# General Business Category > Technology Forum >  Scrap DSTV Anyone?

## irneb

I've just seen this: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadc...creases-2.html

To me, I'm starting to think DSTV isn't good enough and becoming way too expensive. I'm already only using it to see sports, the programming is always (at least) a year behind what I can get from streaming sites - and no, the cheapie options are not showing the sports I want to see (I've checked and been very irritated by them). And now the cost seems to equal my monthly internet anyway - so costwise it's starting to make sense to just discontinue my subscriptions. Can get most overseas sports through streaming sites, but local is a bit of a pain.

I'm starting to think it might be time to go watch sport at the local pub, they generally allow various channels on different areas. Except of course if there's a big game on - which I then want to check myself anyway. Perhaps the "cost" of going to the pub's going to eat into my budget though. Will have to think about it a bit I guess.

AFAICT "Single"Choice is going to see the same problems as many similar companies have already gone through overseas. If you can't compete against the price and quality of what's available on a web page, you're out of business pretty soon. Especially if the latest stuff in the news is going to happen - i.e. cheaper and faster ISP connections across SA. If I were them, I'd be going to court just as Vodacom/MTN is in order to try and stop the government from taking away their gravy train.

Anyone got any other ideas? Some way to get local sport through something cheaper than DSTV's offerings?

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newBix (04-Mar-14)

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## newBix

Nope DSTV is crazy expensive and there shows are so old it stinks. I myself buy cheap DVDs. As for sport? How well do you know your neighbours? I also like to collect boxsets when it comes to miniseries and you don’t get 30min worth of adverts. I also like sport but R700 a month? Hell no... News paper is much cheaper.

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irneb (05-Mar-14)

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## Dave A

Meh - those increases are not exactly outrageous. R40 on Pemium = 6.4%
Bearing in mind the Rand slide, it could have been worse.

That said, your point on streaming content as an emerging competitor is certainly valid - at least if you've got the bandwidth to your door.

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irneb (05-Mar-14)

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## irneb

> Meh - those increases are not exactly outrageous. R40 on Pemium = 6.4%


Yes, % isn't too great, but they were exorbitant to begin with. Especially if you look at the quality and timing of their programming.




> I also like to collect boxsets when it comes to miniseries and you dont get 30min worth of adverts.


Precisely! I can order a box set of nearly anything from somewhere like Amazon - and it would be seasons and/or episodes which haven't yet been aired on DSTV. Let alone ordering the electronic file from the same place, or subscribing to their online TV service.

Personally I prefer watching tv series this way. Get the entire season's episodes and then start watching it when you've got the time. It also does away with that itchy feeling when 2 episodes continue with a story - and you feel as if you simply can't wait! For local stuff this is presently the only option if not going through DSTV, but there's very few local series which even makes a blip on my interest scale. Although I don't always go this route - sometimes I just get the latest episode and be done with it.

Just look at the IMDB site to see what you might want to look for, I tend to use that site a lot to pick-n-choose only the very best - so I don't waste my time and bandwidth on some idiotic thing. They've even got links direct to online shops/online-TV "stations" from where you can then download/watch the movie/series. Tends to be at worst a day later than the original air date, but mostly it airs on these the very first time.

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## Justloadit

And what do they do with the exorbitant advert income they receive?
Over seas, if you pay cable TV, you have no adverts, that is why you pay. 
If I was not paying a subscription, I would not mind the adverts, but paying subscription and still having to be bombarded with 5 to 7 minutes of adverts every 5 minutes of show, is being a bit over the edge.

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Dave A (04-Mar-14), irneb (05-Mar-14)

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## AndyD

Agreed. I stopped just moaning about it and dumped DSTV about 5 years ago. The only reason I can see anyone paying the high subscription cost and suffering the adverts is if you're a big fan of local sports. I'm only a casual sport watcher so there wasn't enough value in it for me, I'd rather up my bandwidth package by a few hundred bucks and watch Netflix.

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irneb (05-Mar-14)

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## newBix

Well I have a big decision to make because I am not planning on keeping my DSTV any longer. YES will miss my sport but for R700 “soon to be” a month HELL NO... as in HELL NO!!!

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## irneb

> Agreed. I stopped just moaning about it and dumped DSTV about 5 years ago. The only reason I can see anyone paying the high subscription cost and suffering the adverts is if you're a big fan of local sports. I'm only a casual sport watcher so there wasn't enough value in it for me, I'd rather up my bandwidth package by a few hundred bucks and watch Netflix.


