Watch ASTRO in High-Def with Astro B.yond Now !!

Astro B.yond - See everything in Greater Detail

At last, Malaysia is on the high-definition television (HDTV) bandwagon with the launch of Astro B.yond. This new service will be available from Dec 18, and will initially offer four high-definition (HD) channels namely, Astro Supersport HD, HBO HD, National Geographic Channel HD and History HD.


A fifth channel, ESPN HD, will be available from January, with another 10 channels to be added by the end of next year. Other features unique to the service will be rolled out progressively once they have been refined.

The current 5 HighDef channels on Astro B.yond

Astro had to make significant improvements to its facilities and even launched a new satellite (Measat-3a) to meet increased bandwidth requirements. It is somewhat opportune that HD is only available to Malaysians now.


All the new features and technologies will be realised through a new settop box, which is one of the most technologically sophisticated of its kind. For a mere RM20 a month on top of the existing subscription fee, Astro customers will be provided the B.yond service.


This is the only fee applicable as there are no installation costs, and customers will get a new set-top box, new remote control, new satellite dish, new wiring, as well as a HDMI cable.Ownership of the box remains with Astro, which means that all repairs will be borne by them, not the customer.


The initial roll-out only offers the five HD channels, with other features on the set-top box to be enabled later. Any new features and functionality will be automatically downloaded from the satellite to the Astro B.yond box. All existing SD channels will also be available with the new box

This is how Astro B.yond works

To receive HD broadcast, consumers will be required to upgrade their TVs to HDTVs as well as change the current set-top box and satellite dish.


The new set-top box will have a HDMI connection, composite outputs, Ethernet port, an USB port and even a digital audio output for 5.1-channel surround sound audio.


The Ethernet port on the set-top box even allows for the delivery of the video channels via the wired broadband connection although this, again, is in a future phase.


The bottom line is that HDTV is all about quality. So, with the promise of a new dawn in television viewing pleasure, here is a primer on what HDTV is all about and what you will need to enjoy crystal-clear pictures and pristine sound.


Surf Astro B.yond Page for more info.