A Call to KyLinTV

Alright, I guess that KyLinTV has been working on making amends with some customers, enabling WPA on their STB and from what I hear programming has been restored or replaced from when I had active service with them.

So here is a proposal to KyLinTV, publicly to see their response if any. If you guys send me out a STB with no programming limitations I will post continued reviews in Chinese and English on this blog.

After the months and months of paid service with outages, unexplained cancellations, multiple STB being sent to me and requiring return on my own dime, and returning the final box on my own dime I am not willing to spend a penny more on it. But, if you guys want me to give honest opinions form myself, friends and relatives I am willing to do that if you provide it to me.

I will happily review new services, equipment and test out anything KyLinTV send me.

So let me know if you want to work something out.

Anybody been to the Live Demos?

Just wondering if anybody has ever seen or is going to these "Live Demos" that KylinTV is doing?

Let me know how the demos look compared to your real service. I am just curious about it.

KyLinTV Tried to "Stick it to Me!"

Well, after cancelling over the phone I was told to ship back the Set-Top-Box, on my own buck. So I packaged it up nicely, took it to the post office (stood in line for 20 minutes) and paid for adequate insurance, paid for priority shipping with tracking and felt relieved.

I tracked the package online through delivery (took 4 days, 3 business days.)

Several days later I received this e-mail from KyLinTV:

Dear Customer,

Our records indicate that you had previously cancelled your subscription to the KyLinTV Services. At time of cancellation, you were required to return the KyLinTV Equipment. As of this date however, we have not received the Equipment that was initially shipped to you. Please send the Equipment to:

KyLinTV
1600 Old Country Road
Plainview, New York 11803

In accordance with the Terms of Service, which you received with your Equipment, "Customer must return all Equipment upon termination of Services. Failure to do so will result in a charge to be determined with reference to KyLinTV's then current penalty schedule, which amount shall be due immediately. Customer agrees to pay such charges whether the Equipment is lost (through theft or otherwise) or destroyed"

If the Equipment, including but not limited to the Set-Top-Box, cables, wires, cards, and remotes are not received by KyLinTV within the next ten (10) business days, then in accordance with the Terms of Service we will charge your credit card the amount of $198.

Should you like to discuss this further, please call (877) 888-8588.Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Sincerely,


KyLinTV Customer Service

Well, needless to say I was furious! I called KyLinTV at the number they provided in the e-mail and was told they could not handle these issues over the phone. I would need to contact KyLinTV via e-mail to resolve the matter.

I then proceeded to e-mail support and explain that they had received the package. It was insured. I had the tracking information (and provided it to KyLinTV). And phone support cannot handle these issues.

A day later I received an e-mail that they were researching the issue with receiving and would make a note on my account. Another day later they admitted to receiving the package and said everything was ok.

A great slap in the face after putting up with all their sh!t for over half a year of outages!!! Whatever happened to "Free STB?" And I was a member for over a year.

I have heard reports for readers and posters on this blog that KyLinTV was pulling the same trick with them. It seems in my opinion that KyLinTV may be fraudulently charging people for their Set-Top-Boxes when returned. If I hadn't had evidence and insurance they would likely have charged me for not returning the box.

So, word to the wise, INSURE and GET TRACKING when sending back your box. KEEP the TRACKING INFORMATION.

Good riddens KyLinTV! Thanks for the fnck in the @ss and slap in the face.

Goodbye KyLinTV & Call to Action

After half a year of outage (I was a paying customer for almost about 1.5 years), deceptive practices, and no progress from KyLinTV I finally boxed up the Set Top Box (Which isn't free as another person found out, it's on a $198 loan) and sent it back on my own buck.

While KyLinTV was plagued with Mainland outages, DishNetwork and DirectTV were able to maintain service. FTA programming remained available as well. KyLinTV blaming the Chinese government for the outage repeatedly was a poor excuse in my opinion.

