RTE Teletext + BBC Teletext/SKY Teletext

GERARD123

Hi guys....a query about teletext....got a new Philips 42PFL9664H recently AND signed up to Sky HD+ and got my black Sky HD+ box installed....

Had a separate cable for Irish channels on last box but now 2 cables dedicated to Sky HD(so installer said..)
Sky's text now works now and then.......cannot get RTE's own text at all......

Any idea whay this is the case.....tells me to press TV button on RC and then Text....this does not work...

Could it be something to do with the fact that I switch OFF the standy light from the TV side controls each night ...but not the Sky box(always on standby)

Will I need a separate cable to independently receive the Irish channels and hence text...? or will a 2 x Combiner thingys in the attic and behind the TV work as well....

icdg

What you first need to understand is that there are two types of text service on the Sky platform:

1) "Digital text" services - these are the likes of BBC Red Button and the digital Skytext service. You access these typically by pressing Red or Text on your Sky Digital remote.

2) The old style broadcast teletext systems such as RTÉ Aertel, BBC Ceefax, or the old Skytext service. This is not officialy part of DVB-S but Sky does broadcast the teletext seperately to allow you to view these services. But the Sky Digibox does not incorporate a teletext decoder so this is a TV set function which is why the Digibox is telling you to press "TV" (to switch the Sky remote control to TV control mode) and the text. This will obviously only work if your remote is programmed with the codes to operate your TV set also. Otherwise, what you'll need to do to access RTÉ Aertel is simply to press text on your TV's remote control when RTÉ One or RTÉ Two is on.

It has nothing to do with the standby function on your TV or otherwise.

As an aside, UPC managed to incorporate an analogue teletext decoder in their digiboxes, which is a perhaps more elegant solution is this respect...

copacetic

icdg wrote: »

2) The old style broadcast teletext systems such as RTÉ Aertel, BBC Ceefax, or the old Skytext service. This is not officialy part of DVB-S but Sky does broadcast the teletext seperately to allow you to view these services. But the Sky Digibox does not incorporate a teletext decoder so this is a TV set function which is why the Digibox is telling you to press "TV" (to switch the Sky remote control to TV control mode) and the text. This will obviously only work if your remote is programmed with the codes to operate your TV set also. Otherwise, what you'll need to do to access RTÉ Aertel is simply to press text on your TV's remote control when RTÉ One or RTÉ Two is on.

This doesn't work for a SkyHD box hooked up to the TV by HDMI, HDMI doesn't carry teletext.

OP hook up the sky box to your TV via a scart cable and switch to that input and try text as icdg describes, it should work. You are then left with the pain of switching to the scart input if you want teletext and hdmi if you want a good picture but not sure what else you can do.

GERARD123

Thanks to you both for the replies......I will try to program the Sky Remote to the Phillips TV and then try to get text ...but not too hopeful.....

I will also leave the HDMI connection as picture quality is excellent on this TV and I will not interfere with that....

Looks as if a separate cable from roof/attic aerial ........or a combiner x 2 in attic and behind TV...is the next stop.......and failing that I will try a rabbits ears CRT TV in an adjoining room if I really want RTE Aertel !

By the way...tried to access Sky Text from Sky Remote Control this evening....and does not work.....are you sure this has nothing to do with Standby being switched ON/OFF......as it has worked for me intermittently over the Christmas period....

Thanks again....

Kensington

GERARD123 wrote: »

Thanks to you both for the replies......I will try to program the Sky Remote to the Phillips TV and then try to get text ...but not too hopeful.....

I will also leave the HDMI connection as picture quality is excellent on this TV and I will not interfere with that....

Looks as if a separate cable from roof/attic aerial ........or a combiner x 2 in attic and behind TV...is the next stop.......and failing that I will try a rabbits ears CRT TV in an adjoining room if I really want RTE Aertel !

By the way...tried to access Sky Text from Sky Remote Control this evening....and does not work.....are you sure this has nothing to do with Standby being switched ON/OFF......as it has worked for me intermittently over the Christmas period....

Thanks again....

Which text service are you trying to access?
The first one is the OpenTV "digital" text - sky broadcast this service, RTÉ don't (yet).
The other is the Aertel "analogue" text service - RTÉ broadcast this service, but sky DON'T (as they have the Open system, they discontinued the analogue service a number of years ago, although sky news sometimes has a skeleton service from time to time).

To get the Digital text service, press the "Sky" button at the top of your remote, then press "Text".
To get the Analogue text service, press the "TV" button at the top of your remote, then press "Text".

If the remote is in Sky mode (pressing the "sky" button puts the remote into sky mode), it won't control the TV functions. Likewise, if the remote is in TV Mode (pressing the "TV" button puts the remote into TV mode), it will not operate the sky box and you won't be able to call up digital text.

It sounds like your remote is in TV mode, and you're either trying to pull up sky's digital service, or you're trying to call up analogue sky text which no longer exists.

GERARD123

Still a problem I'm afraid to report !

