So, yes, you can still watch on your smart devices instead of being stuck to a set-top box.
To be fair, at least, the cable operator is pushing the content out to its TV Anywhere service, which lets you watch on your PC, tablet and smartphone. Its current set-top boxes are old and the interface clunky, so it will want to get customers to swap to a revamped version as quickly as possible. Now, the question is how well StarHub’s cable technology can handle this on-demand service. That works out to be an expensive S$35 for each series.Ĭome June 2, however, viewers can watch at least two new titles made available each month, including shows such as The Ultimate Addiction ( 点金胜手) and upcoming ones like Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain ( 寒山潜龙) and Black Heart White Soul ( 忠奸人). Until today, its video-on-demand offerings for Cantonese dramas typically numbered about a dozen titles, and costs S$1.28 per episode for, say, a 28-episode series.
You could ask a middle-aged auntie who barely knows how to surf the Web and she’d explain to you how to access sites such as Youku or Tudou in China, which stream these programmes, often right after they are shown in Hong Kong, for free.īy far, the new service is the best move yet from StarHub to combat rising piracy of some of its core Chinese programmes. The move by StarHub and TVB makes even more sense when you realise that Asian drama serials are among the most sought-after streaming content in Singapore. You not only get to watch the programmes the soonest they are broadcast you can also view them as and when you wish afterwards.Īll this costs S$19.90 a month, which isn’t cheap, but it is the best option to catch the latest entertainment programmes from Hong Kong without resorting to VPN (virtual private networking) connections or pirated sites in China. Starting June 2, this TVB First channel, on StarHub Channel 860, will bring some of the most popular programmes to viewers here on both live broadcast and video-on-demand. On a new cable TV channel unveiled today, StarHub will soon be showing Cantonese TVB drama serials at exactly the same time as they are shown in Hong Kong. Video streaming is kinda heavy, and riding your 3G all day long, can get pretty expensive.Īnother limitation is that you can only use this service from within Malaysia, so you can’t take your Astro with you on holiday, sorry.Now, this is what pay-TV operators should do more of. One word of warning if you are using a mobile device: unless you have an extensive mobile Internet plan, you’d be better off connecting via your existing available WiFi broadband. The ‘Catch Up’ feature allows you to watch any recent shows you may have missed and ‘My Library’ holds a collection of all the movies you have purchased via Pay Per View in last 48 hours. Registering for any online service is always a pain, but if you are already an ASTRO subscriber, I recommend doing it anyway, if only so that you can still watch TV in bed on your tablet, when your kids/wife/husband/mom/dad/in-laws are ‘conquering’ your flatscreen.Īfter registering, based on your current Astro subscription, 19 channels will be available to you.
The service was launched in May 2012 and is currently free for now, let’s hope it stay free forever for Astro subscribers. Although Astro on the Go is meant for subscribers to watch Astro channels on their mobile devices, you can also use this service to watch Astro online on your regular PC!