Sat4Free = Northern Ireland only?

LordSutch

Just reading up on Sat4Free, and this is what I found . . .

Sat4Free, which is based on the FreeSat service, provides access to 76 digital television channels, including BBC One NI and Two NI, UTV, Channel 4, Cbeebies, Film4 and BBC News, as well as a selection of British and Irish radio stations. The number of available channels is expected to reach more than 100 by the end of the year. The service also provides access to the interactive content provided by the BBC. Irish Power Products, which has launched the service in association with British consumer electronics distributor Alba. http://www.astra2d.com/sat4free.htm

The default postcode on all 'Sat4Free' receivers is for Northern Ireland only, this default cannot be changed on Sat4Free receivers.

Bloody hell, can this really be true? (BBC NI only) + (UTV only) with all other BBC & ITV regional variations permanently barred!

Am I wrong ?

VERYinterested

They are not barred. BBC 1 NI and BBC 2 NI and UTV are on channels 101, 102 & 103 respectively. The regional alternatives for ALL BBC and ITV alternatives can be added separately and easily and accessed by working backwards from channel 101. They may already be there, I can't remember if I had to add them or not.

LordSutch

That's interesting, because I read that the Irish Sat4Free boxes (not Freesat) were definately locked into the NI postcode, and that regional variations of BBC & ITV could not be accessed :cool:

Apologies if i'm mistaken.

mjsmyth

Are Sat4Free not gone now? It seems that only some stores still stock the boxes and they are overpriced when compared to their Freesat counterparts.

You are right in thinking that the boxes are hardcoded to the NI postcode, unlike Freesat boxes where you have the ability to choose, but since they were aimed at the Irish market and most here already get BBC NI and UTV, I doubt they thought it much of an issue.

Although you can get all the other BBC regional variations from channel 951 on, I believe that you only have the option of ITV London on channel 977.

mj

RKQ

mjsmyth wrote: »

, but since they were aimed at the Irish market and most here already get BBC NI and UTV, I doubt they thought it much of an issue.

Typical attitude. I lived in the UK for years, watching my old local BBC & ITV is a bit like going home. I also prefer the Welsh channels to Northern Ireland ones. Its not unusual for BBC 1 Wales to have different movies on to BBC 1 Northern Ireland.

Its good to have a choice, less expensive for the manufacturer too I'd imagine. Locking to postcode seems silly IMO, definately stop me buying their box.

LordSutch

VERYinterested wrote: »

They are not barred.

Can somebody please give the definitive answer & settle this once & for all > are all ITV & BBC regional variations accessible on a 'Sat4Free' box or not?

Not to be confused with a Freesat box, where all FTA channels are easily accessible.

Tony

When the box is first installed only the NI versions will appear but you can add other regions manually as well as non Freesat channels like sky news.

Camelot wrote: »

Can somebody please give the definitive answer & settle this once & for all > are all ITV & BBC regional variations accessible on a 'Sat4Free' box or not?

.[/I]

LordSutch

Wow, so all the scare stories about it being "NI postcode locked" are untrue, the Sat4Free box does exactly the same thing as a Freesat box!!!

Many thanks.

Tony

They are true, it is postcode locked ie you cannot enter any postcode which means Channel 1 on the programme guide will always bee BBC NI on a sat4free box . It does not do exactly the same thing as a Freesat box so if having channels other than BBC NI on the EPG is a requirement then theres a choice to be made. Sat4free boxes are not a bad product per se and lots have bought them without any problems that I am aware of.

I never stocked them myslf as the wholesale price was too high and I was woriied about future software upgrades causing problems given that Freesat UK were not happy at all about sat4free being made available here.

Camelot wrote: »

Wow, so all the scare stories about it being "NI postcode locked" are untrue, the Sat4Free box does exactly the same thing as a Freesat box!!!

Many thanks.

mjsmyth

@Camelot

You seem to be missing what is being said.

The boxes are hard coded to a northern Ireland postcode. What this means is the following:

Ch 1 - BBC 1 NI
Ch 2 - BBC 2 NI
Ch 3 - UTV
Ch 1 - CH4 NI

As I said, BBC Regions are already on the EPG from channel 951 onwards. ITV London is on channel 977.

