MUX 2 launch date ?

glimmerman123

Mux 2 ch 55 from Maghera just gone off. :mad:

warlikedave

glimmerman123 wrote: »

With mux 2 coming on line soon i was wondering how many muxes are actually on the RTE DTT network? Is there just mux 1and 2 or is their a third?

Not too sure - since the demise of the commercial DTT project things havent really been clarified as far as I am aware but officially I think we have only heard the finalized channels laid out for mux 1 and 2 so far so id say we will only have 2 for the forseeable future

There are people here far more qualified than I so they might be able to a better answer

The Cush

glimmerman123 wrote: »

With mux 2 coming on line soon i was wondering how many muxes are actually on the RTE DTT network? Is there just mux 1and 2 or is their a third?

The Broadcasting Act gifts 2 multiplexes to RTÉ for FTA PSB services. The Act tasks the BAI with licensing a contractor to operate 4 other multiplexes.

glimmerman123

The Cush wrote: »

The Broadcasting Act gifts 2 multiplexes to RTÉ for FTA PSB services. The Act tasks the BAI with licensing a contractor to operate 4 other multiplexes.

Thanks for that The Cush.

The Cush

Pat Gleeson wrote: »

Here's a photo of the interactive loading before the channel placeholder appears

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patgleeson/6034552543/

via a Walker 16" LCD. My Phillips TV without MHEG-5 shows a blue screen with a 'No Signal' message.

"Loading Interactive Services..."

Another example of how slow the Walker TVs are to load the MHEG-5 application. Haven't seen that on any other MHEG-5 TV.

glimmerman123

Mux 2 from Maghera fired up again with no content on it at the moment. Fired up around 1pm.

glimmerman123

I was just wondering with September 1st just over a week away can we still expect to see RTEjr and RTE ONE+1 moved over to Mux 2 and RTE TWO HD sometime after that or will we have to wait and see if the Minister for communications decides there is no need for Mux 2 to be switched on until new channels have been confirmed for definite to launch on Saorview ?

The Cush

glimmerman123 wrote: »

I was just wondering with September 1st just over a week away can we still expect to see RTEjr and RTE ONE+1 moved over to Mux 2 and RTE TWO HD sometime after that or will we have to wait and see if the Minister for communications decides there is no need for Mux 2 to be switched on until new channels have been confirmed for definite to launch on Saorview ?

The decision hasn't been revoked that we know of. A lot of work has gone on at the transmitters for the last few months and is still continuing as we can see from Aertel p169 (RTÉNL Technical Information) now they've started to updated again.

We'll know for sure tomorrow week.

Machinehead

glimmerman123 wrote: »

I was just wondering with September 1st just over a week away can we still expect to see RTEjr and RTE ONE+1 moved over to Mux 2 and RTE TWO HD sometime after that or will we have to wait and see if the Minister for communications decides there is no need for Mux 2 to be switched on until new channels have been confirmed for definite to launch on Saorview ?

According to Aertel P.169 RTÉ/RTÉNL have got a whole bunch of transmitter work going on over the next week & Mulla on 12/09/'11. Still not sure if Maghera is done yet, but I figure they might want to get all this stuff done with before they fire up mux2 24/7.

Sam Russell

I think you have two chances of this minister doing anything at all, let alone something constructive. I would have thought if he was remotely interested in the DTT project, he would have ammended the silly requirements in the SI signed by his predecessor. The fact that he has done nothing but turn up two days early for the second launch of the Saorview service, and the fact that RTE among others have studiously ignored the service ever since, says a lot for its place in the plans of both the government and in the plans of RTE.

I look forward to the third launch of the Saorview project towards the end of September.

Remember, RTE do not promote RTE News Now, nor do they promote the radio channles carried on DTT (but they promote the same channels on DAB, where no-one has a set capable of receiving it, and it only covers a tiny part of the country). Their promotion of RTE 1 +1 has only been extant for about 2 or 3 weeks. No schedule for RTE jr, and they still broadcast the RTE jr on RTE 2 HD. Again, no promotion of this, or the possibility of using that extra channel to release RTE 2 HD for some alternative programming.

What a long series of disappointments Saorview has turned out to be. RTE and RTE NL, together with the other players, have not missed an oportunity to miss an oportunity.

Rant over.

glimmerman123

The Cush wrote: »

The decision hasn't been revoked that we know of. A lot of work has gone on at the transmitters for the last few months and is still continuing as we can see from Aertel p169 (RTÉNL Technical Information) now they've started to updated again.

We'll know for sure tomorrow week.

Mux 2 has gone very quiet over the past couple of weeks so i suppose this might be down to the work been carried out at the moment. Also maybe testing of Mux 2 is complete but as you say we will know in about a weeks time. Will also keep an eye on Aertel P169 for further updates.

glimmerman123

Still nothing happening with Mux 2. The 1st of September tomorrow i wonder will we see RTEjr and RTE+ONE make the move. Maybe the launch date has been put back for the foreseeable future.

Kensington

Don't think anything is due to happen regarding Mux 2 until next week.

glimmerman123

Kensington wrote: »

Don't think anything is due to happen regarding Mux 2 until next week.

I suppose the 1st September wasn't set in stone as a launch date for Mux 2 so could be anytime from then on.

Kensington

More of a guideline, as you say.

