CTH does not work!

[gdhm]

As of 16:30 this afternoon my service is back. However still no Aus Net or CNA

Hi Jamie just seen your post and raced upstairs to check mine. Unfortunately as of 19:25 today (18th July) I am getting NO signal and obviously no channels. Hope they work weekends.

Are you still receiving channels or has yours since cut out as mine did earlier today

This is getting beyond a joke. CTH are not cheap and to be down without repair or info for 4 days now is getting outrageous.

Regards

[JamieP]

Mine is still working. (19:40)

You might as well try a power cycle and channel scan........

[gdhm]

Mine is still working. (19:40)

You might as well try a power cycle and channel scan........

I'm happy for you Jamie. Power cycle and channel scan was exactly what I do every time. Nothing.

Will try again

Just phoned CTH Help Desk. They said they'd contact Tech and call back. I said that is what they said 3 days ago. The Lady then spoke to my wife.

I have tried again.

Powering off and scanning again and GUESS WHAT 2nd time lucky (I am sure I did the same thing first time (maybe not. Earlier today at 9:20am I did not havre to do anyhting the channels were jsut there well for a few minutes).

I am now getting all the channels I got before cut off (like you still no AN or CNA and still no NHK world) . I don't entirely trust the firmware in my box (as it is not always cosnsiotent on seraches and favourites allocation.

I took a look at the Menu>Settings>Information>Channel Information and Note ONE difference to before the 4 day cut off.

BEFORE with MY Cable box I had readings of:

IF tuned to a HD channel: Level 78 Quality 100

IF tuned to a SD channel: Level 70 Quality 100

Now I am getting

IF tuned to a HD channel: Level 70 (drop of 8) Quality 100 (no change)

IF tuned to a SD channel: Level 70 (no change) Quality 100 (no change)

Maybe New or repaired Amplifier is a tiny bit weaker. I am not bothered if that level is well within normal acceptable range for perfect reception

I do know the LEVELS figure (probably Quality as well ) can be affected by each houses cabling in house, whether splitters used & how many.

I know this because because originally last year KTV tried separating their KTV signal and the CTH with a splitter (to try and imporve the KTV reception (CTH was fine) rather than passing both though the cable box for both.

That was not a good idea because when I did some experimenting (splitter or via box) I got:

With Splitter just before CTH Cable Box : Level 68 (SD) and 70 HD

Via box and splitter removed: Level 70 (SD) and 78 (HD)

Anyway I'm back Thank goodness

Thanks for your input and speed in which it was supplied Jamie. If you notice your Levels and quality figures for SD and HD I'd be interested to know. No idea what minimum Level for perfect reception but I was told 70 was good.

Now to phone CTH Help desk to let them know as I Do believe in keeping people informed and in not wasting time they could use for others' issues.

Oh by the way Jamie, (slightly off subject) if you also get KTV may I ask whether FNC CNA Al Jezeera (all around 100 Mhz Frequency have been poorer and variable in strength and quality for the last 6-8 weeks?

I don't know why, but about twice a year every year we seem to have to call KTV along because we have a problem with channels between 48Mhz and around 150 Mhz and they go and adjust something down the road that seems to strengthen the signal and quality. They said heat and rain affect these. Our main lounge is usually the best (being first in our cabling line (of 4) and with 1 less splitter than 2 bedroom upstairs but reception in my bedroom suffers. Maybe low frequencies and splitters do not go well together and IF so I wish KTV would move the channels that are below 150 Mhz to vacant higher frequencies Not being technical, I have no idea why these and other low frequency channels seem weaker than all the others.

I have not called KTV in coz I am afraid the may deteriorate CTH and I do not wish that as Upstairs I can see FNC and (normally CNA on CTH perfectly)

Best Regards to you Jamie

[JamieP]

Randomly:

Nat Geo HD Level 90% Qual 100%

Cinema Level 90 Qual 52

The quality of my "normal" KTV can be quite variable but usually acceptable.

[gdhm]

Randomly:

Nat Geo HD Level 90% Qual 100%

Cinema Level 90 Qual 52

The quality of my "normal" KTV can be quite variable but usually acceptable.

