Discounts You Can Get When You Trade In Your Old DStv Set-Top Box

DStv customers can get substantial discounts when they exchange their old set-top boxes for newer Explora or HD models.

For more than 20 years of broadcasting, MultiChoice has launched a series of set-top boxes to provide access to its satellite broadcast service.

These decoders have been gradually upgraded with new hardware to support additional functions and channels.

Because of this, several of your older set-top boxes are no longer suitable or do not perform well when streaming content.

This means that DStv customers, who pay a significant fee every month to access their content, may lose out on the best the service has to offer if they choose to stick with the older models.

DStv divides the lifecycles of the decoders that still support their transmission according to the following categories:

• Category 1 – New decoders
• Category 2 – Old but serviceable decoders
• Category 3 – Old and irreparable decoders (End of support)

The category in which a set-top box is classified determines whether a set-top box can be repaired and will cost.

The company also offers insurance that covers mechanical or electrical breakdowns and loss or damage caused by theft, fire, lightning or explosion in various decoders.

These rates have the following price:

• Explore – R35
• HD PVR 2 Tuner – R29.50
• HD DStv decoder – R20
• Single View Decoder (DSD1110, DSD1131, DSD1132) – R20

The following table explains the differences between the decoder categories and the different repair options for each.

Note that this information does not yet include its latest set-top box, the Explora Ultra, which was released in early November.

Replacement of older decoders

According to DStv, the latter category of set-top boxes lacks the processing power and memory to cope with their newer services.

“This means that your viewing will suffer as you will not be able to get some of our channels or you will experience freezes,” stated DStv.

It does not service these decoders because the parts are no longer available.

However, it offers a variety of exchange options for unsecured set-top boxes that fall into this category, as long as they are still in working condition.

DStv subscribers can exchange SD PVR, Dual View, HD PVR 4 tuner from manufacturer UEC, or older single-view decoders for various combinations of DStv Explora, HD decoder and / or setup.

For this, the customer must take the device and the smart card in particular to a DStv service center or agency.

For example, swapping your old SD PVR for an Explora will cost R599, saving you R400, or 40%, on your current retail price of R999.

You can also add the facility to this deal and pay R200 extra, compared to the typical R500 fee when purchased from a retailer. This would equal a total discount of R700, or 46%.

Alternatively, you can swap one dual view decoder for two single view HD decoders (6 series) for the R799.

A single HD set-top box is currently priced at R449, which means you’ll save R99 on the total package.

The following table shows the various exchange options for DStv set-top boxes that have reached the end of their support.

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