Freesat - Just a few small questions.....

Noobsaibot21

Hi all,

Just have a few questions about Freesat's launch next week. I usually have enough technical savvy to get my head around most things but the level of jargon here humbles me immensely.

1. I still have a SKY minidish from an old installation on the roof. It has been off Sky for about 4 years now. Would this dish be sufficent for Freesat? (And assuming it is, would it simply be a case of hooking up a freesat HD reciever to get HD channels through this old dish? And would i have to reposition the dish?)

2. Will i need to order a Freesat card from the UK to get these channels? If so, how would i go about buying one?

3. Is there any possibility that BBC/ITV could block any freesat signals to Ireland? (I'm in North Dublin and can pick up Analogue BBC, ITV etc... no problem)

4. I'd imagine that RTE/TV3/CH6 etc... would not be on this service but would that ever be an option in the future?

5. Assuming all of the above goes well (answer wise), how hard would it be to have this feeding into a second room from the same dish? Would the same channel have to be on? Or if i would need a second receiver, is there a device available that would link the receivers to a wireless hub? Or is that a bit too Star Trek at the moment?

Sorry, i realise that is more than 5 questions but i've scoured the net (and the forums) looking for info but not much involving Ireland available.

Regards,
Noobsaibot21

emaherx

1. Dish should be fine, no realignment required as long as it hasn't moved in the wind.

2. There will be no card. There is Freesat receiver which will be only avaiable in the uk. A standered FTA receiver should be able to receive the channels but not the EPG or interactive services. Most of the channels are already available FTA.

3.Signals can't be blocked from ireland, certinly not Dublin.

4.The Irish channels are not likely to use this platform, although there is a plan for RTE to create a new channel made up of a mix of RTE 1 and 2 for the Irish living in the UK.

5.Second room would require a second receiver and a quad LNB to watch diffrent channels. An LNB is the bit on the dish where the cable is attached.

Might have to wait a while for your Star Trek hub

watty

There are devices to link a reveiver to a "wireless hub". Unless signal is very good and you have at least 108, 125 or 250Mbps wiFi it won't work well. Even so much use by other laptops or PCs will make the video streaming jitter badly unless it is done only at pathetic YouTube quality/resolution.

The only differences between a FTA receiver available (without card) for several years and Freesat is that C4 hass recently gone FTA (no card needed) and the FreeSat adds automatic tuning, interactive, text, extended program guide, like on Sky boxes and not working on generic FTA receivers (inc HD and PVR types).

scath

RTE-TG4 mix will be on Freesat Uk by March 17th next year. Currently planned no ads..but with ads would be better ie tv license etc...is more than a plan as tender is up on http://www.etenders.gov.ie/Search/Show/Search_View.aspx?id=MAR100578

emaherx wrote: »

1. Dish should be fine, no realignment required as long as it hasn't moved in the wind.

2. There will be no card. There is Freesat receiver which will be only avaiable in the uk. A standered FTA receiver should be able to receive the channels but not the EPG or interactive services. Most of the channels are already available FTA.

3.Signals can't be blocked from ireland, certinly not Dublin. (transponder) difficult if not impossible except via encryption to block channels from Irish viewing ie ftv thus viewable across Irish foot print if satellite footprint covers us.

4.The Irish channels are not likely to use this platform, although there is a plan for RTE to create a new channel made up of a mix of RTE 1 and 2 for the Irish living in the UK. incorrect. RTE/TG4 will use that platform for diaspora next paddy's day.

5.Second room would require a second receiver and a quad LNB to watch diffrent channels. An LNB is the bit on the dish where the cable is attached.

Might have to wait a while for your Star Trek hub

Noobsaibot21

Hi all,

Cheers for the very informative, um, information. Just one or two more things:

FreeSat adds automatic tuning, interactive, text, extended program guide, like on Sky boxes and not working on generic FTA receivers (inc HD and PVR types).

