Oh Dear - Currys muddled message

dowtchaboy

Currys have a flashing banner on their Irish website about the "Digital Swtichover" (yes it's spelled like that!) that gave me hope they might have provided a useful guide for the majority of buyers who find this all very confusing. Alas it looks like Currys don't know the difference between Freeview and Freesat, and interchange the terms Saorview and Freeview here and there.

There's an interesting bit near the end though:

Install a Satellite dish and connect to a Freeview TV or Sat for free set top box. Currys and PC World will offer a full solution by end of spring 2011.

Wonder if this implies they will be offering a combo Saorview/Saorsat box?

A Simple Guide to
2012 Irish Television Digital Switchover

Irish Analogue TV signals will be turned off in 2012. This is happening as a result of an EU directive. This means that all Irish households, who are not already with a Digital provider, will choose from a selection of digital TV operators to receive their TV signal

Our staff have expert knowledge in ‘Digital Terrestrial Transmission’, and can recommend the best TV solution to suit your needs in relation to the Switchover.

Who will this Switchover effect?
This will only affect households who are using an indoor or external aerial to receive a TV signal

Who this will NOT affect?
• UPC Customers (BOTH Analogue and Digital customers)
• Sky Customers
• Sat for Free Customers
• Cable TV

If you fall into any of these categories you do not need to take any action
ANY TV you buy will be compatible with the 2012 Digital Swtichover.


Options for Households with an indoor or External Aerial to receive TV

1. Switch to Irish DTT ( Saorview)
What is?
Irish Digital TV ( DTT) will offer a total of 6 channels ( RTE 1, RTE 2, TV 3, TG4, two other to be launched)
The general specification of Irish DTT is Mpeg 4 for Sound and Picture and MHEG 5 for interactive digital services (e.g. press the red button for..).

How can I?
Irish DTT is available to all Irish household through an Mpeg 4 TV, or a set top box. For the full interactive Irish DTT services you must have a Saorview product.
You will need a suitable roof-top antenna or a set-top aerial ("rabbit's ears") depending on where you live. Or in some rural cases (parts of the West of Ireland) you may need a satellite dish. ( RTE will send out guide lines for each area

2. Switch to UPC
What is?
UPC is a service provider and offers Irish customers an option of over 120 channels with additional Telephone and Broadband package options. You can choose from a wide range of Sport and Movie channels and multi room options

How can I?
Call into any Currys or PC World store and pick a package that will suit you household needs. UPC will call to your home and install the package you have chosen

3. Switch to SKY
What is?
SKY is a service provider and provides Irish customers with an option of over 120 channels. You can choose from a wide range of Sport and Movie channels.

How can I?
Ring SKY free phone number, Sky will call and install a Dish and set top box

4. Switch to Sat for Free or Freeview
What is?
Sat for Free ( Freeview) this is a BBC service and offers up to 80 channels free of charge.( All BBC, UTV Chanel 4 etc…) The Sat for Free ( Freeview) is not available in all area of Ireland

How can I?
Install a Satellite dish and connect to a Freeview TV or Sat for free set top box. Currys and PC World will offer a full solution by end of spring 2011.

Link to www.digitaltelevision.ie
Glossary of terms link to www.bci.ie/documents/DTT_glossary_of_terms.doc

BengaLover

The very fact they spelled switchover wrong would make me not want to buy anything from them!

_Kaiser_

To be fair, from what I've seen over on Bargain Alerts, they're being pretty good about responding to feedback - maybe bring it up here

Sam Russell

There's an interesting bit near the end though:
Quote:
Install a Satellite dish and connect to a Freeview TV or Sat for free set top box. Currys and PC World will offer a full solution by end of spring 2011.
Wonder if this implies they will be offering a combo Saorview/Saorsat box?


I think they are telling you that the only way you will get TV on that Freeview set you bought from them (which should have had MPEG4 but did not) will be to subscribe to $ky or UPC.

One can only hope that the solution they will be offering in Spring 2011 is a full refund to all their disappointed customers for duping them with all the obsolete Freeview sets they have been selling.

watty

Kaiser2000 wrote: »

To be fair, from what I've seen over on Bargain Alerts, they're being pretty good about responding to feedback - maybe bring it up here

They appear to be determined to justify selling obsolete Freeview stuff here and have confirmed they will not stock some of the "Freeview HD" stuff in N.I. and other UK stores here, even though that does work.

They also are a "Sky" agent. So have a vested interest in selling sets that are only video Monitors and selling Sky.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69746362&postcount=93
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69746362&postcount=94
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=69746362&postcount=95

Sponge Bob

I have had a long engagement with Currys, they could easily segment their large display areas so that "TV" means capable of receiving over the air and "Monitor" means capable of showing signal mediated by a box such as a gaming console/sky/upc/freesat .

STB

When is a television not a television ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television

drBill

Wouldn't believe a word they say, nor would I fancy your chances of getting them to refund you when it all goes pear shaped.

rusty_racer94

I'm never going back to them again.
I had a camera which was insured against accidental damage.
The camera had some water gone into it and the 'Technology guy' wouldn't repair or replace it for me.
He said ''Others are Cowboys and we are the professionals'' yet he couldn't figure out the location of the power switch.

Sponge Bob

The small claims court is your friend.

I would expect any television sold 'as such' after the 1st of January 2011 to tune the Irish channels and show picture and sound after the 1st of january 2013....otherwise the small claims court beckons for a 'fit for the purpose' claim and a full refund thereafter.

No matter how cheap a telly is it should do what it claims to do for at least 2 years and arguably longer with more expensive models.

watty

A standard television set comprises multiple internal electronic circuits, including those for receiving and decoding broadcast signals. A visual display device which lacks a tuner is properly called a monitor, rather than a television.