I tried to tune the Sky Remote Control to my Philips 42PFL9664H....seems to take the instructions to set up okay ...got the double red lights etc.....then ensured that in the TV mode(after pressing TV button on Sky RC) it actually switched off the TV(yES...)....BUT...
1)With say RTE1 on.....press TV buttons and then Teletext button - both on Sky RC.......= NOTHING (
2)With Sky button on Sky RC pressed, then presses Teletext....Text Loading image on bottom RH corner of screen comes for a second or two and then disappears i.e. no "Loading" image appears.....

After all the help and tips etc, I will have to contact Sky Technical people for a solution.....

Kensington

That's an odd one alright, looks like a problem with the box. Did you try pulling the power on the box for 30 seconds, then plug it back in?

GERARD123

Hello Kensington.....yes ...tried the 30-sec Power Off of Sky Box tonight....AND IT WORKED ! Now have Sky's own text service......but no RTE text available so the point made that the HDMI connection does not transmit the RTE Text signal is probably correct.....

Again...many thanks for advice........

Owenw

Looking at the spec for your TV. It appears to have an MPEG4 DTT tuner onboard. Try plugging in a standard aerial and tuning in the trial RTE Digital TV service? You should get perfect Aertel reception along with clear RTE telly.

If you don't want to faff about with scarts, aerials etc. you can always look at Aertel on t'internet!

_Whimsical_

I have no rte text for the past week on either of my TVs.The unusual thing is that both my my sky plus boxes are connected to different dishes.Perhaps there's an issue with rte text this week.

_Whimsical_

I spoke to Sky customer services today and mentioned that my teletext was on the blink lately. They told me that they are updating their HD services and as a result teletext has been affected across the system. They said it was a temporary problem. Just thought you might like to know OP in case you're driving yourself mad trying to change settings and cables etc to fix it.

hill16dub

i have sky for a couple of years

I have HD box, teletext never worked and upstairs i have old normal box from sky teletext does work. (while using analogue text)

i have been using the digital text on bbc and sky and it is working continually. sometimes you have to try twice!

both tvs are samsung. its their hd box that causes the text loss in my house.

marymc

I have a Sony Bravia and Sky+. No text on that, but can recieve normal Aertel on the tv in the other room that only has normal Sky. I thought it was the tv's problem. Still don't really know what to do. I hate wires and cables. :P

seraphimvc

revive a zombie thread :pac:

so today i am trying to access the rte teletext but it wont work it is a samsung and HD sky box.

there is no way to make it work? (tried all the press tv control etc)

Kensington

Assume you're using HDMI? Need to switch to SCART from the HD box to use teletext. HDMI doesn't carry the VBI lines on which teletext is carried.

Gipo3

If this is the case how do I get it on my technomate 6900 combo which is connected by hdmi?

watty

Some boxes (but NOT sky), even €30 FTA boxes do teletext internally and then output that as Video.

pricewise987

Nudge....:)

Did anyone ever get an answer for this?

Last week text on RTE and Channel 415 (ATR) was perfect

This week all i get is the 100 on the top left of a black page......:(

I have made no change to my setup (scart not hdmi so should be fine)

Does anyone know why this happens?

Also how long more will this type of analogue text be available on the Sky platform?

Digifriendly

I have a Sky HD box connected via scart and not HDMI but teletext does not work on it. I have to get RTE Aertel via analogue.

pricewise987

Surely you should get this on Channel 101 on Sky......

Yes??--No??--Maybe??

This was working grand for me for ages and now all of a sudden it's gone again....

Is it something to do with signal strength??

John mac

Digifriendly wrote: »

I have a Sky HD box connected via scart and not HDMI but teletext does not work on it. I have to get RTE Aertel via analogue.

hope you havn't got a HDTV.

Kensington

pricewise987 wrote: »

Surely you should get this on Channel 101 on Sky......

Yes??--No??--Maybe??

This was working grand for me for ages and now all of a sudden it's gone again....

Is it something to do with signal strength??

No, it's the VBI insertion in the sky digibox at fault.

Power cycle the digibox (plug out from power socket, plug back in again) and this should bring it back.

mike2084

I'd say the days of analogue text are rapidly numbered. At The Races are closing their text service on 31st August. That will only leave Aertel, 3text and Racing UK as the only old-style text on Sky as far as I know.

Digifriendly

John mac wrote: »

hope you havn't got a HDTV.

No, not yet at least. Hope to purchase one in future.

Antenna

Michael Walsh wrote: »

I'd say the days of analogue text are rapidly numbered. At The Races are closing their text service on 31st August. That will only leave Aertel, 3text and Racing UK as the only old-style text on Sky as far as I know.

there are a few others:
FTA:
Channel 4 and Channel 4+1 has 'old style'/WST teletext
The Travel Channel
CNBC has a page 100 saying the service is no longer available, though there are still other pages there

Encrypted channels: (you can see their text pages if you tune them in on a FTA receiver BTW)
TV5, TCM , Eurosport UK
the Irish channels (though 3e text seems abandoned and has news still up since sometime last winter!)

Several other channels, including the BBCs and ITVs have the page '888' subtitles using the same system.

And on Astra 19.2 E there are dozens of channels still transmitting 'old style'
text