If, and this is a big if, the EPG for Sat4Free has been upgraded, then you can tune in other ITV regions. I say "big if" because Sat4Free don't seem to be around anymore and although their box is based on the Goodmans/Grundig/Bush Freesat box, I don't know if anyone thought to upgrade it. Previous versions of the EPG did not allow you tune in other ITV regions.

If the EPG has not been upgraded, then you are stuck with UTV and ITV 1 London as your ITV 1 options. If it has been, then the world is your oyster. It should be noted that any of the ITV channels you add in do not appear in yor EPG, but on a seperate list.

I hope that explains it to you.

LordSutch

Many thanks again, I think i'm with you now

Maybe best if Sat4Free boxes are avoided due to uncertainty about upgrades, & the EPG listing & availability of BBC/ITV regions other than NI & London option! Freesat (not Sat4Free) seems to be the best way to go ...............

Cheers4now.

hugoline

I got one of those irish sat4free boxes, got it mainly for the 7 day EPG.
(no upgrade over air has ever been issued since the purchase of the box 2 years ago).

As was mentioned above, NO channels are barred. The sat4free box is basically a FTA box which is additionaly capable of MHEG5 (Red button on BBC works and 7 day EPG instead of only now/next on the FTA boxes + MHEG5 text).
The Irish version has the postcode locked as mentioned above. The BBC1/2 regions are under channel 950 and up. ITV1 London is on 977 as already mentioned. The rest can be tuned in manualy (probably withouth the 7 day EPG).

By chance I travelled down Philipsburgh Avenue in Dublin 3 and saw a shop with loads of sat4free signs and a big SUV plasterd with sat4free adds outside today. So somebody still seems to sell them. The sat4free.ie website has been down for ages though.

mjsmyth

@hugoline

So on your Sat4Free, do you get any of the new channels that launch on Freesat? Five was not there when Freesat launched, likewise Food Network was added at 405. Do you have thos channels?

mj

Tony

hugoline wrote: »

By chance I travelled down Philipsburgh Avenue in Dublin 3 and saw a shop with loads of sat4free signs and a big SUV plasterd with sat4free adds outside today. So somebody still seems to sell them. The sat4free.ie website has been down for ages though.

Mike at freesat.ie actually does not sell them, must have been someone calling in to him http://www.freesat.ie/index.php?cat=Freesat&ActinicSID=d49087bf0722cc8248e1e7d574dc4fa5

snaps

Camelot wrote: »

Many thanks again, I think i'm with you now

Maybe best if Sat4Free boxes are avoided due to uncertainty about upgrades, & the EPG listing & availability of BBC/ITV regions other than NI & London option! Freesat (not Sat4Free) seems to be the best way to go ...............

Cheers4now.

You can get a HD freesat box in Argos UK for as little as £49.

hugoline

mjsmyth wrote: »

So on your Sat4Free, do you get any of the new channels that launch on Freesat? Five was not there when Freesat launched, likewise Food Network was added at 405. Do you have thos channels?
mj

Yup, Five is on 105, Food Network on 405 and Food Network+1 on 406

As I mentioned above, the box has never 'auto-updated'. So when they changed some of the lineup I just did a fresh rescan and it found all the new stuff automatically.

I have the Grundig GUSAT01SDEX model, basically a UK version of the Grundig SD box with 'irish' Sat4Free Firmware loking it to the Northern Ireland postcode.

Tony wrote: »

Mike at freesat.ie actually does not sell them, must have been someone calling in to him http://www.freesat.ie/index.php?cat=Freesat&ActinicSID=d49087bf0722cc8248e1e7d574dc4fa5

Thanks for that info Tony

cjt156

hugoline wrote: »

As I mentioned above, the box has never 'auto-updated'. So when they changed some of the lineup I just did a fresh rescan and it found all the new stuff automatically.

I have the Grundig box too, and mine auto-updated for the Food networks recently (and the porn!)

Tony

You cant really go wrong at that price

snaps wrote: »

You can get a HD freesat box in Argos UK for as little as £49.

Fooddestroyer

snaps wrote: »

You can get a HD freesat box in Argos UK for as little as £49.

