When we stepped into the venue where Astro and Maxis held their Astro B.yond IPTV with Maxis briefing earlier today, we didn’t expect to learn anything new on top of what we have discussed last week when the service’s official website went online. After all, this is not the first time that Astro is offering B.yond IPTV to fiber-optic customers as they did the same thing with Time Broadband in 2011.

Well, we were wrong…or it could be that we just missed it the first time around.

Apparently, Astro B.yond IPTV with Maxis customers are able to enjoy 10 new HD channels and more than 700 hours’ worth of on-demand contents via Astro Select. Five out of the 10 new HD channels are available immediately which include HBO Hits, HBO Signature, HBO Family, WeTV and check this out: Comedy Central – home to some of the world-renowned comedy show such as South Park and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The remaining five HD channels are scheduled to be out by the next quarter, said Astro.

For those who wondering whether these new channels will be made for standard Astro B.yond customers, well…not anytime soon. According to Astro’s CEO, Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Astro Select is exclusive only for Astro IPTV with Maxis customers. In fact, not even Astro IPTV with Time Broadband customers will receive the new contents which made Astro Select as one of the biggest differences between it and the new Astro IPTV with Maxis.

We got to say that is quite a bummer especially for hopeful Comedy Central fans out there. Nevertheless, for those who are curious about the new Astro IPTV with Maxis which also features high speed broadband of up to 30Mbps and optional voice service, click on www.astro.com.my/iptv and www.maxis.com.my/astro for further details.

Last weekend, Astro launched its new Astro On The Go Worldwide service, which went live on the day of the launch. Astro On The Go Worldwide, as the name implies, improves on the current On The Go service, which now allows it to be available for everyone – not just Astro subscribers – around the world to access Astro On The Go.

To find out more about the new service, and how it differs technically to the current On The Go service to Malaysians, we spoke to Brian Lenz, the Chief Innovation Officer of Astro, to give us a brief rundown of the new Astro On The Go Worldwide service. Lenz previously worked with British satellite giants Sky, and was responsible for several of Sky’s innovative products such as Sky Go, Sky Player as well as Sky’s 3D content. His wealth of experience has now bore fruit with Astro’s latest service with the introduction of Astro On The Go Worldwide.

Astro, the largest pay TV provider in Malaysia, today announced its latest service. Having already received unprecedented success on its Astro On The Go service, which provides subscribers access the best of Astro’s services, the company has announced Astro On The Go (AotG) for subscribers and anyone abroad.

Hit the jump for more on Astro’s latest innovative service.

Acting as the alternative to the standard wired connection, Astro earlier this week has announced the availability of Astro Wi-Fi Dongle for Astro B.yond PVR users. Through the dongle, users who previously having difficulties to hook up their Astro B.yond PVR box to the Internet via wired connection due to the location of their  router or network port can now do it wirelessly.

Once the Astro B.yond PVR box is online using the new Astro Wi-Fi Dongle, users can then enjoy Astro’s Video On Demand (VOD) service – which is delivered via Internet – just like how users with wired connection did previously. The dongle can be obtained from Astro’s Customer Service for RM 110, or at a reduced price of RM 50 for Astro B.yond PVR subscribers with Super Pack.

For more information on the new Astro Wi-Fi Dongle, head on to www.astro.com.my.