Generally you don't make such a massive config change this close to the weekend, first thing Monday or Tuesday is best in case anything goes haywire.

glimmerman123

I wonder is it off on all transmitters or if it's on low power on one or two and if it is it might be the the final stage of testing before Mux 2 is powered up on all transmitters?

The Cush

Following the recent BAI report on new content can't see a reason to launch the second mux as any new planned content won't be available until closer to ASO. Sept 2012 might be a better time to launch the second mux.

Kensington

glimmerman123 wrote: »

I wonder is it off on all transmitters or if it's on low power on one or two and if it is it might be the the final stage of testing before Mux 2 is powered up on all transmitters?

Only certain sites are on-air with the second mux with a variety of testcards and are working at very low power.
Kippure is currently on-air in Dublin this evening, Three Rock is not.

Not really any point in having the second mux on-air across all sites burning up electricity.
Coverage is already known from Mux 1 at each site - it's only testing that Mux 2 distribution throughout the network is OK that needs to be done. The multiplexing and encoding (or rather, encoding and multiplexing!) is done in Donnybrook.

glimmerman123

The Cush wrote: »

Following the recent BAI report on new content can't see a reason to launch the second mux as any new planned content won't be available until closer to ASO. Sept 2012 might be a better time to launch the second mux.

I agree i suppose it makes sense not to launch Mux 2 until new content is available to go on it. Is the launch date for Mux 2 set by RTENL or the Minister for Communications ? If the decision is up to RTENL they can decide when to switch it on.

_John C

It would be silly to knock rte2 off mux1 this weekend with the hurling final on sunday. So Id say they will wait till next week. Alot of tvs to be retuned!!!

The Cush

glimmerman123 wrote: »

Is the launch date for Mux 2 set by RTENL or the Minister for Communications ? If the decision is up to RTENL they can decide when to switch it on.

The Dept of Communication set the conditions last Feb but it does not act alone in these matters. The Dept chairs the DSO Steering Group which includes all stakeholders and its purpose is to "plan, coordinate and deliver switchover from analogue terrestrial TV to digital TV in Ireland by the end of 2012".

1. RTÉ Two HD Select channel is required to be carried on the second multiplex;

4. The RTÉjr/RTÉ Plus channel shall be carried on the first multiplex until 1
September 2011 and from 1 September 2011 shall be transferred to the second
multiplex;

_John C

Ah , I see. So if they make their changes this weekend; rte2 can still be carried on mux1 until they decide to remove it.
Thats my understanding of point 1.

More Music

Machinehead wrote: »

According to Aertel P.169 RTÉ/RTÉNL have got a whole bunch of transmitter work going on over the next week & Mulla on 12/09/'11. Still not sure if Maghera is done yet, but I figure they might want to get all this stuff done with before they fire up mux2 24/7.

Hey Machinehead, just to let you know the work on Mullaghanish has nothing to do with Mux2.

The power reductions/outages are to facilitate mast work.

Mux2 is already installed.

The Cush

More Music wrote: »

Hey Machinehead, just to let you know the work on Mullaghanish has nothing to do with Mux2.

The power reductions/outages are to facilitate mast work.

Mux2 is already installed.

Thanks for that More Music.

Long time no terrestrial posts, your Mullaghanish posts were appreciated.

Souriau

Mux2 from CH, Longford, is still tranmitting but no channels contents.
TSReader show it is 100% null 0x1fff
all channles are removed but still transmitting, just nothing to transmit
Is this the same for other Mux2 transmitters?

glimmerman123

Souriau wrote: »

Mux2 from CH, Longford, is still tranmitting but no channels contents.
TSReader show it is 100% null 0x1fff
all channles are removed but still transmitting, just nothing to transmit
Is this the same for other Mux2 transmitters?

When Saorview officially launched Mux 2 from Maghera which is where i receive DTT from was switched on but also had no content on it. When it was powered up again about two weeks ago it had all the test cards RTE News Now and a HD loop test as well as all the RTE radio channels. It is now powered off at the moment but i think only one or two transmitters have Mux 2 powered up on low power and with some of the test channels on them.

SRB

Kippure was still showing the Test Cards, Loop and News Now this morning, though, yes, it's on lower power than the active mux.

Souriau

Cairn Hill back to normal now but is just 7 video service, Future Test 8 is gone now.

Dub88

Hi im currently living in a bad reception area in drogheda but recently I was able to run a scan on my mpeg2 tv and I am receiving (analogue) rte 1 ch40 rte 2 ch43 tv3 ch 46 tg4 ch 50. Then on dtv scan I seem to be getting mux 1 and 2. Mux2 future services are first on the list then mux1 channels and radio ect.. I get sound but no picture ala mpeg2 but I have a sony play tv that im trying to use with WMC because I dont own a ps3 anymore, WMC is only storing mux 2 channels, the HD loop plays fine on it. Would anybody be able to help me get mux1 channels stored on my WMC? Any help is much appreciated thanks EDIT: I did a re scan and when the mux 1 channels were found I just unplugged the aerial for the rest of the scan and it worked! But... My signal is too bad to view any of the channels ah well I will just have to wait until next year when Im moving to a new house.

Peter Rhea

Mux 1 is UHF channel 47 from that transmitter (Cairn Hill), if that's any use to you. Can't help beyond that, I'm afraid.