Thanks for toe info Jamie. Well your results were certainly not what I expected. What a difference between Qualities. I expected Levels to be constant. Quality for cinema of almost half quality of Nat Geo HD seems astonishing.

Is reception perfect or does it stutter or breakup at times.

I have just checked on the 2 channels you mentioned above (and various others) and as usual they are 100% consistent with NO variation between channels.

All SD & HD have Level 70% and Quality 100% (Before the cut off and repair only difference was that HD Level was 78% (up to last time I checked and purely out of curiosity do tend to check every month or so).

Anyway, irrespective of what my or your readings are if we are both getting excellent pictures (with only rare momentary breakups which may be weather related) it is all academic Jamie.

Kind regards

[xenophon]

I'm also in Khon Kaen with CTH through KTV.

Information from CTH as of yesterday is

we are solving your problem so we are going to the signal to your Set Top Box again within 4 days from now. Because of the Electronic Amplifier of cable was damage by fire.

So it might be a while yet................

Cable was damage by fire? Well, at least they made up something vaguely plausible this time.

Still not telling the truth about AN and CNA.

As soon as this contract expires, I am dumping CTH - may do so earlier.

[Bernard Flint]

My bill always comes a few days late, so i cant pay at 7/11, have to go to Bangkok bank to pay

[gdhm]

I'm also in Khon Kaen with CTH through KTV.

Information from CTH as of yesterday is

we are solving your problem so we are going to the signal to your Set Top Box again within 4 days from now. Because of the Electronic Amplifier of cable was damage by fire.

So it might be a while yet................

Cable was damage by fire? Well, at least they made up something vaguely plausible this time.

Still not telling the truth about AN and CNA.

As soon as this contract expires, I am dumping CTH - may do so earlier.

...and NKH World & France 24 are the same as AN & CNA.

I must be honest xenophon I am still wondering if they are deliberately blocked by CTH waiting for Junta permission to permit unblocking (as they say) and whether your "kid" who unblocked AN for you is just is knowledgeable enough to know how to do a work-a-round. My suspicion as you mention it is now on Channel 811 (one that is not listed in CTH's NIT table is that the lad did a manual set up for AN and knew the frequency etc. to do so (but I am guessing). Maybe CTH have ONLY blocked the Channel Number for showing AN and not the actual transmission. I say that because although many see only see a blank screen with no audio on the channel allocated by CTH I note that the info bar at the bottom when you first go to the channel is still showing what program is on, the time and and progress bar for some of these 4.channels.

It is impossible to know for sure and unfortunately CTH Website is full of out of date information.

Take a look at their recent new Super Premium เดือนละ 999 บาท(ราคารวม Vat 1,068.93 บาท) package.

Many channels listed under it disappeared in the 07/07/14 channel number reshuffle (they forgot to mention the cull at the same time)

FOR ME: August 2013 we were offered and received 142 channels incl EPL (Cable) and I signed up for it paying 2 years get 3yr free..

Now by my count on my box I get 121 unique TV & 2 audio (via my cable box) includes the 4 blank channels mentioned above.

That's a large cut in just 11 months.

MY Listing attached

Edited July 19, 2014 by gdhm

[JamieP]

I've played around with the manual settings on my box as much as I can and have had no luck.

If xenophon could let us know which frequency he is getting AN we could do a comparison........

It's under settings -> information -> channel information.......

[Hunter s somtam]

We are near khon Kean ,well an hour away and only get satellite ,still no oz network and half the cartoon channels we had when we got it .the only reason I got it was for oz net and kids channels .i don't watch any of the ,seems like 20 soccer channels.think I'll just get rid of it,maybe back to true vision.

[xenophon]

have lost AN over the past week (no signal). Have spent afternoon off work waiting for the CTH company to come around to fix (appointment made). No show. No answering of any of their phone numbers. Bunch of w++kers!

Although many have been dissatisfied with True, I am going over to them.

CTH and their contractors have far more bs than the normal thai company and that's saying something. Have spoken to the office here and they say lots of people are getting the same lack of service and bs from CTH, including one guy who has thrown his box out the window in frustration.

[Sparkles]

We are near khon Kean ,well an hour away and only get satellite ,still no oz network and half the cartoon channels we had when we got it .the only reason I got it was for oz net and kids channels .i don't watch any of the ,seems like 20 soccer channels.think I'll just get rid of it,maybe back to true vision.

