DTT trial now off the air. Opinions now it's over for the moment?

Mayo Exile

DTT trial is now off the air. Went off just before midnight (23:57) at Clarmont Carn. Re-scanned with DTT trial box. Nothing now on channels 53, 57, 60 and 63 from CC.

MPEG4 only tests will resume next week hopefully.

As it is now finished (for the moment) what did people think of it overall?

Pros: handy way of getting decent quality pictures if all you were using was an internal antenna.

Cons: no interactivity (red button stuff) for the triallists. No real advantage of digital TV displayed to them!! No text either. Well not through the trial box anyway. Only had text in the last couple of weeks as I bought a new TV with a digital tuner (MPEG4), plus MHEG so I could view text, which looking pleasing to the eye.

danIrl

My system was a DVB-T PCI card in a homebrew media centre connected to a LCD TV via DVI.

I have to say that after recording Analogue channels from NTL source for a year or so and then switching to the free Irish channels on DTT, the change in quality was amazing. It also shows how poor the NTL digital tranmissions are!

I live in Rathfarnham and was able to get a decent signal quality with a small indoor aerial.

Hopefully the MPEG-4 tranmissions will start soon and that they do not try to squeeze too many channels at the expense of picture quality on the free mux.

watty

It was political and of little relevence to real deployments as forecast. A gap filler to suggest to World+dog+EU that we doing something till the real RTE tests proir to a public launch happened.

Those of us with Satellite or UK freeview knew how much better than Digital MMDS or Digital cable the DTT can be.

scath

Given that I seen the quality of DVB and suggested my ma get in Freesat ie Freesat from Sky was the only option 18 months ago, I expected that DTT would be comparable. And it was. 3Rock went off a minute before Claremont (23:56) just as I was watching BBC3. I got to see what its like when a signal is shut off. wham...no signal. Also rescanned and then this morn. Nowt.Like ye guys have said, no MHEG5 to enjoy the red button functionality. I suspect some trialists had Digital TV sets and enjoyed the teletext/red button. I hadn't and hadn't the dosh to go buying an MPEG4 box. I got the EPG on my stick via DVB Viewer, but have to use Cyberlink. But that's a trial software. Have to go back to the shop and get em to sort out my Real Player/Intervideo DVD or get em to pay the €40 to have the stick work, as they'll have sold me a pig on a poke, unless these are picked up by the USB stick on monday. I think not judging that I only got black with OTV and HD Ireland.

Was able via the screenshot to see how telextext looked.

I would like to see Amigo TV or any similar software implemented on the set top boxes and TV sets next year. That's up to RTÉ and the BBC to do though. Have advocated it to the parties, but dunno if they're bothered really.

I think it'd give DTT a USP since they're coming out with new boxes. It has the potential for friends in own homes to watch something at same time, chat about it, without being in same house, dito on the laptop using Skype/Netmeeting and webcam using broadband. With the same for the laptop-pci/usb stick and wireless broadband. They could have an ad ticker at the bottom of the interface and text functionality for something private users want to say lol using the internet instead of the phone. Netmeeting expanded for TV really. Could make it a chargeable service for Adult, could have Actor interaction event for a programme being shown.

yellabelly

I miss the service already. We don't have Sky for RTE and our analogue picture quality is terrible. Hope they get another trial running soon. 2 years for a trail is ridiculous - they might as well have left it running. I think the service was fine for most people. We had program info and a 7 day EPG that could record to a media player through our receiver. I don't see what else could be better. More low quality channels isn't progress in my opinion. We have satellite and cable for that.
Anyone with the Internet isn't going to get too excited with text.

Cas2007

Somebody should tell aldi that Irish DTT is gone (for now)
http://aldi.ie/ie/html/offers/58_6600.htm
DVB-T Features

* EPG (Electronic Programme Guide)
* 200 programme storage locations
* Automatic channel programming
* Programme lock via password
* Favourite list
* Timer
also what are the o2 Dvb-H channels???????????

watty

Where does it say about O2 DVB-H? There was a trial ages ago...

That TV won't work with Irish DTT (probably ).

Cas2007

on my dtt box(not the trail one some crppy one i bough in england ) it still recieves the the o2 dvb-h channels so there trial must be still on cant watch them tho