Top FAQs

We’re sorry but EMAGINE does not play RMVB files. EMAGINE plays most major video formats such as H.264 AVC (TS/AVI/MKV/MOV/MP4), VC-1 (TS/AVI/MKV/WMV), MPEG-1 (DAT/MPG/MPEG), MPEG-2 (MPG/MPEG/VOB/TS/ISO), MPEG-4 (MP4/AVI/MOV), DivX (AVI/MKV), Xvid (AVI/MKV), WMV, and more.

No you can’t. Surfing the Internet is where a PC, a Tablet and even a Smartphone is much better at, compared to doing the same on TV. It’s not just the technology, but navigating webpages and reading off a TV screen can be quite uncomfortable due to the angle of view, the nature of repetitive interaction required (scrolling, clicking etc) and that is something that is difficult to adapt to TV well. However, watching Online Videos from YouTube and Vimeo in Full Screen High Definition and with no advertisements on your HDTV is an experience where EMAGINE gives a better and much more enjoyable experience by far compared to any PC, Tablet or a Smartphone. Ever.

EMAGINE is an Online Entertainment device first and foremost, which is able to playback HD videos, music and photos stored on external USB storage devices as well. The focus of EMAGINE is on searching, discovering, playing, managing and sharing videos on YouTube and Vimeo right from your TV set, and offering a new and independent Video On-Demand platform for content owners and providers (especially Malaysian content owners and providers) to reach the home TV audience.

Some of the features and content that EMAGINE offes, which most other media players don’t, include:

Features

1. Adding online videos from both YouTube & Vimeo to EMAGINE personal video playlists from your TV – up to 100 videos per playlists, and up to 100 playlists can be maintained per user. You can edit and rename the playlists, rearrange the videos in the playlists, and thereafter play them in sequence continuously.
2. Sharing the playlists with the EMAGINE community, and watching & bookmarking (saving) playlists shared by the EMAGINE community.
3. Adding up to 100 Online Channels from both YouTube & Vimeo to EMAGINE from your TV, either from searching or directly from highlighted video thumbnails.
4. Seamless playback and navigation – the video continues to play in the background when you navigate the EMAGINE menu, search for more videos and explore other functions and content in EMAGINE.
5. Sharing an online video directly to Facebook from TV.

Content

1. More than 200 handpicked YouTube and Vimeo channels categorised in easy to discover and browse categories under EMAGINE Net TV.
2. Highlighted top online videos, playlists and channels under EMAGINE Picks including the most current & popular online videos, top music charts, top movie trailers, recommended custom video playlists and more.
3. A Premium On-Demand service which allows subscription of On-Demand Content & services such as Karaoke On-Demand and more in the future.

Equally as important, is how EMAGINE has been designed for the HDTV screen – how easy and quick it is to find and watch what you want from YouTube & Vimeo, and the ability to playback High Definition Online Videos in Full Screen with No Advertisements. To find out more about what EMAGINE offers and the tech specs, see https://www.emagine.my/what-is-emagine/

No it isn’t. ASTRO offers content & services that EMAGINE doesn’t and do not plan to offer, for example broadcast channels such as HBO, Star World, ESPN, Wah Lai Toi and more. EMAGINE complements and enhances the TV experience in the living room by providing additional features and access to online content that ASTRO doesn’t. This is especially so if you’re already paying a fixed sum for a High Speed broadband connection at home.

EMAGINE expands your TV viewing options to include all the worldwide videos available on YouTube, Vimeo and on EMAGINE’s On-Demand service, and many other features that ASTRO doesn’t provide, including HD Media Player capabilities, Karaoke on Demand with more than 50,000 songs and counting, EMAGINE Net TV with more than 200 handpicked Online Channels, EMAGINE Picks recommended Online Videos and FREE Online Radio with more than 40,000 stations.

In short, EMAGINE shares your HDTV screen with ASTRO and your other devices, making your living room TV complete.

HyppTV is an IPTV service, available exclusively for TM UniFi customers. An IPTV service usually provides broadcast or “linear” channels over the Internet. Programmes are shown in the same way as Broadcast or Satellite TV, in pre-determined schedules. It also offers selected On-Demand movies (pay per view) and selected interactive and online features including YouTube.

The key differences between EMAGINE and HyppTV include:

1. EMAGINE does not offer broadcast TV channels over the Internet – it focuses on “On-Demand” viewing – click and play.
2. EMAGINE runs over any High Speed Broadband Network, preferably Fibre, and not just TM Unifi.
3. EMAGINE is focused on delivering the best experience on TV for Online Videos and Entertainment, and therefore offers a vastly different experience in searching, navigating, discovering, managing and watching online videos from both YouTube & Vimeo.
4. EMAGINE offers unique features and content that HyppTV and other providers in the market currently do not provide.

Please see “What makes EMAGINE different from other media players?” and “Is EMAGINE meant to replace ASTRO?” above.

The difference between watching YouTube on EMAGINE and watching it on a PC, Tablet or Smartphone is simply the experience. The EMAGINE experience is one of comfort, leaning back on your living room sofa, on a much larger & clearer screen with better sound, and in full screen with no advertisements. The difference is somewhat similar to the differences between, for example,

1. Watching a movie or video on 20” TV and 60” TV.
2. Watching videos in Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD)
3. Watching a movie on TV and watching it in the cinema
4. Listening to sound on PC speakers and on your home HiFi system.

In each case, the content is the same, and the same amount of time is taken. The difference is the experience in enjoying the content. EMAGINE enhances your experience in watching online videos beyond what is possible on a PC, Tablet or Smartphone, and lets you make and enjoy the most out of the same amount of time spent.

