Thursday, January 22, 2009

Almost Free TV

Every once in a while, I take a stroll down the famous streets of Evangelista, Hidalgo, and Arlegui streets, as well as the surrounding areas in the City of Manila. During my last visit, something caught my eye. There were several stores displaying big dishes. Out of curiosity, I went towards the store and asked what those dishes were. The chinese attendant said that it was free sattelite TV. She promptly did a product demo, and explained every component part and how the system works. What was surprising was that the total cost of setting it up amounts to only about half a years’ subscription cost of the leading sattelite tv provider. The attendant was even boasting that I would never have to pay subscription fees for cable tv ever again.

After learning how the system works and its costs, I asked the attendant if it was actually legal to get free sattelite TV broadcasts. “Libre naman yan ser, mga Free-to-Air channels lang naman ang kasama” she said in a matter-of –factly tone with a matching chinese accent. I asked what the Free-to-Air channels are, and she gladly showed me the complete list of available channels.(which was almost the same as that of a mid range cable tv subscription).

I have doubts about the legality of setting up such a system, because the major providers charge a hefty sum for their subscriptions. And I really didn't quite understand if "Free-to- Air" channels really are meant to be free. But, in the off chance that it is indeed legal, it’s a great way to get your favorite sattelite/cable channels almost free.

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