@senga,

you will be able to see when you swap cards, you remove HITV card and insert DSTV card and then you change sattelite from one to another (depending on the card inserted) and the decorder being more or less universal will read this card.

My decoder does that, but the only problem i have is just that all the channels are not complete.

cheers

@const6

Conditional Access encryption is used by all programmes that require payment from the satellite operator, such as E!, MGM, Sony, MNET, Setanta and the EPL among others. Other programs, usually in country programs (NTA etc), religious and news programs (apart from CNN) are normally Free to Air.
The problem is that a Set Top Box can only have one Conditional Access in it, such as Conax with HITV and MYTVAFRICA boxes. The Multichoice box is using another type encryption called IRDETO.
HITV, MYAFRICA Conax encryption cannot be read by IRDETO encryption as used in the Multichoice boxes and vice versa. All that will be seen using Multichoice cards in the HITV/MYTV Box are the channels that are not encrypted.
Hope this helps.

Some receivers (STBs) are "multikrypt" which means that they can cope with more than one encryption system e.g some Strong receivers can do both Conax and Irdeto. A patched Technomate receiver can do most encryption systems.

The biggest problem is with proprietary receivers (i.e. branded by one company e.g. HITV, DSTV etc); because they want you to spend your money with them they give you a useless receiver that can only cope with one encryption system --- their own. That is probably why the poster cannot see DSTV's encrypted stations on his receiver. The ones that can be seen are the FTA channels.

@Enigma, @Senga,

Thanks for your post, but the issue is that my receiver can read both Irdeto cards and Conax card, is more or less lik a Universal DVD dat plays all dics (in a laymans language).

The problem i am having is that not all the channels are showing (not scrambled). It didnt search them out, and the channels that are showing are not Free to Air as you say, because if i dont put in a valid DSTV card it wont show, it will say scrambled. You should know that no DSTV channel is Free, except you want to call Shuffle Channel a channel.

To solve my problem, i need to get a Strong decoder and loop my connection to it and it will work perfectly. I only want portability in the sense that i wanted just one decoder for the two connection.

thanks

@const6, @Enigma

Manufacturers such as Strong do make boxes that can read multiple Conditional Accesses but often the satellite provider "tweaks" the conditional access to their advantage and even this Strong box will have trouble reading the card.

The latest trick that is used by Nagra and NDS (GTV) links the card with the box, i.e. the card will only work with that box that is registered with them, try it in another box and you might be lucky to get the Free to Air but certainly no encrypted channels. This is the way that Conditional access providers will be moving in the future, remember that they can change you card via satellite overnight and even switch it off if the card does not match the box.

please i need assistance concerning my smart card, the card stop working since last week. I mail hitv with no response. I tried calling their office I was only hearing machine not human. I subscribe for one year since september last yaer. my card no is 017-1002-0836-2. help

@bomboyi,

Your best bet is to go to their office in Ebutte-Metta (if you are in Lagos), with the decoder for upgrade.

However, if you are outside Lagos, you can only pray that a responsible officer pick your call to assist in solving the problem.

Good luck!.

will hitv also migrate from bla bla bla to bla bla bla like trendtv, which is getting sucked?, nd irritating?
i resign. M no more PROUDLY NIGERIAN.

Urfriend

Don't think the Ikeja problem has been resolved. Tried to use it but getting the same error message. Na wao for una ooo.

hi,check ur decorder.signal as nothing to do with the error message.ikeja is working fine.

I think the problem with Nigerans is that we want things 'sharp sharp'. If we must grow beyond the mediocre level, we need to start supporting those things that belong to us.

Let's give HITV some credit, with the type of competition and sponsored 'beef' from DSTV, I think they are doing well.
As for me, I believe DSTV and HITV are incomparable.

For those of us who got HITV when they just started, we got only 5 channels. Now, just 1 year later, we have 22 channels.

Maybe I wasn't old enough to know but the last time I checked, DSTV has been in operation for donkey years and they started off with just 1 channel.

Personally, I don't think I wasted my money.

well i will expect such beef from DSTv considering the fact that Tony Subair-Hitv MD was once a staff of- you guessed it- DSTv. what shld he be expecting, a pat on the back? tsk tsk tsk

How is HITV going to compete with the new Trend and AIT DTH that are about to be launched?

The market cannot sustain all these players, DSTV will hit the market hard this month with the $2.50 a month sub and 11 channels. They are not top notch channels but neither (if you take out the sport) are HITV's.

I believe that HITV will have flat lined by now as any sports fan will already have taken HITV , there is no programme incentive to go the HITV route.

hitv just added trace tv,so pls re-scan.more channels to come watch out.

@dekin our MD's name is Toyin Subair not Tony please.

@bomboyi, bring ur decoder to our office for upgrade please.


