Job Discussion Forums

jwesl · Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 5

First of all, thanks to everyone for answering questions on here with so much useful detail.

I'm now curious to know what people choose to do about "home entertainment."

Which package, if any, do you prefer from Etisalat? Is the TV worth having? Is it worth paying for the higher speed internet?

What do folks do about music? I read somewhere that itunes is not available in the UAE. Is it advisable to bring music with me, and if so, in what format?

What about audible.com? Can you download audio books from that or other stores?

Is there any equivalent of netflix, or downloadable movies?

I would like to read about anyone's preferences or experience - thanks.

bacasper · Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 32

I'd like to know about this, too.

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

There is information about Etisalat packages on their website. I have Al Shamil, light user, and it suits me but I don't download much.
itunes is available but if you want to buy music or get artwork, you must give a credit card address outside of the UAE - a country on the itunes list.
Television - I had a package for a time but gave up. Maybe, if you watch sport it's worth it but otherwise . . . I'd rather do something else.
Don't know audible.com but Amazon is fine.

anaxiforminges · Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 136 Location: UAE

What about downloading from bittorrent sites? I'm talking of course about peer-to-peer file sharing. Even here at home we rarely watch TV because we download all our fave shows to watch commercial-free at our leisure.

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I have heard that many of the download sites, like Hulu, will not allow downloads outside the US... ie to a non-US IP... that is the message that they get. I have friends down in Mexico who can't get into any of the these US site. Don't know if a proxy works.

VS

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Good point, VS. Set up the proxy toolbar before entering the UAE. Hotspot is randomly blocked.

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

I don't know much about these things but I have used Limewire and Bit Torrent. I have also been told by friends who have worked in South Korea that it is incredibly slow but if you don't know any different . . . ! All these things have become available since I came to the UAE so I've had no experience elsewhere.

bacasper · Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 32

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

MrScaramanga · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 221

Etisalat has e-vision -- equivalent to cable TV. Otherwise you can also get different packages for sat TV. I had firstnet for a while. Mind you, the best channels on there were actually the free to air MBC duo: MBC2 and MBC4! They had all kinds of American shows like Oprah, GMA, 60 minutes and so on. I tried Showtime for a while and got sick of paying through the nose to watch re-runs of 5 year old shows...

A lot of buildings come with a common satellite dish on the roof and you would likely get these MBC channels with that.

I also use Limewire without any problems.

MrS

Sheikh N Bake · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours

Nine years in the UAE and always subscribed to one of the English-language-dominated satellite TV providers: Orbit and Showtime. Both offer about 8 or 10 UNCENSORED premium movie channels. Orbit has an American news channel that merges all the major US news programs onto a single channel. I'm talking about Stephanopoulos, Meet the Press, Face the Nation, which I don't think are on MBC. I seem to be the only English instructor who cares about premium movie channels without commercials and censorship. The MBC channels are free but just like a US commerical channel, they cut the films to accommodate commercials. They don't censor the dirty words, oddly enough, but of course too much hugging and kissing, let alone any nudity, hits the cutting room floor before you can say "Haram!"

As for all the "best" shows supposedly including Oprah, I would say that's a girl thing, definitely not a guy thing.

MrScaramanga · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 221

Definitely no Independent Film Channel over here... you get your kicks whichever way you can! Laughing

MrS

Noor · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 152

National Geographic opens first free-to-air channel

Keach Hagey
July 08. 2009 7:52PM UAE / July 8. 2009 3:52PM GMT

National Geographic Channel and Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) have teamed up to launch the world�s first free-to-air version of the popular channel, the companies announced Wednesday.

National Geographic Channel Abu Dhabi, which started broadcasting on July 1, is also the first in the region to be dubbed in Arabic. Other versions of the channel on the region�s pay-TV operators are in English.

�National Geographic Channel Abu Dhabi marks the first time that National Geographic Channel has been broadcast on a free-to-air basis anywhere in the world,� said Ward Platt, the president for Asia Pacific and the Middle East of National Geographic Channels International.

�In all other markets in the world, the viewer must pay a subscription to receive the 24-hour National Geographic Channel, but due to the unique nature of the market and the shared vision of Abu Dhabi Media Company and National Geographic Channel, we are able to provide the channel on a non-subscription basis in the region, where the channel revenues will be derived solely from advertising.�

The channel will feature some locally produced content, in addition to global programmes such as Nat Geo Science, Wildlife, Dangerous Encounters and Disastertainment. It is available at Arabsat Badr 6 and Nilesat N102.

ADMC plans to eventually roll out a version of the channel in high definition, said Karim Sarkis, the executive director of broadcast for ADMC.

More:
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090708/BUSINESS/707099998/1005

jwesl · Joined: 27 Apr 2009 Posts: 5

Thanks guys - all very interesting and helpful. Good news about National Geographic.

Does anyone know which proxy servers will work in the UAE. I have been googling around and find a lot of discussion about ones that do not work.

MrScaramanga - can you say any more about Limewire? I don't know what it is used for.