DStv Decoder & Explora Setup in Edleen

A decoder swap is more than moving a cable from one box to the next. The new unit has to be connected to the dish feed, set up for your TV's resolution and sound, connected to the network if you want the on-demand side of it, and scanned so the channel list is complete rather than half-populated.

We also check what the dish is delivering while we are there. A decoder that has been marginal for months can make a new unit look faulty on day one, and it is worth knowing which of the two you are actually dealing with before anyone spends money.

Decoders, subscriptions, smartcard pairing and anything with a billing question attached are handled directly by MultiChoice, and messages like E16 almost always mean the account rather than the dish. We are an independent installation business, not a MultiChoice branch or walk-in centre, so we will tell you plainly when a problem is one you can resolve with a phone call instead of a visit.

What we do handle is everything physical: the dish, the LNB, the cable, the wall points and getting the decoder installed, configured and working with your TV and sound setup.

Before we leave we set the picture and sound to suit the TV rather than leaving it on a default, sort out the remote so it controls the volume on the TV or soundbar too, and put the channels people actually watch where they can be found.

If the household includes someone who would rather not learn a new menu, say so. Spending five minutes setting favourites and showing one clear way to get to the channels they watch saves a lot of frustration later.