DTH vs IPTV discussion + SG's laws on satellite dishes

[rajagainstthemachine]

Is there any reason why we are forced to watch television using IPTV technology over DTH ?

Also I haven't seen any satellite dishes in peoples homes over here. Is there any legal restriction/implication if i were to get a DTH receiver and a dish and hook it up to watch free to air channels ?

I don't have MioTV or Starhub and I have these 5-6 free channels which basically suck

Is there another way out instead of paying these bloodsucking duopolist service providers?

[nakatago]

Is there any reason why we are forced to watch television using IPTV technology over DTH ?

Also I haven't seen any satellite dishes in peoples homes over here. Is there any legal restriction/implication if i were to get a DTH receiver and a dish and hook it up to watch free to air channels ?

I don't have MioTV or Starhub and I have these 5-6 free channels which basically suck

Is there another way out instead of paying these bloodsucking duopolist service providers?

Yes, but they're illegal.

[zzm9980]

Is there another way out instead of paying these bloodsucking duopolist service providers?

Nope, and it's pure extortion they charge for some of the rates. $35/month for the sports package at Mio, and you need to sign up for 12 months? Cancellation fee, why $35/month for whatever is remaining!

I'll stick to shitty streams hosted off .ru sites.

[rajagainstthemachine]

so what about non dish antennas then? I see stores like challenger selling some sort of antenna ( like the picture below )that can get reception from malaysia or indonesia
not that I understand malay or indonesian but since these antennas are available in shops I assume the law only outlaws dishantennas.

[offshoreoildude]

They're crap UHF TV FTA antennaes not worth the packaging they're sold in. IN some parts of the island there is marginal reception of the Battam and JB TV channels - Malays in particular like listening /watching these stations.

[RimBlock]

They're crap UHF TV FTA antennaes not worth the packaging they're sold in. IN some parts of the island there is marginal reception of the Battam and JB TV channels - Malays in particular like listening /watching these stations.

I would have to concur. We got a boosted one with the hope of getting a signal for the upstairs TV where there is no wired feed (one regret when we did our renovation). Really poor reception but then I guess the reinforced concrete walls and the metal grilled windows don't do us any favors either.

I am partially surprised that the powers that be have not clamped down on IPTV as it does not go through the censor but then that would be a fun challenge to implement if people are using encrypted feeds.

RB

[rajagainstthemachine]

^^

Its easier to exercise control over a wired network than over a wired network.
I bet there is enforcement and monitoring on the IPTV network but in case of a satellite transmission I think its a bit more difficult to achieve and therefore imposing a blanket ban on dish antennas serves as an effective ban hammer.

The quality of the IPTV stream is shoddy, people end up paying mindless sums of money to Mio TV and star Hub.

There isn't a fair choice available to TV subscribers.

Choice A : watch 5 channels
OR
Choice B: be subject to criminal abuse from TV broadcasters.

No Choice C : allow people to install a Dish TV and a receiver and let it pick up whatever FTA channels that are available.
This is my major peeve..

[rajagainstthemachine]

the funny thing is a super turnstile antenna can be achieved using 2 clothes hangers and a broom stick

[RimBlock]

^^

Its easier to exercise control over a wired network than over a wired network.
I bet there is enforcement and monitoring on the IPTV network but in case of a satellite transmission I think its a bit more difficult to achieve and therefore imposing a blanket ban on dish antennas serves as an effective ban hammer.

Sorry, I was unclear.

I was talking about internet streamed International IPTV type services like the BBC iPlayer or equivalent US services.

RB

[rajagainstthemachine]

^^

Its easier to exercise control over a wired network than over a wired network.
I bet there is enforcement and monitoring on the IPTV network but in case of a satellite transmission I think its a bit more difficult to achieve and therefore imposing a blanket ban on dish antennas serves as an effective ban hammer.

Sorry, I was unclear.

I was talking about internet streamed International IPTV type services like the BBC iPlayer or equivalent US services.

RB

aaaah! I believe in order to access those programs you would need a VPN provider to give your PC/laptop a UK based IP address, your IPTV service will then recognize your UK based IP and will treat it as legit.

[Mi Amigo]

I finally cancelled my StarHub TV service this week, after I realised that we hadn't actually used it for over a month and had no desire to watch any of their channels. Since the F1 moved to Mio TV my main reason for having the StarHub service went away and I have no desire to sign up with SingTel just to get that.

When I called in to cancel, they made me jump through a few hoops - transferring me to different people, then telling me I needed to go into one of their 'stores' to do it, and take the STB with me. That was the last straw; I lambasted the poor 'customer service executive', telling them that the box was my property - they'd made me pay several hundred dollars for this piece of junk (the worst item of consumer electronics I think I've ever owned), just because I was an early adopter of their (then) new so-called 'smart' (recording) TV service years ago. Finally I got them to cancel the contract and I will enjoy taking a hammer to that lousy, French-designed merde this weekend.

I decided to connect our TV to the old-fashioned analogue antenna socket on the wall and found that some Malaysian and Indonesian channels came up in the scan, along with the local ones. Nothing of great interest to me, but at least there'll be something I can watch if I'm desperate and the internet is ever 'down'.

[RimBlock]

aaaah! I believe in order to access those programs you would need a VPN provider to give your PC/laptop a UK based IP address, your IPTV service will then recognize your UK based IP and will treat it as legit.

Yep but the point is that I was partually surprised that this was not restricted by the 'powers that be' as they have other measures preventing 'un-approved content' or 'unrestricted communications' via other means.

Sure it would not be easy to do without having a blanket ban on VPN traffic apart for official whitelisted companies. I am not suggesting they do this, far from it as I think the balance is pretty good right now, but to maintain a ban on satelite dishes due to security concerns (rather than they look pig ugly - which is reason enough by itself IMO) seems strange when there are much easier ways available now with the internet.

There also seems to be no restriction on TOR either with a couple of entry points in Singapore last time I looked.

RB

[Mi Amigo]

I am not suggesting they do this, far from it as I think the balance is pretty good right now, but to maintain a ban on satelite dishes due to security concerns (rather than they look pig ugly - which is reason enough by itself IMO) seems strange when there are much easier ways available now with the internet.

I agree that the satellite receiver ban is illogical and pointless, given the alternative sources that are available nowadays. It also damages the image of the country abroad - when I tell my friends in Europe that we're not allowed to have a satellite dish here, they're amazed and think the place is like some kind of soviet gulag.

My wife and several other Spanish ladies living here tried in vain a number of times to get StarHub to carry TVE International (Spanish channel), which is available free-to-air over satellite here. There was no interest at all in this from StarHub and I believe SingTel also declined to add it to their service. The ironic thing is that I can watch that channel in a hotel room in Beijing, and in most other countries in the region, but not here. If we could put up a small dish we could pick it up easily, but no, we can't have that, can we?

[rajagainstthemachine]

satellites can beam sensitive information down to peoples brains and then force them to take over the country

[the lynx]

satellites can beam sensitive information down to peoples brains and then force them to take over the country

I will wear my aluminium foil helmet then