If i got the propper, official Freesat set up the north or online, would that give me all of the fancy EPG, interactive, etc? If so, would the Freesat receiver work with the old SKY dish or would i be better off just setting up the whole thing including an FS dish?

I ask that as last question as NTL decided to remove the SKY cable from the wall running up to the actual dish and replaced it with their box when my dad signed up for them a few years ago. Probably hoping that we'd never go back to SKY. They're such bloody pirates. :mad:

Think i might just plan on the one room for now and have the second room for....... NTL

One other thing, i heard a rumor that propper FreeSat receivers will need an FTA card and that it will be split by UK postcode (for splitting channels based on region i believe). However, only saw this mentioned elsewhere once (on a forum) and i dont think BBC/ITV have ever formally announced this so i guess i'll have to wait 'til Tuesday to find out.

If that's the case, i'd best get my NI Postcode at the ready.

emaherx

Sky dish will be fine. But LNB may need to be changed if you get the PVR version.
Pretty sure there is no card slot on the receivers, they are already advertised at www.argos.co.uk. At a guess I'd say the receiver will ask you to enter a uk post code on first install to configure the region.

watty

No card.

A true PVR needs two LNB feeds, thus a Quand LNB. Some PVRs are more limited with a single tuner and thus can't record a different channel to the one watched.

podgeandrodge

what current types of options are there if you want to record the hd signal from bbc HD or itv HD i.e. keeping the recording in hd?

watty

A HD Satellite receiver (PCI card or PCiE best) adaptor for PC, or a HD Satellite Receiver with built in Hard Drive. (Not SkyHD in Ireland unless it is on EPG).

You can't record HD sensibly any other way.

podgeandrodge

so i take it from the argos offers that there are no HD recorders for freesat out there yet?


edit: I see Humax will probably be the first with a HD PVR round about August..


does this type of thing not do the job already if it was externally connected to a freesat HD receiver?
http://www.pace.com/corporate/products/productDetails.asp?nav=products&productID=DSAT-TDS850

byte

podgeandrodge wrote: »

so i take it from the argos offers that there are no HD recorders for freesat out there yet?


edit: I see Humax will probably be the first with a HD PVR round about August..


does this type of thing not do the job already if it was externally connected to a freesat HD receiver?
http://www.pace.com/corporate/products/productDetails.asp?nav=products&productID=DSAT-TDS850

Yeah, the Humax will the first to have the twin tuner PVR functionality for Freesat.

That Pace looks like a nice machine with its 3 tuners! Would be ideal if configured with the Freesat EPG and software...

podgeandrodge

byte wrote: »

That Pace looks like a nice machine with its 3 tuners! Would be ideal if configured with the Freesat EPG and software...

but without any configuration or software would it not record a HD signal as an external recorder i.e. set timer to record from freesat box?

bassy

ITV HD to be Freesat exclusive?

Speculation is mounting today that ITV's new high definition service will be exclusive to Freesat.

Test transmissions for ITV HD are now being broadcast on Eurobird 1 at 11.428 GHz with horizontal polarisation, a symbol rate of 27500, and a service ID of 10510. However, the stream may not be viewed on Sky boxes, nor traditional free to air receivers, as the video stream is being broadcast as H.222 data rather than using the H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec supported by such receivers and used by existing high definition services such as BBC HD.

Digital Spy forum members who receive digital satellite TV on their home computer have been able to view the stream after installing appropriate codecs. They report that the service information table for the 11.428H transponder is carrying, in addition to the ITV HD stream, data services named "FreesatHome", "FreesatCommonC", "FreesatSSU", and "FreesatOAD".

Freesat is making few public comments until the consumer launch of the new service on May 6, and ITV HD's launch date has yet to be officially confirmed. However, service ID 10510 has been confirmed as present in pre-launch Freesat EPG data, and ITV's online marketing material only advertises it as being "available on Freesat".

watty

It may be they don't want to pay the rip-off fees for Sky's EPG placement. Which means only via "other channels" on Sky HD with no recording.