Just one query - did you have issues with them when you stopped. I know my brother had a problem when he moved. They wanted to charge him a second sub for the new house and not cancel the old one - while he had to fight for several months to explain that he's simply moving from one place to another, NOT getting a 2nd decoder even.

I'm just asking because I'm fearful they're just as bad as SABC who don't stop charging you even if you're dead.

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## ians

I have a dish and a friend with DSTV, just in case we have a family function and there is a big game, other wise people don't come to the function they would rather stay home and  watch the game, so for me it is a win win situation.

On the odd occasion the dstv has been left at my house for the weekend, by the end of the weekend I know why I don't waste money on DSTV.I don't have the patients to sit through 1 hour of adverts and 20 minutes of actual content, not to mention the repeats. 

I have my favourite series ( Arrow and the mentalist) on a hard drive which I watch when I am not playing on the internet and I spend a lot of time watching yotube videos of what I want to see, like I am busy watching a company building kitchen cupboard from selecting the wood to final coat. I am ready to start build my kitchen cupboard. I have just installed thousands of parquet blocks and saved a lot of money if I had got a company to do it. My Kitchen cupboard quote R120 000, I am looking at spending around R20 000 if I build it myself.

Personally I would rather get uncapped unlimited internet access with  a high speed internet connection.

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irneb (05-Mar-14)

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## irneb

Seems someone had the same idea, and it looks as if it's really now a very close tie between DSTV/ADSL: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadb...-compared.html

I think DSTV needs to get their act together pretty soon: provide a service which can at least be comparable to legal internet video at similar or better pricing. Else they'd have no future.

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## newBix

All Telkom has to do is say hey “for R700 a month you get access to stream all the rugby and cricket AND get uncap ADSL with a 4mb line” and DSTV is gone as in bye bye

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## newBix

> Seems someone had the same idea, and it looks as if it's really now a very close tie between DSTV/ADSL: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadb...-compared.html
> 
> I think DSTV needs to get their act together pretty soon: provide a service which can at least be comparable to legal internet video at similar or better pricing. Else they'd have no future.


I see if you Google there is a lot of free live streaming for local sports why not give them ago and tell us what you found. If they are usable or not? Tell us so that we can make a choice between DSTV or a 4mb line.

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## irneb

> I see if you Google there is a lot of free live streaming for local sports why not give them ago and tell us what you found. If they are usable or not? Tell us so that we can make a choice between DSTV or a 4mb line.


You're absolutely correct! DSTV has it's own online supersport streeming if you use your own DSTV account to log in. But why should you need to?

Especially since you can view SkySport (BBC competition) for free, which "would have" been showing the cricket today if it wasn't raining: http://www.time4tv.com/2011/09/sky-sports-2.php

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newBix (05-Mar-14)

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## irneb

On the company's fibre line it's simply perfect. And I tried that site through my cell phone. Looks reasonable even on the 3G connection, so an ADSL might just be good enough. So yep - that means I don't even need to pay over and above the connection fee, which means to me at least DSTV is now a distant bad memory ... if I can cancel my sub of course!

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## IanF

I cancelled DSTV in December and signed up for Netflix. Then I also reactivated the R29 option on the decoder and there was cricket on SABC

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## AndyD

I didn't have any problem cancelling my DSTV account, I just phoned them and told them to do it immediately. The guy on the phone warned me it might be a bad idea because there would be a reconnection fee if I changed my mind, I just laughed and said that would just be one more reason they wouldn't hear from me again.

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## irneb

DSTV's obvious response: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadc...ltichoice.html

My view on this: Sure piracy should not be a comparison to DSTV's "service". Legitimate online viewing should, so "piracy" shouldn't even be a consideration from the concerns of customers, neither should DSTV even have to raise the point (certainly not focussing on it through most of their response). So disregarding the statements about illegal viewing let's focus on this statement instead (the only one which mentions legal online viewing):



> Whether consuming legal or illegal Internet sourced content, the size  of the offering does not compare with the length and breadth of the DStv  Premium offering, as is suggested,


Appart from my mini-gag as I read it, here's what I've found personally to void that statement in its entirety:

