Ofifcal Launch of Saorview?

RobitTV

Hi when is the Offical launch of Saorview? and what channels are coming on it?

watty

Technical Launch 31st October 2010
Full Public Launch unknown. Sometime April 2011 to Dec 2011
See http://www.techtir.ie/saortv/saorview

pigeon1916

RobitTV wrote: »

Hi when is the Offical launch of Saorview? and what channels are coming on it?

Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan T.D. has signed an Order under the Broadcasting Act, 2009, requiring RTÉ to ensure that their free to air digital television service is operational and available to 90% of the population by 31st October 2010.

blobert

watty wrote: »

Technical Launch 31st October 2010
Full Public Launch unknown. Sometime April 2011 to Dec 2011
See http://www.techtir.ie/saortv/saorview

Thanks for posting that watty, it looks like its been updated recently.

I take it there is still no word on when TV3 is likely to be included? I read the other long thread on it and it was not very clear.

Have cancelled UPC and will now be using this for the little TV I watch, it would be a bonus to have TV3 sooner rather than later.

watty

It's updated regularly.

carrolls

Probably the least tempting and least exciting launch of a digital service ever anywhere in the western world. Everything they could have done to feck it up in the last 10 years has been done, and this is the result.

watty

Possibly exceeded by South Africa though.

I blame sucessive Governments that like the phrase Knowledge Economy. But we have very low practical technology & Science in Schools (very few kids build stuff or do experiments), 51st or so in Broadband. Much other stuff. So what you expect?

bjp1967

Hi Watty,

Just reading about saorview on techtir.ie, I can receive the DTT channels through my ariel on Philips HDTV.

1. In regards to programme guide, will that be down to the television brand as mine just shows now and next details and not a full 7 day guide, or has this to be launched, how does it work

2. When I purchased tv some six months ago I connected to ariel on roof, must be there 11/12 years, just to receive analogue Irish station, I wasnt aware of DTT been up and running, picture quality very good. I am now looking at the test channel running on loop showing various scenes from Ireland in HD and can't belief the quality been received. I have Sky HD and my 12 year old slighty rusty ariel is every bit as good. Is this possible.

The Cush

bjp1967 wrote: »

1. In regards to programme guide, will that be down to the television brand as mine just shows now and next details and not a full 7 day guide, or has this to be launched, how does it work

2. When I purchased tv some six months ago I connected to ariel on roof, must be there 11/12 years, just to receive analogue Irish station, I wasnt aware of DTT been up and running, picture quality very good. I am now looking at the test channel running on loop showing various scenes from Ireland in HD and can't belief the quality been received. I have Sky HD and my 12 year old slighty rusty ariel is every bit as good. Is this possible.

1. We expect there will be two epg's, one that will use the manufacturers built in guide. The 7 day programme data for this being transmitted and displays OK on my Sony. The other epg will be MHEG-5 software based, just like digital Aertel. Some MHEG-5 epg tests were carried out earlier this year but nothing since. Some tvs have MHEG-5, others don't. Saorview certified products will have no problem.
My brother has a Philips digital TV and the guide looks very user unfriendly. When you installed the TV did you use Ireland or UK as the install region? Philips may provide a software update in due course, check their website.

2. Some posters here have reported using a wire clothes hanger to receive both SD & HD DTT.

galtee boy

blobert wrote: »

Thanks for posting that watty, it looks like its been updated recently.

I take it there is still no word on when TV3 is likely to be included? I read the other long thread on it and it was not very clear.

Have cancelled UPC and will now be using this for the little TV I watch, it would be a bonus to have TV3 sooner rather than later.

Not looking good at the moment for TV3 on 31st October. In fact not looking good for anything extra, channel wise, by then either. Hopefully, I'll be proved wrong and we'll see three or four new channels on Oct 31st, but right now, the whole thing looks like a damp squid coming in 26 days time.

FREETV

galtee boy wrote: »

Not looking good at the moment for TV3 on 31st October. In fact not looking good for anything extra, channel wise, by then either. Hopefully, I'll be proved wrong and we'll see three or four new channels on Oct 31st, but right now, the whole thing looks like a damp squid coming in 26 days time.

You may be correct and if so it will be another disappointment to add to the many others of the last two years even if it is indeed just the soft technical launch. We will all just have to be patient and wait and see, only a few more weeks to go.

jamescc

why are they waiting so long to say anything about it? if they do at all

The Cush

galtee boy wrote: »

Not looking good at the moment for TV3 on 31st October. In fact not looking good for anything extra, channel wise, by then either. Hopefully, I'll be proved wrong and we'll see three or four new channels on Oct 31st, but right now, the whole thing looks like a damp squid coming in 26 days time.

FREETV wrote: »

You may be correct and if so it will be another disappointment to add to the many others of the last two years even if it is indeed just the soft technical launch. We will all just have to be patient and wait and see, only a few more weeks to go.

