Dog or No Dog, that's the question (RTE)

medja

Has anyone noticed some programmes from RTE going out on Satellite have no DOG, but if you switch back to over the air transmissions it's still there. Is this a new policy, or has someone just forgotten to flick a switch?

Round Cable

Happened a few months back too, maybe they might take the time to fix them at the very least.

Ulsterman 1690

There is a certain amount of sense in removing the DOG from digital feeds but retaining it on analouge transmissions

watty

The analog DOGs are less obtrusive, esp the huge DEN logo has toned down.

byte

Removing the DOG's on digital, but retaining them on analogue would be a good compromise.

Skyuser

They should make it see through like the dog on abc.

watty

NO Canines at all will work here fine.

I suppose on Analog NTL/Chorus a DOG is usefull, but a waste od screen on anything else.

Sparky

Well tbh, you know what channel your on via digital, where as I could understand it on analog as there is no set channel numbers, everybody has a different number for rte etc.
And to aid in tuning in also.

lawhec

No real need for DOGs on RTÉ - I'm sure people coped for nearly 40 years without them on analogue. Are todays people any more dumber than then? :cool:

Ulsterman 1690

Playing devils advocate for a moment

I'm sure people coped for nearly 40 years without them on analogue.

Yes but in the early days when many people had only one or two or (if they were lucky) three channels they usually had a fair idea what channel they were watching

Are todays people any more dumber than then?

Youd wonder sometimes !

watty

On analog Aerial there is still no more than 3 to 4 Irish Channels. Analog Cable is different, as is Analog Deflectors. Both of those will be gone before the 4 irish channels leave analog.

Actually tuning in isn't too often. Even on Analog Aerial my TV and s-VHS BOTH correctly AUTOMATICALLY identify the four channels and display channel name when channel changing. So really DOGs only needed for Analog Cable / Analog MMDS. Why should everyone suffer DOGs fro the minority that watch Analog Pay TV (Which will be gone before DTT starts)?

Ulsterman 1690

analog Aerial

Depending on where in Ireland one is they can get anything from three to ten channels on analouge aerial and thats without the aid of deflectors.

And Auto set up on videos etc rarely works properly it usually
1) Totally misses some weaker signals
2) Stores multiples of the same network (different transmitters)
3) Stores channels in the wrong order

lawhec

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Yes but in the early days when many people had only one or two or (if they were lucky) three channels they usually had a fair idea what channel they were watching

Since the late 1990's though many people, especially in border areas had eight or more analogue channels available to recieve. Again, I'm sure people coped. Channel 5 had the decency to eventualy ditch their DOG during at their rebrand, saying that the original use for their DOG was as a tuning aid rather than for deliberate on-screen branding (at least when they ditched it)/

Which actually reminds me, recently TV3 have decided to crank up the visibility of their DOG big time! What for? :eek: :mad:

If DOGs must be used, then the example of TG4 is the way to go.

Antenna

watty wrote:

Even on Analog Aerial my TV and s-VHS BOTH correctly AUTOMATICALLY identify the four channels and display channel name when channel changing. So really DOGs only needed for Analog Cable / Analog MMDS.

but surely the IDs for RTE/TV3/TG4 should also work with analogue cable? - as these are sourced off-air

watty

See how good the teletext and Nicam are. If the teletext is mangled and Nicam intermittant it may not decode the ID. Analog MMDS often not good enough!