Size: Most of these streaming sites use very well compressed video formats (like Theora / H265 instead of the 20 year old inefficient codecs used in DSTV's offering and on discs). Meaning instead of the normal ~25GB of a full HD 90min movie the actual download would be around 2 to 4GB at the same visual fidelity. In fact DSTV's own online video uses these same newer codecs to reduce bandwidth cost. That is if you look for full HD (1020P) content which DSTV doesn't even offer. Only a handfull of their channels offer 720p, the rest goes even as low as VHS quality - in these cases the movie is below 1GB (for 720p) and even around 500MB on DVD quality (480p), and for most around 200MB for VHS/old-TV quality. So the size isn't as great an issue as they're trying to make it out to be, especially not if they're referring to similar quality to their own broadcasts.Size (alternative meaning) of offering: There is literally 100's of TIMES more variance in the programs / movies / shows available on these sites than ALL of DSTV's entire "breadth" of channels available. Even if disregarding the quality (note not visual but actual content) of the programs, DSTV's at best only showing a fraction of 1% of all that's available. So in this sense of the "size" concern DSTV doesn't have a leg to stand on.If the actual quality of the content is added to this, then DSTV's offerings are even worse off. They constantly repeat shows from several years ago - meaning rehashed cheap unwanted programs make up the majority of their channels' content. Nearly all online streaming sites allow views outside of fixed program times, so people can view any one of their shows at any time of their choosing, as many times as they might wish to do so - AND ARE NOT FORCED to re-watch something which they've already seen. Also since online means you can pick-n-choose by show (or even by episode) they have a much clearer understanding of the real "rating" and can thus cancel something which hasn't had any views in the last month. DSTV (at best) needs to do surveys to even get an inkling of what people don't want to watch.Lengh/breadth: does this refer to the number of channels they have? If so, they can throw away 95% of all their channels, I only see them when I skip between the channels with something watch-able on (if I don't remember to directly type in the ch# on the remote instead). Online is simply centuries ahead on this score, you can see it as having 1 channel for each show ever made in the history of television and movies. So that would be DSTV's 100's as compared to online's uncountable.The "boxoffice" items from DSTV is probably the closest they come to the actual quality of online sites. Though even here they tend to be several months behind on the availability from what's available on the online sites. In general the online sites have a movie available between 1 and 2 months after the first cinema premier overseas, which means in a lot of the cases it's available during (if not before) NuMetro/SterKinekor shows the movie here - let alone DSTV.

Another issue:


> The resulting quality of Internet-sourced content also isnt comparable  today in the SA market, MultiChoice said, due to poor Internet speeds  and congestion.


Yes, I can say that they may have a point here ... that is if comparing Live TV streaming. In which case it's similar to when their dish doesn't make proper connection to the satellite (e.g. during thunderstorms) - you end up with frozen picture for a few moments and/or pixelation of the image. Though here (in JHB) I've found that even using my 3G cell phone I get these only very seldom, and apparently Telkom is in the process of rolling out at least 3G to all exchanges in lieu of fast ADSL cables.

In most cases it doesn't even matter as the viewing can be buffered. Think of it as similar to PVR: it downloads the program to a temporary storage on your viewing equipment and you can then play this back as a smooth running video without any glitches. This is impossible on DSTV, even their pay-per view box-office stuff suffer from the same glitches when their connection is compromised - no such buffering mechanism is built into their decoders, not even during the use of the PVR feature on the decoder.

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Dave A (08-Mar-14)

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## newBix

This is one of those deals... Pay us get something to watch or don’t pay us and get nothing to watch. Internet in South Africa is slow and expensive by first world standards. But they rake in massive profits and don’t upgrade so not only do we have a poor infrastructure it is overpopulated with users each paying trough there ass to be connected. 

I don’t consider internet as a good way to watch movies series and sport partly because it takes forever to get the content especially on sub 1mb lines and 3G being so crappy. I would rather buy A series and pay the R1000 for it then having to pay R700 a month and then get to watch 4 episodes and being bombarded with advertisement.

Getting movies for R49 is a lot cheaper then killing your cap that cost you R450 a month. Also you get high quality and if the movie sucked you get a shiny frisbee...

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## ians

You just need the right friends, with a server room and uncapped etc and 2 x 1 TB hard drives which you rotate.This way you get the latest series directly from the source.