Even though it has to be operational by the end of Oct it was not planned to be anything other than a public testing phase (public & retail awareness & information, training etc.) prior to the full national launch which is expected in Q2 2011.

Peddyr

jamescc wrote: »

why are they waiting so long to say anything about it? if they do at all

Still no sign of a SaorView website and the lack of information so close to launch (albeit a soft / technical launch) is astounding. I think only the Manx Government could be more lackadaisical if they were to launch a DTT system!

FREETV

The Cush wrote: »

Even though it has to be operational by the end of Oct it was not planned to be anything other than a public testing phase (public & retail awareness & information, training etc.) prior to the full national launch which is expected in Q2 2011.

Yes and true, however a lot more people know about the Irish DTT tests I bet than anticipated here and if people have already purchased suitable equipment and learned how to auto scan or manual scan their MPEG4 Tvs, combo boxes or stbs and did so and lone behold with their amazement were able to receive RTE1, RTE2, TV3 when it was available, TG4, RTE News Now and the HD test channel appeared. Word of mouth from Installers, googling and knowledge from sales people in shops, other fellow Boardsters will have spread the word. In effect a channel or two extra would be welcomed by all I am sure by October 31

The Cush

There appear to be something stirring if this post is anything to go by.
http://www.techtir.ie/isaa/saorview/setbox#comment-1004291

EDIT: update link http://www.techtir.ie/node/1003604

jamescc

i only found out by chance. i went to by a sat box saw the one i wanted on powercity website and got it did not know it was not for sat so i decided to keep it
that's how i found out

bjp1967

My brother has a Philips digital TV and the guide looks very user unfriendly. When you installed the TV did you use Ireland or UK as the install region? Philips may provide a software update in due course, check their website.

Ireland, did a re-install which resulted in (1) TV stations installed as normal (2) have audio for radio stations but showing black screen, so dont know what is what (3) now when I press guide button on remote nothing happens

Confused

mickeyboymel

You need to set UK at install. There is nothing written into the Philips software for Ireland setting as oficially we only have standard analog broadcasts. All the Ireland setting does is to ensure the VHF band is scanned at install.

If you look at the change logs on the Philips site, they have written software changes to ( well both of my) models to accomodate various changes in broadcasts in other countries, and I would be expecting them to do the same for Ireland once the trial goes official given A. The amount of sets being sold here and B. The fact that the software seems to be updated on a pretty regular basis for other issues.

I have yet to get a reply from Philips as I did request they look at this issue, when I was filling out a customer satisfaction survey after registering both my sets online.

bjp1967

I re-installed all channels as UK version as instructed, I also went to philips website and got latest software update for my tv model dated 28/05/2010, my TV was purchased in Frebraury 2010, this resulted in all DDT channels working as normal both TV and radio, also progamme guide is now functioning properly, I know it wont show TV3 but it doesn't show the radio stations either, finally also working is digital text on RTE 1 & 2, not too bad either, quite fast loading, faster than SKY or BBC digital text. I will be able to find out I didn't win €10 million on lotto tonight quicker than normal:rolleyes:

mickeyboymel

bjp1967 wrote: »

"but it doesn't show the radio stations either"

There Is an option in the EPG settings on the Philips TV's...the radio channels are not shown by default but you can add them....play about with the options menu once your EPG is opened.

The Cush

bjp1967 wrote: »

I know it wont show TV3 but it doesn't show the radio stations either,

My brother repositioned analogue TV3 between digital RTÉ 2 and TG4 on his Philips TV. Works OK for him.

bjp1967

Thanks for help, managed to find radio stations and add to program guide,

Cush, I did the same with TV3 and repositioned it after RTE2 to keep in order. I don't understand how you can have analogue TV3 on DTT guide.

galtee boy

The Cush wrote: »

There appear to be something stirring if this post is anything to go by.
http://www.techtir.ie/isaa/saorview/setbox#comment-1004291

Cush, am I missing something ? What is in the attachment from techtir.ie that suggests "something is stirring" ? As far as I can see, it's just Watty's description of the spec for set top boxes/tv's etc. I don't see anything about new channels etc about to appear between now and Oct 31st.

watty

Comments maybe "The Cush" referring to have moved to new thread:
http://www.techtir.ie/node/1003604

The Cush

galtee boy wrote: »

Cush, am I missing something ? What is in the attachment from techtir.ie that suggests "something is stirring" ? As far as I can see, it's just Watty's description of the spec for set top boxes/tv's etc. I don't see anything about new channels etc about to appear between now and Oct 31st.

watty wrote: »

Comments maybe "The Cush" referring to have moved to new thread:
http://www.techtir.ie/node/1003604

Posts were moved since I posted above. Thanks for the update watty.

Edited my previous post.

galtee boy

watty wrote: »

Comments maybe "The Cush" referring to have moved to new thread:
http://www.techtir.ie/node/1003604

Thanks Watty. Nothing to get over excited about, but at least it shows they are not fully asleep at the wheel, up there in RTE DTT land !