DaarSat! after u-17 world cup in naija what next; I can beat my chest to say they don't have up to 1000 subscribers, but in all sincerity I will get DaarSat only for the sake of u-17 and the world cup in SA 2010 since I will get an HD LCD soon, but my only worry is that to me the equipment could be useless after the two tournament, they should think of reducing the subscription to say 1000 naira so that they can work on the popularity of the network, but I will never trade my HITV for any network, but I expect Hitv to get more equipment and also build state of the art studios and improve their graphics we have people who can

It's just a wish. I just hope you're not dissappointed at the end.

if you are talking about Daarsat, then I will take the risk, but if you are talking about HITV then I know what am talking about I am close to the inside, they will surpass the expectation of those who think they can't; the owners listen unlike their Daarsat counterpart who in my opinion is whatever the boss says is ok by me

You got to be sure about this because from what I've seen so far,
they seem to be indifferent- like daar.

@sology

As you may have likely read from my write-up's, I am not a great fan of DSTV because of their policy to exploit. However, kudos to HITV, for shaking them up from their comfort zone. I can't believe the born-again DSTV. Not only have they added SET to the Compact bouquet, the programming on Zone REALITY AND National Geographic which were already good have been made even better. Let the competition from Hitv and DaarSat continue!!!!!

@luckiest

I would like to assure you that in my write-up's, my main focus is to be objective. Afterall I don't own shares in any cable companies, rather I subscibe with my hard earned money. As of now DSTV is the best. Hitv not only has to add channels, they have to improve considerably as per the technical aspect. From the complaints of several of their subscibers, they are not there yet. For over 7 years that I am subscibed to DSTV, I have never had a single technical problem with the exception of once when I could not view AfricaMagic. I took my smart card to their office and the problem was rectified immediately. Apart from when it rains and there is loss of signals for a short while, everything is fine as per the picture quality (very sharp) and audio quality. I don't have to come to a blog like this to ask other subscibers how to tune to a newly added channel. Everything is automatically done by DSTV. I wish HITV all the best but I am staying with the born-again DSTV.

that si the beauty of everything, right now I make use of 3 network at home, HITV, DSTV and MYTV, I will soon get my hands on DAARSAT just for the U-17 and World Cup, people still watch NTA not as if they have quality programmes but maybe because of one or two programmes that they cannot see on other network, that is why the competition must continue; they should all be thinking on how to reduce the cost of subscription

Bros, you're too much o! How many of these packages do you watch at once?
It remains to add FSTV (?) to complete the circle. Na wao! With guys like you, no
wonder DSTV continues to smile to the bank.

Now, would it surprise you to know that most of all these channels you're paying
so heavily for with your 'hard-earned' money like you said, can be gotten for free?
Just a thought.

@George D

DSTV are smiling to the bank not because of people like luckiest and me but because of what they are offering - excellent technical expertise and good programme content. If DSTV had to compete with Sky and not HITV and DaarSat, Dstv would not be smiling but crying. The truth is that Hitv, DaarSAT and others are no match for DSTV.

As for watching channels free of charge, there are many ways of looking at it. As a practising Christian, my faith and my belief does not afford me the luxury of watching free what I know I have to pay for. The difference between man and animals is that we have what is called "free will" and I am exercising mine. With God's blessing on my life which is not by my power but by God's Grace, it would be suicidal for me not to pay my subsciptions.

OYIBN:

@George D

DSTV are smiling to the bank not because of people like luckiest and me but because of what they are offering - excellent technical expertise and good programme content. If DSTV had to compete with Sky and not HITV and DaarSat, Dstv would not be smiling but crying. The truth is that Hitv, DaarSAT and others are no match for DSTV.

As for watching channels free of charge, there are many ways of looking at it. As a practising Christian, my faith and my belief does not afford me the luxury of watching free what I know I have to pay for. The difference between man and animals is that we have what is called "free will" and I am exercising mine. With God's blessing on my life which is not by my power but by God's Grace,  it would be suicidal for me not to pay my subsciptions.

@OYIBN

I understand where you are coming from but i also think that the "free" that George D was talking about, is not an illegal one.

I dont think he is talking about tapping or cracking DSTV, Hitv or Daarsat signals.

The MBC Network (somewhere in UAE i think), have their business model based on the 'Free to air' model.

You can watch just about anything on this network. Very recent movies, series, sitcoms and sports.

The only thing is that you will get to see adverts like every twenty minutes of a movie. I know this cause i used to watch MBC2 with my california anteana back in the days.