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## irneb

I understand if you've got a slow and/or expensive ISP, but it's getting to the point where the cost of DSTV equals that of UN-capped 4MB/s ADSL with Telkom themselves, not even the special cheap deals from some others. That's why I started this thread.

Well, I checked yesterday through one of these ... the first such shown on a google search (from literally 1000000's). At home through my cell phone (on 3G - and I'm in JHB north) using my media centre (they've even go a connection for XBMC so I don't need to watch it through a web page) there were absolutely no glitches. Watched Arrow season 2 episode 15, first aired on 5th - Wednesday in USA: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3337658/?ref_=tt_ep_ep6

It was playing at 720p (same as DSTV's "HD" channels) without any issues. I checked my data on that, after the 42 minutes I've used only 300MB - so it was even less data than I at first thought.

What I did find is that it starts a bit slow - a loading... message displays for about 10 sec and then the thing just simply plays as if it was actually on my hard-drive. Next time I'll run a screen recorder and set it on YouTube so I can show you just how impressive it looks.

If you do this per episode, then the general cost is around US$3 for full HD 1020p (better than DSTV's best channel) or $2 for half HD. And this from Amazon, which is arguably not the cheapest. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...t-video&sr=1-1

They've also got deals where you get the full season (once it completes). E.g. the entite How I met Your Mother season 10 (last year's) for $40 full HD & $30 half HD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...&redirect=true That would be about 1/2 of the cost you mention of R1000. And if you've got uncapped, then it means you're not paying any extra, no matter how many of these you get.

Obviously, if you're willing to go with piracy, that's your choice. Same as it would be your choice to shoplift. No-one's telling you you must do so. I try to keep as legit as I possibly can, and with most of these sites it's not much more than doing torrents in any case - you wont save that much and have lots of aggravation because the file might be in some format your player can't handle, or not as good as it should be (e.g. cam recordings from within a cinema), lots of extra steps you need to go through just so you can finally watch the damned thing. No, for me, I'll pay the subs fees and have something I can simply point my remote at, click once, and sit back to relax & watch - but never again through DSTV thank you very much.

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newBix (07-Mar-14)

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## irneb

And another gripe I have with DSTV's comeback:


> Piracy promotes a culture of fraud and corruption and one should always  look at the bigger picture, rather than focusing purely on our  individual needs, as your article seems to do,


Nope, your crappy exorbitant "service" promotes this culture. Piracy is the symptom, NOT the cause you dimwits!

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newBix (07-Mar-14)

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## newBix

I am a collector, I like shiny limited addition DVDs. I love the idea of owning something nice and my growing DVD collection is doing just that. I like to watch all the extra bits that is only found on the DVDs.

I also don’t need that bluray stuff. The players are more expensive and really no player last longer then a year.

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## Sadness

I can get uncapped internet for less than R700 a month, my Andriod/Zaap box will do better than what they offer. I dont worry about local sport as I'm not a sport fan. on these boxes I can watch series through XBMC. 

I think DSTV is a waste of money too. I just hope the new kid on the block OVHD can acquire a lot more channels/licences to compete with them. Maybe they can catch a wake up.

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## Justloadit

What even annoys me more is the amount of adverts inserted during prime time viewing. If I was not a subscriber, and getting free viewing, I would accept the adverts bring in income, but paying for the service and still having to go through the adverts is extremely annoying. They are making double money, 1 from the subscription, and secondly from the TV advert. I have never managed to get an answer out of them about this, but there was some comment about the fact that all the shows re only 40 minutes long, and there for the adverts are fillers to make it 1 hour. I have on a few occasions timed it, and 7 minutes of show and about 5 minutes of adverts, so go figure - BS.
Fortunately with PVR, I usually place it on pause at the beginning of the show, go and do something for 20 minutes, then come back and view and fast forward past the adverts.

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## irneb

Two more indication that MonoChoice's days are numbered:
http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?opt...uyers&catid=77
http://businesstech.co.za/news/gener...ng-to-netflix/

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## Justloadit

The main problem is that our ADSL lines into homes can not carry the speed to watch streaming video. Whilst Vodacom may use HSPDA to connect o your point, they may have a problem handling the volume of data through their network. Take the experiment Vodacom did on mothers day where they gave each subscriber 1G free, heck you could not get any useful download speeds because the network was overloaded with everyone trying to download.