The video quality degraded and was never great to begin with. Artifacts, synchronization problems, buffering issues all were never solved and never improved. Comments were ignored and support was slow to respond.

The programming offered in lieu of the advertised channels Fig. 1,2were channels KyLinTV should have been paying me to watch most of the time. It is a issue of taste of course, but I joined for certain channels and was force fed something else. Month after month KyLinTV promised "Soon the outage will be over," but nothing happened. Just more channels that quite frankly sucked and none of the channels returning which they advertise! Customer even posted to this blog stating that KyLinTV wasn't informing them of the outage when they were signing up for new service. Per my advice they called KyLinTV back and specifically asked. Upon this the answer was given that their monthly fee would be reduced and admission of the outage was explained.

Fig. 1


Fig. 2




Ending service was as enjoyable as the past half a year of service. It wasn't. Had to send back the STB, so it wasn't really "Free" as advertised on the very first page of their website. Fig.3,4 Not only that, I had to box it and pay for return shipping. No offer of a return shipping container or anything. Just, "OK, your account has been canceled, just send it back to us."

Fig. 3



Fig. 4



I think the FTC should be alerted to the false advertising that KyLinTV habitually carries out. Maybe if enough people file formal complaints something will be done ;-)

I will keep the blog going for all the KyLinTV customers out there and as a warning to future consumers.

I would like to also extend my willingness to KyLinTV to review their products should they ever decide to want a fair and balanced report to the public. During this whole time I was a paying customer and this blog has recorded the issues, treatment and history of my time with KyLinTV.

I hope that my effort and time can serve as an informational tool for others. Of course, everything I wrote is only my opinion and that may not be valued by all. Nonetheless, I hope that I have helped just one person.

Goodbye KyLinTV

Official Newsletter from KyLinTV

Dear Subscribers,

Recognizing November is the thankful month of the year, this month KyLinTV brings you several heart-felt dramas, a special "Thanksgiving Day Spotlight" and a new popular TV channel. We hope that you and your family will share the Thanksgiving holiday with KyLinTV!

In November, KyLinTV presents:

* Sky Link TV Premium Channel (NEW!): Based on the west coast, Sky Link TV delivers the latest, highest quality and most in-demand Asian dramas and local and international news as well as cultural programs to best serve the Chinese population living in America. The channel will also launch its own call-in talk show this month called "Sky Link Live Call-In."

The price for Sky Link TV Premium Channel is $3.99/month. KyLinTV will offer a special 2-week FREE preview from November 1st to November 15th for all KyLinTV subscribers. Early birds who order this channel before November 15th will also receive an extra 2-month FREE viewing of Sky Link TV! ORDER NOW so you can watch this great channel for free. To order Sky Link TV Premium Channel, please go to My Account on the Set-Top-Box or call 1-877-888-8598 and press 1.

* Sky Link VOD Theater: This new spotlight consists of the greatest hit dramas from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea. This month's selection includes the historical drama Qiao's Grand Courtyard, idol drama Green Forest, My Home and the Taiwan-Korea co-production of Scent of Love. KyLinTV will also offer a special 2-week FREE preview for all KyLinTV subscribers from November 1st to November 15th.

* November Blockbusters: This month's blockbusters feature two sensational TV dramas (Women`s Worries and The Bottom Line) exploring men and women's relationships and one period drama (The Detective Di Renjie) relating to a famous magistrate in Chinese history. Both Women`s Worries and The Detective Di Renjie will be broadcast FREE on the Yangtse and Kunlun Drama channel.

* Thanksgiving Celebration - A Collection of Chinese Food: This spotlight delivers a variety of cooking methods covering a number of traditional Chinese cuisines, which will help you to prepare for a Chinese-theme Thanksgiving Day dinner. Refreshing appetizers, home-made soups, gourmet treats and savory fruit salads create a Thanksgiving feast for your family.

