RTE Two HD on Sky [Merged]

Berty44 · 25-05-2011 10:12am #1

RTE have been advertising that they will be showing the Magners League and Champions League on HD at the weekend.

I cannot see that RTE 2 HD has been added to the Sky EPG.

I cannot see any reference where RTE 2 HD can be added in the Other Channels Section.

I basically cannot find any answers on the net for this.

Does anyone know how I can get this channel on my Sky HD box ??

bk · 25-05-2011 10:40am

No, RTE2 HD is currently only available on Saorview. The new digital replacement for terrestrial (needs an aerial) TV.

Beamobhoy · 25-05-2011 10:43am

Not available on Sky, adverts on RTE state Saorview - no reference to Sky at any point.

Of course we hope it does eventually get onto Sky................

Why_oh_why · 25-05-2011 12:39pm

Surely as TV Licence payers and also paying Sky for RTE, Sky customers will have to be given the Saorview channels on the Sky platform.

Or am I being over simplistic?

evilivor · 25-05-2011 12:51pm

Why_oh_why wrote: »

Surely as TV Licence payers and also paying Sky for RTE, Sky customers will have to be given the Saorview channels on the Sky platform.

Or am I being over simplistic?

TV licence is just a tax on having a television - what you receive on it is immaterial.

Macy0161 · 25-05-2011 12:56pm

Why_oh_why wrote: »

Surely as TV Licence payers and also paying Sky for RTE, Sky customers will have to be given the Saorview channels on the Sky platform.

Or am I being over simplistic?

Yes, as has been said, TV Licence is a tax on TV equipment.

Also, DTT RTE 2 will be switching between HD and SD content - can sky receivers handle that? There's no seperate RTE2 HD channel.

Minstrel27 · 25-05-2011 1:02pm

Why_oh_why wrote: »

Surely as TV Licence payers and also paying Sky for RTE, Sky customers will have to be given the Saorview channels on the Sky platform.

Or am I being over simplistic?

I don't see why. Sky is a foreign platform who pay no taxes from subscriptions to the Irish exchequer.

Badgermonkey · 25-05-2011 1:17pm

Go Freesat

http://www.freesat.co.uk/

Go Saorview

http://www.saorview.ie/

BBC1 HD, ITV HD, CH4 HD, RTE HD - All Free, gratis, no charge, zero, nada.

You get the point.

Bullseye1 · 25-05-2011 1:19pm

evilivor wrote: »

TV licence is just a tax on having a television - what you receive on it is immaterial.

But your paying to receive RTE content. The license fee goes to RTE. Surely it is up to them to ensure all households who pay the license fee get the same content.

StiophanM · 25-05-2011 1:27pm

I assume RTE will broadcast their HD content free on their new Saorsat service but that isn't going to come from the same satellite you get Sky from. You will certainly need additional equipement other than the standard SKY\FTA set up to view.

I also assume the reason for 'having to pay' for RTE on Sky is both a commercial deal done between Sky and RTE and copyright issues where an 'imported' program in Ireland is owned by RTE but for the UK someone else. The latter probably explains why it will go onto a different satellite altogether when RTE broadcasts via satellite free.

The TV license does get to me too. I can't even justify (in my head) the Tax on a TV thing'. You pay for it via Sky or Cable as well as stations getting revenue for advertising etc etc.
:eek:

Demesneman · 25-05-2011 1:31pm

Have you checked with Saorview? I think RTE2 is broadcasting via this service

rlogue · 25-05-2011 1:33pm

It won't happen yet. RTÉ have stated that they will make RTE 2 HD available to Sky, UPC and any other platform at a later date so that the Saorview platform can be promoted. After that it will then be up to that platform if they want to carry RTE 2 HD and indeed any other Irish HD channel.

StiophanM · 25-05-2011 1:37pm

Yes RTE2 HD is on Saorview (For those not knowing its via your Aerial and you may need a set top box - there are numourous threads about it elsewhere on Boards)

Yes RTE HD channels will be on Sky but not FREE

:cool:

Macy0161 · 25-05-2011 1:38pm

Bullseye1 wrote: »

But your paying to receive RTE content. The license fee goes to RTE. Surely it is up to them to ensure all households who pay the license fee get the same content.

That's not correct. TV Licence is on equipment not content.

StiophanM · 25-05-2011 1:39pm

Sorry Rlogue - he wasn't asking in the first place if it was going to be FTA!

Bullseye1 · 25-05-2011 1:40pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

That's not correct. TV Licence is on equipment not content.

So RTE do not get the monies from the license fee?

Macy0161 · 25-05-2011 1:44pm

Bullseye1 wrote: »

So RTE do not get the monies from the license fee?

They get most of it (not all), but that doesn't change what the fee is actually on.

BuzzFish · 25-05-2011 1:45pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Yes, as has been said, TV Licence is a tax on TV equipment.

Also, DTT RTE 2 will be switching between HD and SD content - can sky receivers handle that? There's no seperate RTE2 HD channel.

This is incorrect. RTE 2 on Saorview is broadcast in HD all the time. For SD content the picture is upscaled to HD.

homelink · 25-05-2011 2:50pm

rlogue wrote: »

It won't happen yet. RTÉ have stated that they will make RTE 2 HD available to Sky, UPC and any other platform at a later date so that the Saorview platform can be promoted. After that it will then be up to that platform if they want to carry RTE 2 HD and indeed any other Irish HD channel.

Interesting that tomorrow is supposed to be the official launch date for Saorview. Thursday is one of the days when Sky rolls out new channels?

JDxtra · 25-05-2011 2:52pm

homelink wrote: »

Interesting that tomorrow is supposed to be the official launch date for Saorview. Thursday is one of the days when Sky rolls out new channels?

Now that really is clutching at straws!!

Noffles · 25-05-2011 2:54pm

RTE is utter drivel and on Sky I think I may of brushed past it a couple of times that's it since it was made available... ****e in HD is still ****e... just it's High Definition ****e...

JDxtra · 25-05-2011 3:21pm

Noffles wrote: »

RTE is utter drivel and on Sky I think I may of brushed past it a couple of times that's it since it was made available... ****e in HD is still ****e... just it's High Definition ****e...

You can't please everybody all the time. On the flip side, I watch RTE maybe 75% of the time. The majority of everything else on Sky (exlcuding the BBC / C4 channels) I consider to be utter drivel.

The Cush · 25-05-2011 3:35pm

Bullseye1 wrote: »

So RTE do not get the monies from the license fee?

The TV Licence fee goes to the exchequer, from there it is allocated by the Dept of Comms to RTÉ, TG4 and the BAI Sound & Vision fund.

homelink · 25-05-2011 4:53pm

JDxtra wrote: »

Now that really is clutching at straws!!

Just hoping someone might bite;)

mad muffin · 26-05-2011 8:41am

Noffles wrote: »

RTE is utter drivel and on Sky I think I may of brushed past it a couple of times that's it since it was made available... ****e in HD is still ****e... just it's High Definition ****e...

Your not wrong there

JDxtra wrote: »

You can't please everybody all the time. On the flip side, I watch RTE maybe 75% of the time. The majority of everything else on Sky (exlcuding the BBC / C4 channels) I consider to be utter drivel.

There are many quality shows on the likes of Sky HD, Living HD, Atlantic HD, FX HD, Comedy Central HD, Universal HD, Syfy HD and the many HD documentary channels plus of course BBC HD Eurosport HD and then the HD channels via other channels.

In the UK when BBC HD was released it was made available on all platforms.

After all, that's the right way to do it, as people already have equipment. No need to buy additional equipment.

Of course there is the right way and then there is the Irish way.

Tony · 26-05-2011 9:40am

mad muffin wrote: »

Of course there is the right way and then there is the Irish way.

The Irish way (and anywhere else I know in the world) is to best serve your own commercial interest which is what RTE are doing in this case.

Macy0161 · 26-05-2011 9:51am

Tony wrote: »

The Irish way (and anywhere else I know in the world) is to best serve your own commercial interest which is what RTE are doing in this case.

