We got DSTv about 8 years ago, I remember the tv guy installing it at our house, I couldn't wait sit my ass down on the chair and dissolve into the loads of channels on offer...

Now the whole thing has changed, yes, interactive channels and new features, nice, but boring and expensive. There are many channels on Dstv, but most are just flooded with repeats and absolute garbage.

Take from the list going upwards (yes i know the channels in order off by heart )

Movie Magic Channel 1: I have seen the same movie repeated, im not joking, about 5 times in 3 days. Yes some of the movies are good, but most are repeated, and others garbage never heard of...

Supersport : For the sports fan there is up to date news and sporting action, for sport lovers this is ideal.

Reality Channel : The GOD OF ALL REPEATS, I was watching I dare you this afternoon, Ive only seen one episode of this and I've seen it about 4 times, each being the same episode. As well as flooding Miracle Babies and other kak.

News Channels : Lets not go there, Sky news, repeating same thing 24 hours a day, spark a memory?

Discovery Channel : Not bad, I watch this quite often, one of the good ones, although also repeated often.

Music Channels : Come now MTv, they do the same repeating trick...

So the point I'm trying to make is that DSTv is absolute crap. As mentioned they have channels that do nothing but flood repeats 24/7. It isn't what they make it out to be and certainly isn't worth its money...

Am I being a bit harsh?

You may be overly critical. I shall agree there is a load of shite on. But if one plans your viewing there is generally always something worth watching.

I have no issues with the news. Skip between the three (BBC, Sky, CNN) for all the main news, touch on CNBC now and then and SABC Africa.

I am a fan of discovery, the food channel and Nat Geo.

And now that football season has started, ESPN. Even though they have the longest and most frequest ads. And incase you're wondering, yes, American football.

END!

I enjoy dstv, theres generally something on worth watching.
nice amount of channels, and the movie channels are REALLY good(comparing to overseas). the no adverts is a huge advantage

I don't have DSTV...but from the bits and pieces that I've watched it and my browsings through the program schedule I agree with your sentiments about the number of repeats and the generally poor content.

I feel that it is overpriced. The only reason I'll ever get DSTV is to watch rugby, and maybe for the National Geographic and Discovery channels. There isn't anything else on there that warrants a monthly expense of R300 or whatever it costs now. I can watch all the movies on MNET anyway (which is also crap and again, rugby is the only reason I haven't cancelled my subscription to that yet).

If they could implement a system where you only pay for the channels you use (and they block the others) I'll be tempted. But to pay for 50+ channels while I'll only ever watch 4 or 5 is a bit of a rip-off.

I agree with you nemesis, DSTV is crap.
They have far to many repeats.
I can understand there needs to be repeats because not everybody watches Tv at the same times but then it should be repeated on different times over a two week period, I do not want to keep on watching the same episode of some program month after month.

I enjoy Discovery channel and always watch any episode about the Military or WW2 but some episodes they show just once and never again and others they keep repeating every month.

Here is an example : Discovery channel had once a program about drug smuggling with footage of the CIA smuggling drugs into vietnam to give to the soldiers, that episode showed once and never again.

Then the episode of the Nazi involvement in the occult they show at least once a month.

DSTV should work on what they show and how many times they show it.

I have satellite TV on my computer. Heh.

I really like TV. My favorite channel is Discovery Wings (I have a pilot's license) and after that I like Discovery Times and History.

My favorite news is Fox News (O'Reilly factor at 8pm!!) and MSNBC (Scarborough country at 11pm).

My favorite general channels are Sci Fi and the Science Channel.

For movies, the HBO series of channels are good, especially HBO HDTV. The movies are very crisp.

For sports, well, I watch pretty much only NHL.

I don't know if the Sci fi channel has changed by now but I never used to watch it, every single program on there was 15 years old, they had nothing new on there and everything was repeated every week and then they dont even follow the episode numbers, they would have episode 5 this today and episode 3 tomorrow and episode 28 the day after, it pissed me off so much

I don't recall it ever being like that. I've been watching it for a long time now, and they were always top notch (except when they decide to cancel funding for something grrrr).

I thought you are an american living in Canada ?????

What does that have to do with anything?

Jeslek DSTV is the satellite service provider that we get here in SA
we dont have any FOX or NBC networks or channels
we are complaing about the quality of viewing and worthwhile shows that we get
we only have about 35 real channels
im sure in the usa/canada there are loooots more

fin

Yeah. Several hundred. My receiver can do 9,999. Unfortuntely, 95% of them are trash. Like the Golf Channel. I mean, W T F?

DSTV is overpriced and under-programmed.

I watch a maximum of 3 or 4 channels, Discovery mostly, National Geographic, BBC, CNN and occasionally one of the food channels. In the beginning, DSTV was a shiny paradise for Telly-watchers, now it only really caters for the sports fanatics (I hate sports).