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tec0 (22-May-14)

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## tec0

So what of DSTV? They are basically an entertainment base system but thats not all. So lets be clear they own particular broadcasting rights, they have an advertisement income AND they have a Investment structure.

But there main income is sport. Is it not true that the sport channels are only available on there premium subscription? As far as I know it is true. Unfortunately sport is now the subject of controversy and this can only escalate. Will this be negative? Will this be positive? Only time can tell. 

As mentioned here you can buy DVDs cheaply and really the 3D experience at your local 3D Cinema is worth the money. If you havent done it please do it is a experience. Especially if the creators of the movies took the time to do it right.  

I loved the movie need for speed, I enjoyed the new Spiderman release it was a spectacle! And I am looking forward to the new Godzilla that I will go watch next week.  So why on earth do I want to spend almost a thousand rand EVERY MONTH on entertainment and I dont get to keep the DVD OR get something as nice as the 3D experience?

With that type of money one can buy a nice entertainment system with online gaming capability a host of games and interactive technology. Active on the minute news and so on.

Consider how much you have paid already for your DSTV over the years. I never won anything from them I get a little decoder with no HD capability just a few normal inputs and you have constantly correct the widescreen... for your money that is just pathetic.

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## HR Solutions

> Is it not true that the sport channels are only available on there “premium subscription


No this is not the case.  Mnet is the only channel that is only available on the highest one (Premium)  You can get sport on the lower packages.  In fact I can get sport on my drifta when I am in CT, which is free for me because I have a dstv package back home, but would cost R29 if I just wanted to use the 16 channels including sport on the drifta.

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## Justloadit

The situation here is that with all this income they are able to block any new player coming into the market. Simply because they have lots of money they simply buy their programs at a higher cost, and demand exclusivity barring the competition. No new station can even attempt to compete, look at Pay TV, they can not grow because they can not afford to break the monopoly.

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tec0 (23-May-14)

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## tec0

> No this is not the case.  Mnet is the only channel that is only available on the highest one (Premium)  You can get sport on the lower packages.  In fact I can get sport on my drifta when I am in CT, which is free for me because I have a dstv package back home, but would cost R29 if I just wanted to use the 16 channels including sport on the drifta.


The so called drivter doesnt work in our area.  

Ok as for sport, Go to compare-packages Have a look. Supper Sport 1 and Supper Sport 2 is not available on any of the options accept for the Premium for R665 Per month.  

Those are the two channels you want. Actually have a look for yourself what is available where. If you look at the "Coverage" map you will be shocked to see it hasn't changed much over the years a few new arias...

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## tec0

> The situation here is that with all this income they are able to block any new player coming into the market. Simply because they have lots of money they simply buy their programs at a higher cost, and demand exclusivity barring the competition. No new station can even attempt to compete, look at Pay TV, they can not grow because they can not afford to break the monopoly.


I wouldn’t bother with DSTV...  As you say they own the monopoly there is no point getting another service.

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## tec0

Was talking to a few people yesterday and they all are canceling there DSTV? 

This came as a surprise to me as many of you know i am not a big DSTV fan anymore and will actually leave it deactivated wasn't it for some sports events. But we are paying to much and truth is we get less. Most of the movies are old and many of the series are bludgeoned to death by advertisement that leaves a sour taste in my mouth. So i am doing the DVD thing and have been ordering full series from my local music/DVD store. To the point it is painful to know what you fork out over R8400+ excluding TV license. 

But what the final blow for me was the pressure now being placed on sports. In general talent must be the number one aspect and everything else must be second to that. A talented player must be recognized and hard training and dedication must be the commitment. I fear the worst and is the very reason why i stopped watching and supporting Cricket. The past has showed us how GOOD players made BAD choices and ALTERED the outcome forever tainting the sport. This is sad to me because it is a GLOBAL thing and many teams was touched by this "As news reported" 

So my question is are we moving forward with technology and entertainment? Are you seeing what you want to see? Is advertisement sensitive to you? OR is it a slap in the face at times? 

These are the questions we must ask because it is time to make choices to show both advertisements AND broadcasters that we will no longer tolerate or support there product because of the choices they are making and the directions they are taking. Why is it that the lower DSTV subscriptions exclude "some channels" Clearly someone is being targeted and it is wrong. 

i personally think it is time to physically remove the "option" from my home because then i will not be tempted to fork out the cash "even for special events"

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## Justloadit

Well with my PVR, I simply let the program run for about an hour, then rewind and watch, by fast forwarding past the adverts. But they now have gotten wise to this. There is no distinct break between the show and advert both when it starts or when the adverts end. They are also sneaky in that they insert only one advert in the middle of a scene.

