Dear DStv - technical faults thread

How do you rate the DStv service *technically* ?

  • 10 (Best)

    Votes: 4 1.6%

  • 9

    Votes: 6 2.4%

  • 8

    Votes: 6 2.4%

  • 7

    Votes: 8 3.2%

  • 6

    Votes: 10 4.0%

  • 5

    Votes: 15 6.0%

  • 4

    Votes: 18 7.2%

  • 3

    Votes: 32 12.9%

  • 2

    Votes: 17 6.8%

  • 1 (Worst)

    Votes: 133 53.4%
  • Total voters
    249
krugie said:
MC again trying to re-invent the wheel and guaranteed it will be far behind any competitors if and when it ever launches. There is nothing they can offer that is not available on existing TV Boxes - more likely they will offer less. Take on Apple TV.... whahahaha!
Click to expand...
It's like they don't get that their s/w is endlessly in trouble, doesn't meet enough user requirements, and is awkward too often plus too distractingly focused on their security. Methinks just an attempt to grab newbies, though they've always been quite self-delusional.

But maybe it can help us if it teaches them a bit more.
 
Further to my earlier post about the missing / incorrect 'La Brea S1' listings for MNET (see post #433), I see that now the TV Guide for Wed 1/12 says 'Legacy' at 10h30 & the repeat of the 'Kamala Harris' documentary at 11h00 (the previous 'La Brea S1E2' repeat listing for 10h30 on 1/12 is now missing)

1638261105720.png
The other repeat listing on Sun 5/12 at 17h00 also now references the 'Kamala Harris' documentary as well...

1638261196633.png

And the previous 20h30 listing for 'La Brea S1E3' on Mon 6/12 now shows a listing for a music documentary on John Lennon in that timeslot...

1638261407069.png

:whistling:
 
Unbelievable..

Maybe it is better than blank guide sections for ages though, but then you need a degree in cryptology and crystal ball reading, plus a psych assessment of management's objectives.

Bah
 
Quick test this morning...

1. eMatic AGT-419 Android TV Box - using the 23 Nov 2021 version of the DSTV app

At 05h14, I fired up the Android TV box, loaded the DSTV app, checked that the resolution settings were on LOW (+/- 210 MB/hr), and watched an episode of Father Brown (S4E7) on BBC Brit (Ch.120), which ended at 05h59 - total viewing duration therefore was 45 minutes.

According to my Telkom LTE Data Usage Tracker, these were my Night Surfer readings - before & after:

Commencement at 05h14:

1638335351574.png

Conclusion at 05h59:

1638335390952.png

That equates to 479MB used - which is WAY MORE than their estimate of +/- 210MB/hr... :mad:

2. I then fired up Google Chrome on the PC, loaded up Showmax to do a comparison test - checked it was also set to the LOWEST resolution setting (up to 360p) - and watched S8E22 of HOUSE (also a duration of around 45 minutes as well)

The commencement data usage was therefore as indicated above - 81,407MB @ 06h00, and this was the usage when the episode ended @ 06h45:

1638335946312.png

This equates to 307MB - which is 172MB less than the amount used on the Android TV box - for 2 programmes of EXACTLY THE SAME DURATION... o_O

So, the software developers at DSTV need to go back to their drawing boards, revise & recode their app and get this issue of their 'new & improved' Android TV app NOT playing content out at the LOW setting (+/- 210MB/hr) but actually streaming out at a MUCH HIGHER RESOLUTION setting instead...

BTW, they can also revert back to the layout of their 'old' app interface as well - for ease of navigation & a MUCH faster response time when selecting content as well...

:whistling:
 
@Ivan Leon and @krugie , got this response from my M-Net contact.

(Please note I won't pass messages back and forth nor usually do this, for "political" reasons ;- )

Correct, La Brea was scheduled for Mon 22 November and then there was a schedule change – then again on 29 and now yesterday there was USA Vice president Kamala.

With December, there may not be too many viewers watching TV so then that means that La Brea, will now be scheduled in 13 January at 20:30. Just a note that the start date and time is subject to change.
Click to expand...
 
Ivan Leon said:
Quick test this morning...

1. eMatic AGT-419 Android TV Box - using the 23 Nov 2021 version of the DSTV app

At 05h14, I fired up the Android TV box, loaded the DSTV app, checked that the resolution settings were on LOW (+/- 210 MB/hr), and watched an episode of Father Brown (S4E7) on BBC Brit (Ch.120), which ended at 05h59 - total viewing duration therefore was 45 minutes.