DSTV isnt worth it now, and it never was worth it. I cant wait to see what cable has to offer when I get to the UK at the end of the year (and thats apart from the high-speed internet YAY).

You can't compare american satellite with SA satellite, there is an incredible difference.
Not only is there hundreds more channels but the programs are years newer and do not get repeated as much, it is also way cheaper.

My fav channel on satellite here is Tech TV

Yes, we have almost 900 000 subscribers to our DsTV, whereas in the good ols US it is like multiples of ten more (probably).


We don't get playboy channel

Do yourself a Favour and watch SABC and E-TV for a few days and youll be begging for the DSTV back.

DSTV is a waist...

I'm quite happy with my divx view time

You don't get Playboy?!! Awww... I like Playboy. Not necesssarily the hardcore stuff, but they have some interesting news and programs such as reviewing sex toys and stuff. I have 4 other porn channels too. Eh. They are more focused on hardcore stuff.

Now we know why you like watching TV .

Yeah, I mostly watch M-Net, SABC 3 and Discovery and Hallmark (Law & Order). My mom keeps watching Idols or Big Brother (thank God it's over!). I only watch TV Tuesday -- Survivor, Wednessday -- My Family, The Kumars @ no. 42, The Osbournes and Saturday -- Discovery Crime Night Repeat.

I'll mostly read something, play a game, look at some... "artistic photography" or maybe take my Bicycle for a stroll around the neighbourhood. DSTV is generally a huge waiste of money, except for Law & Order and Discovery Chanel Crime Night.

When I'm really bored I'll watch BBC Food or Series Channel.

Jeslek....have you watched Soul City/Isidingo/Jam Alley/Generations ??

I must say that DStv has just become trash. Mnet has also just become trash.

I think that there should be more variety on DStv, more channels that people will actually watch. The parliament channel? That central china television? The portuguese channel? HA HA HA HA HA

Their most recent attempt is to get animal planet. Admirable but I would prefer Discovery: science and technology, I am not a big nature fan.

My 0.000000000000001 cents worth.
Moses

yeah I atually like Nature programs, anything to do with the wild, dunno why Its almost like u never get bored of watching the shows...

I just can't stand all the reality shows that get shoved on most of the channels. I don't remember signing up to watch 24 hours of other peoples' lives. Oh, and go ahead and guess how not-nice it is when you have to report a problem with your DSTV.

Otherwise, a few of the channels are ok...series channel for nostalgics like me, movie magics in case there's nothing to do, plus the overseas news is a bonus when you don't have a newspaper. As for the music channels, well, I always thought music was meant to be listened to, not watched. Plus, the VJs stink...

Rak

Being a sports fanatic, i think that dstv offers the best possible coverage.
i therefore have few problems with the feed.

i do wish that they could get mtv-2, that's where all of the real (not pop) music is shown.

are there any other channels that we can receive in SA, besides the DSTV signal? I know there is some free junk offered by Sentech, but what overseas channels?

Do i need to get a separate dish, one of those massive ones, and will i need to subscribe to overseas stations?

Aman, I know there's some other DSTV bouquet subscriptions (some details in the DSTV mag), but I'm not sure what they are about or how much more you'd be paying for them. I don't think DSTV makes provision for any other overseas signals, though. Phone & ask

Regards,
Rak

no, those separate bouquets would just be indian, portugese, german channels etc etc, nothing that interests us

that MTV2 Sounds cool, maybe we should start something to get it here, i mean im sure it doesnt cost much to get a new channel...

Getting the channel, probably cheap. Getting rights to broadcast an international channel costs a mint though :Þ

MTV2 is better than MTV, but I still think it is crap. If you want something good, get The Science Channel (amazing stuff) or Discovery Civilization (good archeology channel if you're into that stuff).

MTV2 europe is better than MTV2 US so i hope we get the good one, kerrang is even better, i'd love that, lets get dstv to start it here.

DSTV is f*cking awesome for watching the football we get so many broadcasts of the soccer. We get primiership, 1st division, Euro cup, EUFA cup, Itailian Serie A.
Now if you were in England tou would have to pay 7 pounds to watch just one game. We get it all for only R300. Now there is way more than 50 games a months. So only on Football we are scoring big. Look at it this way
50 games a month, X by 70 Rand (lets say 1pound = 10 Rand)
= R3500
thats on soccer alone. now thats scoring big.

I had sky and watched lots of soccer for free, and remeber 1pound is not R10. I earn R8 per hour and the person doing the same job there is getting £8 per hour so dont convert it like that. Im pissed with the music on Dstv so if you want MTV2 or Kerrang email mtv2africa( at )yahoo.com with a smartcard number and it will be forwarded to multichoice

DSTV HAS GONE TO SH*T!!!!!

