Astro MAX
Encyclopedia
Astro MAX was a personal video recorder (PVR) service for Astro launched in July 2006. It marked the first PVR system ever to be introduced in Malaysia, though LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...

's PVR-integrated Time Machine TV introduced later that year. Its successor is the Astro B.yond PVR.

Technical information

Astro MAX was introduced in July 2006 as a combined digital satellite receiver/decoder and personal video recorder (PVR), as well as a rival for the upcoming LG's television integrated with a similar digital video recorder, the Time Machine TV. It allowed recording, pausing and instantly rewinding live TV, as well as a 30 second skip. The unit also had a 30 minute buffer which constantly records the currently watched program. Full integration with Astro's electronic programme guide enabled easy selection of programmes to be recorded. Additional features included the ability to record all audio tracks and all subtitle tracks on multiple language programming. Copies of programmes recorded would also be transferred to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 or VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....

 tape. The system performed these functions using an internal hard drive inside the Astro MAX set top box. Programming was recorded without converting the DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...

-compliant MPEG2 digital satellite stream, as such the recorded video is the same high quality as the broadcast feed.

The Astro MAX system was similar to TiVo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...

. It was equipped with twin digital satellite tuners which allowed the recording of one programme while viewing another. However, the system was not be able to allow recording of two channels and programmes at the same time.

There was no service fee for the use of the Astro MAX system.

Production and reception

The reception of the system was generally poor, as the PVR starts and stops recording according to the time of day, based on the Electronic Program Guide. Unfortunately, especially on some channels, the shows do not start or finish on time. This results in the recorded show missing the beginning or the end. Also, the Electronic Program Guide is often wrong, and reliability of the PVR units is not good. Many complaints were made regarding less sensitivity, lockups and reboots. These complaints are so overwhelming that in 2008, Astro discontinued the production of Astro MAX units altogether.

However, a new variant is currently being looked into, and will offer 100 hours of recording time as well as making full use of video-on-demand services. A pitch for its service was called, though no agencies were known to be invited. At the time, Astro's account is currently split between Y&R and Naga DDB. Sadly, this variant has not made it publicly, as the service has been permanently terminated and closed down.

The reasons behind the discontinuation of the Astro Max decoders and the eventual closure of the service are obviously there is something unsatisfactory or unfavourable about the service, such as piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...

 and copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...

 issues, and it could be profit related. Or, Astro is trying to keep it simple and keep costs low as possible, while remaining true to its name, only traditional television, despite being a MSC status company. The people who worked behind Astro Max has reassigned to other roles.

Recently Astro announced they will stop supports for all Existing Astro Max customer on the 10th October 2010. All existing Astro Max customer are offered to change to Astro B.Yond PVR.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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