At the end of the month, MultiChoice - SA's largest pay television operator - is moving the transmission of its high-definition (HD) services from DVB-S to DVB-S2, the latest digital satellite standard available.
CTO Gerdus van Eeden says the move will improve its HD customers' reception, especially during rain storms. DVB-S2 will also create more capacity for future channels and services, he says.
According to the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) body, DVB-S2 is a digital satellite transmission system developed by the DVB Project and makes use of the latest modulation and coding techniques to deliver performance that approaches the theoretical limit for such systems.
DVB-S2 will gradually replace DVB-S in the future, as new HD services entice users to upgrade their receivers to more efficient DVB-S2 models, says DVB.
Van Eeden says most HD PVR installations will be DVB-S2 ready, and HD customers can tune to channel 425 from 'all channels' or 'my channels' to check. If a slide is visible, their installation is ready for the switch over, he says.
Only a small number of HD PVR customers will not be able to see the slide which will mean that their installations need to be adjusted to be able to receive DVB-S2 transmissions and to prevent the loss of HD services when the switch over happens on 30 June 2013, says Van Eeden.
"If an installation needs to be adjusted, it means that it was not correctly executed in the first instance with the alignment of the dish being slightly out of sync with the MultiChoice satellite."
Van Eeden says those customers will need to get an installer out, at their own cost.
o An installer call out fee should be between R250 and R350 depending on where they live. This will include any re-alignment or adjustment, and is most likely the only change that will be required to receive the DVB-S2 transmissions.
o If the customer is further than 25km away from the installer, the amount above will exclude travel, which will be charged at R3.24 per extra kilometre, which is the AA rate.
o If customers do not currently have a 90cm dish, MultiChoice recommends that they change to a 90cm dish (although not required to received DVB-S2 transmissions). The 90cm dish helps to reduce rain fade.
o If a cable is perished or sun-damaged, these might need to be replaced which will be an additional cost
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