I have worked in BBC, Security CCTV and also Studio fit-outs/Servicing.

Functional Tuner = Television

No Functional Tuner:

1. Only works via Composite, SCART, Component, S-Video 25i (or 30i)= Video Monitor (525 or 625 line is 480 or 576 visble)
   
2. 16:9 Video Monitor with HDMI and supports 1080 line 25i/50Hz, 30i/60Hz input = HD Video Monitor (may have different native refresh or resolution). Must support Interlaced input signal.
   
3. Supports only Progressive input = Computer Monitor. (Can be BNC RGB, Component, 9 pin D CGA/EGA, 15 pin D VGA, larger old Mac D type, DVI, Display Port or HDMI).

icdg

Dixons Retail plc wrote:

4. Switch to Sat for Free or Freeview
What is?
Sat for Free ( Freeview) this is a BBC service and offers up to 80 channels free of charge.( All BBC, UTV Chanel 4 etc…) The Sat for Free ( Freeview) is not available in all area of Ireland

Oh dear, they've confused Freesat and Freeview.

As we know:

Freeview = UK DTT. Only available where UK terrestrial overspills in to Ireland.

Free to Air Satellite = any satellite service broadcast without encryption. Receivable by any vanilla satellite receiver.

Freesat = a particular specification for satellite receivers aimed mainly at receiving UK-based television services on the Astra satellite, promoted by the BBC and ITV and with a common user interface and EPG. Not officially available in Ireland, but if you import the receiver yourself, it works fine and there is nothing illegal about this.

Sat for Free = Freesat receivers aimed at the Irish market with slightly modified software locked to the Northern Ireland EPG. Not sure if these were ever produced beyond their original run and indeed the manufacturers may have been in breach of their contract with the BBC and ITV by producing these and marketing them in Ireland. You might still find some stock left in retail outlets though.

So they need to make clear:
1. Freesat isn't Freeview. Freeview's only available in some areas near the Border or East Coast. Freesat's available nationwide.

2. If you go for Freesat or Freeview, you'll still need an MPEG4 tuner to receive the Irish terrestrials from Saorview. Even if RTÉ makes an appearance on Freeview as announced, you'll still need an MPEG4 tuner to receive it.

STB

icdg wrote: »

2. If you go for Freesat or Freeview, you'll still need an MPEG4 tuner to receive the Irish terrestrials from Saorview. Even if RTÉ makes an appearance on Freeview as announced, you'll still need an MPEG4 tuner to receive it.

More importantly for people in NI retailers within N Ireland need to be stocking ONLY Freeview HD products as RTE will be on the dvb-t2 platform along with the BBC/ITV HD channels (so Saorview products wont work in NI for those receiving signal from within NI). One size fits all, if you like.

In Ireland they need to change this page which is full of inaccuracies and bad information and appears on the Curry's website.

Currys website wrote:

DigitalSwitchover

A Simple Guide to
2012 Irish Television Digital Switchover

Irish Analogue TV signals will be turned off in 2012. This is happening as a result of an EU directive. This means that all Irish households, who are not already with a Digital provider, will choose from a selection of digital TV operators to receive their TV signal

Our staff have expert knowledge in ‘Digital Terrestrial Transmission’, and can recommend the best TV solution to suit your needs in relation to the Switchover.

Who will this Switchover effect?
This will only affect households who are using an indoor or external aerial to receive a TV signal (!!!!!!!!)

Who this will NOT affect?
• UPC Customers (BOTH Analogue and Digital customers)
• Sky Customers
• Sat for Free Customers
• Cable TV

If you fall into any of these categories you do not need to take any action
ANY TV you buy will be compatible with the 2012 Digital Swtichover.


Options for Households with an indoor or External Aerial to receive TV

1. Switch to Irish DTT ( Saorview)
What is?
Irish Digital TV ( DTT) will offer a total of 6 channels ( RTE 1, RTE 2, TV 3, TG4, two other to be launched)
The general specification of Irish DTT is Mpeg 4 for Sound and Picture and MHEG 5 for interactive digital services (e.g. press the red button for..).

How can I?
Irish DTT is available to all Irish household through an Mpeg 4 TV, or a set top box. For the full interactive Irish DTT services you must have a Saorview product.
You will need a suitable roof-top antenna or a set-top aerial ("rabbit's ears") depending on where you live. Or in some rural cases (parts of the West of Ireland) you may need a satellite dish. ( RTE will send out guide lines for each area

2. Switch to UPC
What is?
UPC is a service provider and offers Irish customers an option of over 120 channels with additional Telephone and Broadband package options. You can choose from a wide range of Sport and Movie channels and multi room options

How can I?
Call into any Currys or PC World store and pick a package that will suit you household needs. UPC will call to your home and install the package you have chosen

3. Switch to SKY
What is?
SKY is a service provider and provides Irish customers with an option of over 120 channels. You can choose from a wide range of Sport and Movie channels.

How can I?
Ring SKY free phone number, Sky will call and install a Dish and set top box

4. Switch to Sat for Free or Freeview
What is?
Sat for Free ( Freeview) this is a BBC service and offers up to 80 channels free of charge.( All BBC, UTV Chanel 4 etc…) The Sat for Free ( Freeview) is not available in all area of Ireland

How can I?
Install a Satellite dish and connect to a Freeview TV or Sat for free set top box. Currys and PC World will offer a full solution by end of spring 2011.

Link to www.digitaltelevision.ie
Glossary of terms link to www.bci.ie/documents/DTT_glossary_of_terms.doc

My view along with many others to why this guide is misleading is posted on Currys Feedback page.