Astro B.yond IPTV launches in Malaysia

Astro B.yond IPTV – The best of 3 worlds in 1 service; Multiplay services with Astro TV (HD, PVR, VOD), High Speed Fibre Broadband and Voice

KUALA LUMPUR — Astro delivers the best of Broadcast, Broadband and Voice through its latest service – Astro B.yond IPTV (Internet Protocol TV). Astro B.yond IPTV brings to life true digital lifestyle serving the needs of knowledge driven and globally connected Malaysians.

Astro’s strategic collaboration with TIME dotCom Berhad (TIME) to deliver IPTV since December 2010 brings an unparalleled multiplay of Astro channels in HD (High-Definition) with Personal Video Recording (PVR) and VOD (Video-on-Demand) services delivered via TIME’s 100% fibre broadband offering the fastest internet speed in the country with voice at the best value to Malaysian homes.

Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Chief Executive Officer of Astro Malaysia said, “In December 2009, with the launch of Astro B.yond, we brought the first HD and 3D channels, then PVR services to Malaysians. Since launch, we have seen unprecedented demand for our services, which are now in more than 500,000 out of 3 million Astro homes. However, almost 320,000 existing Astro customers living in centralized high-rise residences are unable to enjoy Astro B.yond services and this presents an opportunity for Astro to bring these services to them.

Today marks another milestone in our Astro B.yond journey, inspired by our customers. Astro B.yond IPTV will be progressively available to 167,000 homes in 730 MDUs in the Klang Valley and Penang by the end of the year. At present, Astro B.yond IPTV is available at 60 high-rise condominiums within Mont Kiara, KLCC, Bangsar and Penang powered by TIME. Since our pilot launch, we have experienced cumulative demand and achieved 100 per cent take-up in two TIME fibred condominiums.”

TIME CEO, Afzal Abdul Rahim commented “The launch of Astro B.yond IPTV significantly advances the multimedia and internet experience in Malaysian homes. The combined expertise of Astro’s programming proficiency and TIME’s robust 100% fibre-based network certainly ranks Astro B.yond IPTV as the best product available in the market. As Astro’s preferred network partner, we are well on course to wiring-up the target buildings and are committed to making this partnership a collective success.”

Pricing & Flexible Packages

Astro B.yond IPTV comes with a flexible broadband package of your choice for as low as RM128 for 3Mbps per month, available on top of your current Astro subscription. Astro B.yond IPTV customers will be able to enjoy free high speed fibre broadband and VOD services until 30th June 2011.

Free hardware and installation

Astro B.yond IPTV customers will enjoy free hardware and standard installation worth up to RM3, 000. Astro B.yond IPTV comprises HD and PVR enabled boxes, HDMI cables, and Wi-Fi router modem which all come with free standard installation.

Astro B.yond IPTV: Redefining Malaysian Home Entertainment with Multiplay Services

Astro B.yond IPTV customers will enjoy a revolutionary TV viewing experience through its industry-leading and cutting-edge technology via its ‘tri-brid’ box which operates in all modes – Direct to Home (DTH) satellite, pure IPTV as well as DTH-IPTV hybrid mode. Once connected, Astro B.yond’s ‘tri-brid’ box will be able to connect to the TIME’s fibre broadband network to access a comprehensive on-demand service, providing even more choice and greater control to complement Astro B.yond’s products and services.

Astro B.yond IPTV is the perfect home solution as it not only caters to the connected lifestyle of a modern family, but also the individual needs for information, entertainment and staying connected. Each home will have a dedicated bandwidth of 100 Mbps, which is large enough to support 2 concurrent Astro B.yond boxes, each of them simultaneously recording up to 2 HD channels while watching either one of the HD channel or the recorded HD content and downloading the third VOD programme in HD, while leaving 30 Mbps, which is 30 times faster than the standard 1 Mbps, to support all connected devices such as laptops, tablet devices, mobile phones and games consoles on Wi-Fi within a single household. TIME’s fibre connections run directly into homes, ensuring consistent speed that is required for IPTV delivery and uncompromised internet quality.

Once connected, Astro B.yond IPTV customers will have access to the best of international and local entertainment, learning and sports – with more than 130 live and on demand Astro channels inclusive of 12 HD channels, PVR and an updating library of VOD content. Astro B.yond IPTV works on a progressive download basis which means that content becomes available to view within seconds before it is fully downloaded.

With hundreds of great TV to choose from, customers can access popular VOD titles – dramas, wellness and children series. The Astro’s on demand library will be expanded over time. Coming your way in the coming months, will be Latest Releases, the Week’s Best and Special Interest programmes.

Dato’ Rohana continued, “At 50 per cent penetration of Malaysian TV homes, we are an integral part of viewers and listeners’ daily lives. This is a privilege that Astro does not take lightly. Moving forward, Astro will continuously strive to provide the best value to our customers and to remain as customer’s preferred choice for home entertainment. In doing so, we are open to mutually beneficial, win-win partnerships with other Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) partners to ensure that Astro B.yond IPTV’s multiplay offering is available throughout Malaysia.”