Now if you have the time and the space in you compound(You need a large dish so this is suitable for house owners), you can install your dish and tune to their frequency and you wouldnt be doing anything illegal.

I believe when its illegal is when you receive their signals and broadcast it publicly or as a business venture.

But i have not heard of a Law that prohibits anyone mounting a dish in his house and recieving whatever signal for his home or personal use(I stand corrected though).

And you are definitely right about the DSTV bit.

DSTV is simply miles ahead of the others. Daarsat is just a joke. Hitv is trying and thats why am not going to do away with their equipment.

Maybe when the next football season starts, i will see something interesting to watch. The other good things they have, Dstv have added to their compact bouquet like BET, SET and E! so absolutely nothing to miss on HITV now.

@sology

Thanks for the information you passed across. I was not aware such a thing exists. What I am aware of is that some people purchase a powerful antenna to access free the signals from Disc technology (can't remember if the name of the company is correct but the company is based in Ikeja). They also use a video recorder. Something is inserted into it. After spending about N15,000 for their illegal act, the signal disappears from time to time, when the company change their configuration. No sooner has the company done this, the smart Ibo guys crack it once again. I was offered this service several times. Infact I was laughed at for paying subscibtions for what I can watch free of charge. That type of lifestyle is not for me.

Thank God for Hitv and Daarsat. You can now appreciate my comments when I criticise DSTV for being exploitative and not having the interest of their customers at heart. How come they did not offer all these channels before. It is not as if they are making a loss now because they are offering their Compact customers all these goodies now.

@OYIBN

Am surprised at all the options.

Has the MNET series always had all these popular Series being shown now?

I am now looking for where to watch previous seasons of lost, desperate housewives , greys anatomy, prison break, etc to watch so that i can follow it on DSTV.

The latest seasons for each of them are the ones showing now on DSTV and am a bit lost.

I never saw the big deal in those series with all their popularity but watching a few episodes now, i have become interested in em.

@ george,
abeg leave these guys jare, they are still in the ice and not even stone age.

@sology

I hardly watch the MNet series channel and I am not particulaly interested in the content of that channel except when American Idols is running, then I watch.

@OYIBN,
Thanks for helping me out and enlightening soloqy about the free to air (FTA) thing. Let me add that
all that soloqy said about breaking codes and watching paid conyent for free is true but you really
don't have to do that. There are enough free channels over the air that you don't need to worry
your conscience by doing anything illegal. We somethimes have these misconceptions out of ignorance.
Imagine having a motorised dish that gives you more than 500 channels totally free of charge! Some
even beg you to watch them I doubt if DSTV has up to that number in its bouquet?
Now, I was also having this mindset that soloqy has until I came into FTA knowledge that set me free.
I realised that I don't have to be a money tree for dstv, hitv or any of these shylock providers.

@soloqy,
When your eyes become open, you will discover that most of these channels packaged by these
providers are essentially free to air channels which they beam to their customers for a fee. Now, who
is fooling who? You can decide to source for those channels yourself using knowledge at your disposal or have somebody else do it for you for a fee while you remain hooked for life. The choice is yours.

enitan2002:

@ george,
abeg leave these guys jare, they are still in the ice and not even stone age.

@enitan,
That's alright. Sometimes one needs to shine the light to those still groping in darkness so they
can also find their way out.

@George_D

I think you got it mixed up.

Read my post to OYIBN and OYIBN's and you will be in the know.

@George D

I think you should take a second look at what sology wrote. In fact he was the one educating me on the legitimate free - to - air channels. Lets be frank, the fact that you are viewing so many channels without paying does not translate to the fact that there is a Father Christmas somewhere offering free channels. Most content providers are not releasing their programmes free to air. While accepting that there are some free to air channels, you are only able to watch because there are dubious people somewhere cracking codes or the content providers don't have the technical know-how to block signals to non-subscibers or they lack the finances to purchase the technical equipment to do so.

It is ok if you are happy watching everything free of charge. However don't malign those who prefer to follow the straight path and decide out of their own free will and conscience to pay subscibtions. They are not fools but have their own reasons for doing so.

Hmm, if i may ask, how much of content can the fta provide compared to what is available to dstv / hitv / daarsat ? Am asking this on the knowledge that most fta channels are predominantly non-english ?

OYIBN:

@George D


It is ok if you are happy watching everything free of charge. However don't malign those who prefer to follow the straight path and decide out of their own free will and conscience to pay subscibtions. They are not fools but have their own reasons for doing so.

Abi? In reference to Enitan's harsh words to those who chose to pay for subscription, some people just dont have the time, space nor temperament for the processes involved in getting FTA(quality channels).