Now if I was getting the show for free, I would have no problem with this, after all the adverts are carrying the cost of my entertainment, but with f...king DSTV, this is not the case!. I am paying a monthly subscription fee and I am still bombarded with the usual adverts as if I was getting free TV.

I am just waiting for that optic line to come to my area, and it will  be goodbye DSTV.

I do not watch the local  sports, but occasionally I watch English soccer of some of the UEFA games. The teams I want to watch are not show cased anyway, as it is deemed to unimportant against the MUN and Barca and the the other corporate teams, but streaming will offer this facility at a fraction of the cost, and I will be able to download all the series when I want to see them.

This Discovery is totally overtaken by 3 programs, American Pickers, Pawn Stars and Storage Wars. There is only so much abuse I can take from these programs too. Occasionally they may air something interesting, but these programs can be down streamed at any time anyway.

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## pmbguy

I absolutely hate the fact that the history channel is not about history anymore! For example, they used to have these British documentaries about the eastern front ww2. I think it was 45 min covering 3 months per episode following a specific campaign. The graphics were not that flashy with no added bull. You will never forget the movements and battle lines of the Crimea. I Think it was called "the battles of ww2". These types of info-rich docs don't really show up much anymore. Now its all bloody reality TV star flash and little science, only the animals are left and perhaps myth-busters. That's why I prefer books. Even the best documentary is only an introduction. Don't even get me started on all the experts online.

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Blurock (26-Nov-15)

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## tec0

I got my new DVD set today and since i am suppose to be on vacation for 2 weeks i figured i will kill the day watching it. Well it is nice to just pause and continue to watch in crystal clear audio and video with all the extras loaded to the brim on the DVD. Worth the R500 I spend on it. As for data streaming and downloading... i don't know... 

Our best speeds are good but the cost is scary... So i also got back into my old hobby "building tech" Electronics and so on and since i got the time i build a few devices and got myself a guide to programming properly. Book was like R250 not bad investment at all. I am planning to build myself a server soon. This will stream audio video to the TV and entertainment system. 

But if i consider what type of money i spend on DSTV and my 3G internet... Yea i can buy a nice car... and insure it...  :Huh:

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## MacGee

I took the decision to dump DSTV about 2 years ago.  I was also really only watching it for sports.  Can't say I've missed it, even this year when there were 2 world cups. And I saved over R12k in the process.

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## tec0

> I took the decision to dump DSTV about 2 years ago.  I was also really only watching it for sports.  Can't say I've missed it, even this year when there were 2 world cups. And I saved over R12k in the process.




3 guesses who the target group is.  :Stick Out Tongue: 

Simple truth is some pay more then others and you have to ask yourself why? What happened to equality?  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  But the truth is as it stands. 



So to keep mom and dad happy i will pay R425 to R699 as a minimum? 

The packages is not there for "budget" it is there to FORCE people to pay more and actually honestly there movies are not that good DVDs are not that expensive and screw internet streaming because then you have to deal with another monopoly and they are just as expensive as DSTV 

So thankfully as long as DVDs exist and good DVD players are available DSTV and Telkom can go suck on some eggs.  :Wink:

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## HR Solutions

I tried the streaming route and found it didn't work for me.  The data costs and the inconvenience was not worth it.  I agree DSTV is expensive, but if you add up the data costs for what you get etc - I just stuck it out - I now have a package whereby I pay only for when it is switched on .. i.e. i phone them to switch it off and on etc - so if I am away then I am not paying for it.

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## vieome

> I absolutely hate the fact that the history channel is not about history anymore! For example, they used to have these British documentaries about the eastern front ww2. I think it was 45 min covering 3 months per episode following a specific campaign. The graphics were not that flashy with no added bull. You will never forget the movements and battle lines of the Crimea. I Think it was called "the battles of ww2". These types of info-rich docs don't really show up much anymore. Now its all bloody reality TV star flash and little science, only the animals are left and perhaps myth-busters. That's why I prefer books. Even the best documentary is only an introduction. Don't even get me started on all the experts online.


