Monday, June 14, 2010

Discovery Turbo & Science still on test??

It looks like Discovery Turbo & Science are still on test. It has been well over two months now, and they are still seeking feedback. It is quite clear that subscribers want both these channels so why test for so long. According to press releases that already appeared in India it is clear that both these channels will be launched here in Sri Lanka.

Additionally Dialog should take steps to remove "Prime TV" & "TH TV" from their lineup as these channels have zero viewership. These two slots could be put to good use with some international channels, ironically even FTA satellite channels have better content than these two channels.

Please keep us updated on the latest on Dialog TV as the days progress.

Press Release June 3rd 2010 - Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo on Sri Lankan DTH

63 comments:

Nokia said...

Prime and TH are both government bodies are involved and I dont think that Dialog could remove those channels although the view level is nill... :)

But we would like to have both teh testing channels. And if they could test in two slots that would be grate..

Mario said...

if the above is the case then they should add NTV as well

Agent - Zer08 said...

LBN authorized Direct Dealer for Sun Networks Channels in Sri Lanka - http://bit.ly/9SCAxn

DigitalTV said...

Whats happening in our Blog ?
It's full of Spam !

Where is the Admin ?

TheXB said...

Are you guys receiving Zee Cafe or does that channel show a notice saying to call some number and thats its not available?

don said...

there should be a common language for comments. Otherwise this blog becomes a joke.(already has happened) I think most of the readers can read english and there shouldn't be anything which is not useful to the others.people who comment in other languages can create their own blogs if they wish to communicate among themselves.please do not use blog for that. dont waste others time and money

Looser said...

අපේ කට්ටිය ජපන් යන්න ඉගෙනගන්නවා ඒකයි අපිටත් උගන්නන්න හදන්නේ

Don is correct
Admin do something or let the blog die ජපන් ක්‍රමයට

Mario said...

Check

http://www.abcradio.lk/

They have mentioned SUN FM & SHA FM as well, that means that they will be launched soon.

Neela said...

Please remove soon TH tv and Prime tv... anybody all not watch these chanels....

Please ad WB movie chanel and chanelV in to DTV......

DigitalTV said...

Prime tv has good lineup !!

sattvmania said...

guys have you got any views on videocon dth you get all sport chls seems better if you are only into popular chls.

sattvmania said...

th and prime tv not needed for me also.

Sadeepa said...

Any updates on Dialog DVB-T? Like the transmitter locations, channels etc...

I can receive 8 Channels @Horana with reasonable signal strength. Any others ???

Unknown said...

Admin-- do you know the latest on DVB-T?

pls update us. this was supposed to be launched almost a year ago- if I'm not mistaken!

CJW said...

Seems that DVB-T coverage will be there in Western, Southern and Eastern provinces at first. But dont know when the service will be launched

Duffy said...

Dear CJW/Sadeepa,

Can you pls publish the names of the channels that are currently avilable on DVB-T service?

Thanks

Nokia said...

The blog is almost dead now :)

Dialog Telekom PLC has changed their company name as Dialog Axiata PLC. (if I have spelled it correctly)

So next time when you make a cheque payment please ask them before drawing the cheque.....

Agent - Zer08 said...

wonder what admin doing... wake up man, wake up & clean ur forum...

Nokia said...

Refer below for my previous Comment

http://www.lbo.lk/fullstory.php?nid=325926806

Mario said...

Ring Ring
14 Jul, 2010 15:18:02
Sri Lanka's new mobile phone tariffs kick off

http://www.lbo.lk/fullstory.php?nid=635247306

Lisura said...



DVB-T is active in the western province. The Channels are :

Rupavahini
Channel EYE
Derana
CitiHitz
Channel C
The Buddhist
Kalainger TV
HTV

Nokia said...

@ Mario,
Thanks for the sharing.
I states

"The market is shared between Dialog Axiata, Etisalat, Mobitel, Airtel Lanka and Hutch."

Does that mean Dialog is having the biggest market share, then Etisalat and 3rd Mobitel????

Lisura said...



Discovery Turbo
Discovery Science

Now on Dish TV !

24 Hours on 2 seperate channels !!

:-)

Mario said...

@ NOKIA

Well its a know fact that Dialog is 1st in terms of customer base, but im not sure who is 2nd & 3rd. I think Mobitel is 2nd.

Unknown said...

GPS Navigation now available for whole Sri Lanka with over 100,000 POI.
Visit www.salagis.com

This is another failed venture of Dialog but created niche for a competitor.

