Here’s how to maximise your Astro Ultra Box experience

This post is brought to you by Astro.

The Astro Ultra Box TV was official launched in November of last year. Essentially, it modernises the TV-watching experience for Malaysians, and an internet connection (with a speed of at least 10Mbps) is required to fully utilise its features, besides live TV and the 4K UHD channel.

So without any further ado, here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Switch to 4K UHD

With the Astro Ultra Box, you can access 4K content on channel 780, the Astro UHD channel. There’s movies, documentaries, and selected headlining Premier League football matches during the weekend. To access this channel, you’ll need to have a 4K UHD TV that is HDCP 2.2 compliant—if you aren’t sure if your 4K TV is supported by the Ultra Box, most 4K TVs produced from 2017 onwards is supported, according to Astro.

2. Cloud Recording—you’ll never miss important football matches again

Many of us have gravitated towards on-demand platforms due to the convenience of being able to watch a program at any given time. Part of the allure of the new Astro Ultra Box is the added feature of Cloud Recording, which allows you to record and store content in the Cloud.

Previously, the ability to record programmes was available with Astro PVR, but you were limited by the size of your harddrive, as well as the fact that the content was stored in one physical location. With Cloud Recording, you have up to 200 hours of HD recording that comes with your subscription—if you don’t have enough storage, then upgrades are available at a fee.

This features will come in handy for sports fans, in particular. For many of us, missing a weekend football match can utterly ruin a day, and it can be hard to find a replay of the same sporting event. Searching for replays online can also lead to spoilers—try Googling for “Manchester United vs Manchester City”, and the first result would be the score.

Instead, you can access your Astro Ultra Box at your convenience, and replay the important matches at any time.

3. And if you’re on-the-go, Astro GO works in tandem with Ultra Box

For many of us, it can be hard to find the time to sit down in front of actual TV. The Astro GO app allows you to access a vast library of content on multiple devices. This means that you can record programmes on your Ultra Box, and rewatch it on your smartphone.

Compatibility extends across web browsers, as well as iOS and Android devices, and there is a vast range of content for you to enjoy at any time. This, conversely, also means that you can set for certain programmes to be recorded on your smartphone, and open up your Ultra Box at home to access the cloud-based content.

4. Use Play From Start to avoid missing opening scenes

We’ve all been there. Flipping through channels, you discover a great show that you want to watch. But there’s one problem: the episode is already midway through. Thanks to new technology, you can now “Play From Start” whenever a programme is live, which means that you can watch the episode from the beginning—even if you didn’t set the programme to be recorded.

That’s complemented with the new Search function, which lets you discover content in a more efficient way. Like many modern on-demand services, you can type in titles, actors, or even directors’ names to find movies or shows to your liking. This library of content, which is made up of 50,000 videos, can be accessed at any time. Of course, you can access this on your Astro GO app as well. It’s available based on your pack subscription.

5. Use the revamped Home Screen to better organise your content

The Astro Ultra Box also features a new Home Screen, which allows for a more organised look at your content. There are lists for favourite channels, “continue watching”, “your watchlist”, and live events. Anyone who takes watching TV seriously knows that it can be hard to keep track of multiple programmes at the same time—so utilising the new Home Screen and customising it to your needs is ideal.

A big upgrade for free

If you’re on an Astro subscription plan that is RM100 and above per month, Astro will install the Ultra Box for free. Meanwhile, subscribers with plans for less than RM100 will need to pay an installation fee.

To find out more, click here.