* A Grateful Heart--Thanksgiving Day Special: This spotlight includes Where is Happiness, a 2007 smashing hit TV drama about a conflict between love and marriage, an enchanting city romance TV series Love in Paris, a funny light-hearted drama The Capture Of Yokomiti Yasuroku, a big-budget animated TV series Legend of Seven Animal Heroes and a variety program titled Celebrity Family, which reveals personal family stories of your favorite celebrity stars.

* KyLinTV will continue to extend its FREE OFFER of Phoenix Premium Channel Package: Phoenix InfoNews, Phoenix North America, and ATV until the end of November. You can also watch the final competition of 2007 Miss Chinese Cosmos Beauty Pageant on November 3rd on Phoenix America or in the spotlight.

KyLinTV looks forward to bringing you the best Chinese TV programs. We will be offering more holiday surprises and specials for you this December. So please stay tuned for more exciting programs very soon!

KyLinTV wishes you HAPPY THANKSGIVING. If you have any questions, please contact us at 877-888-8598.

Sincerely,

KyLinTV Inc.

Mainland Channel Service Update

I spoke with KyLinTV today and asked about the Mainland channels coming back. I was told by a representative that the holdup is with the Mainland Chinese government restructuring the way channels are censored through before being sent out internationally. Contracts are already in place between KyLinTV and the TV stations in China. However, the government must now approve the changes that have been made and ensure full compliance regarding the censorship and processing methods.

I have no idea who to contact in China to get their side of the story so please keep in mind that this is only KyLin's version and it cannot be confirmed as of now. If any one has contacts that may be helpful please let me know.

The problem still remains that customers don't have service.

I wonder why DirectTV and Dish Network and FTA (Free to Air) stations are not having similar issues?

I at least give KyLin credit for providing good phone customer support and taking the time to explain what their side of the story is. I must say that I have always had positive experiences when dealing with their customer support. Mistakes are sometimes made but they are eager to correct them and always helpful.

KyLinTV... Seems like they are going down :-(

Mainland Channel Outage

Well, anyone with KyLinTV service has likely been concerned over the past several months. With every passing day things drag on and nothing happens. KyLinTV doesn't update us and progress seems to be really, really slow.

Service for all the Mainland channels has been out since the middle of the Summer. Only Video-On-Demand (Cost extra) and all the channels KyLinTV should be paying me to watch are available.

Lack of Updates

The service update informing customers that KyLinTV is working to resolve the problem is far outdated and not very informative. It states that Summer is almost over and soon September will be here. Well, it is October now and no new news.

Deceptive Sales

Of course, on their website there are no user forums, outage information, updates or warnings to new customers that they are going down the tubes. Really, wrong of them in my opinion to not warn customers and not take care of current customers. How hard is it to type a message and broadcast it?

Oddly, KyLinTV does advertise the Mainland channels are part of their service. At best this is deceptive. At worst it is a matter for the FTC.

It is unfortunate that things have come to this. Maybe the outage is not the fault of KyLinTV but they need to take care of us customers and be completely honest with new ones.

They Were Trying, Not Anymore

Now, let me give KyLinTV a little credit. They are providing some really crappy programming for free via Video-On-Demand. Crappy is an understatement, it is so bad I can't explain it. Phoenix North America Channels for free, not very interesting, especially for people interested in Mainland issues. And some of the absolute worst "live" programming available. I know they are trying but this isn't working anymore.

Political Issues

I don't know who is to blame for the outage. KyLinTV or Mainland TV programmers. Either way here is the deal.

Right now ALL I get is a Taiwanese viewpoint. By holding up the Mainland perspective and programming there is an interesting thing happening. KyLinTV subscribers are getting one side of the story about back home. They get the Taiwan/American slant on everything. Often, the viewpoint is so slanted it is amusing.

So here is my question and stay with me here. Is KyLinTV a purposely refusing to air Mainland programming? Is this a pro-Taiwan / anti-Mainland China action? Is political influence being exerted by the American or Taiwanese governments?

