I stopped subscribing to Astro a few months ago, as a protest to their constant price increases and unfair business policies towards customers.
Generally, they find ways to charge you more constantly, justifying it by manipulating channel packages so you end up 'forced' to take on more channels with each upgrade, and of course also paying more as a consequence.
These constant 'upgrading' of their services is forced upon all subscribers, by the grouping of certain channels together (chinese channels, sports channels...etc, etc.). Popular channels are priced higher and are sometimes split in different packages so you would have to sign up for a whole new package even if you're interested in just one particular channel.
Do you also realize that Astro charges you RM10 for each downgrade and there are no charges for upgrades? Also, you will be charged a fee if you cancel your subscription but there will be no charges if you reconnect. All means to 'motivate' you to put more money into their pocket and punish you for giving them less business.
I've read a nice article on to how to protest against their unfair practice.
If you can't bear the thought of living without Astro, the article suggest that you downgrade and cancel one or two less watched package as a protest to Astro.
I think we as consumers should exert our power to punish unfair treatments by big corporations. I mean, if we can do it to the gorv, by voting them out in the election when they're not treating us well, we can also do it to Astro.
I've another option for those who have broadband internet access (which I presume all readers of this this post would have).
How to watch the latest movies and tv series on your LCD TV for free.
My system comprises of the following:
1) LCD TV (or a digital to analogue converter/adapter for your normal TV which costs around RM200).
2) Broadband internet access (necessary for streaming sites).
3) VGA cable (or whatever kind of cable you need for connecting your PC to your LCD TV, eg. DVI to HDMI cable....etc).
4) A PC (my PC is too far away from my TV and somehow the 10 meters VGA cable I bought is not working, some told me the cable is too long for the data transfer, I can't confirm it, but be cautious with this option of connecting your TV-PC with a long cable), but preferably a laptop so you can easily connect it to the TV.
5) Wireless router (Make it easier still for internet access anywhere in the house).
6) Audio cable (audio signals can be connected to your TV through the red-white audio jacks or to your amplifier/reciever.
Here's what you do:
Connect your laptop with wireless internet access to your LCD TV using VGA cable and audio cable. Enter streaming movies website like www.tom365.com to instantly watch the latest movies (English and Chinese) and also TV series (Korean, Hong Kong, Japanese, English...practically all lah!).
THAT’S IT! You’re watching free TV!
Forget pay-per-view on Astro, there are latest series currently airing in Hong Kong at these sites!
There are lots of other streaming sites available, but you've to do some homework and search for it yourself. I can't do everything for you lah, ok. However, if you need my service or consultation to setup for you, you can contact me but I will charge you an appropriate amount ;)
And you know what the best part is? You can stop paying Astro's monthly fees (what I thought you is FREE) so you can buy more shoes, handbags (for ladies) and maybe use that money to subscribe to a porn channel on the internet instead (for guys, not that I do.. ;P).
The Quality?
The quality of the videos in these streaming sites is a lot like your normal TV. Some shows even looks better than your normal TV. The speed of your internet connection (which depends on which area you live in) would also be a factor. I have no problems watching a whole movie, episode from start to finish at normal speed 80% of the time. Our broadband service being yet another monopoly issue which we should be doing something about.
Sorry for the noises of baby crying, not part of the movie, it's my nephew ;P
Why should we do it?
The most important message I'm trying to get across for doing all this: Let's take back power as a consumer and refuse to be bullied by a big corporation who has a monopoly.
Protest against Astro?
Posted by Wah Hoo | 7:43 AM | Astro monopoly, Connect PC to LCD TV | 4 comments »
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if it saves money why not...personally i dont watch the telly though..i do that only occasionally :)
You're like, one in a million. Normal people watch too much tv anyway.
The only reason I used to subcribe to Astro was that my mom's addicted to the dramas. It makes for good material for conversation during her morning walk with her buddies.
If you look at Astro's ad campaign, you'd notice they're playing by this emotional factor really well: Install Astro for your housewife mom at home.
With the alternatives, bye bye Astro.
what about sound quality and picture quality? I know sound quality from streaming videos are usually real bad
The quality is very much like your VCDs movies. Crisp and clear, but don't expect surround sound though. Log on to the site and see for yourself. Happy exploring!