TV3 using sky to distribute their signal?

snaps

I noticed before the kick off cork V Kerry, my TV3 analouge from truskmore was displaying a sky no signal being received? Is this how TV3 distribute their signal to transmitters?

Sponge Bob

If that is what it said on screen then that is what they are doing. That message can only come form a Sky Digital Receiver . TV3 probably have a 2G mobile phone gizmo to reboot it every now and then and that is their entire network on Mullaghanish no doubt

Satellite distribution is very common , the norm in France if I correctly recall what Watty said .

SRB

I've seen that before too on TG4 - it was either Three Rock or Kippure Analogue.

watty

RTE also use Sky boxes some sites as BACKUP if the "official" feed is lost (mostly fibre or digital microwave 45Mbps+ )

Five in UK use PowerVu on Intelsat 907 I think, rather than Sky (higher bitrate?) Some UPC head ends feed by C6 on some feed sat or so (could be IS907 also).

Some French relays fed 5W or 8W depending on if Analogue (Secam) or Digital.

Mike 1972

When people question the need for a terrestrial network the main justification given is that we dont want to be over reliant on satellite alone

Or something

Sponge Bob

Yes , one solar storm and the birds could be well toasted. It would take years to replace them .

L1011

Mike 1972 wrote: »

When people question the need for a terrestrial network the main justification given is that we dont want to be over reliant on satellite alone

Or something

Generally they're using satellite as a secondary not the primary. Microwave or fibre is the primary and RBR is the tertiary usually.

If you look at radio licence applications, some sites have four systems set up - microwave, satellite, ISDN and RBR. Belt and braces x2 job really.

lawhec

Mike 1972 wrote: »

When people question the need for a terrestrial network the main justification given is that we dont want to be over reliant on satellite alone

Or something

Channel 5 in the UK found this out the hard way, their analogue transmitter distribution system has always been (and continues to this day) via digital satellite links. Shortly after it opened, a thunderstorm in the London area badly affected the satellite link to the Croydon transmitter (its main transmitter there, it doesn't broadcast from Crystal Palace in analogue) causing the picture to break up several times during an evening's programming. They were pillared in the press for this for being "shoddy". They shortly afterwards installed a land line fibre link to the transmitter site to prevent this happening again - at least in London anyway, all remaining sites continue to the satellite fed.

vince

i noticed a new sky dish whit quad lnb 2 wires coming off it at the rte relay site at inchigeela co cork. my first thought was to relay tv3 but tv3 still arnt on relays are they? they arnt in dunmanway any how. the arials on inchigeela are recieving from mulliganish of course.

byte

vince wrote: »

i noticed a new sky dish whit quad lnb 2 wires coming off it at the rte relay site at inchigeela co cork. my first thought was to relay tv3 but tv3 still arnt on relays are they? they arnt in dunmanway any how. the arials on inchigeela are recieving from mulliganish of course.

Possibly as backup, if the main link to Mullaghanish fails?

I remember a friend of mine telling me he saw this on RTÉ 1 from the Listowel relay, Mullaghanish went down along with all its dependencies. I think there's a video of it on YouTube.

netwhizkid

My local RTÉ Relay at Morley's Bridge is fed by Satellite as you can see from the photos. It is fed from Satellite because of TV distribution caused by Wind turbines in the area. I have seen "No Satellite Signal is being received" a few times off it also.

netwhizkid

netwhizkid wrote: »

My local RTÉ Relay at Morley's Bridge is fed by Satellite as you can see from the photos. It is fed from Satellite because of TV distribution caused by Wind turbines in the area. I have seen "No Satellite Signal is being received" a few times off it also.

You'd think that they'd use a bigger dish to help prevent rain fade.

Sponge Bob

netwhizkid wrote: »

My local RTÉ Relay at Morley's Bridge is fed by Satellite as you can see from the photos. It is fed from Satellite because of TV distribution caused by Wind turbines in the area. I have seen "No Satellite Signal is being received" a few times off it also.

It would be cheaper to give every houshold served by it a free Sky box

netwhizkid

Sponge Bob wrote: »

It would be cheaper to give every houshold served by it a free Sky box

Perhaps, but not a free Sky minimum subscription for RTE1, RTE2, TV3 & TG4, it is pretty pathetic that RTÉ and Sky have not worked out a FTV (encrypted card system) like "Freesat from Sky" where the channels are essentially free but you must pay the once off fee for the card to view them and it would be limited to Ireland.

That actual relay is new (using ex Mullaghanish 30yr+ gear) and was erected by RTÉNL (paid for by Wind developers) in a hurry as a stop gap solution to the turbine TV disruption. It gives a weak signal (10W) and alot of the people originally effected are still without a usable tv signal. Everybody's Aerials also had to be realigned to it and it is situated in a very bad spot and is too low down and had it been situated higher alot more people would have been able to get a good reception off it. Thankfully DTT will cure alot of peoples problems when it launches.

Pat Gleeson

Karsini wrote: »

Mullaghanish went down along with all its dependencies. I think there's a video of it on YouTube.

Yep, here it is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK2m0GgrODM

pa990

Thats true.

I'm lead to believe that they use Sat signals as a backup system, in the event of normal (re)distribution systems being borked

I'm pretty sure watty has mentioned this recently also

watty

netwhizkid wrote: »

Perhaps, but not a free Sky minimum subscription for RTE1, RTE2, TV3 & TG4, it is pretty pathetic that RTÉ and Sky have not worked out a FTV (encrypted card system) like "Freesat from Sky" where the channels are essentially free but you must pay the once off fee for the card to view them and it would be limited to Ireland.

I believe RTE can have that any day they want. Sky will of course charge pro-rata what they charged C4/BBC for it. One estimate is "over £50M". RTE believes that since Satellite TV (from their point of view) is only Pay TV (wrong) that getting free encryption & carriage from Sky is a good deal for the Licence Fee payer as RTE only pay for uplink.

More Music

MYOB wrote: »

Generally they're using satellite as a secondary not the primary. Microwave or fibre is the primary and RBR is the tertiary usually.

Further to what Watty and MYOB posted and taking RTE1 Mullaghanish as an example.

The PIE switcher (Program Interface Equipment) decides which feed goes to the RTE1 TV transmitter.

The switcher has 3 inputs:
1 is the microwave link
2 is the Astra satellite backup (Sky Digital)
3 is an off-air feed (RBR) from Mt. Leinster

The output of the PIE then feeds the relevant TV transmitter. This can be switched manually or automatically.

RTE have worked out a deal with Sky to get carriage on Sky Digital at a massive discount. The idea is to make people subscribe to Sky as they'll get all/most of their channels on one platform.

watty

Essentially "free" when Sky should in reality pay RTE for privilege of having it to make their Pay TV more attractive.

It wasn't as a good a deal as RTE thinks. RTE should be getting 2% or more of Sky's Irish revenue.

How much do Sky pay the BBC for the less watched BBC1NI and BBC2NI in Ireland?

SRB

Strictly speaking, they don't, it's the BBC commercial arm who look after that deal.