We all agree that you can get up to 500 channels but how many of them are really top-notch? Yes I know of the MBC Network but some people will rather prefer to just pay for subscription to DSTV and view everything they want rather than go through the process and sometimes, also the stress.

For some, the money for subscriptions is not an issue and they dont see paying the networks like DSTV for subscriptions as a rip-off.

I have a family member who pays for DSTV premium bouquet(his wife and children must have DSTV), hitv(he has to watch all the football), Mytv, cause he was curious to see what they have(he doesnt have daarsat cause he just doesnt know why he hates it).

Someone has told him about FTA before but he just doesnt see the point in watching FTA when he has all the things he wants on these three networks he is paying for.

Like OYIBN said, some people just want to pay for their stuff and no one should begrudge them or call them fools for that.

@soloqy, OYIBN,
I'm not maligning those who choose to pay for dstv, hitv, etc. If you have the means to
keep throwing good money at these guys, by all means go ahead. That is what makes
the world go round.
As for those stations being top-notch, well I don't know how more 'top-notch' you want
CNN, BBC or france 24 to be as per news. These are the same channels being broadcast
for a fee by these service providers. What about MBC action, MBC persia, fox movies,
fox series, Rotana cinema, etc? I can go on but what's the point? You can get virtually
anything you want FTA legally free. And I must repeat: you don't need to break any codes
to watch these channels. It is reasoning like this, thinking that you must pay for everything
and if you're not paying then you must be doing something illegal, that prevents some people
from exploring other options.
Then, as for having the time to go through the process or not being willing to go through
the 'stress', I think it more a matter of personal outlook on life. I'd rather go through the
process of installing a dish that gives me legal free content for life rather being lazy and
dole out money yearly to DSTV. That time you think you don't have, you will still find time
to queue up in the banking hall waiting to pay your subscription. And of course the cost
keeps rising year on year. It may not seem like much but consider how much you'd have
spent on the least prized bouquet (family) at N2,500 monthly for ten years! Brother, even
if you're rich enough not to care, what about buying up incremental units in a mutual fund
for your children in that space of time? Imagine what their NET VALUE would amount to?

So, by all means you can keep on paying-it's no big deal really but don't label those who
are smart enough to know where to look for free contents criminals.
They just don't feel like being rent payers for life.

alright George,

When I get my own house(Still a tenant in Lag, ) , I would have enough space to install the large dishes to get those other networks you mentioned. Am sure you cant get them with the small 90 cm dishes.

Are Foxmovies , Fox series free to air?

@soloqy,
Not all FTA lovers are landlords- as you seem to imply. Even if you're a tenant, you can
still install an FTA dish with a little bit of ingenuity. All it requires is that you put on your
thinking cap. And yes, 90cm can get you enough free content to keep you busy while
warming up for the bigger dish.
Fox movies, fox series, melody hits, music plus, trace tropical, space toon, mtv, gear one,
euro news, etc are all FTA.

@George D.

You did not quite answer sology's question which was straightforward. He asked if foxcrime etc were free-to-air channels, not if they are FTA. He has a good reason for asking. It is simple - they are not free - to - air channels and neither is CNN a free-to-air channel. If CNN was free to air, HITV and DaarSat won't have problems with Dstv which currently has the right to air the channel. As I mentioned earlier, you have the free will to do watch whaever you want free. My own personal logic is that God has blessed me and I can't in good conscience deprive others who are in legitimate business from reaping the fruits of their labour. If the channels you have mentioned are legitimate free to air channels, then dstv, Hitv and DaarSat won't be in business. Their services are not required. They won't even need to bid or have exclusive rights to channel content. Everybody will just buy a big dish and watch hundreds of channels free of charge while the content providers starve!!!!!!!! Happy viewing.

@OYIBN,
You still don't understand how these things work. Let me try to enlighten you in the best
way I can. First of, FTA is the abreviation of free-to-air so they mean the same thing. And
soloqy asked of fox series not fox crimes-they are two different channels. Now to CNN. Well,
I'm sorry to disappoint you once again but CNN is actually an FTA station.