It's not even really just an RTE commercial interest though - giving saorview an advantage to establish itself will help the consumer in the long run. The launch of saorview, along with greater consumer knowledge of the availablity of freesat and/or combo's has to have been a factor in the Sky price freeze and them finally adding BBC3 and BBC4. Some coincidence of timing if it wasn't!

bk · 26-05-2011 9:59am

mad muffin wrote: »

In the UK when BBC HD was released it was made available on all platforms.

After all, that's the right way to do it, as people already have equipment. No need to buy additional equipment.

On the other hand, that isn't what ITV HD or C4 HD did.

ITV HD launched exclusively on Freesat, to help promote that and C4 HD launched exclusively on Sky.

channelsurfer2 · 26-05-2011 10:02am

Macy0161 wrote: »

It's not even really just an RTE commercial interest though - giving saorview an advantage to establish itself will help the consumer in the long run. The launch of saorview, along with greater consumer knowledge of the availablity of freesat and/or combo's has to have been a factor in the Sky price freeze and them finally adding BBC3 and BBC4. Some coincidence of timing if it wasn't!

yes amazing what even the hint of a reduction in subscription revenue will do to sky. before this it was a take it all attitude and give as little back as possible to their irish subscribers.
I welcome RTE 2 HD and look foward to watching live sport in HD for free on saturday without having to pay sky an extra 15euro to watch it or have to invest in a satellite dish.

Tea 1000 · 26-05-2011 10:09am

Bullseye1 wrote: »

But your paying to receive RTE content. The license fee goes to RTE. Surely it is up to them to ensure all households who pay the license fee get the same content.

But they do, as much as is possible they do make it available to all households, via their own network. It's up to you whether you want to receive it or not. Why should RTE facilitate Rupert Murdoch's empire? I know I wouldn't if I were in their shoes!

Tea 1000 · 26-05-2011 10:14am

mad muffin wrote: »

Your not wrong there

There are many quality shows on the likes of Sky HD, Living HD, Atlantic HD, FX HD, Comedy Central HD, Universal HD, Syfy HD and the many HD documentary channels plus of course BBC HD Eurosport HD and then the HD channels via other channels.

In the UK when BBC HD was released it was made available on all platforms.

After all, that's the right way to do it, as people already have equipment. No need to buy additional equipment.

Of course there is the right way and then there is the Irish way.

All those HD channels you have listed with the exception of BBC HD are all an extra in subscription to Sky. They charge you more to get a picture quality that we should be getting by default if we are to pay at all to receive it. That's €15 a month extra for zero extra content, only a few of the channels you have already in higher resolution. BBC have a corporate link to Sky, which is why they would make BBC HD available on the listing.
BBC, ITV and RTE all give their HD channels free of charge, which you can receive if you like.
Obviously you prefer to applaud Sky and criticise the "Irish way". Fair enough, if that makes you happy!

mad muffin · 26-05-2011 11:09am

Tony wrote: »

The Irish way (and anywhere else I know in the world) is to best serve your own commercial interest which is what RTE are doing in this case.

If they didn't get anything from the tv licence like tv3.

bk wrote: »

On the other hand, that isn't what ITV HD or C4 HD did.

ITV HD launched exclusively on Freesat, to help promote that and C4 HD launched exclusively on Sky.

They don't get ant public funding.

You either go the UK route, charge a tv licence, produce quality content an sell it worldwide. Then you don't have ads on your channels and you pay your top stars millions.

Or you can go, for instance the Australin route, no tv licence, no ads on ABC and no million dollar pay cheques.

Here we pay a tv licence produce crap, have ads and pay millions to the likes of Pat Kenney.

And now I need to go and buy a set top box ( I already have a box that would receive if rte would let me) to be able to watch channel I already pay for.

mad muffin · 26-05-2011 11:18am

Tea 1000 wrote: »

All those HD channels you have listed with the exception of BBC HD are all an extra in subscription to Sky. They charge you more to get a picture quality that we should be getting by default if we are to pay at all to receive it. That's €15 a month extra for zero extra content, only a few of the channels you have already in higher resolution. BBC have a corporate link to Sky, which is why they would make BBC HD available on the listing.
BBC, ITV and RTE all give their HD channels free of charge, which you can receive if you like.
Obviously you prefer to applaud Sky and criticise the "Irish way". Fair enough, if that makes you happy!