According to my Telkom LTE Data Usage Tracker, these were my Night Surfer readings - before & after:

Commencement at 05h14:

View attachment 1204646

Conclusion at 05h59:

View attachment 1204650

That equates to 479MB used - which is WAY MORE than their estimate of +/- 210MB/hr... :mad:

2. I then fired up Google Chrome on the PC, loaded up Showmax to do a comparison test - checked it was also set to the LOWEST resolution setting (up to 360p) - and watched S8E22 of HOUSE (also a duration of around 45 minutes as well)

The commencement data usage was therefore as indicated above - 81,407MB @ 06h00, and this was the usage when the episode ended @ 06h45:

View attachment 1204680

This equates to 307MB - which is 172MB less than the amount used on the Android TV box - for 2 programmes of EXACTLY THE SAME DURATION... o_O

So, the software developers at DSTV need to go back to their drawing boards, revise & recode their app and get this issue of their 'new & improved' Android TV app NOT playing content out at the LOW setting (+/- 210MB/hr) but actually streaming out at a MUCH HIGHER RESOLUTION setting instead...

BTW, they can also revert back to the layout of their 'old' app interface as well - for ease of navigation & a MUCH faster response time when selecting content as well...

:whistling:
Click to expand...

Odds of two programs being the same size for same duration was never ever going to happen.

Test the exact same episode of the exact same
Thing if you really want to compare.

Also not the most accurate way to track data.
 
I tried to do a comparative test this morning - but on both the Android TV box - and then when trying it on the PC using Google Chrome - the streaming feed of this morning's repeat of Father Brown on BBC Brit (Ch.120) froze after 15 minutes on this scene below - there were audio interruptions & break-up of the picture just before it froze...

1638416511119.png

:whistling:
 
Today's test - I fired up the Android TV box at 05h10 - caught the last 4 minutes of Tipping Point on BBC Brit (Ch.120) - and then watched the repeat episode of Father Brown as well - which finished at 06h00 - so that was 50 minutes duration of viewing time - here are the results of the data used:

Telkom LTE Data Bundle remaining at commencement of viewing @ 05h10:

1638504421079.png

What was remaining at the completion of viewing @ 06h00:

1638504499076.png

Total Data Used is therefore 594MB - for 50 minutes of viewing - that's just a tad (or is that perhaps only a smidgen?) over their ludicrous estimate of +/- 210MB/hr when set to the LOW Resolution setting on the app - I checked it was correctly set just before the commencement of my DSTV viewing....

:whistling:
 
Today's test - using Google Chrome on Windows 11:

I fired up Chrome at 04h49 & loaded the DSTV Now home page - then opened up BBC Brit (Ch. 120) - I watched 'Tipping Point' & then the repeat of 'Father Brown' until 05h58 - so that was a total duration of 69 minutes - I had set the resolution to LOW (up to 360p & +/- 210MB/hr)

1638590858023.png

This was the Telkom LTE data bundle remaining at the start:

1638590927978.png

And this what was remaining when I closed the DSTV Now browser tab:

1638590990647.png

So - total data usage was 429MB for 69 minutes of viewing using Chrome on the PC - still WELL above their +/- 210MB/hr estimate... but A LOT LESS than using the Android TV box for viewing DSTV streaming content (594MB for only 50 minutes).

Guess I WON'T be using the Android TV box anymore until such time as DSTV revises and recompiles their Android TV app to correct this high data usage anomaly...

:whistling:
 
Lovely collapse of services on my Explora 1 yesterday, supposedly caused by load shedding but looks like a software confusion issue to me.

Box Office and CU vanished, but CU+ functionality and all my recordings and schedules were fine. Adjustments to the listings, especially the already odd ones, were seen over a couple of hours as the software clearly worked on the occurrence.
I then gave it an extra maintenance reboot, and everything recovered perfectly (except previously posted odd items).


Coincidentally(?) later last night it looked like new security layers had been added to the channels. Typical of Sunday night fiddles.
 
geezer said:
I saw it on CatchUp, planned to watch it later. Later only the trailer was available!:sneaky:
Click to expand...
Ja, same here...watched Ep 1, now only the trailer there :mad: This comment "With December, there may not be too many viewers watching TV " is just the MC operates..... wtf do they think we do during holidays ???? Don't worry, will find something on Netflix to watch "during December"
 
Luke7777 said:
This comment "With December, there may not be too many viewers watching TV " is just the MC operates..... wtf do they think we do during holidays ????
Click to expand...
I've always wondered why they think there's fewer viewers in December, maybe 'cos they focus on elite who go overseas?
 
2nd, "new" online guide now redirecting to 3rd, and most useless "Now" guide. It doesn't even show anything for day 14 (if you can even work out how to access that) :(
 
Brian_G said:
I've always wondered why they think there's fewer viewers in December, maybe 'cos they focus on elite who go overseas?
Click to expand...

My guess is that they have fewer staff available so the "aim" is to offer a reduced service. Broadcast filler programs so fewer people are watching meaning fewer will complain about issues. So in essence they are correct in that fewer people are watching - but they have the reason wrong - it is purely because there is less to watch. HaHa.....
 
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