The EMAGINE Net TV channels are Online Channels created on YouTube & Vimeo, handpicked and lovingly categorised by the EMAGINE team, and they are not the same as traditional broadcast “linear” channels like HBO, TV3, MTV and others. The Online Channels in EMAGINE Net TV are presented in a way that allows you to easily browse, explore and watch videos according to your interest, and you only watch what you want to, whenever you want to, and however many times you wish to.

EMAGINE Net TV picks out the best and most entertaining channels available online, because there is simply just too much content online. Searching for the best and what interests us takes a lot of time, and sometimes we don’t know what we like until we watch it. Videos available online is almost unlimited, whereas our time to watch them in the comfort of our homes by comparison is very limited.

To see a list of online channels currently available on EMAGINE Net TV, please got to https://www.emagine.my/what-is-emagine/

The difference is ease, simplicity, the discovery, the navigation, the comfort and the experience – between leaning back on your bed or couch and using the remote to browse and play in full screen on your big screen TV, and leaning forward on your PC’s much smaller screen clicking the mouse, waiting for advertisements to end or clicking them away, clicking to watch full screen, and flipping between web pages to switch and explore other channels.

A unique feature that EMAGINE has is that you can personally add up to 100 Online Channels of your own choice into EMAGINE directly from your TV. You can search and add channels from YouTube & Vimeo, or by highlighting a video thumbnail, clicking on “menu” and selecting “Add to My Channels”. It’s that simple.

Video On-Demand is when a video or movie is played only when you “demand” for it, which is when you click “play”. You can usually pause, forward, rewind, replay, stop and resume videos watched “On-Demand”. This is different from broadcast or “linear” TV channels, where the shows are scheduled in advance and only plays at pre-determined times. Video On-Demand usually requires payment, in several ways:

• The first is you pay for a single video or movie, to be watched once, several or unlimited times within a fixed time period (eg RM10 for 48 hours per movie).
• The second is you pay a fixed monthly subscription to access the entire library of videos and movies “On-Demand”- you can play any video or movie unlimited times, whenever you want to, during the period of subscription. This is often referred to as “Subscription Video On-Demand”, or SVOD. Netflix and Hulu in the US are examples of successful SVOD services.

“Catch-up TV” is a form of On-Demand service, which allows you to watch shows already shown on broadcast TV earlier, at a later time and date. It’s similar to watching a recording of a show shown on TV earlier, and usually it requires a paid subscription for the service.

EMAGINE currently offers a single On-Demand service, and we’re working on adding more On-Demand services moving forward. The service currently available On-Demand on EMAGINE is the iOK Karaoke On-Demand service that offers more than 50,000 songs and with new songs added weekly, which you can subscribe for RM19.90 per month, or RM99.90 for 6 months.

This service is offered free for one month with no commitments for the first 6,000 EMAGINE users.

iOK Karaoke On-Demand is provided by Music Tone Sdn Bhd, the content rights owner.

No, there are not available at the moment.

EMAGINE is an online entertainment and video delivery platform, and technologically EMAGINE is ready and can deliver On-Demand services similar to Netflix & Hulu immediately, and to charge for it on behalf of a Video Service Provider.

However, a Video Service Provider would have to secure the rights to do so first before it can be provided and delivered over the Internet to the Malaysian and Asian audience. These rights usually require millions to be paid in advance yearly by the Video Service Provider (they are called “Minimum Guarantees”), calculated in US Dollars or another major foreign currency, regardless of whether any viewer actually watches and pays for them. Due to the high cost of rights (Minimum Guarantees are negotiated and chargeable by territories and countries), a Video Service Provider would have to charge a very high sum to the viewer per episode, per series or per movie watched, or in the case of an SVOD service, a very high month subscription amount, in order to make a profit in Malaysia and most of Asia.

The combination of high Minimum Guarantee payments required by the content rights owners, the lower earning capacity and exchange rate in Malaysia and Asia compared to the US and Europe, and the widespread availability of illegal downloadable content from the Internet through torrents and other services have resulted in no Video Service Provider so far being able to profitably provide such as service as a standalone service in Malaysia.

Netflix and Hulu are only available in the US and selected countries due to licensing and rights restrictions. They are not able to offer their services in Asia for a number of reasons, some of which we believe are the same as the reasons why there are so few standalone Video Service Providers that are profitable in providing Popular TV series and Movies On-Demand in Malaysia and Asia.

Please see “Why aren’t TV Series and Hollywood Movies available on EMAGINE’s Premium On-Demand?” above for more information.

No, unless you choose to subscribe for additional services offered by 3rd Parties such as the iOK Karaoke On Demand service offered over EMAGINE by Music Tone Sdn Bhd, and other future On-Demand channels or services over and above what EMAGINE offers now. In other words, you do not have to pay anything extra after getting EMAGINE if you want to just use EMAGINE as it is. Not a single cent. Like ever.

No, we do not enable such services on EMAGINE.

No, EMAGINE does not support download of videos from the Internet, either directly or through using BitTorrent. PCs and laptops can do a much better job at that. However, you can playback most downloaded videos on EMAGINE by saving the files in your external hard drive or thumb drive, and connecting it to EMAGINE using any of the three USB 2.0 ports.

To see the file formats EMAGINE can play, please go to the “Tech Specs” section at https://www.emagine.my/what-is-emagine/

EMAGINE currently does not and have no immediate plans to support RMVB (RealMedia Variable Bitrate) files.

We are currently working very hard on plans for roadshows in the Klang Valley to let people get a demo and try out EMAGINE first hand. We will keep you updated on www.facebook.com/MyEMAGINE, so please like the page and keep in touch!