They charge because there is no competition.

I didn't spend thousands on HD AV equipment to get a handful of HD channels for free and watch everything else in SD.

So if I have to pay extra for HD I have to pay. I'm not a begrudger.

Macy0161 · 26-05-2011 11:25am

Channel 4 is a public service station though, and still launched it's HD channel exclusively on sky.

Comparing RTE to the BBC is just nonsense given the population, and therefore the funding, differences.

The state, or it's companies, shouldn't go out of it's way to help Sky, when they contribute little in the way of taxes. They actually take money out of our economy!

mad muffin wrote: »

They charge because there is no competition.

Saorview + Free To Air satellite, with Free HD content, will add competition to the market. We've already seen some impact with the price freeze and some extra channels on Sky. No one is saying "never" for RTE HD content on sky or upc, but it's right to try and launch it with the service that's brought it about. It's short termism to demand it from the get go, imho.

Minstrel27 · 26-05-2011 11:34am

mad muffin wrote: »

If they didn't get anything from the tv licence like tv3.

Don't they? I am almost sure that they get something from the sound and vision fund.

lawhec · 26-05-2011 4:41pm

mad muffin wrote: »

In the UK when BBC HD was released it was made available on all platforms.

When BBC HD was launched, it was only available to satellite (FTA) and cable customers. Its launch on digital terrestrial didn't happen until around two years after its formal launch (save a limited technical test in London in 06/07). Terrestrial roll out is still not complete, and it won't be available in Northern Ireland until DSO.

mad muffin wrote: »

After all, that's the right way to do it, as people already have equipment. No need to buy additional equipment.

BBC HD requires either a receiver capable of receiving DVB-S MPEG4 HD transmissions (not DVB-S2 yet I believe due to technical limitations, but all Freesat HD receivers are DVB-S2 capable) via satellite, or a DVB-T2 receiver commonly badged as "Freeview HD" via terrestrial, or an appropriate receiver supplied by your cable provider. For satellite, standard SD MPEG2 receivers like the original single-tuner Sky Digital and Sky+ receivers cannot receive BBC HD and never will. For terrestrial, SD MPEG2 DVB-T receivers will not pick up BBC HD either and again they never will. This includes all receivers given the "Freeview" or "Freeview+" approval. In both cases equipment upgrades are required. As an example, last December I got my hands on a SkyHD+ receiver to replace a Sky+ receiver mainly for the purpose of receiving FTA & FTV HD broadcasts.

On the other hand, Saorview badged receiver are guaranteed to be HD compatible from the start, even if the viewer only watches using an SD display initially.

lawhec · 26-05-2011 4:44pm

Tea 1000 wrote: »

BBC have a corporate link to Sky, which is why they would make BBC HD available on the listing.

What corporate link is this? The only one I can think of is that both are part of the Freeview consortium, but that's it.

lawhec · 26-05-2011 4:50pm

mad muffin wrote: »

You either go the UK route, charge a tv licence, produce quality content an sell it worldwide. Then you don't have ads on your channels and you pay your top stars millions.

Or you can go, for instance the Australin route, no tv licence, no ads on ABC and no million dollar pay cheques.

Here we pay a tv licence produce crap, have ads and pay millions to the likes of Pat Kenney.

Or you can go down the route used in many European countries (Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Iceland, Austria, Poland, Greece, Romania, Czech Republic etc.) of a TV licence where PSB channels also have advertisements. Mileage on how much people are paid to present shows on these channels may differ.

mad muffin · 26-05-2011 4:50pm

lawhec wrote: »

When BBC HD was launched, it was only available to satellite (FTA) and cable customers. Its launch on digital terrestrial didn't happen until around two years after its formal launch (save a limited technical test in London in 06/07). Terrestrial roll out is still not complete, and it won't be available in Northern Ireland until DSO.