Would one of these HD Freesat boxes work if I replaced my current non-HD sat4free box (which is plugged into my sat dish) here in the south?

Thanks.

Tony

Yes it sure will

Fooddestroyer wrote: »

Would one of these HD Freesat boxes work if I replaced my current non-HD sat4free box (which is plugged into my sat dish) here in the south?

Thanks.

John mac

Yes.

Fooddestroyer

Tony wrote: »

Yes it sure will

Brill.

Thanks!!

BTW: Anyone ever heard of a freesat HD box that could play BlueRay? The idea of an all-in-one box makes sense to me on a budget.

mjsmyth

Checkout the Panasonic Freesat range. They include a Freesat/Bluray/HDD Recorder.

pa990

mjsmyth wrote: »

Checkout the Panasonic Freesat range. They include a Freesat/Bluray/HDD Recorder.

also included is a hefty price tag

watty

Fooddestroyer wrote: »

Brill.

Thanks!!

BTW: Anyone ever heard of a freesat HD box that could play BlueRay? The idea of an all-in-one box makes sense to me on a budget.

You need to be on an expensive budget as it's more expensive than two separates! But unlike separates does allow creation of BD "archive" from recorded programs in perfect quality.

Review of panasonic DTT (Freeview) PVR BD player/recorder. There is I think a similar freesat version.
http://www.reghardware.com/2010/07/17/review_hd_dvr_panasonic_dmr_bw880_hd_blu_ray_recorder/

Seems to be too early (arrows in back) to go for these sort of products yet.

John mac

here is a review (its a year old ) but will give you an idea..

kuro_man

Fooddestroyer wrote: »

Brill.

Thanks!!

BTW: Anyone ever heard of a freesat HD box that could play BlueRay? The idea of an all-in-one box makes sense to me on a budget.

Panasonic are about to update the range. The old models are being sold off at a discount.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055988134

mjsmyth

pa990 wrote: »

also included is a hefty price tag

True, but they are launching a new range and according to Digitalspy, there are now bargains to be had on last years models.

minder2009

Tony wrote: »

When the box is first installed only the NI versions will appear but you can add other regions manually as well as non Freesat channels like sky news.

Hello Tony

I have has a sat4free grundig box , new , Grundig make installed at my house yesterday. I am disappointed that Sky News is not on it. I thought it was standard on all free to air boxes, but apparently not. I am delighted to see you say these boxes are ok , as I have read very bad reviews on it.
I wonder would you be able to give me a little advice as to how to maunally add sky news , if you didnt mind , please.
Thank You

MINDER

muffler

minder2009 wrote: »

Hello Tony

I have has a sat4free grundig box , new , Grundig make installed at my house yesterday. I am disappointed that Sky News is not on it. I thought it was standard on all free to air boxes, but apparently not. I am delighted to see you say these boxes are ok , as I have read very bad reviews on it.
I wonder would you be able to give me a little advice as to how to maunally add sky news , if you didnt mind , please.
Thank You

MINDER

FFS would you stop digging up old threads :mad:

Onikage

muffler wrote: »

FFS would you stop digging up old threads :mad:

More to the point, they still make sat4free boxes? :eek:

Ronnie Raygun

muffler wrote: »

FFS would you stop digging up old threads :mad:

+1

I was going to say start a new one until I remembered he already has at least 3 on the go about this bloody sat4free box ...

minder2009

muffler wrote: »

minder2009 wrote: »

Hello Tony

I have has a sat4free grundig box , new , Grundig make installed at my house yesterday. I am disappointed that Sky News is not on it. I thought it was standard on all free to air boxes, but apparently not. I am delighted to see you say these boxes are ok , as I have read very bad reviews on it.
I wonder would you be able to give me a little advice as to how to maunally add sky news , if you didnt mind , please.
Thank You

MINDER

FFS would you stop digging up old threads :mad:

Only asked you a question ... Ignorant ass

byte

I'm surprised you got a "new" one, since they've not been made for over a year, maybe two.

Extinction

byte wrote: »

I'm surprised you got a "new" one, since they've not been made for over a year, maybe two.