I agree 100 percent on that. I hate the fact that most of the documentary channels are now mostly showing reality shows. Enough of pawn stars already.

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## Blurock

I am also considering dropping DSTV as programmes are getting worse and you only get to watch repeat movies. The service is over rated and far too expensive (discriminatory?)

Better would be to take a night out once a week and go to a real movie (I pay 1/2 price) and maybe a light dinner. I'ts always better on the big screen.
I always have work to do at night so I don't have time to watch the crap on TV. Sport over weekends are terrible and we can always go to a venue with a big screen to share the atmosphere if we really want to see a match.

Its time to change the couch potato life to something more interesting.

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## tec0

i will hammer on the DVD option because it is a real option and i got a lot of bang for my money. The DVD's i buy is over all inexpensive and yea i get ALL the history and behind the making of the series all the cool stuff like where the research was done there sources and so on. It is great! I got full documentaries about sharks to, the human mind to the History of U175 and other History about the second world war. Cool thing is i can watch it when i want. 

Nothing replaces books in my opinion BUT that said if it is documentaries you want then you will love some of the extra stuff they put on the DVD sets. It is brilliantly done. Nah streaming and DSTV and SABC is a waste of time. 

That said did anyone successfully de-register from SABC ??? I am thinking to get rid of my TV just so that the option of TV isn't there anymore...

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## adrianh

We got rid of DSTV in 2007 and none of us miss it one bit. We hardly ever watch TV because the programs are mostly rubbish and the news is terribly biased. We all watch whatever, or whenever we choose on our own computers or tablets be it YouTube or stream channels. We often download series and watch them too.

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## pmbguy

Surely now in 2015 I can call a real "cable guy" and get one huge ass mother dish and special decoder?! Watch a whole US bass master classic live, all their military channels, paramilitary channels, ISIS news (produced by said soon), ALL news channels, top documentaries galore... movies? I purchase the equipment and pay for the labour, NO subscription. I will be the technician, yes deep end but then back-of-hand.


This is a technical question, this means that I am Not seeking ethical responses... mmk.

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## tec0

> *M-Nets quotas not an isolated case - Solidarity
> 
> Trade union Solidarity today said that pay channel M-Nets recent discriminatory advertisement, indicating that only black, Indian and coloured candidates may apply for a paid internship programme offered by its Magic in Motion Academy, is not an isolated case.
> 
> According to the Head of Solidaritys Centre for Fair Labour Practices Dirk Groenewald, it has come to Solidaritys attention that this advertisement is not the first time that Multichoice has reserved vacant posts for certain race groups only. Multichoice has already advertised a significant number of posts exclusively for specific race groups. It is clear that the race problem at Multichoice is far more significant than initially thought, Groenewald said.
> 
> Meanwhile, M-Net has responded to Solidaritys initial letter sent to the channel, contending that it could possibly be attributed to a misunderstanding. It is impossible that any misunderstanding could have arisen as it is stated expressly that only black, Indian and coloured candidates may apply for the available internships, Groenewald said.*
> 
> 
> source


So much for our constitution right...   :Confused:  I mean does anyone actually still read it? 

This is just a over-all sad situation and actually takes my train of thought into a new direction. But as it is stated this is not the first time and will not be the last.

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## tec0

> Surely now in 2015 I can call a real "cable guy" and get one huge ass mother dish and special decoder?! Watch a whole US bass master classic live, all their military channels, paramilitary channels, ISIS news (produced by said soon), ALL news channels, top documentaries galore... movies? I purchase the equipment and pay for the labour, NO subscription. I will be the technician, yes deep end but then back-of-hand.
> 
> 
> This is a technical question, this means that I am Not seeking ethical responses... mmk.


i have seen systems that you can plug into your SMART TV that will allow you to pick up FREE digital channels but will it work in South Africa?

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## Neville Bailey

I've started my free month of the official South African version of Netflix, coupled with Smartflix so that I can access the global Netflix offerings as well.

I am impressed so far and I will soon be purchasing an Apple TV unit.

Goodbye DSTV and all your expensive repeats and boring content!

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## irneb

Agreed, simply so much more on there. And as you say, no repeats, and all available at the time of your choosing. Of course - less all those adverts (which are 90% just ads of DSTV's own programs).