This is also to tell all that Ikejais and running fine. please

oops thanks for the correction it was a "shake of hand"

Tank you and please any other questions should be directed to moi as i will give the greatest of insight you can ever get.

Please be proudly Nigerian.

@raahym

hi, it's been long!

Pls is it true that the branded Hitv decoder will not work on the terrestial platform?

I brought my "Strong" decoder to your office in Ebutte Metta because of power problem,(wanted to get it repair) but the customer service enginner (Niyi) insisted that i can only do a swap for 5k which i did, now my installer is telling me that i can't use the branded decoder on the terrestial platform.

Pls confirm.

hi,the new hitv decorder can work with on hitv cable,just go to tp set up and check hitv on the list of satellite in the decorder and select and scan.

@ Ilugunboy,

Please send away that installer and do as urfiend as advised or probably bring it ot our office for terrestial configuration.

Sorry, about the mis-infomation and stress we owe it to your satisfaction.

rahym long time.why have you been absent from nairaland?how do i scan on hitv branded decoder, i dont know how

@niyi09

Its just as simple as you can ever imagine. Follow the following steps

1, Menu
2, Installation (0000) thats the passcode
3, TP Set Up
4, Depending on your plattform from this stage

Sattelite

5, Scroll down to Scan all channel and hit OK

TERRESTIAL



5, Scroll down to Freq. and select the first then go down to scan all channel and hit ok
go back up two steps (Freq.) and select the next freq. then do same till you have done for all four freq. Meanwhile you have to save each step by hiting OK when it asks you.

In case you are lost call me while you are right in front of your Decoder. (08033711182, 07028113224)

Cheers

I thought that Trace TV was exclusive to HITV, I understand that it is on Multichoice today, what's the story?

Trace Tv was never exclusive to HITV please no loose informations.

Are you sure that it is not exclusive to Multichoice, I assume HITV have a signed contract with Trace TV?

@ Senga,

If it was exclusive to Multichoice would we have it?, No, so my brother Trace Tv is making there money as you can see by not making anything exclusive to anybody whatsoever.

Thank you

hi senga,trace has never been exclusive to anyone.trace was once on trend tv,fstv,titv.it's also on mytvafrica.v ery soon,discovery,nat. geo.,cnn,etc will be given to all operators.just has it is done in europe,because it will pay them to do so.

@urfriend @Raahym

I think you should both understand something basic in this business. Content providers only love making money, they don't care if it is with HITV or Multichoice as long as they make plenty of it and I can assure you they do.
Nigeria is about the only country that Content providers insist that at least one years money is paid up front, why? because of the money they have lost in failed DTH's in NIgeria. This is a great burden that companies like HITV have to pay upfront to show Content. The problem arises with Content providers when HITV says that it will have 500,000 in year one, great say the content providers that will be 10 cents per sub per month $600,000 upfront.

The exclusivity argument is valid I personally feel that no Content should be exclusive but you take your own case the EPL HITV has the exclusive Nigerian rights and HITV have paid dearly for them.
HITV knocks Multichoice for exclusivity but they are doing it themselves.

urfriend, you mention that "Discovery,nat. geo.,cnn,etc will be given to all operators" nothing will be given.
Take this example, Multichoice has 2 million subs in Africa and pays, as a theorectical example, Discovery say charges 20 cents per sub per month. That means that Multichoice will pay Discovery for exclusive rights $400,000 per month, HITV comes along and says Discovery is no longer exclusive and I want to out it on the Platform at 20 cents per sub like Multichoice.
Taking your figures (70,000 subs) HITV would have to pay Discovery $14,000 per month. Multichoice then turns around to Discovery (that by the way, is run in SA by an ex Multichoice employee) and says "if we are non exclusive we will pay you only 10 cents per subscriber" i.e. $200,000 a month.

In this case Discovery would only be getting an income of $214,000. OK they would get an income from MYAFRICA and GTV but Multichoice would always play it to make sure that Discovery would get less by going with others that staying with them.
Discovery will say that it is non exclusive but it still retains the right to say whether it will sell its programmes to a third party (say HITV) or not. Bean counters run companies like Discovery and it is all about profit and you do not have to be a rocket scientist to know what they would choose.

I will revert next week on the Trace TV issue, after I dig out some information for you.

@ senga,

Its good to know you have some of these facts but it doesn't still say that TRACE TV is exclusive to any carrier be it in Nigeria or AFRICA. Whats the basis of the long post?.

@Raahym

On Trace TV, you should verify my comments that is all I am saying.

My long posts are to give background to why decisions are made outside of Nigeria because HITV doesn't seem to grasp the real world but come to think of it why should I waste my time as you guys seem know it all.

@ Senga

We do not think to know it all. All i am saying is that we understand that Trace Tv and most of these plattforms only wants to make there money but hey this is why the money is and they will do anything to get Nigeria. Trave Tv is not exclusive to any carrier brother and thanks for the concern.

ohkk.
where were we?