Dear DStv - technical faults thread

[Brian_G]

Hopefully their software programming encoders aren't also moonlighting as 'Kessler Syndrome' rocket scientists in the Russian military space programme - OH WAIT!... That missile has bolted from the silo already!

Think more along the lines of affirmative... can't say more though.

 

[HAL 9000]

Maybe Multichoice should follow Microsoft's example & revert the Android / iOS versions of their app back to the previous & more 'user-friendly' version as well...

Microsoft Fixing Whiteboard by Bringing Back an Old Version - HTG​

Microsoft pushed out a new version of its Whiteboard application based on WebView in September 2021, and it wasn’t exactly greeted with love and admiration by users.

Fortunately, Microsoft heard the complaints and has decided to revert the app to a previous version.

The company updated the Whiteboard app to provide the same experience across devices and platforms, but if that similar experience isn’t the one users want, that creates more problems than it solves.

We’re guessing that this would have also made the app’s development smoother for Microsoft, making reverting an even more positive move.

Apparently, it wasn’t just a matter of users disliking the look and feel of the Whiteboard app, as Reddit threads popped up with users complaining about latency, removed functionality, and stability issues, all of which could be complete game-breakers for the app.

Microsoft Senior Product Manager for Whiteboard Mathivathan Vhallatharasu posted on Twitter about the issues. He said, “We heard all your feedback, and we will be doing a rollback to the previous version of the whiteboard windows app shortly (in less than a week).”

While it’s never good to have a beloved app get a bad update, it is nice to see Microsoft back-pedal and revert to the previous version to make its users happy.

Microsoft Fixing Whiteboard by Bringing Back an Old Version

Not a fan of the latest Whiteboard update? You're not alone.

www.howtogeek.com

 

[Brian_G]

Maybe Multichoice should follow Microsoft's example & revert the Android / iOS versions of their app back to the previous & more 'user-friendly' version as well...

That's become more part of their efforts, but really can't discuss any detail. Problem is almost every time those of us with some insight get confident it goes west again...

 

[Brian_G]

The Box Office issues on the Exploda 1 seem to have been largely sorted out - the various sections offering access are now coordinating and the one which would get stuck when in focus no longer does.

However, some titles still go missing (only happens to some units), but a reboot seems to now fix that.
(Based on the unit's VOD info which then doesn't match actual info. Also note that sometimes titles are saved but not yet ready for release so info isn't always clear cut.)

 

[Brian_G]

Has anyone else noticed that the movie offerings have now dropped to a new low - and I'm including all the English movie channels on the platform so it's not all necessarily a MC issue, except that they are now over-repeating the same repeats.
Mostly Hollywood covid issues catching up plus this time of year I would think.

Anyway, including some good repeats we go for there's nothing of value to us for the next 2 weeks
Even Box Office is currently too dry for us...

 

[HAL 9000]

After my brother's eMatic AGT-419 Android box updated itself to the latest DSTVNow app version on Sunday morning, he has noticed a dramatic increase in his daily data usage over the last week - from an average of 1 to 3 GB per day to about 7 GB a day (around 35 GB since Monday), with no real change in his viewing pattern - between 3-5 hours per day (mostly motorsport & documentaries on DSTV) - this is even though he fastidiously checks that the DSTV app is set to the lowest quality setting (up to 360p) every time he changes channels.

He has now reverted back to using his dinosaur Celeron laptop as of this morning & given me back the eMatic AGT-419.

I reset it back to factory settings earlier today, set up my Google account on it & reloaded & updated all the apps (about 17 in total), including the latest DSTVNow app.

I am currently watching Car SOS on NatGeo (Ch.181) on it, and noticed that even though I had just confirmed that the DSTV app in fact was set to 360p - that the picture looked incredibly clear - no visible artefacts & the sub-titles were perfectly legible. In the space of about 2-3 minutes - it used up around 35 MB of data.

I then swapped back over to the PC, fired up Chrome and loaded up the DSTV Now app - changed to NatGeo, confirmed that it was again set to the lowest resolution (up to 360p) in the browser, and lo-and-behold - visible picture artefacts & fuzzy sub-titles - and MASSIVELY decreased data usage...





Has anyone else noticed this anomaly as well since the 'new & improved' DSTVNow app was released at the end of October?

 

[HAL 9000]

I may have found the root cause - if you use the HOME button to return to the main Android TV screen when watching any DSTV channel on the eMatic Android box (before the 'update' and using the old version of the app) - when going back into the DSTV app, it would bring up the user profiles screen for you to choose your specific profile - like 'User 1, User 2, Guest', etc - from there it would then load up the main DSTV app menu for you to select your appropriate channel or CatchUp programme.

Now, after the update to the 'new & improved' version - if you are watching content on DSTV Now & you press the HOME button to go to the main Android TV menu screen - and then decide to return back to the DSTV app - when you select it & press OK on the remote - IT TAKES YOU DIRECTLY BACK TO THE LAST DSTV CHANNEL YOU WERE WATCHING - instead of going back to the user profiles selection screen!

This means that the DSTV app is STILL RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND - using up data - and the ONLY way to stop it is to keep pressing the BACK arrow button until you get to the DSTV app screen that asks you if you want to EXIT the app - that finally kills it off and when going back in again, takes you back to the user profiles selection screen.

I did this three times just to see if it was doing it on each attempt - with the SAME RESULT!

 

[Brian_G]

More lack of coordination / effort / QA - great new science series now announced was done so late, and with access-detail errors.