CTH dumped the Australia channel and Channel news Asia weeks/months ago,no apology, no notice on the screen, you will notice the channel no's have gone and when I rang the call centre after many calls without them answering the girl finally didn't have a clue why they had gone and what's more sounded like she couldn't care less. This is CTH customer service.

If it wasn't for the EPl I would give them the flick ASAP

[Hunter s somtam]

Yer there gone then .

Only got it for oz network and cartoon channels for the kids and there all gone .what a bunch of dicks.

[wildfootball]

RS sunbox has the EPL now too

[NE1]

105 The Travel Channel has now gone.

[gdhm]

105 The Travel Channel has now gone.

For me, It is still there (20 mins ago) on my CTH cable Box.

I did notice a few days ago CTH have actually added around 6 new channels (Stadium X, a several variety or music channels (took 2 music channels away) and I forget the others (oh yes one is ACTS).

They have I beleive removed a new shopping channel they only very recently added.

On my box as of 05/08/14 (UK Date format) the channels just appeared automatically (& some exisitng ones moved around a little or disappeared). To play 100% safe, I did an Auto Search (which I hate doing, coz it sets all my chosen languages back to the default (usually Thai) and I have to go all through them to reset the ones offered in English.

Attached is my current list of what I found after my latest Auto Search a few days ago via my CTH cable box (as far as I know it is still accurate)

I do noit know whether these new added channles will go the way of WWE, Max Sports and Zee Nung (let us have them for 6 weeks, then take away and want more suscription money IF we wish to get them back). Hopefully not because we are well short of 142 channels we originally contracted for.

-----

Have you noticed on the CTH website http://www.cth.co.th/new-package/# there is now a new top "Ultimate" Package that will cost ฿1,337.50 (inc. VAT) compared to the previous new top "Super Premium" package ฿1,068.93 (inc VAT).

I am guessing, but I believe the original full package many of us bought in 2013 (142 channel cable 116 {was it} satellite) is considered by CTH to equate nearet (as far as they are concerned) to their Super Premium" package.

I cannot tell you what you get extra in the "Ultimate" package because it has no drill down of channels offered (Go Figure!!). That should not worry anybody, because the drill downs for the other packages are totally out of date anyway with more channels listed than are currently being transmitted. My best GUESS is that it may include those 3 channels we were recently given, that were taken away namely, WWE, Max Sports & Zee Nung. At the time of removal I was told by the CTH Help Centre it would cost ฿450 p.m extra to reinstate. I'm totally guessing now, but I am wondering if they felt they could not sell those 3 separately to many, so maybe the new "Ultimate" package will include them. I REITERATE I am purely guessing in the absence of any web based info from CTH (that I can find anyway)

Hope the new list of of help to some

Kind Regards

[Will27]

AFAIK, CTH didn't re-sign with AN as it is due to finish next month.

I have AN on a stand alone STB but as of next month it will be gone.

[JamieP]

Well, it looks like the CTH signal from KTV has finally been cut.

I may soon take a trip into th office, firstly to try and get my money back on the box deposit and secondly to enquire about the new 150 channel digital service KTV are advertising and I assume are providing themselves.

[gdhm]

Well, it looks like the CTH signal from KTV has finally been cut.

I may soon take a trip into th office, firstly to try and get my money back on the box deposit and secondly to enquire about the new 150 channel digital service KTV are advertising and I assume are providing themselves.

Yes they have cut the CTH service. We got a call from KTV late Sat afternoon (22nd Nov) saying ti would be cut Monday. Of course CTH did not phone to warn us at all.

Not sure if CTH cut it or if KTV did so they could offer their own Digital service. the KTV girl did say their cable could not provide both CTH and their digital Service. KTV are alwasy very vague when my wife or I ask about their relationship with CTH in the past.

We were told by KTV they will let us keep or KTV service free until CTH reconnect us then we must pay form that point onwards (I have no issue with that)

The BIG question is whether KTV intend to offer dual language on the Fox movie channels and other with their Digital Service. I forgot to ask when we were there on 22nd Nov as they were already late for closing up for the night.