BBC HD requires either a receiver capable of receiving DVB-S MPEG4 HD transmissions (not DVB-S2 yet I believe due to technical limitations, but all Freesat HD receivers are DVB-S2 capable) via satellite, or a DVB-T2 receiver commonly badged as "Freeview HD" via terrestrial, or an appropriate receiver supplied by your cable provider. For satellite, standard SD MPEG2 receivers like the original single-tuner Sky Digital and Sky+ receivers cannot receive BBC HD and never will. For terrestrial, SD MPEG2 DVB-T receivers will not pick up BBC HD either and again they never will. This includes all receivers given the "Freeview" or "Freeview+" approval. In both cases equipment upgrades are required. As an example, last December I got my hands on a SkyHD+ receiver to replace a Sky+ receiver mainly for the purpose of receiving FTA & FTV HD broadcasts.

On the other hand, Saorview badged receiver are guaranteed to be HD compatible from the start, even if the viewer only watches using an SD display initially.

Lol

Minstrel27 · 26-05-2011 5:01pm

mad muffin wrote: »

Lol

What's so funny?

seamus · 26-05-2011 5:33pm

Yes, RTE 2 HD will likely appear on Sky. There's some obscure regulation that requires all public transmissions to be carried by UPC, so I imagine that extends to include paid TV operators offering services within the Republic, including Sky.

mad muffin · 26-05-2011 5:36pm

Minstrel27 wrote: »

What's so funny?

Anyone with an SD box won't be too perturbed about not receiving HD

Tea 1000 · 26-05-2011 5:47pm

mad muffin wrote: »

They charge because there is no competition.

I didn't spend thousands on HD AV equipment to get a handful of HD channels for free and watch everything else in SD.

So if I have to pay extra for HD I have to pay. I'm not a begrudger.

You seem to be begrudging RTE their right to broadcast RTE 2 HD on their own paid for network before handing it over to Sky.
I also have spent plenty on my AV equipment, and even if I did pay Sky their €15 for their few extra HD channels, I still wouldn't be getting HD audio. So I'll stick to the free HD channels, as they're the best anyway, and watch movies on Blu-Ray, for a proper HD experience! Sky can stuff their €15. It should be a no-cost option. They tried their €15 a month craic on Sky+ before too.

watty · 26-05-2011 7:47pm

seamus wrote: »

Yes, RTE 2 HD will likely appear on Sky. There's some obscure regulation that requires all public transmissions to be carried by UPC, so I imagine that extends to include paid TV operators offering services within the Republic, including Sky.

But the onus is on Sky to pay the carriage, encryption and to want it. They will only carry HD version if they switch to HD boxes only (they will eventually) or if they see the value in it. So eventually at a time of SKY's choosing they will carry RTE2 HD. By then TG4, RTE1 and TV3 may be in HD as they all have plans to do so over the next 2 to 3 years.

truedublad · 26-05-2011 7:51pm

Will Saorview be employing people to switch households over to digital?

callaway92 · 26-05-2011 7:53pm

yippeeeeee..looking forward to seeing the Champos League final in HD...don't have Sky Sports HD

lawhec · 26-05-2011 8:16pm

mad muffin wrote: »

Anyone with an SD box won't be too perturbed about not receiving HD

I bought a SkyHD+ box to get BBC HD along with a few other FTA/FTV HD channels via satellite. That is an equipment upgrade. Around the same time, I bought a Freeview HD STB to replace a Freeview STB to ensure myself to be able to watch channels on the Saorview platform and also be ready for Freeview HD channels when DSO occurs next year. That is an equipment upgrade. The end result is a worthwhile picture improvement on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 material on a 32 inch LCD display that's not even "Full HD".

The fact is in most cases, to take advantage of technological advancements you will need to upgrade some element of equipment. Sky went from analogue to digital in less than a handful of years requiring a new receiver (and in most cases a new dish), to go from b&w to colour required a new television, and so on. At some point SD transmissions will be eventually switched off due to cost and diminishing audiences watching it compared to HD simulcasts - the final few may be given incentives to upgrade their receivers to do so (especially the likes of Sky or UPC). Saorview will at least avoid this initial pitfall by making all certified equipment HD compatible from the start.