So you spend lotsa cash just to watch soccer? Not even hockey?! Aww...

Just to let you guys know. There IS a porn channel on DSTV. I know coz iv seen it. cant remember how to get it though. I know it was in one of the seperate subcriptions.

Yeah sure, and last night I saw an alien.

Cheerz
Voodoo

There is a porn channel available on DsTV. You buy a new sim card (a few grand), which is your subscription. This card needs to be replaced each year (which is why it's not worth it). I think it is a spanish channel, so ICASA cannot say it's illegal, since it is not broadcasted from our borders.

The POrn People

They are the people who broadcast the porn channel. Its been temporarily suspended as sum groups in SA decided to take legal action against them.

Seriously guys, DSTV may not be Cable, but its a huge improvement on the SABC and ETV channels:

* SABC1 after 10 contains mostly "local music videos" with the production quality of a really cheap and nasty porno
* SABC2 - LOL
* SABC3 has BBC (which I might add is still better than US-brainwasher CNN)
* ETV is infomercial crazy (those things are pure evil) and Felicia.

DSTV always has something remotely interesting to watch, and I actually like the repeat programmes, cos it gives you the chance to watch everything that month at times that suit you.

If DSTV was everything you wished for (i.e. excellent shows on every channel with no repeats), I bet you'd be back here bitching cos DSTV had so much cool stuff but you miss most of it cos you cant watch 129823495734 channels at once.

yay, i knew someone from dstv marketing would come along!
the point is that dstv is bull compared to international standards and the costs are ridiculous. they are too stingy to add certain channels which CUSTOMERS request when in fact it costs them zippo to do so. it is the typical monopoly scenario we face in SA> the only channels i need are mnet, news and sports channels, but the bastard don't offer any slimmed down packages. i'm paying R250 pm too much for crap nobody needs to watch. they say they cover all sports? give us EUROSPORT, me and many others want wintersport. the dstv software is also VERY BUGGY and those interactive channels make it one hell of a mission to change channels and crashes are not uncommon. don't tell me to update my software cause i have. there hasn't been a DSD upgrade for over a year now i think. this just shows that dstv have disregard for the cosumers in offering a buggy service which should have new DSD upgrades at regular intervals.

Welcome to the third world where you don't have the best of the best and you don't compare to international standards.

JoW - you make an excellent point with respect to the inflexibity of DSTV packages. You should be able to get only a sports package, or news, or documentary, etc. Or a 10 channel deal. Whatever.

The software is buggy - granted. I can't even watch Animal Planet anymore cos the decoder keeps scanning the band without getting anything.



I'm not sure where you get this information, but I would assume getting broadcasting rights for major network channels costs money.

Nevertheless, I agree that DSTV may not be the sum total of every good thing that overseas cable is, but really it has far fewer channels that are actually unwatchable, and quite frankly is the best we in South Africa can realistically hope for. We don't live in the 1st world and that is that.

when i say it costs them zippo this is what i mean:
Say that i dstv finally agree to bring in Eurosport (after a hold a gun to the CEO head ). lets go extreme and say it costs R1000 000 per month that they have to pay eurosport fees. lets say that they have 500 000 subscribers. they can either increase the tarrif by R2 to cover the extra cost. or else i'm pretty sure their profits will be hampered much if R2 is lost per customer. instead they would probably charge customers R100 more pm.

Maybe they have some sort of agreement with SuperSport or ESPN that does not allow them to carry any competing sports channels?

You can get eurosport. There is a seperate larger dish you can install. 5000 once off payment nothing monthly. You get many of the channels shown freely around the world. donno if it is linked with multichoice but there is only a couple of guys going around sa

yeah, thats analog satellite if i'm not mistaken. u just pick up all channels from the major satellites around.

Another problem is that they keep on changing schedules for the channels that they run (Sci Fi, History Channel). The only good thing on TV is Jay Leno and Conan on CNBC.

BTW, I'm not sure about now, but those analog satellite's break easily. My friend had a large dish which caught all those extra channels and it hardly ever worked.

do any of you guys know the name of the company that offers the satellite receiver for picking up other overseas channels?
anyone have more info on this service?

okay, I just came back from switzerland, my dad has SKY there... there is absolutely NO comparison between the two, DSTV has NO channels, SKY has LOTS of channels, the interactive stuff is of better quality, the channels are made to interface with the interactive things I.E in MTV, you can press the green button and it loads up a menu which tells you which songs are on next etc...

they have more movie channels (about 10) and they also have a HUGE range of box office channels which have the latest movies but you have to watch them pay-per-view (but you get then like around when the movies go to video - or maybe before).

anyway, like I said, DSTV is overpriced and underfeatured...

KOOLKAT

yes but once again this is South Africa. not the UK, so as said earlier, they have the funds to broadcast more channels from the higher amount of people that subscribe to SKY