My wife and I were told we can continue with the current analogue 80 channels service, or a mix or digital and analogue (DVB t2 boxes would b e needed for digital with each TV - not usre how many boxes can be connected (CTH were a max or 3).

I asked KTV why we were told so late and my wife was told they had phoned before but got no answer (forgive me for being highly sceptical about this).

I phoned CTH within 30 mins (22 Nov Sat) . They said they would provide a satellite box and dish etc at no extra charge as there is no other cable provider in Khon Kaen, BUT I must pay ฿1,000 for the installation

I pointed out,

1) It is they who have caused the change NOT ME

2) I will now have to have a dish fixed to my house now

AND

3)with Satellite I will get less channels than I contracted for with the Cable system.

I told them to charge me in the circumstances is outrageous. The lad went off to ask but cmae back (as if he had not gone to ask) and repeated if you want staelltie you must pay ฿1,000 installation. Do you want me to arrange it?

OF COURSE, I had to accept as I had paid 2 years get third free and he had already suggested a refund was not an option (something about having had the service for over 12 months). Amazing how CTH refer to contracts when they have broken the contract themselves.

I was told it would be about a week.

I needed to phone again on 27th Nov to ask why nobody had contacted me. My wife also spoke to them. We got the usual we apologize and will pass on info and "Have a nice day"

We phoned AGAIN 1st Dec as NOBODY STILL has attempted to contact us. I told them they had better NOT say have "A Nice Day" at the edn of the call because there is nothing nice looking at a blank screen, missing the EPL when having already paid to see it.

My wife and I I suggested/demanded (reinforced with an email from me) that we want service and installation by this coming weekend 6th Dec (2 weeks after we 1st contacted them) OR they can refund the unused months Dec 2014 to jul 2015 I have paid for in advance and we will call it a day.(in fact they would owe an extra 3 weeks but I did nto have the energy to try and explain that to them).

I pointed out they are in total breach of contact and are seemingly doing little/nothing restoring my service . My wife was told many others are unhappy with CTH Yeah everybody seems to love CTH!!.

I do not blame their Helpdesk personnel ,as the poor staff seem merely the buffer used to block/stall/delay customers from speaking to more senior people.

Try asking to speak to a more senior person or the installation Dept. NOT A CHANCE

Well (yes you've guessed it, its now 2:20am Thursday 4th Dec and OF COURSE NOBODY from CTH HAS BOTHERED TO CONTACTED US (Now 12 days since I asked for a satellite installation).

E.O & E (its late and I'm very tired)

[JamieP]

Here is an email I received from them......

Thank you for your email. From you would like to keep CTH cable signal after KTV Company is going to end of contract with CTH. Forgive us please, we are unable to change your system (Cable) to be the Satellite dish because of Khon Kaen province that far from CTH customer service so we must depend on KTV Company in order to look after the customers in Khon Kaen area. If the KTV Company ends of the contract with CTH, we are unable to service you. Forgive us please.

From now, you can watch the Chanel from CTH until KTV Company is going to end of contract with CTH (We are unable to confirm the date and time). If you unable to watch CTH channel in the future, please reply email to us in order to cancel CTH Member. Then sent your copy the first page of you book bank to us because we must return the Set Top Box deposit to you (within 120 days).

Forgive us please again, Thank a lot for you watching CTH. If you need more information please reply email or Call 02-328-3456 press 1

[Rigsby]

I'll just give my thoughts here on all this.

GMM is a sister company of CTH & are far more reliable from what I've heard from friends who have it. It is also cheaper.

For example the package to watch EPL is around 449bht/month as opposed to CTH's 1000bht-ish. (GMM have bought the rights to show EPL & so the channels are the same i.e. Stadium 1,2,3,4,5,X etc) and they're in High-def. Standard-def-only channels are available for about half the price i.e. about 220Bht/month. You do have to buy the dish & the set-top box

Might be worth looking into if it is available in your area/s. It uses the same dish as CTH - just points to BKK instead of Vietnam.

Edited December 4, 2014 by Rigsby

[OJAS]

I have just about had it up to here with these incompetent clowns.

