Thursday, December 16, 2010

ASTRO.... I think I've been shortchanged!

ASTRO is the company which provides satellite broadcasts in Malaysia... sole monopoly for paid TV. And these days, in some places, if you don't subscribe to ASTRO, even RTM channels are not clear.

Lately, I find myself getting irritated by the advertisements which keep coming on every 15 minutes. It has gone to the stage that I am actually considering cancelling my subscription for a while. If I stop for even 6 months I'd be saving quite a lot. And that can go to the upgrade of my broadband connection. Who knows? Maybe I'd get so used to it that I might just keep away from ASTRO for a while.

A 40 minuted serial like CSI and the new Hawaii Five-O becomes a painful viewing experience because it is prolonged by at least 10-15 minutes of adverts; adverts which I don't want to watch. I thought when ASTRO started, they promised us shows with no adverts. I guess over the years, they've been slowly inserting the adverts bit and by bit without the viewers really noticing it. They're putting psychology to work here... conditioning! And like lab animals, we've been conditioned.

I've not been watching much TV this year. Hence, when I sat down recently to watch a non-recorded CSI, I found myself getting irritated by the advert breaks. And it reminded me of an article I read an article about cable tv in Cambodia. Seems they pay less over there. We pay more and the company still earn on top of the earnings from paid subscription. Might as well just watch RTM or whatever free TV stations.

I was just having an email frenzy with bro a few nights ago. He was actually surprised that we're paying so much for our broadband connection that gives paltry connection speeds. He said things haven't really changed much in the years when he worked in East Malaysia and now. In our neighbouring Singapore, internet connection is not only cheaper but way faster too... here the Gahmen sets this commission, that commission, awards this broadband, that broadband... but the end result so far has been... we pay more for less.

Try getting an Iphone with a package in Singapore and here... you'll see what I mean. We Malaysians pay more for everything...

So, yeah! Maybe I'll give internet TV a try. I've been hearing quite a bit about it... how you can choose what you want to watch. It'll probably save me some time and maybe make my TV watching more pleasant as it should be than turn it into a hair pulling session!

3 comments:

PreciousPearl said...

read more, watch less teeeveee (she says. Whahahahahaha!)

monay said...

no cable, no tv, no movies.... well, the last one was Fireproof 2 years ago, and we are still alive....:) I detest advertisements. They are designed to make one feel unsatisfied and need to buy what they sell. Murder must advertise, a whodunit book by Dorothy Sayers has a few funny, insightful comments about advertisements. She had been a copy writer. Now, I'd better shut up... I remember the poem by the nun that you posted...:)

AJ7 said...

LOL! Yeah! I think most tvee programmes dumb us down... though it provides entertainment. Still trying to decide... whether to cancel or not. Once stuck always more difficult to change... 8(

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