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Question of the Day: Will you be subscribing to the new Disney+ R49 streaming package?
DStv PACE versus UEC HD PVRs
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telkomreallysux
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Makes more sense if they had focused on a dual view instead of the same ol'.
As far as why they use their own software, just to lock us in to their crap so we don't have the choice of decoders, which would be half the price and have full functionality.
As far as why they use their own software, just to lock us in to their crap so we don't have the choice of decoders, which would be half the price and have full functionality.
InTheCube
Expert Member
And this my friends is the reason why I will never get DSTV premium, or a HD PVR.
Torrent downloads on my 384K uncapped account at R500pm (supplemented with stuff copied from friend's external HDs) keeps me fully entertained, so much so that I don't even watch TV, and it costs less than DSTV, and I get HD content. No need to worry about recording stuff, or bugs, or firmware updates, or adverts...
Torrent downloads on my 384K uncapped account at R500pm (supplemented with stuff copied from friend's external HDs) keeps me fully entertained, so much so that I don't even watch TV, and it costs less than DSTV, and I get HD content. No need to worry about recording stuff, or bugs, or firmware updates, or adverts...
Gambit
Expert Member
The only reason I have dstv is for sport. Live sport is not yet available on torrents or usenet. If sport is not your bag then dstv is way too expensive.
Really, makes no sense to me at all why MC brings out a second HD-decoder with identical functionality ??? 
Isn't it the universal norm to introduce a new product which improves (usually in features & function) on the older model? I expected the new model to be dual-view capable at the very least, as this is perhaps the most glaringly absent functionality on the Pace. Other possible (altho perhaps less pressing) features would be usb-drive enabled, network-capable, built-in sd-card reader, etc, etc, etc...
But how does this second HD-decoder add any value to current or potential new DSTV subscribers?
In short, what's your freakin point Multichoice ?!!!
Isn't it the universal norm to introduce a new product which improves (usually in features & function) on the older model? I expected the new model to be dual-view capable at the very least, as this is perhaps the most glaringly absent functionality on the Pace. Other possible (altho perhaps less pressing) features would be usb-drive enabled, network-capable, built-in sd-card reader, etc, etc, etc...But how does this second HD-decoder add any value to current or potential new DSTV subscribers?
In short, what's your freakin point Multichoice ?!!!
Really, makes no sense to me at all why MC brings out a second HD-decoder with identical functionality ???
But how does this second HD-decoder add any value to current or potential new DSTV subscribers?
In short, what's your freakin point Multichoice ?!!!
It is the law if you are listed, redundant suppliers.....ensures you won't go belly up.
Gambit
Expert Member
According to the Multichoice reps on their forums the main reason is they can now leverage the fact they have 2 suppliers to get better prices. They are apparently heavily subsidising the retail cost of all their decoders to make it cheap for subscribers to sign up as they really want the monthly subscription charges and are therefore trying to bring the decoder cost down. That is why the new 1131 which replaced the 1110 decoder no longer has a LED front panel or a coax digital output and looks dirt cheap but is still R499.
SD with upscaling = almost HD
I just had an opportunity to see DSTV SD play through a DENON 4810 AV Amp.
The upscaler is awesome, and the image on the screen looks way better than the standard SD signal.
The compression noise is gone, and the picture is much sharper that it normally looks on a 50" screen. Not quite HD, but certainly close.
And all it costs is (....choke.....) - 50 grand for the Denon 4810................
I just had an opportunity to see DSTV SD play through a DENON 4810 AV Amp.
The upscaler is awesome, and the image on the screen looks way better than the standard SD signal.
The compression noise is gone, and the picture is much sharper that it normally looks on a 50" screen. Not quite HD, but certainly close.
And all it costs is (....choke.....) - 50 grand for the Denon 4810................
The only way to achieve this now is to buy an HDPVR and link it via Xtraview to a 1110 or 1131 single decoder giving you watch two and record 2 capability.
You don't need to make use of the HD capability of the HDPVR and it will work fine in an SD environment.
You don't need to make use of the HD capability of the HDPVR and it will work fine in an SD environment.
I know - I must have seen nearly every single one of the ads about how I can have a daisy-chain of devices to watch 25 channels while recording another 36 at the same as cooking supper. I still WANT the old SD PVR at the old SD PVR price, but noooooooo.
telkomreallysux
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Please tell me where you are finding one channel worth watching, never mind two, especially considering you can look forward to it being repeated dozens of times over the next couple of years!
Gambit
Expert Member
You can link 2 HD PVR's together to simulate dualview this is called xtraview but it's not technically dual view which is one decoder that has 2 viewing environments.
LOL @ cost thing..yep, is a bite into my pocket too...but couldn't live without the sport (general entertainment is good, wife loves all of it) and got kids too !
To answer some of the questions here...(most were made available on the dstv.com website)...
1. It is a necessity to have multiple manufacturers, that ensures business continuity...basically meaning, if a manufacturer's business closes, there is an alternative supplier to provide products to the market...securing 2 suppliers is quite difficult and every effort needs to be made that the products are not differentiated (it then leaves the 1 manufacturer in a position where they want to leave defeating the purpose of the exercise). Competition could have played a role, especially new competitors in an established market need to play hard to get anywhere and requesting a manufacturer to exclusively manufacture for them is possible (this is only a possible reason, never heard of any such thing or think it's even likely, just possible). The pricing was definitely not a factor as far as i'm aware, like i said in another thread, MC are not i nthe 'decoder selling' business...