Dialog SatNav Price was 120,000+ but these people sell same size for 35,000.

Conny said...

how to watch DVB-T in SL?

mld said...

Hai..

Pls explain me about DVB-T?
How can we watch the channels through DVB-T?

Lisura said...

Easiest way is to buy a USB dongle from Ebay. (DVB-T USB Tuner)

It comes with budled software with the capability to pause live tv and recording in DVD quality.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Digital-USB-DVB-T-HDTV-TV-Tuner-Recorder-Receiver-/110558519526?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bdcd20e6

star said...

Check the latest updates on LBN Forum about LBN.

Nokia said...

Airtel failed the competition

http://www.lankanewsweb.com/news/EN_2010_07_20_009.html

Nokia said...

Heads of Bharathi Airtel have reportedly informed Indian authorities that President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother Minister Basil Rajapaksa are liars.

Airtel officials have informed in writing to the Indian authorities that the company had agreed to set up operation in Sri Lanka following a request made by the Indian government and President Mahinda Rajapksa and his brother Minister Basil Rajapaksa and that the Rajapaksas have not honored any of the unwritten agreements arrived at between the company and them.

The company officials have stated that they had invested Rs. 20 billion in Sri Lanka.

However, Airtel officials have said that the two brothers had agreed to allow the company to have a special tariff system that has not been offered to any other mobile phone operators in the country, but has now gone back on their word and offered such a system to Etisalat mobile phone operators as well.

It is said that the system has been identified as a measure to promote a new mobile phone operator in the country.

It is learnt that the Airtel officials have said that Basil Rajapaksa had offered the special system to the new mobile phone operator as he had shares with the company.

Meanwhile, Bharathi Airtel has filed an FR petition at the Supreme Court against the new tariff system introduced by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC).

TRC Chief Anusha Pelpita and the Attorney general have been cited as respondents in the case.

DLR said...

can anybody give me instruction to upgrade the firmware of Dialog Mpeg receiver to watch FTA channels.

After few years of fighting with Dialog TV, I bought PeoTV and now I'm enjoying it. (I'm a proud customer of CBNSat )

Presently I can watch Turbo/Sc , TNL, TH TV & Buddhist TV. But I want to flush the firmware & use this to watch FTA channels.

DigitalTV said...

Dear Lisura

I bought one of that DVB-T USB Tuner from EBay. I'm testing it!
Do you use this type of device too?

Lisura said...

yes i use but recetly noticed that the transmission goes down several times a day. i think its because still its on a pilot run.

DigitalTV said...

Lisura,

I found 4 channels
Sumathi1
Sumathi2
Sumathi3
Sumathi4
But All have Lock marks, I think those are Encrypted.

At what time Dialog do the DVB-T testing ?

Lisura said...

those are sumathi groups sporting times channels. apart from that u shud get 8 channels. but its not available most of the time these days. so u have to rescan little bit later to get those.

from where are you trying ? in most parts of colombo its working from an indoor antenna. but in outskirts you need an external antenna.

DigitalTV said...

I'm scanning from Bamba.(Thunmulla).
can i use this to watch AnalogTV too?

Lisura said...

i think their main tower is at dematagoda. you might need to be at a higher floor or need an external antenna. u cant watch analog channels unless u bought the one with an analog tuner.

DigitalTV said...

Lisura

Thanks

If you have a luck to catch a signal pls let me know !!

Nokia said...

SOMETING OUT OF TOPIC

About Dengue- its important to get these messages across.
Dengue is at its worst peak this season. Its important to protect kids against mosquito bites especially during daytime. Keeping the environment clean is as equally important. If a child gets fever, a blood count MUST be done by the 2nd day & shown to a Doctor. If dengue is suspected in the blood count, its important not to waste time, and bring the child quickly to LRH where the child can be monitored continuously. We see children treated in private medical institutions being transferred late to LRH, in a serious condition. By that time the critical phase has passed & its difficult to save the life. If you are suspecting a serious illness like dengue, bring the child to LRH. Like all other Government institutions, facilities and resources are limited. LRH doesn't have the comforts, but it is able to provide what matters most, patient care. You wont get a comfortable bed (sometimes 2-3 children have to share the same bed), or other luxuries (no bed for mother, attached bathrooms, A/C, satellite TV etc which are available elsewhere), and the Doctors and nurses may not have much time to talk, smile and be friendly because they have so much of work to attend to, but the level of care given is optimal, and any change in the condition from bad to worse will be detected early. Its the child's life which matters! It is very rarely that I have seen a child brought to LRH in the early stage of the illness succumb and pass away.
I am just telling you what I see in reality in day-to-day life, with no intention of promoting the place I work, as I do not have any gain from it. If you can pass this msg across to your friends, especially those with kids, it could help save a life. You have to be in 'the situation' to know what a death of a close one feels like..