It is just a curious situation and something worth thinking about. I am not saying there is a conspiracy or anything but without any explanation from either KyLinTV or the Mainland we are are left in a mystery. I wish one side would come out and force the other's hand in providing an explanation.

Competition Coming?

Anyhow, why doesn't China Telecom start sending IPTV boxes overseas and providing Mainland service to overseas markets? I mean the debut in several cities over the past year or so has already taken place in the Mainland. Hmm... maybe that is what is happening. Maybe KyLinTV is going to be forced out of the market by emerging services from major providers.

KyLinTV, Still Not a Player

Well, either way KyLinTV doesn't seem to be ready for the "big-time" yet. They were the first to come and it is looking like they may be the first to go as well. They intermittent service, lack of updates and complete halt of innovation all signal bad things to come in my opinion.

New Setup Suggestions & Results

As I mentioned in my earlier post my router died on me. So I decided to work on a new setup since I didn't have another Ethernet to wireless converter (bridge) on-hand.

The Challenges were:

1. KyLinTV STB only supports WEP and WEP is not secure
2. KyLinTV needs to have priority over other Internet traffic excluding my VOIP service.
3. It needs to be wireless since the cable modem is on the opposite end of the house and there is too much attenuation on the power lines to successfully use power line networking.
4. I only have one public IP address available.

The Equipment:

1. D-Link DIR-655 Extreme N Wireless Router
2. D-Link WBR-2310 RangeBooster G Router

The Solution:

Ok, so we all know that WEP is completely insecure. If you don't know that do some research online and you will soon realize it is not acceptable for use if you will have other computers or accessories on the same network. However, KyLinTV only supports WEP security in the wireless card built-in to the STB (Set Top Box)

I have several other computers, network printers, NAS, media players and VOIP adapters on my primary wireless network. That network uses the DIR-655 since the speed is much better and it has QOS (Quality Of Service) controls which allow me to adjust the priority of various traffic on the network both wireless and outgoing/incoming Internet traffic.

The DIR-655 also has DMZ functionality which allows for a virtually segmented network which I can place the KyLinTV STB and second router using WEP on. The DMZ disallows hackers to access my primary network but does allow outgoing and incoming Internet traffic for the KyLinTV STB. This is key for many reasons but the most important is I don't want to share my network and data with others outside of my house and I don't want people snooping on my Internet usage.

I placed the WBR-2310 behind my DIR-655 like this:

• WAN port of WBR-2310 connects to LAN port of DIR-655
• WBR-2310 is set with a reserved DHCP IP address
• WBR-2310's IP address is set as the DMZ in the DIR-655 setup
• QOS setting is set to VI (Video) for the IP address of the WBR-2310. This gives it second priority only lower than VOIP traffic.
• WISH (This is the wireless prioritization system) is set to provide second level priority to all wireless traffic from the IP address of the WBR-2310 only second behind VOIP traffic.

The WBR-2310 is setup as follows:

• MAC filtering is enabled to only allow the KyLinTV STB WLAN MAC (Found in "Network Setup") address access (Note: easy to spoof a MAC so don't assume security here)
• 128 bit WEP encryption
• DHCP for LAN is disabled (Two reasons: just one thing more for a hacker to deal with to discover the subnet and more importantly KyLinTV STB will need to connect to the wireless router and then go through the process of requesting an IP address each time the unit is powered on. This saves you about 5-20 seconds of start up time each power-on of the STB.)
• Privacy separation ON
• Password protection on the administrative account
• No wireless configuration allowed
• SSID Broadcast OFF

This is by no means 100% secure, but it is the best you can do with WEP. Anyway, even if it is broken into the only thing they will gain access to is the Internet and the KyLinTV STB. If they want it that bad I am almost inclined to let them have access ;)

KyLinTV STB setup:

• Static IP on a different sub net than the primary network (Start-up Time Saver 5-20 secs)
• 128 bit WEP to match that of the WBR-2310

So I hope this makes sense. If you need further explanation let me know. Thus far it is working great.