Following some enquiries regarding the availability of Astro B.yond HD TV the Management Office and the JMC would like to provide you with an update.
Unfortunately our current centralised system not compatible with the HD TV service provided by Astro. We are aware of some residents installing the HD setup boxes however until the building infrastructure is upgraded then you will only be able to view the standard definition (SD) service and the service may not reliable.
The management have engaged the services of a company to survey the current system and then provide a quotation for a system upgrade to provide HDTV signals to every unit.
Following some initial observations it looks like the majority of the system needs to be replaced with additional infrastructure added to cope with the HD signals.
Two current areas of concern are the compatibility of the cables from the riser to the apartments and the wall sockets located in the apartments so further tests will need to be done to assess this.
The contractor has stated that if the system is upgraded then people will still be able to use their old boxes to receive SD signals if they do not wish to subscribe to B’yond however cabling changes may still be required as mentioned above.
Once all the quotations have been received then we will have a greater understanding of the task magnitude and it can then be prioritised relative to other repairs and projects.
Our current understanding is that Astro do not currently provide any subsidy for communal system upgrades so any costs will be need funded by the sinking or maintenance accounts which are already under pressure.
We would like to take the opportunity to remind you that personal satellite dishes must not be fitted to the outside of your unit or on the balcony and action will be taken against residents who fail to adhere to this.
While I would love to have Astro Beyond available, I think we should focus on more important issues such as security.
ReplyDeleteI still see people coming in without valid access cards and not being vetted by the security guards at all.
Can we put a stop to this immediately? Those without valid access cards must be treated like visitors and all visitors MUST be recorded/vetted by our guards.
We have many plans and requests to improve the facilities. At present we are looking into the feasibility and costs of upgrading the TV system as well other initiatives such as CCTV in the lifts and pool area.
ReplyDeleteI will pass on your comments regarding guards checking but I would like to request that such feedback is passed to the management office who run the day to day operation.
1. i see many tenants dry their clothes on the balcony railings like this is a low cost flat project even though it's not allowed;
ReplyDelete2. i see many balconies with additional air conditioner compressors even though it's not allowed;
so, what difference are these with the HD satellite dishes? we r independent house owners n we can't watch HDTV because VW doesn't provide the infrastructure?
can we instead allow the dishes to be installed at a specific place outside the balcony or the yard so that they look consistent? at least we need a temporary alternative, pls.
Firstly two wrongs do not make it right.
ReplyDeleteWe will reiterate that personal satellite dishes are not allowed and the their addition would make the facade look worse than it already is
The management office are talking with various satellite TV suppliers although progress is slower than desired it’s still happening. Please bear in mind that we have a multitude of major issues to resolve which includes the accounts handover hence the slow progress.
To set expectations there are many critical/urgent issues to resolves and the situation has been made worse by the decision not to support the JMC’s service charge recommendation. The addition of HDTV is very much a nice to have and we have a responsibility to ensure that the limited funds we have are spent on only critical projects.
Some of the proposed options for replacing the complete system are quite interesting and may be affordable but until we see a formal quotation we cannot be 100% sure.
Pls can u update us the progress on Astro B.yond? A friend in Astro mentioned to me that Astro was in discussion for friendlier Astro B.yond service upgrade on high-rise building especially condos. Did our management receive any invitation?
ReplyDeleteI believe that you are reefing to the IPTV solution.
ReplyDeleteAs per the Astro site there are no immediate plans for installation in the Wangsa Waju area.
We are still interested in upgrading the system however the upgrade cost will need to be minimal due to budgetary constraints.
Due to several major issues, higher priority projects and resource constraints we are unable to provide an estimated date of when a decision can be made.
No, I m not refering to IPTV. I m refering to Astro B.yond. My friend explained
ReplyDeleteto me it was like Astro having joint-cost to
the upgrades on B.yond with building management.
While you keep reiterate on major issues, higher priority projects and resource constraints since April 20,2011 there must be something or progress on this.
Also to be fair to the JMB, pls highlight or list down what are the major issues, higher priority projects and resource constraints.
On the lastest service charge defaults, SPM
were paid by us to sort things out.
Can we get Mr Akhtar to do the LOD delivery from door-to-door instead of just drop in the mailbox. This move could be effective as human engagement between Mr Akhtar and the defaulters.
Mr Akhtar did this before, door-to-door to refix our intercom connection.
Astro were contacted a while back stated that the upgrades are done at our cost. This may have changed so I will ask SPM to write to them again.
ReplyDeleteThere are many issues within Villa Wangsamas which need attention and currently occupy all of the committees available bandwidth. During the AGM we could not manage to fill our quota of committee members and the JMC have requested for volunteers several times and have only had 1 person show interest so far.
It should be clear to anybody who lives at Villa Wangsamas or who reads the meeting minutes that the service from the management office needs to be drastically improved and the issues around this have caused many initiates to stall are taking up a lot of the JMC’s time to try and resolve. For the record Astro B’yond is one of these projects.
We have many critical safety, security, building and other repairs and improvements that are higher priority than Astro TV. Due to the financial situation we are in we need to be extra careful that each and every contract we agree provides the right level of service for the right cost.
For the record we have spoken to a few vendors and the first quote was RM450K and the 2nd quote was considerably cheaper but with added complexity over the ownership of the infrastructure. This is not to say that the system upgrade won’t happen but we need to find the right cost effective solution.
Based on our understanding so far the complete existing satellite infrastructure would need to be replaced and the cables in the apartments may not be compatible which would results new cables needed to be installed to the master socket in each unit.
As I’m sure you are aware we try to juggle our time between our professional careers, families and JMC activities. In additional to this to the management office are very busy trying to address the 1001 issues that both the JMC and residents are raising. If we can get more volunteers who can give up their time during the day to contact vendors to formulate the RFP process then things may happen quicker. On this note are you interested in helping?
The issue of debtors is not straight forward because we don’t have a baslined figure due to the delayed handover from the developer. Owing to this it wasn’t practical to follow up on debtors until recently.
Owing to the number if LOD’s that will likely need to be issued along with the large amount of work mentioned above its not practical for SPM to personally knock on each persons door
I've contacted my friend in Astro. He introduced me to Astro no.1 installer which he said RM450K are to high. He is willing to come to over condo for a estimation on upgrading.
ReplyDeleteWho can I liase with in JMC for this installer to come and giving us quotation?