Watch BBC Earth’s Universe Season 1 on DStv

Watch Universe Season 1 Thursdays at 19:00 on BBC Earth (DStv channel 184) on DStv

www.dstv.com

At the bottom:

Watch Universe S1, Thursdays from 18 November on BBC Earth (DStv channel 184) at 19:00

BBC Earth (DStv channel 184) is available on DStv Premium, Compact Plus, Compact, Family and Access.

It's quite a regular set of mistakes as well. Seriously retarded

 

[Brian_G]

Here's a related mistake I first tried to report 18 years ago, it has NEVER been fixed to any meaningful degree!!

Try and accurately determine which channels are available for any of the unused packages.

* The call centre will usually tell you they don't have that info handy and to try online.
* Agencies, installers, retailers - nobody has a reliable listing to offer.
* The older online guide comes close but has its fair share of errors.

* Your best option is the compare section @ https://www.dstv.co.za/get-dstv/compare-packages/ - but it's full of regular / occasional mistakes such as non-existent channels for SA, old ones long ago removed or shifted, omissions, incorrect additions for a particular package, renamed / rebranded not done, and the like.

18 years.......

 

[HAL 9000]

MultiChoice stalwart Nolo Letele steps down​

MultiChoice has announced that Nolo Letele will retire as a non-executive director of the board of directors and the social and ethics committee with effect from 1 December 2021.

“The Board expresses its deepest gratitude to Nolo for his significant and invaluable contributions to the Group over many years and wishes him well in his retirement,” the company said in a statement on JSE SENS.

Nolo is a Chartered Engineer from the University of Southampton and received several awards during his tenure as MultiChoice South Africa group chief executive, and subsequently as executive chair for MultiChoice South Africa.

These included the Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize for Media Development in Africa, the Naspers Phil Weber Award, and the Black Business Executive Circle Chairman’s Award.

Letele joined M-Net in 1990 and spearheaded MultiChoice’s expansion outside South Africa. In 1995 he moved to Ghana, where he served as West African regional general manager.

In 1999 he was appointed chief executive of MultiChoice South Africa. Later, he served as MultiChoice group chief executive until 2010, when he was appointed executive chair of the MultiChoice South Africa Holdings board.

He was a non-executive director of MultiChoice Group Limited after the company was spun out of Naspers and listed separately on the JSE.

MultiChoice stalwart Nolo Letele steps down

Nolo Letele will retire from the MultiChoice board of directors.

mybroadband.co.za

 

[Brian_G]

Alert | PE Call Line unreachable

Port Elizabeth Call Line currently unreachable

www.dstv.com

 

[HAL 9000]

 

[Brian_G]

Radio / Music stations issue - on some older decoders the odd audio channel doesn't work properly, after a few seconds the audio goes dead.
Channel toggling sorts it out for another few seconds only.

Tested on various machines and different smartcards, so definitely yet another MC issue. Currently found on ch. 880.

 

[LandyMan]

Radio / Music stations issue - on some older decoders the odd audio channel doesn't work properly, after a few seconds the audio goes dead.
Channel toggling sorts it out for another few seconds only.

Tested on various machines and different smartcards, so definitely yet another MC issue. Currently found on ch. 880.

Dude, I have to ask: Do you test decoders for a living?

 

[BCR]

Radio / Music stations issue - on some older decoders the odd audio channel doesn't work properly, after a few seconds the audio goes dead.
Channel toggling sorts it out for another few seconds only.

Tested on various machines and different smartcards, so definitely yet another MC issue. Currently found on ch. 880.

I'm testing it out on that channel (Kfm) and for me there's absolutely no break in the signal / transmission thereof - have had it going now for about 5 minutes.

This is using our only decoder in use, model no DSD 1131, so could it be to do with how your dish is lining up to the satellite/s, while connected to the older decoders?

 

[Brian_G]

Dude, I have to ask: Do you test decoders for a living?

I sort of used to ;- )

I guess some of us learnt what to look out for back then, but there's really so many errors that anyone paying attention will find them.

 

[Brian_G]

I'm testing it out on that channel (Kfm) and for me there's absolutely no break in the signal / transmission thereof - have had it going now for about 5 minutes.

This is using our only decoder in use, model no DSD 1131, so could it be to do with how your dish is lining up to the satellite/s, while connected to the older decoders?

Definitely not, signals are fine (I'm a technician) and the fault wouldn't suggest an access error, especially given the uniqueness compared to other chs.

It also shifts, tomorrow it could be 14 chs. away from this one. Most important, I've been aware of it for years.

 

[BCR]

Definitely not, signals are fine (I'm a technician) and the fault wouldn't suggest an access error, especially given the uniqueness compared to other chs.

It also shifts, tomorrow it could be 14 chs. away from this one. Most important, I've been aware of it for years.

Okay, no problem.

If any other numbers you want tested today, feel free to list them.

Shouldn't make a difference, but I'm in PE.

 

[Brian_G]

If any other numbers you want tested today, feel free to list them.

Only if you have access to the Indian bouquet, or anyone else. There's 3 chs. which don't work on about the oldest decoder; 453, 455 & 456. They work on a slightly more modern decoder though, so probably a back-end configuration error.
Glad to say this kind of thing is rare.
(My access isn't via subscription in this case, but that doesn't make a difference.)

 

[BCR]

Only if you have access to the Indian bouquet, or anyone else. There's 3 chs. which don't work on about the oldest decoder; 453, 455 & 456. They work on a slightly more modern decoder though, so probably a back-end configuration error.
Glad to say this kind of thing is rare.
(My access isn't via subscription in this case, but that doesn't make a difference.)

Don't have that bouquet and in fact, not too close to Premium.

Just thought for radio channels I could do some testing, because we probably have many of them.