Dr.Savin Mendis
Senior House Officer - Paediatric Surgery
Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children,
Colombo 08, SRI LANKA
savindra007@yahoo.com

Looser said...

@Nokia

Thanks

poor_creature_hurt said...

Loosers and Idiots

It is clear that Sri Lankan DTH providers do not have the required levels of business maturity to plan long term and diversify their strategies to provide DTH services. I have tried out Dialog as well as PEO TV. While Peo TV is way better than Dialog (their pathetic picture quality and unconcerned customer strategy), they have very much to improve and they seem to be stuck somewhere. While Airtel has the potential to enter into the Sri Lankan DTH market, it is highly unlikely that they will do this sooner as they are concentrating on penetrating into the Indian markets.

However, Indian players are different. They are matured enough to understand their market opportunities and provide services accordingly. Now they have already introduced Discovery and National Geographic HD services (which the most demanded and expensive HD channels globally). While movies in HD would have been nice, Peo’s extended definition quality is acceptable in Sri Lankan standards. However, Dialog has totally failed to initiate anything on improving the picture quality. If the key basic is not there, it is useless to talk about DTV more. With dialog continuous facing with eroding market share of mobiles (down from 60% in 2005 to 41% in 2009 – BMI ), it is highly unlikely that they will do anything good on this front.

On the other hand, Peo has failed to maintain the customer enthusiasm and focus. They did not introduce the promised channels (whatever the reason is) and do not maintain the initial blogs that they have created to maintain extended customer relationships. While again commending the TSVT and good picture quality, they are not aggressive enough to provide more value to Sri Lankan customers.

Sri Lankan economy is embracing foreign investments and tourism. These are basic services which are needed to be in place to satisfy them. Having a feature filled satellite or IPTV network indicates that the country is building the communication infrastructure aggressively. Peo and DTV are stuck in the history and no progress we see.

Thus, Dialog and SLT has both failed in their missions. We as customers need alternatives. We can easily turn to Indian DTH providers and enjoy HD services for reduced costs. However, I am sure that there are disadvantages too. There must be better alternatives than being stuck with these dead loosers, PEO and DTV. Thus, I suggest that we use this forum to discuss alternatives and ensure that we are satisfied than letting these idiots take us for a ride.

I am open for suggestions.

Mario said...

Yes i agree with the above comments to a certain extent. I have used LBN & DTV and have see PEO TV. Picture Quality wise, LBN is the best. But very big disadvantage is the coverage. They too promised EPG services, IPTV, etc many years ago.

DTV is still testing SC/TURBO and takes ages to launch new channels.

As with most services in Sri Lanka, companies are reluctant to invest due to various reasons, for which we cant blame them totally.

As for HD, i think that should be secondary to offering more channels in the standard quality. How many of us can actually afford a LED TV, or even 32" LCD TV ?

Lisura said...


Very well said Deshal.

Eventhough CBNSat were able to feel the need of us DTV never did. All what they have had from the beginning is BIG talks only. Their big talks ended up in a service which is inaccesible for the masses. Who can afford LKR 2000++ for DTH ?

Indian DTH is the best option. for just 1000 rupees one can get 200+ channels with some HD channels also.

I hope Airtel DTH have the ability to enter the SL Market and kill the high priced DTV.

Mario said...

Yes you can get 200+ channels for 1000, BUT

1. Do u want to have 1/2 of the channels of Hindi crap and Indian HBO & Star movies ?

2. Do u actually have time to even 1 watch 1 min of all 200+ channels ?

The Indian DTH market caters to India, which has a over 1.2 billion people, so no wonder they need 200 or more channels to cater to everybody's tastes.

Lisura said...



What a logic Mario.

By saying this you cant justify DTV pricing in anyway.

Indian DTH have so many good english channels than DTV. HBO and Star Movies have the same content with few commercials only.

DigitalTV said...

As my knowledge DTV has the best Channel Lineup in south asia.
Once I used DishTV because its cheap.
OH-MY-GOD What a crap that was...

200+ channels 90% useless....

They can give those channel for cheap rates because they have huge customer base. Even each of single family bought DTV they cant beat that customer base..
So why cant you understand this simple truth ?

