Remember When Malaysian TV Used To Be Like This?
The days of bad reception are numbered...
Malaysian television has come a long way in many ways...
Some of these things might be obvious but there are probably some things you didn't know that's new to Malaysian TV! Let's take a look...
But first! Remember this song that was played on TV everyday?
1. Everything was in black and white
We associate old things with black and white! Back in the day, TV shows were shown in black and white which may be revolutionary at that time, but now not so much.
2. There were only so many channels to watch
Last time, there were only so many channels to scroll through. TV1 and TV2 were the first two channels before TV3, NTV7 and 8TV came in much later... When you said "there's nothing to watch", it was probably true.
3. Don't even get started on the bad reception...
You've been waiting for your TV show to go on live at 6PM (Power Rangers on RTM2 anyone?). You've got everything set up nicely but just 10 minutes before the show, a huge array of clouds hover in near your area. It messes up your reception. So you spend the next 30 minutes trying to fix it and by the time you do, the show is already running halfway. What happened before that? You have to depend on your friends who watched it to tell you the plot. Talk about buzzkill...
4. We'd refer to the newspapers for programme listings!
This was our routine daily:
1. Wake up
2. Get ready for school
3. Eat breakfast
4. Take the entertainment section out from the newspaper
5. Scan the programme listings
6. Aim to get back home in time before the show starts
7. Repeat
5. We had to rush home earlier to catch the TV episode!
Your favourite cantonese show goes on air at 7PM. You want to know what happens next with Ah Wong and his wife! But then there's the crazy KL traffic, and the meeting at 5PM. Everyday is a battle to plan out your day so you can reach home on time to follow that series!
1. Say goodbye to black and white and say hello to High Definition!
With the advancement of our televisions, our content is now not only broadcasted in colour but in High Definition! Everything is crisp, clear, and definitely more visually pleasing. Visuals aren't the only thing that get an upgrade, audio sounds much better too!
2. We have access to loads of content from around the world!
We are definitely spoilt for choice when it comes to content now. What used to be months of waiting for popular TV series to be broadcasted in Malaysia now gets shown on the same day! It's even better when it comes to sports. With live broadcasting, we get to see our favourite teams in action! It's no longer all about the popular sports too, we now have live broadcasts of eSports and MMA which are slowly having a following.
3. All the information you need can be found at the touch of your fingertips!
With a press of a button, you can scroll through what's on for the rest of the day, or for the week, if you're that kind of person who loves to plan things in advance.
P.S: There are programme guides on the Internet too! At our SAYS coupon page, we've a ton of deals on gadgets that helps you easily access all the program guides you want, even in advance for weeks to come!
4. You can now pre-record your favourite shows to be watched later!
With so much content to choose from, it's quite easy to have FOMO (fear of missing out) on good TV shows. Instead of constantly switching channels just to get glimpses of the show, you can now record any programme of your choice! Many content providers now provide this option for convenience. Talk about being spoilt for choice!
Right now, all these features are mostly available for those on with a cable subscription...
Many of these features are mostly enjoyed by those who can afford cable TV, which leaves out a majority of Malaysians from experiencing them too.
To top if off, Malaysians will no longer be able to watch free-to-air channels...
Unless you pay for cable TV, Malaysians will no longer be able to watch free-to-air channels next year onwards.
Because next year, Malaysian TV is going fully digital with the introduction of DTTV (Digital Terrestrial Television), a device that will be replacing those old school antennas!
This means no more bad reception and Malaysians get access to better content! The roll out begins sometime in 2016. We can't wait!