Digital TV

louthandproud

Hey there, is anyone out there in the NE area getting terrestrial digital TV from the North? I have already terrestrial Analog from the North and am getting good reception too. So I'm wondering if I pop into a Tesco's north of the border and buy one of those digital set top boxes will I get BBC3,4 plus all the other free terrestrial channels available in the north?

munchkin_utd

My Aunt is in Crossmaglen just over the border and she gets all the UK stuff with a standard digital trerestrial (DVB-T) decoder- no need to be descrambled.
The RTE signals are also available but thats only a test for the moment .

louthandproud

Thanks for that, I think I will invest. Setanta is avail by subscription in the Norths terrestrial TV system too, no need to be giving my money to NTL/Corus for nothing.

Dingatron

Let me know how you get on with that? Also where abouts are you based in the town? I'd presume the higher you are the better the chances of a signal although that's just a guess on my part.

lucernarian

What channels (frequencies) are you getting your UK channels on? The odds are you'll get nothing british until 2013, and after August probably nothing Irish on DTT too.

DMC

My rule of thumb is can you get Channel 5.

Channel 5 has a weaker signal than DTT has from the Divis transmitter, so if OP can get Channel 5, it looks good for getting it.

louthandproud

To_be_confirmed wrote: »

What channels (frequencies) are you getting your UK channels on? The odds are you'll get nothing british until 2013, and after August probably nothing Irish on DTT too.

I'm getting the British channels directly from a transmitter on the Mournes, currently analog. However people in the North are now switching to terrestrial digital which uses the same masts I believe, and doesn't necessitate a new TV antenna up there, so I am hoping I can pick up one the UK terrestrial digital boxes and use it down here, they cost around £30 I think.

I am high enough up in Drogheda (Beamore Road). But I know UK channels are receivable from many points around Drogheda. I am also using a signal booster.

louthandproud

DMC wrote: »

My rule of thumb is can you get Channel 5.

Channel 5 has a weaker signal than DTT has from the Divis transmitter, so if OP can get Channel 5, it looks good for getting it.

I could get Channel 5 but I don't because it's frequency from the transmitter (Divis I hear you say) is right next to one of the Irish channels so it is diminished as a result. However the digital signal will not be broadcast on this frequency so it shouldn't be a problem. Channel 5 is broadcast in the North with the same strength as all the other channels. I think it is TV3 here which occupy the next available channel.

I guess at this point I will just have to take a punt and buy one of the boxes. I guess I'll be able to use it in a few years anyway when Ireland (the cutting edge technologically based economy that it is ) catches up with the rest of the western world on the digital front.

I will report back in any case and perhaps become public enemy number one for Chorus/NTL. If this fails I am going to invest in an Astra/Hotbird satellite system as a 2nd alternative, I just hate paying someone to provide something that is available free of charge.

DMC

louthandproud wrote:

I'm getting the British channels directly from a transmitter on the Mournes, currently analog.

louthandproud wrote: »

I could get Channel 5 but I don't because it's frequency from the transmitter (Divis I hear you say) is right next to one of the Irish channels so it is diminished as a result. However the digital signal will not be broadcast on this frequency so it shouldn't be a problem. Channel 5 is broadcast in the North with the same strength as all the other channels. I think it is TV3 here which occupy the next available channel.

'fraid not. If you are picking up analogue from Camlough or Kilkeel, you wont get Channel 5 or DTT from that transmitter.

Lets expand that point.

Current analogue power from the 4 from Divis is 500kW, massive, yet Channel 5 is broadcast from Black Mountain, adjacent to Divis, and it only transmits at 1.1kW. Quite a difference. DTT from Divis is between 2.5 and 3kW, so therefore, if you were getting Channel 5, you should get DTT from Divis.

DTT is only broadcast from 3 main transmitter sites in the North and not from any transmitters in the Mournes.

louthandproud wrote: »

I guess at this point I will just have to take a punt and buy one of the boxes. I guess I'll be able to use it in a few years anyway when Ireland (the cutting edge technologically based economy that it is ) catches up with the rest of the western world on the digital front.

And that might not be accurate, as UK Freeview DTT boxes are all MPEG2 only, while it looks like Irish DTT will be a mix of MPEG2 and MPEG4.

A consumer friendly FTA satellite package called Freesat, supported by ITV and the BBC is to launch in the coming months.

lucernarian

Channel 5 is broadcast at 50 kW from Black Mountain. There are no main Irish transmitters broadcasting beside Ch. 37.