Now for the explanation: A station might be fta in one satellite, but be a pay tv station in
another. Same station, same programs. Why? Let's take the case of CNN which you're more
familiar with. CNN is a 24hr news channel. They make their money mainly through advert
placements that is why from time to time, they take a break to air all those hotels & tourism,
GE, EMMERSON, INCREDIBLE INDIA, etc adverts. So, for instance in an attempt to reach the
African market, they have placed their station strategically on a satellite covering this part of
the world - (talking about NSS7). They also have slots in satellites covering the middle east
and North Africa like Atlantic Bird 4a etc. Because of their wide spread, they have made
themselves so popular and acceptable as the number one choice for news. What paytv providers
like DSTV do normally is to approach them and sign agreements on rights to include their channel
among their bouquet. And let me tell you where the fighting now comes in. DSTV was so crafty
knowing that other competitors will like to follow suit. What they did was to sign an exclusivity
agreement, such that no other provider can carry CNN in it's package thereby effectively becoming
a monopoly as far as CNN news (on paytv) is concerned.

Coming back to CNN as an FTA channel, because they are easily available on a satellite covering
this part of the world, anyone with the right equipment/knowledge can easily tune in to their
broadcast and watch them free. But there is a problem. CNN is on C-band and this requires at least
a dish of about 1.8m to recieve its signals.
Now, if you're the type who is always hooked on to the smaller 90cm dishes, this is already a dis-
incentive for you. And that is exactly what the paytv providers capitalize on. They know that not
everyone will like to go through the 'stress' of installing a 1.8m dish to watch CNN, so they package
it for you and bring it on a beam which 90cm can easily pick and ask you to pay for it.
As it is with CNN, so it is with most other stations, BBC, france 24, aljazera, etc.

So you see that your 'personal logic' has been somehow misplaced. Now, take the case of EKO FM
or COOL FM which we all enjoy. Has your conscience ever pricked you when listening to them over
your stereo? No? Why? Are there not people working in those broadcasting houses? If you're not
paying them to listen to the music, news etc, are they not 'starving to death'? Think about it. The
same way CNN uses adverts to pay it 's staff, that's the same way those other stations use advert
revenue to keep their operations going. And to digresss a bit, do you know that Rythm FM, COOl FM
Ray Power, etc are all carried on DSTV audio bouquet? Same stations, free on terrestial, paytv on
satellite. See what I'm talking about?

Please lets be a bit more enligntened about these people, then we can better make informed
decisions.

OYIBN:

@George D.

You did not quite answer sology's question which was straightforward. He asked if foxcrime etc were free-to-air channels, not if they are FTA. He has a good reason for asking. It is simple - they are not free - to - air channels and neither is CNN a free-to-air channel. If CNN was free to air, HITV and DaarSat won't have problems with Dstv which currently has the right to air the channel. As I mentioned earlier, you have the free will to do watch whaever you want free. My own personal logic is that God has blessed me and I can't in good conscience deprive others who are in legitimate business from reaping the fruits of their labour. If the channels you have mentioned are legitimate free to air channels, then dstv, Hitv and DaarSat won't be in business. Their services are not required. They won't even need to bid or have exclusive rights to channel content. Everybody will just buy a big dish and watch hundreds of channels free of charge while the content providers starve!!!!!!!! Happy viewing.

George_D has already addressed this and I only want to buttress what he said.

CNN and many many other channels are completely free to air (i.e. FTA) on many many satellites world-wide and can be received totally free and completely legally if you have the right size dish and know where to point it. A comparable example: BBC World Service radio is not receivable on an FM radio but if you have a LW/SW radio you can receive it free ---- is that illegal because you use the right equipment?

FTA satellite reception is even a hobby for many people worldwide and many people enjoy the buzz of being able to receive TV stations from different parts of the world. In most of sub-Saharan Africa, it is more difficult because the satellite beams were/are not that generous for us; this is why we need the large dishes to make the best of FTA satellite television. However, even with a 90cm dish you can enjoy a reasonable number of FTA channels legally and without subscribing.

As George_D also said, many channels that are packaged as part of pay-TV are free elsewhere if you have the interest, acumen and patience to find them. The pay-TV people are providing a service the main benefit of which is the convenience of small dishes. If you don't mind the "inconvenience" of big dishes, then you don't necessarily need pay-TV at all.

ETA It is true that as part of the FTA hobby it is possible to get some stations that are encrypted, by various other means, without paying for them. That is, however, secondary and is not "true" FTA.

@George D

Thanks for the explanation. I learnt a few things.


@Enigma

In trying to collaborate Gerge D's submission, you gave an example which is out of place. There is no way you will get BBC World Service on FM because each radio station has its own frequency where it transmits. BBC World Service frequency is not within FM range. In addition most stations carried on FM/AM anywhere in the world are mostly local channels. You need the frequency range of LW/SW to access BBC Worldservice.

OYIBN:

@Enigma

In trying to collaborate Gerge D's submission, you gave an example which is out of place. There is no way you will get BBC World Service on FM because each radio station has its own frequency where it transmits. BBC World Service frequency is not within FM range. In addition most stations carried on FM/AM anywhere in the world are mostly local channels. You need the frequency range of LW/SW to access BBC Worldservice.

If you say so, no problem. I know that the general principle is the same.

@OYIBN,
I'm happy you learnt a few things from my post. And, that is most important-the knowledge
that something is possible. This in turn provides the driving force to reach out and make it
happen. That is FTA spirit for you.

Let me quickly add that Enigma's example on BBC world service was meant to emphasize how
getting the right equipment/knowledge can enable you receive stations which are otherwise
impossible to get through other means. And by the way, BBC world service is also available
free on Intelsat 10-01.

@Enigma,
Thanks for adding you one cent on this issue. The more we spread the good news about fta
the more others will see that it is actually possible.

I think this thread is fast becoming a free to air thread,can any1 pls list out d channels on daarsat,i'm sure a lot of pple r now brooding ova hitv's incompetence.Unfortunately,we wud start payin 6k 4 incompetence,(30 borin channels,no la-liga,no wc qualifiers,no confed cup,no worldcup,no euro international championships,no grade A serie A matches,no movie channels,i can go on listing, daarsat at least was able 2 lift up 2 expectatn in some of dis aspect,God save us from proudly SA & Proudly ebutemetta's exploitatns.

@George D
can i get 2 watch nilesat in ikorodu,lagos.Wat size of dish wud u recommend? Tnx

Hi Mreds,

I seriously advice you to keep your HiTV.Daarsat is a total waste of money,most of their channels are so bad.the only interesting channels are mtvbase and FOX entertainment.

Daarsat just as 41 channels of which over 16 of them go off and on.The audio on most of their channels moves faster than the picture.

I heard HiTV as the UEFA Champions league,Uefa Europa league,Uefa Super Cup,Concacaf Gold Cup,Seria A,EPL,NBA,WWE,IAAF,WTA,A1,and some pre-season matches.I was also told that more premium channels are coming on both the 3,500 and 6,000 bouquet.

I have daarsat and am really thinking on selling it and getting a HiTV decorder.

@mreds

This is the list of DaarSat channels as provided by SATMAN on another Nairaland blog site:

AIT Moviestar
Daar-Star Express
Sahara One
Filmy
B4U Movies UK
The MGM Channel Africa
FOX Entertainment
AIT National
Silverbird TV
Gamzaki Channel
Faaji
Ogene ndi igbo tests
Baby TV Europe
KidsCo
AIT News
EuroNews
BBC World News
Al Jazeera English
France 24 English
Nickelodeon Africa
AIT Parliamentary
Africa Business Channel
CNBC Africa
AIT Sports
Fox Sports Africa
Setanta Africa
Eurosport News
FootSchool TV
Quest TV
Fashion TV
Art Channel
DoveVision
EWTN Africa & South Asia
LoveWorld
B4U Music UK
C Music TV
Primetime Africa
Sci Tech TV
MTV Base UK
MCM Top
Discovery World
Luxe TV HD
Ray Power 100.5 FM
BBC World Service
Radio France Internationale

@SATMAN

I am surprised you are advising mreds to keep his HiTv decorder. Both of us have discussed this issue of HiTv on other Naiaraland blogs apart from this one. I don't know if you can recall my detailed and technical analysis on HiTv. In fact some bloggers chose to be sentimental rather than objective. I always said it that HiTv would have to increase its subscibtion fees if more channels were to be added to its bouquet as demanded by subscribers. I also mentioned that HiTv cannot continue to rely on football because it is not sustainable The reason is that football be it La Liga, EPL, etc are subject to bids. There is no guarantee that HiTv will win the bids all the time. Now Dstv has a fantastic bouquet for over N4,000 and HiTv wants to charge R6,000. So how long will it take now for HiTv to start charging over N9,000 which is what it costs for full Dstv bouquet? I thought HiTv was in the market because it said we were paying too much for Dstv. The chickens have come home to roost. They cannot offer cheap service again after only about a year. Why would I subscibe to HiTv for N6,000, when I can add a few Naira and subscibe to the full bouquet of DSTV? Satman, can you let me know what the additional channels of HiTv are?

Hitv has always been promising and failing, they have lost la liga rights, for sports folks like me,that means we would have to run like 2/3 decoders in our crib,dstv has been exploiting now Hitv has started its own exploitation,31 crazy channels for 6k?