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## IanF

Neville,
You should try Unotelly as well they also have the filmefy site which tells you which country has which shows.
Anyway enjoy it as you can watch some classics like cheers on it.

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## Neville Bailey

How does one cancel the DSTV subscription?

I logged onto my DSTV account and selected the option to disconnect my package (which only is effective when my next debit order is due) and then, for good measure, changed my payment method from debit order to cash, just in case they processed a debit order again.

Is that all I need to do?

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## Justloadit

The only draw back here is that a number of the current and latest sitcoms and other shows can not be accessed by Netflix, because Multichoice has purchased the rights for RSA.
I am not sure here but there may also be a block on live sport because again Multichoice has the monopoly for the RSA region.

SO depending on the type of shows that you wish to view, it may be limited and not the current stuff.
All in all still a good option alternative option.

Multichoice now has a competitor, but because they make so money from the subscription and the additional advertising income, they are going to be muscling out competitors vigorously.

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## IanF

> How does one cancel the DSTV subscription?
> 
> I logged onto my DSTV account and selected the option to disconnect my package (which only is effective when my next debit order is due) and then, for good measure, changed my payment method from debit order to cash, just in case they processed a debit order again.
> 
> Is that all I need to do?


Neville
Why not change to a R39 per month package then you can still watch SABC 123 and a few news channels.

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## Neville Bailey

> The only draw back here is that a number of the current and latest sitcoms and other shows can not be accessed by Netflix, because Multichoice has purchased the rights for RSA.


That's why I've installed Smartflix, so that I can access the global content of Netflix!




> I am not sure here but there may also be a block on live sport because again Multichoice has the monopoly for the RSA region.


I agree - Supersport can only be accessed on DSTV. However, for major games, we will simply pop into the local pub and soak up the atmosphere. It's also possible to watch all the Supersport channels on live streaming on the official Supersport website, without an active DSTV subscription. I connect my laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable and sit back and enjoy.

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## Xplosiv

> It's also possible to watch all the Supersport channels on live streaming on the official Supersport website, without an active DSTV subscription. I connect my laptop to the TV with an HDMI cable and sit back and enjoy.


How do you manage that? I tried (supersport.com) and got the following message:
Only DStv Premium customers with an active PVR can access live streaming online and on mobile devices.

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## Neville Bailey

> How do you manage that? I tried (supersport.com) and got the following message:
> Only DStv Premium customers with an active PVR can access live streaming online and on mobile devices.


You are correct, and I was mistaken!

Oh well - it's the pub then...

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## Electrode

Older Areas have major problems, the biggest of which is a digital internet line. In 2009 we asked Telkom to install digital lines and with people signing a request. Nothing came of it. In 2012 we wrote and phoned Telkom and nothing came of it. In 2015 we tried again and after 6 years of begging Telkom to install digital lines we gave up.  

Many people do use WiFi but the uncap version cost between R1000 and R1700 per month. Some providers have a fair use policy that is anything but fair. To my surprise I found that many towns had the same problem. Telkom simply do not respond to any form of communication.

When I visited their main office, I was told that there was no plan to upgrade any lines across 3 towns.  Only the new developments will have access to digital lines. 

Considering data speed, internet access cost and hardware cost I don't feel it is worth the investment. Total cost will be R1700 for a good fast connection with no fair use policy. Hardware will add a cost of R4700 for the WiFi equipment and a monthly cost of R300 for insurance on the hardware to cover it against lightning and power dips. If you include the R300 with the R1700 you end up with R2000 per month. That is R24000 per year. 

I will cancel my DSTV with their annual increase. R700 a month is already steep and going for the cheaper options is a waste. DSTV made sure that only the premium selection have the 4 channels I would like to watch. 

I am not sure if DVDs are a option. I know ordering series and movies take several weeks. 

I guess it is back to the stone age?

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## addymhoti

Most people continue to make subscriptions for DStv because of the sport channels. Otherwise, cheap video streaming platforms such as Netflix are providing latest series and movies at very cheap price. Multichoice should step up its game by lowering its subscription charges.

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## New Perspective studio

THe only thing that keeps most dstv users is supersport, without that they would really be in trouble with the like of netflix, itv and some other online sites. We dropped dstv about a year ago and I honestly dont miss it except for supersport, however we have a login from a friend to watch the rugby when its on. Its almost hit sabc status. Repeats every four hours fofr mothns o end on most channels. Rubbish.

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