KyLinTV Customer Service EXCELLENT!!

Well, I was having a lot of trouble with KyLinTV the past few weeks. Turns out it was my wireless router was on the fritz. However, KyLinTV was extremely helpful. They were quick to respond to e-mail support requests. They also responded with useful and worthwhile comments. So many technical support centers simply respond with, "Call us." In addition, KyLinTV called me I don't even know how many times trying to correct the issues. They were technically knowledgeable and I can't say enough good things about their support team.

They speak Chinese and English very well and there is no communication problem even during the most technical issues.

Good Job KyLinTV!

Four New Channels on KyLinTV

Four More additions to the KyLinTV lineup! This is great, if they keep it up TV in North America will have as many options as in China!

• ETTV Global - ETTV GLOBAL is a variety channel delivering top rated shows each new season. Programs include drama series, talk shows and miniseries from Taiwan and China. Talk shows and entertainment programs already receive great responses from the subscribers satisfying the interests of Chinese speakers in the United States. ETTV GLOBAL provides breaking news updates including domestic and international coverage. Most importantly, ETTV GLOBAL now broadcasts programs produced from the ETTV America Headquarters located in Los Angeles.

• ETTV News - ETTV NEWS is a 24-hour news channel, dedicated to providing objective, fair and extensive news coverage. The regional news team provides complete coverage of local and community news. ETTV travels nationwide transmitting news - live via satellite. Taiwan's top anchors bring the latest news and current events directly from Taiwan to keep subscribers informed with up-to-the-minute news. ETTV has established cooperative ties with over 20 international media organizations in the US, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore to facilitate news worldwide with affiliate networks such as CNN, Phoenix TV, BBC, Reuters and ABC.

• ETTV YOYO - ETTV YOYO is a channel dedicated to serve the youngest audience featuring exclusive programs for children up to 7 years old. Unlike other children's channels, ETTV YOYO takes a holistic approach to programming by encouraging parents and adult caretakers to watch the programs alongside their youngsters on a daily basis. ETTV YOYO features DIY educational items and internationally popular cartoons designed for children from all cultural backgrounds. ETTV YOYO has become widely popular and statistics show its ratings have surpassed Disney-Taiwan.

• Sino Vision - SinoVision was launched in 1990 as a Chinese language television program provider serving the Chinese community with locally produced news, and a variety of entertainment programs in Mandarin.
  
  Market Coverage
  · Five Boroughs of New York City
  · New Jersey, Connecticut, and sections of Pennsylvania
  · Long Island, including Nassau County and part of Suffolk County
  · Upstate New York including Westchester

Video-On-Demand Review

Well, I have been viewing a lot of Video On Demand (VOD) with KyLinTV the past couple of days and it really looks great. I must admit that it seems worth the value ($.10-$1.50 US).

Resume Feature

I also really like the convenience of the "Resume" feature. I wish the TV Shows had that same feature. It is a real pain when you are watching a movie on one of the live TV channels and then suddenly either because of Internet issues, power outages or you need to leave and return later that you must restart the show from the beginning. That is where the VOD is really nice, you can stop and resume within 30 days!

Quality

If you have watched the "Live TV Shows," on KyLinTV, there is a noticeable difference in quality. The VOD is much higher quality! Smoother, better video/audio sync and less artifacts than appear in the "TV Programs".

Price

The price is very reasonable. This is especially true when compared to "Pay-Per-View" found on other networks. The prices range from $.10-$1.50 US Dollars per VOD. $.10 is for a special lasting less than 10 minutes, $.50-$.60 for a TV show and $1.00-$1.50 for movies and special shows lasting 60+ minutes. KyLinTV also offers a package which allows unlimited VOD viewing $420.00 US. If you interested in a TV Drama series you can view the first episode of most for free! While this is a great way to hook you into watching that series, it is also a great way to find new shows you are interested in watching. I think allowing you to watch that first episode for free is a great move on the part of KyLinTV.

Programming Selection

WOW! That best describes the selection. There are A LOT of choices, sports, movies, TVshows, specials, etc. The TV shows (drama) are really great! You can find the show you like by browsing KyLinTV's large library of Chinese language programming and then you can choose which episode from the entire series you want to watch. This is a great way to catch-up on missed episodes or just start back at the beginning and watch the progression of the show.
As mentioned earlier, the first episode in each series is usually free so you have nothing to lose by watching just to sample VOD or to see if the show actually sucks or not ;)

Conclusion

I would certainly recommend this feature if you are interested in catching up on your favorite dramas or just watching movies without going to the store or ordering DVDs from overseas.
I will actually be upgrading my subscription soon to the unlimited package.

Subtitle Info

We watch movies in a multi-lingual environment and it would be great to know if the shows and movies (especially on-demand) had subtitles and in what language before watching. Maybe the folks over at KyLinTV will add that sometime soon :) Just a little request...

Low Bandwidth Testing?

A new channel appeared recently, Testing. It appears to be a "test channel for lower bandwidth." I wonder what this is all about? What does KyLinTV qualify as "lower bandwidth?" I would like to see them perfect the higher bandwidth first ;)

Interesting New Web Site Introduction

 In case nobody else noticed KyLinTV just launched a new frontpage to their website describing their new holiday lineup.
http://kylintv.com

New Channels - Nice Move KyLinTV!

I must admit that the programming selection, on demand and growing selection is great with KyLinTV.
It looks like today a couple channels were added:

• Guangxi Television (GXTV) - GXTV is a channel that depicts local minorities' different culture and customs.
  
  GXTV was established in 1970, since then it has gained a favorable reputation, distinguished editors, a complete technology system and great program content. Today, GXTV is one of the most powerful media groups in southwest China.
  
  The promoted programs on GXTV are Find Jinhua, Folk Songs Show, Lovely GuangXi and Alliance ASEAN.
• The Travel Channel (TravelTV) - Travel TV is a channel that focuses on travel and entertainment. The expert travel information and reputable travel sources help shaped the featured programs.
  
  The Travel TV targets a young working class audience who seek exotic get-a-ways. Travel TV has an audience of over 3 million viewers. The promotional programs on travel TV include Travel World, Travel China, Eating with the Mr. Na, The Braves, Guide Entertainment, Stars Schoolroom, Beautiful Girl and Perfection Perform.

The holiday lineup looks interesting as well so I must give some credit where credit is due. Good job KyLinTV for adding programming! I do appreciate that for sure.

Full Screen - Are we ever going to have it?

I am sure many have noticed the issue with KyLinTV and the screen size. I certainly noticed it out of the box.
The problem is that the picture coming from the KyLinTV STB (Set Top Box) is not set to a resolution which fills a standard TV screen. Therefore, there are slim black bars on the right and left side of the screen at all times. Really annoying!
Another issue may be with their encoding process (which the first maybe as well, not sure).
I have noticed that with several programs there is a digitized looking static bar at the bottom of the screen. It reminds me of the VHS days when there would be stripes of interference across the screen on certain recordings.
I really hope that these issues can be resolved soon. KyLinTV, I hope that you are out there hearing my calls ;)

Introduction

Welcome,

This blog will review and discuss the Chinese language (mostly Mandarin but some Cantonese) IPTV service KyLinTV ( http://www.kylintv.com ).

Please feel free to comment on your experiences with KyLinTV and their services. Please post in English or Mandarin. If you want it translated let me know and I am happy to do that for you as time allows.

Neither myself nor this blog are officially associated with KyLinTV other than being a subscriber.