They are starting to appear again, I saw them in two retailers in Cork today. I thought they were long gone?

Ronnie Raygun

Here's the transponder (tp) parameters for Sky News: 12207 mHz, vertical polarity, symbol rate 27500 ms/s.

Your manual should explain how to do a manual scan of a single transponder.

muffler

minder2009 wrote: »

Only asked you a question ... Ignorant ass

How did you know I was ignorant?

minder2009

muffler wrote: »

minder2009 wrote: »

Only asked you a question ... Ignorant ass

How did you know I was ignorant?

Thus is only an auld blog ... Your comment doesn't require further comment .. FFS is inappropriate language. I only asked a question. Mind your own business .. If you have nothing useful to add .. Walk on by

minder2009

byte wrote: »

I'm surprised you got a "new" one, since they've not been made for over a year, maybe two.

Thanks byte.
The installer told me he gets them from a supplier in Dublin. Can you confirm that they have not been made for over a year ?
He tells me I cannot get sky news as its on sat4 free and it doesn't come with sky news. Is free sat the standard that is installed in this country ? Thank you
Minder

Ronnie Raygun

minder2009 wrote: »

Thus is only an auld blog ... .. If you have nothing useful to add .. Walk on by

A blog?

If you're not willing to observe even the basics of forum etiquette, then it might be time for yourself to "walk on by". It isn't anyone here's fault that you have recurrent problems.

minder2009

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

minder2009 wrote: »

Thus is only an auld blog ... .. If you have nothing useful to add .. Walk on by

A blog?

If you're not willing to observe even the basics of forum etiquette, then it might be time for yourself to "walk on by". It isn't anyone here's fault that you have recurrent problems.

I don't think i blamed anyone here for my recurrent problems ..!!! Only seeked advice in a courteous fashion. I would consider etiquette very important here and in life generally. I do see one or two self appointed know alls about ok.
In relation to your confusion re blog.
Here Is a definition for your information .. Every day is a school day , dear Ronald

Noun:
A Web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions, information, etc. on a regular basis.

Perhaps your past your bedtime
Nite nite
Minder

Peter Rhea

Sat4free?! I can only imagine that the likes of Tesco have decided to get rid of these things once & for all & installers are getting their hands on them for next to nothing (fair price imo).

@ minder: Forum etiquette in this case applies to not unearthing old threads & starting several threads on the same topic. If you have a question for a specific forum member, send a PM.

You can be as polite as you want but if someone takes the trouble to reply to one of your threads & then sees you've started another one, & the same answer has already been posted by someone else, well that's a bit of time we'll never get back, however brief or insignificant you might think it. This isn't a search engine, there are actually real people answering your queries.

minder2009

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Sat4free?! I can only imagine that the likes of Tesco have decided to get rid of these things once & for all & installers are getting their hands on them for next to nothing (fair price imo).

@ minder: Forum etiquette in this case applies to not unearthing old threads & starting several threads on the same topic. If you have a question for a specific forum member, send a PM.

You can be as polite as you want but if someone takes the trouble to reply to one of your threads & then sees you've started another one, & the same answer has already been posted by someone else, well that's a bit of time we'll never get back, however brief or insignificant you might think it. This isn't a search engine, there are actually real people answering your queries.

I agree. I tried to delete a couple yesterday.
I didn't read the rules properly. I didn't realise you couldn't ask a question on something of interest in an old thread...
I don't get the whole we can't get the time back !!
Point taken.

Minder

Peter Rhea

minder2009 wrote: »

I don't get the whole we can't get the time back !!

Just making a point, multiple threads etc. is really only a minor irritation but if the rules are good enough for the likes of meself . . . need I go on?

minder2009

Peter Rhea wrote: »

minder2009 wrote: »

I don't get the whole we can't get the time back !!

Just making a point, multiple threads etc. is really only a minor irritation but if the rules are good enough for the likes of meself . . . need I go on?

Only a minor irritation ! Exactly . Absolutely no need to go on.

Tony

minder2009 wrote: »

Hello Tony

Hello

icdg

Minder2009 you can be a bit more polite please, or you'll be facing a ban. And we DON'T drag up old threads.