Also the BBC isn't exactly "platform neutral" that some claim it is and want RTÉ here to be - BBC Alba for example won't be on terrestrial (in Scotland) until next month. The Red button services that are plentiful on satellite are not so on terrestrial - 1 additional "interactive" channel and no news multiscreens. BBC News 24 (now just BBC News) was initially launched only on analogue cable in some areas and available later on digital satellite and digital terrestrial. I don't know what exactly the commercial agreement is with Sky and RTÉ, TV3 & TG4 except that BSkyB pay Astra for the carriage. The terrestrial network allows them more elbow room to experiment on services for now. I'm sure that RTÉ's HD services will be available on Sky & UPC in due course but for now if you want to watch RTÉ2 in HD, there's just one place...

The Cush · 26-05-2011 10:37pm

seamus wrote: »

Yes, RTE 2 HD will likely appear on Sky. There's some obscure regulation that requires all public transmissions to be carried by UPC, so I imagine that extends to include paid TV operators offering services within the Republic, including Sky.

The regulation isn't obscure, it's part of the Broadcasting Act 2009.

The PSBs (RTÉ 1&2, TV3 and TG4) "must offer" their channels to other platforms UPC, Sky etc. Irish operators such as UPC "must carry" the PSB channels. For UK operator Sky it will be their choice to carry the channels.

truedublad wrote: »

Will Saorview be employing people to switch households over to digital?

Saorview is only a brand name owned by RTÉ, it won't be employing anyone to switchover households. That will be the done by the aerial installation and retail trade and paid for by the consumer.

christo82 · 27-05-2011 9:01am

callaway92 wrote: »

yippeeeeee..looking forward to seeing the Champos League final in HD...don't have Sky Sports HD

Well, all you need is ITV1HD, a FTA HD channel for that, not sky sports.

mad muffin · 27-05-2011 9:37am

lawhec wrote: »

I bought a SkyHD+ box to get BBC HD along with a few other FTA/FTV HD channels via satellite. That is an equipment upgrade. Around the same time, I bought a Freeview HD STB to replace a Freeview STB to ensure myself to be able to watch channels on the Saorview platform and also be ready for Freeview HD channels when DSO occurs next year. That is an equipment upgrade. The end result is a worthwhile picture improvement on BBC, ITV and Channel 4 material on a 32 inch LCD display that's not even "Full HD".

The fact is in most cases, to take advantage of technological advancements you will need to upgrade some element of equipment. Sky went from analogue to digital in less than a handful of years requiring a new receiver (and in most cases a new dish), to go from b&w to colour required a new television, and so on. At some point SD transmissions will be eventually switched off due to cost and diminishing audiences watching it compared to HD simulcasts - the final few may be given incentives to upgrade their receivers to do so (especially the likes of Sky or UPC). Saorview will at least avoid this initial pitfall by making all certified equipment HD compatible from the start.

Also the BBC isn't exactly "platform neutral" that some claim it is and want RTÉ here to be - BBC Alba for example won't be on terrestrial (in Scotland) until next month. The Red button services that are plentiful on satellite are not so on terrestrial - 1 additional "interactive" channel and no news multiscreens. BBC News 24 (now just BBC News) was initially launched only on analogue cable in some areas and available later on digital satellite and digital terrestrial. I don't know what exactly the commercial agreement is with Sky and RTÉ, TV3 & TG4 except that BSkyB pay Astra for the carriage. The terrestrial network allows them more elbow room to experiment on services for now. I'm sure that RTÉ's HD services will be available on Sky & UPC in due course but for now if you want to watch RTÉ2 in HD, there's just one place...

I'm not going to go out and buy an aerial, get someone to install it and run the cable then go out and buy a set top box, just for a few new rte channels when my free sky hd box is perfectly adequate at doing the job.

And there are plenty more out there like me.

There are probably a good amount of people that would be happy to ditch sky now, they know they can get he fta uk channels and would be somewhat peeved that they can't get the new rte ones, unless they buy yet more equipment. Even though their current sky hd box can do the job.

truedublad · 27-05-2011 10:46am

Aerial installers must be looking forward to the demand for their service going through the roof for the next 18 months with the intro of Saorview, would there be an opportunity to set up an aerial install business to tap into the Saorview market ?

RTE Two HD on Sky [Merged]

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