We signed up for their satellite service almost 12 months ago, with 2 boxes, one for me to watch Sky News & EPL games on my TV set and the other for my wife to watch Thai programmes on hers. However, in each of the last 4 months they have cut us off for alleged bill non-payment.

Admittedly they did provide us with some forewarning through on-screen emails informing us that we had to pay our latest bill by a certain date, otherwise we would be disconnected. However, a fundamental difficulty with which we were faced in complying with this request was that the bill in question had supposedly been in the post for a whole month, if its date was to be believed, before it eventually turned up in our letterbox barely days before the payment deadline!

It was impossible to make the necessary payment in advance of receiving the bill since this included a unique 14-digit Ref2 number which I needed to quote in order to pay the due amount through an online transfer from my Bangkok Bank account. Even so, I was still able, through busting my gut as soon as the bill had finally arrived, to instigate an online payment with 2-3 days to spare.

Unfortunately the speed which CTH devote to the processing of bill payments at their end is clearly no match for the zeal and gusto with which they secure service disconnections, based on our experiences these past 4 months. My wife and I have become heartily fed up having to go through the routine of making lengthy phone calls to their office in Bangkok every time our service is disconnected in order to secure its restoration.

And, even when we did have CTH’s apology for a service, we still encountered frequent incidents of the picture and sound freezing completely. The only way of resolving these problems, seemingly, was to unplug the set-top box and do a complete reboot, which, needless to say, soon turned out to be a tedious routine.

As far as I am concerned, the final straw with CTH has now come. They pulled the plug on our service this afternoon, despite having previously given us until today (27-Feb-15) to make the outstanding bill payment. The bill in question was dated 22-Jan-15, but only received in the post by us last Tuesday (24-Feb-15) and still paid by me barely an hour later. And, although they assured my wife following her latest telephone marathon with their Bangkok office that our service would be restored by 8pm, this is a promise which has still to be delivered.

Anyway, the point of no return has definitely now passed in my case since my set-top box is currently lying in pieces on the floor after being hurled there 2-3 times (with acknowledgements to the guy who chucked his out of the window in sheer frustration)!

Edited February 27, 2015 by OJAS

[uptheos]

I kicked CTH into touch a while back, ridiculous organisation and crap channels apart from EPL.

I really miss the football, but as I don't follow any particular PL team, I'm happy to settle for Match of the Day like the good old days.

There are many people having bill problems, some haven't even received a bill.

Be assured you will get one in the fullness of time, but probably when you least expect it.

[OJAS]

I kicked CTH into touch a while back, ridiculous organisation and crap channels apart from EPL.

I really miss the football, but as I don't follow any particular PL team, I'm happy to settle for Match of the Day like the good old days.

There are many people having bill problems, some haven't even received a bill.

Be assured you will get one in the fullness of time, but probably when you least expect it.

We're getting the bills OK, it's just that they take over a month to travel the 100 or so miles to us from Bangkok (on the back of a snail presumably)!

How/where can you watch MOTD here in LOS?

[OJAS]

I'll just give my thoughts here on all this.

GMM is a sister company of CTH & are far more reliable from what I've heard from friends who have it. It is also cheaper.

For example the package to watch EPL is around 449bht/month as opposed to CTH's 1000bht-ish. (GMM have bought the rights to show EPL & so the channels are the same i.e. Stadium 1,2,3,4,5,X etc) and they're in High-def. Standard-def-only channels are available for about half the price i.e. about 220Bht/month. You do have to buy the dish & the set-top box

Might be worth looking into if it is available in your area/s. It uses the same dish as CTH - just points to BKK instead of Vietnam.

Was seriously minded to consider GMM as an alternative to CTH until I came across this thread: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/803857-gmmz-satellite-sky-news-channel/?p=9124084&hl=%2Bgmm

For me Sky News was an equally strong motive for me to sign up to CTH as was the EPL footie. It would appear that both CTH and GMM are engaged on channel-pruning exercises, judging from these threads.

So I suppose it's back to True for me - minus the EPL footie, of course, but plus loads of bloody basketball, not to mention the goddam awful Lifetime channel! And certainly not the bloody Beeb with extensive news coverage from everywhere on this great planet of ours except the good old UK! But if True still show snooker that will, at least, be some compensation for their lack of EPL coverage in my case.