measures I don't see there's much else they can do.

Little except disable boxes that they know are outside their area

If you have ever watched Astro you will have seen the strange numbers that

come up in the screen, especially during sporting events

These uniquely identify your box and can be used against you if you

are publicly distributing the programme to others.

I'm still curious about what exactly people get when they pay that premium price.

Then you have never watched the programming of Astro as opposed to True

[PattayaParent]

.

I'm still curious about what exactly people get when they pay that premium price.

Then you have never watched the programming of Astro as opposed to True

Is Star Movies programming on Astro different to the same channel on True?

Or ESPN? Star Sports? AXN? HBO? etc?

Also Astro only seem to have 2 of their own sports channels whereas True has 7?

[zzSleepyJohn]

.

I'm still curious about what exactly people get when they pay that premium price.

Then you have never watched the programming of Astro as opposed to True

Is Star Movies programming on Astro different to the same channel on True?

Or ESPN? Star Sports? AXN? HBO? etc?

Also Astro only seem to have 2 of their own sports channels whereas True has 7?

The difference appears to be that Astro has them in HD.

But I've never seen Astro myself, and I'm still hoping we might find someone on here who has, so we can get our questions answered more definitively.

[jsat]

As a heads up ...

Measat 2 never has had astro on it - it is in an inclined orbit at 148e, I think you might be thinking of Measat 3 which astro has been on for a number of years now, with other Ku signals on Measat 3a also co-located at 91.5e

True/UBC have no monopoly (they have only ever had a satellite / cable tv concession very different) on satellite broadcasting - but I am sure they would like you to think this.

Simply visit a few of these satellite links to see some of the 180+ Thai satellite channels that are up there over our heads in the Thai skies that are not on the Truevisions satellite platform -

1. ABS1 (C Band)

2. Thaicom 5 (Both Bands)

3. NSS6 (Ku Band)

4. Vinsat (Ku band)

5. Intelsat 8 (Ku band)

Which you will find all the links mentioned above on here - http://www.lyngsat.com/asia.html

[apetley]

^what always puzzles me is the people that ditch True for Astro when they're paying more and not getting as many channels.

Last year I paid 11k bht for the annual astro subscription, roughly comparable to the true gold package so a good saving. This year I am paying 18k so about the same as true.

The clincher for me is that astro has great rugby coverage and also Eurosport for all the live cycling.

[apetley]

Am I right in thinking that Astro and True are on different satellites at different positions?

Yes, True is on Thaicom5 at 78.5°E. Astro is on Measat at 91.5°E

Can I just re-align my True Ku band dish to point to the Astro satellite and receive Astro if I have the right box?

Not unless you have a valid Astro card that's paired with the box, and then there's also the footprint issue.

I'm still puzzled about the footprint issue myself because the Measat 3 Ku band footprint maps I've seen on www.measat.com/satellite_91e_measat3_ku.html, show their Ku footprint hardly extending into Thailand at all, so pulling that Astro Ku signal in from Bangkok would appear to need an outsize Ku dish. I'd like to know how the shops that are selling Astro packages in Bangkok get over that. Or are they perhaps selling kits to be taken back to Malaysia and installed there?? Doesn't make any sense to me at the 31.565 Baht price people have quoted. Can anyone clarify, please?

I initially used an old 90 cm true dish to receive the KU astro signal. It was fine and I live just north of Kanchanaburi. I later used a 6 ft mesh dish which gave a marginally better signal.

Rain outages which are slightly worse than true will hopefully be improved by the 1.2 metre solid dish I'm having installed in a couple of days.

Edited April 18, 2012 by apetley

[PattayaParent]

^what always puzzles me is the people that ditch True for Astro when they're paying more and not getting as many channels.

Last year I paid 11k bht for the annual astro subscription, roughly comparable to the true gold package so a good saving. This year I am paying 18k so about the same as true.

The clincher for me is that astro has great rugby coverage and also Eurosport for all the live cycling.

They now have a 24/7 rugby channel on True (Ch. 107).

I have Eurosport on Sophon cable but have never watched it.

[apetley]

^what always puzzles me is the people that ditch True for Astro when they're paying more and not getting as many channels.

Last year I paid 11k bht for the annual astro subscription, roughly comparable to the true gold package so a good saving. This year I am paying 18k so about the same as true.

The clincher for me is that astro has great rugby coverage and also Eurosport for all the live cycling.

They now have a 24/7 rugby channel on True (Ch. 107).

I have Eurosport on Sophon cable but have never watched it.

Good to know about rugby on true now. No cable here in the village so astro stays whilst it is my only option to get eurosport.

[surayu]

In my neighbourhood, everyone have one of those small dish outside of their home, and when i say all, i really mean all, even the ones made of corrugated and rusty metal sheets or the apparently abandoned hut in the middle of the ricefields, they all get the "Platinum" package and pay 3000 Bahts a year....is that another case of the farangs having to pay 10 times the going rates or what???

[surayu]

One day i even came across a dog's hut with a dish over it!....however i have to admit that it was more a case of the satellite installer offloading his truck and not a real installation