2. All consumer electronic components manufactured have a design life cycle...once those components are not available to manufacturers, the roadmap will take it's course...I do know that chipset manufacturers never made chipsets for dualview's (specific requirement from multichoice and the first ever single decoder multiple viewing product)...the chipsets currently available have a PiP(picture in picture) functionality that could through specific requirements provide a dualview experience but globally, it's not the standard, the current extraview product is the implementation of multiple viewing environments...with the possibility to increase the number from 2 to x(got no idea what x is). It also removes all the limitations of a dualview, like no applications in the 2nd environment...There is a particular nokia phone that i loved and served all my needs unlike the 'latest and greatest' today on the market, but they just don't build it that way anymore for similar reasons (specifically end-of-life components) and yes, you can dualview 2 HD PVR's...gives 2 viewing and 4 recording environments.
3. The downloading of media, could be cheaper, but it's illegal (might not bother some, so that's fine), quality can be questionable and obviously, socially, it tends to be out of sync with what everyone else is watching...(you know, office talk about the latest episode last night of Idols...lol..doesn't make you popular or included by mentioning, i wantch the whole season onthe weekend on divx and john won!)
4. Interfaces are normally included in the hardware if the chipset supports it even if there is no immediate requirement to use it, it can be enabled by software...you don't want to be in a position where half your market has USB enabled decoders and half don't...why is it not enabled then ? Contractually, all digital interfaces that are enabled require specific approval by content providers...for example...NBC wouldn't their content ripped digitally via usb to an external file....SD readers (likely not supported by the chiopset) and IP connectivity is likely....but with the SA cabled network, it's obvious that content is best supplied by satellite without the need for a physical infrastructure (which doesn't really exist)..got a friend that lives near Illovo, sandton in JHB and no ADSL cos telkom won't/can't install a line there....to enable all these interfaces also increases the price and complexity (sometimes, unnecessarily)...
To answer some of the questions here...(most were made available on the dstv.com website)...
1. It is a necessity to have multiple manufacturers, that ensures business continuity...basically meaning, if a manufacturer's business closes, there is an alternative supplier to provide products to the market...securing 2 suppliers is quite difficult and every effort needs to be made that the products are not differentiated (it then leaves the 1 manufacturer in a position where they want to leave defeating the purpose of the exercise). Competition could have played a role, especially new competitors in an established market need to play hard to get anywhere and requesting a manufacturer to exclusively manufacture for them is possible (this is only a possible reason, never heard of any such thing or think it's even likely, just possible). The pricing was definitely not a factor as far as i'm aware, like i said in another thread, MC are not i nthe 'decoder selling' business...
2. All consumer electronic components manufactured have a design life cycle...once those components are not available to manufacturers, the roadmap will take it's course...I do know that chipset manufacturers never made chipsets for dualview's (specific requirement from multichoice and the first ever single decoder multiple viewing product)...the chipsets currently available have a PiP(picture in picture) functionality that could through specific requirements provide a dualview experience but globally, it's not the standard, the current extraview product is the implementation of multiple viewing environments...with the possibility to increase the number from 2 to x(got no idea what x is). It also removes all the limitations of a dualview, like no applications in the 2nd environment...There is a particular nokia phone that i loved and served all my needs unlike the 'latest and greatest' today on the market, but they just don't build it that way anymore for similar reasons (specifically end-of-life components) and yes, you can dualview 2 HD PVR's...gives 2 viewing and 4 recording environments.
3. The downloading of media, could be cheaper, but it's illegal (might not bother some, so that's fine), quality can be questionable and obviously, socially, it tends to be out of sync with what everyone else is watching...(you know, office talk about the latest episode last night of Idols...lol..doesn't make you popular or included by mentioning, i wantch the whole season onthe weekend on divx and john won!)
4. Interfaces are normally included in the hardware if the chipset supports it even if there is no immediate requirement to use it, it can be enabled by software...you don't want to be in a position where half your market has USB enabled decoders and half don't...why is it not enabled then ? Contractually, all digital interfaces that are enabled require specific approval by content providers...for example...NBC wouldn't their content ripped digitally via usb to an external file....SD readers (likely not supported by the chiopset) and IP connectivity is likely....but with the SA cabled network, it's obvious that content is best supplied by satellite without the need for a physical infrastructure (which doesn't really exist)..got a friend that lives near Illovo, sandton in JHB and no ADSL cos telkom won't/can't install a line there....to enable all these interfaces also increases the price and complexity (sometimes, unnecessarily)...
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ArchStanton
Active Member
Sounds like they both cost the same and are both equally cr@p with the functionality of a 8channel BarlowVision TV.
If the new one was any better who would buy the old one at the same price?
They probably ported the hopeless firmware of the Pace onto the UEC on purpose!
If the new one was any better who would buy the old one at the same price?
They probably ported the hopeless firmware of the Pace onto the UEC on purpose!
Yep. Me too.
Series Recording works great. Streaming Live and Recorded TV to 2 XBOX'es over network. Backgound encoding and archiving to Windows Home server. Ripped all my CD's and DVD's to the Media Centre's hard drive and play on demand. Can add as much storage as I want.
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Quantum Theory
Executive Member
Just a word of advice. If you are getting an HD PVR for use in a communal satellite distribution system, please insist on getting the Pace. I am having loads of problems with the UEC at the moment. It is supposed to function just like the Pace, but it is not.