Its a blessing to watch channels without commercial ads. For example
Stat Movies, HBO series , even Boomarang DTV has non-indian feed without ads.

I dont wanna brush-up DTV. Their price is very high. Its because of the reason I mentioned early.

Please dont compare Local DTH providers with indians....

This is a small country...

I welcome your Ideas too.

Unknown said...

Go for TrueVision DTH package from Thailand. And very soon there will be another DTH package from Nepal. There was good DTH package from S. Africa Multichoise but it is not there any more.

Unknown said...

Go for TrueVision DTH package from Thailand. And very soon there will be another DTH package from Nepal. There was good DTH package from S. Africa Multichoise but it is not there any more.

Lisura said...



@ Rukmal

Small country ! BIG price tag !!

DTV is robbing peoples money in broad daylight. Hope you can remember we got the same HBO pack for Rs. 1375 during cbnsat times. When the DTH prices are coming down in the world SL prices are going up.

I hope TRC will look into this and impose a maximum price on the view on consumer protection and pay tv penetration in the island.

poor_creature_hurt said...

@ Podiman,

Checked the channel lineup of truevision and it is great. However, how can we get this? In Satlanka website they state the price of installation to be around US$2500 and monthly rental to be $100, which is a little over my budget. Please let us know if there any other methods of getting this connection.

poor_creature_hurt said...

@ Podiman,

Checked the channel lineup of truevision and it is great. However, how can we get this? In Satlanka website they state the price of installation to be around US$2500 and monthly rental to be $100, which is a little over my budget. Please let us know if there any other methods of getting this connection.

Unknown said...

Yes there is a way to get this package in SL. You don't have to spend so much to get it as SatLanka says.

poor_creature_hurt said...

@ Podiman,

Please let us know how. If you are not willing to disclose this publicly, please email the details to fishing_for_saltwaterfish@yahoo.com
I really appreciate your help.

Unknown said...

Go for a dreambox. Hope that will be enough for you to understand.

Agent - Zer08 said...

@Podiman: how much will it cost?

Looser said...

Dreambox is good, cheaper but is it reliable? Earlier We used to get DTV, Tatasky, MCK on this method but all have gone now!

For fun and education this method is good. But for continuous entertainment I'm not sure.

DigitalTV said...

Looser

What do u mean by "All have gone now?"
Cant we watch DTV, Tatasky,...by using Dreambox anymore ?

DigitalTV said...

Is DTV using Indian Feed for Discovery Science & Discovery Turbo ?
I saw some indian Ads there yesterday.

Looser said...

No for the moment you can't. Every provider tries their best stop this.

Dreambox is around 10000-15000
and you need a Cardsharing account and ADSL line. Anyway you can try out you won't lose much. Try google you can find more info.

Niranjan | නිරන්ජන් said...

@ Deshal: podiman is correct. I know him. Dreambox is controversial thing. some are said it is legal; some are said illegal.don't know who is correct. mm??
but I must say one fact; illegal decoding is a extreme offense. In CS (Card Sharing) the all decoding through a server (connect via broadband); that are situated in a foreign country (It will be India or other country). So no fee to the DTH company (far as I know). Server holders charge vary 100 US$ to more for their annual server charges. Thus I think it is a controversial issue.

But it is the only in-expensive way that can watch DTH. In Sri Lanka we can watch all Indian DTHs, Thailand Truevision, formerly Multivision and some packages can't be reveal in public.

You must have atleast minimum 6 feet c-band dish + Dreambox (SD or HD). 6' dish will cost Rs.9000 upwards & SD Dreambox (DM 500s) will be Rs. 10000- 17000.HD Dreambox (DM800HD)will be Rs. 40000 upwards.
Monthly server charge will be 10US$ - 12US$ or sometimes high.
Though this system little bit costly.
And must say most of the sri lankan satellite knowledge people (that have) does not teach what you want.They are deceitful.so never trusts guys in this field; except few.
Fewer people in this field are very co-operative & good. One of Mr. Waruna (WarunaSat - Anuradhapura) I respect him. Podiman is another good fellow.

Unknown said...

@Niranjan,
Thanks for the compliment. Anyway to do cs it is not that complicated and if you spend sometime searching the net you are there. Once you get the feel of it is kids stuff.

TV & Radio Sri Lanka said...

Please continue commenting under the latest post titled "Wake up Dialog TV... Increase space for the influx of channels"

There is also a new post titled "We are still here!!!!"

Admin