Can Ireland help the Astra 2D Website?

astra2d

The Astra 2D website has an Irish page that needs updating. Can anybody take some screen shots of the Irish channels (RTE 1, 2, TV3, TG4 TV6).
Any additional information on Sky, or satellite TV in general in Ireland, is most welcome.
One last question, is there a complete and up to date EPG list for the Republic?
Please email me at: expat@astra2d.com
www.astra2d.com

Thanks for your help

watty

Sky keep changing the EPG. Occasionally we update various sites including ICDG

TV6 is only technically an Irish channel (no Terrestrial coverage, no Irish TV) and TV3 close behind (80% Terrerstrial coverage and little local content).

Read the Stickies here and the ICDG site in my sig for a lot of Irish related info.

astra2d

What I really need is some good quality screen shots for the site, can you help?

Tony

Astra whats your opinion on the freesat service, will it be fully FTA or some sort of soft built in encryption?

kylemore

Why is it that Ireland seems to be the only European country that doesn't have a Free to Air Satellite Service?

watty

According to RTE at the time Satellite is only for those paying for Multichannel pay TV as an alternative to NTL, thus their deal was good value as it cost them nothing.

Actually they could have actually got Sky to pay them!

RTE now realise this was a mistake.

However other small countries are not using English.
All of UK can easily pick up any transmission for Ireland and since it is 30x rights value, the cost for programs, even ones made for/by RTE whould be prohibitive.

astra2d

Thanks for all the great screen shots mailed to me, feel free to send any new ones. It is a bit difficult for me to stay up to date with the situation in Ireland, so your help is most welcome. I will soon up my Sky Ireland page and am planing a new Irish digital TV section.

The new BBC/ITV Freesat service is, as far as I know going to be free-to-air, Channel 4, E4 and More4 will join as soon as their contract with Sky expires sometime in 2008.
I would love to see the Irish broadcasters on Freesat, this could though be expensive for them, as all UK viewers would have access. There are some rights issues, though surely these could be ironed out. I mean if we can get Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness to work together, then rights issues should be a doddle!:D
I can't see any reason for encrypting TG4, S4C has been free for years on satellite, with Sport.

Question: Are RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 available on Northern Irish Freesat from Sky cards?

Tony

I'm open to correction but I think they are only available on subs.

byte

astra2d wrote: »

Question: Are RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 available on Northern Irish Freesat from Sky cards?

To the best of my knowledge, these channels are only available via subscription.

watty

Only sub and no TV3.

kylemore

how does this overspill work in the UK? e.g. If Granada bought a program for it's area would it have to pay top dollar just because the other ITV areas can pick it up on freesat?

L1011

There is virtually no regional content in the UK to begin with, and anything there is is usually region specific.

Theres also only 4 ITV contractors anyway! "Granada" are just part of the all England, Isle of Man and Border Scotland "ITV PLC".

astra2d

Yer overspill is not an issue for ITV, or the BBC, Ireland has such a smaller population, UK broadcasters can easily cover the copyright. The opposite is the case for Ireland, RTE's bill would be far larger if it had to pay for UK viewers. I know TV3 is not available up north, this is to do with copyright issues with ITV mainly. Load of crap really, considering ITV's channels are available all over Ireland on a crystal claer unencrypted digital satellite signal!

How watched are the UK channels in Ireland, are they a threat to your domestic channels or a welcome addition?
I have read that in the past they were relayed all over Ireland with huge anntenas (reflectors?). Thank God for digital satellite!

mike2084

The UK channels are huge here in Ireland, and FTA setups are sprung up all over to capitalise on the free UK TV. I think they compliment the Irish channels rather than threaten them.

MACHEAD

[QUOTE=Question: Are RTÉ 1, 2 and TG4 available on Northern Irish Freesat from Sky cards?[/QUOTE]

Yep, RTÉ 1 & 2, TG4 on sub only, no TV3 or Ch6. Live sports coverage on RTÉ likely to be blocked, though I've even seen deferred coverage of Heiniken Cup rugby blocked also. That's why some of us have irish viewing cards.

L1011

Michael Walsh wrote: »

The UK channels are huge here in Ireland, and FTA setups are sprung up all over to capitalise on the free UK TV. I think they compliment the Irish channels rather than threaten them.

The Irish channels were unable to compete for years, though, so if they were going to be threatened it'd have happened.

Growing up RTE were always tuned to 5 and 6, the video to 7 and eventually TG4 to 8 on the TVs attached to the aerial. UK channels 1-4...

astra2d

Great thanks for the information, all I can take off the irish channels is a few screen shots of text tv on a non Sky receiver. So all your help has been invaluable. :rolleyes: