Soarview/DTT/Freeview Questions....

Shane732

I want to update the setup in the house. Unfortunately it's an old enough property so getting wiring around the place etc... might not be the easiest.

At present we have:

5 TV's
Sky + and multiroom - which give us sky in two room and magic eyes to another tv - therefore 3 TV's have sky.
The other two TV's are just analogue tv's receiving terrestrial through an aerial

Basically what I want to do is replace two of the TV's with HD TV's and get two freesat boxes or some sort of box to enable the other two TV's to get as many freeview channels as possible.

Also if I update the Sky + to Sky HD will we be able to watch the new Soarview service?

I'm hoping some of you guys might be able to help me out. What's the best option for me with an aerial and sky dish up outside. Will I need another dish?

Would really appreciate some advice.

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

I want to update the setup in the house. Unfortunately it's an old enough property so getting wiring around the place etc... might not be the easiest.

At present we have:

5 TV's
Sky + and multiroom - which give us sky in two room and magic eyes to another tv - therefore 3 TV's have sky.
The other two TV's are just analogue tv's receiving terrestrial through an aerial

Basically what I want to do is replace two of the TV's with HD TV's and get two freesat boxes or some sort of box to enable the other two TV's to get as many freeview channels as possible.

Also if I update the Sky + to Sky HD will we be able to watch the new Soarview service?

I'm hoping some of you guys might be able to help me out. What's the best option for me with an aerial and sky dish up outside. Will I need another dish?

Would really appreciate some advice.

Saorview is not available with a Sky box.

Saorview is a digital terrestrial service which requires an aerial connected to a suitable DTT receiver be it an iDTV or STB. The existing aerial may be OK.

When replacing your TVs be sure to replace them with either Saorview approved models or at a minimum MPEG-4 compliant ones.

Are any of your existing TVs compliant? If not an attached STB will work.

For 5 satellite receivers an octo lnb (8 outputs) will be required with 3 spare for the Sky+/freesat+ second feed.

Another option would be a quattro lnb feeding a multiswitch (with terrestrial aerial also connected to the multiswitch). The multiswitch will then feed each satellite receiver input. If terrestrial feed is required at the TV a sat/tv splitter is used to separate the aerial and satellite signals.

Lots of threads on this in this forum and the satellite forum, search for multiswitch, quattro, etc.

Shane732

The Cush wrote: »

Saorview is not available with a Sky box.

Saorview is a digital terrestrial service which requires an aerial connected to a suitable DTT receiver be it an iDTV or STB. The existing aerial may be OK.

When replacing your TVs be sure to replace them with either Saorview approved models or at a minimum MPEG-4 compliant ones.

Are any of your existing TVs compliant? If not an attached STB will work.

For 5 satellite receivers an octo lnb (8 outputs) will be required with 3 spare for the Sky+/freesat+ second feed.

Another option would be a quattro lnb feeding a multiswitch (with terrestrial aerial also connected to the multiswitch). The multiswitch will then feed each satellite receiver input. If terrestrial feed is required at the TV a sat/tv splitter is used to separate the aerial and satellite signals.

Lots of threads on this in this forum and the satellite forum, search for multiswitch, quattro, etc.

One TV is MPEG-4 but it's connected to a Sky box so there's no terrestrial aerial.

I think our aerial will work with the new DTT Soarview standard as when we did have an aerial connection at the MPEG-4 we could get all the RTE channels when they were testing them.

Thank you - I'll search for multiswitch and quattro threads here but just just as a general question. Are you saying that I could attach a quattro lnb to the Sky dish and then run it into a multiswitch, which I could then run to various freeview receivers etc....? Would I get away using the existing cabling from the TV points to the mulitswitch?

Much appreciated, thank you.

Sponge Bob

If you live in a city try rabbits ears with the Mpeg4 telly, digital telly works fine in funny signal areas where analogue does not.

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

Are you saying that I could attach a quattro lnb to the Sky dish and then run it into a multiswitch, which I could then run to various freeview receivers etc....? Would I get away using the existing cabling from the TV points to the mulitswitch?

Freesat not freeview (UK DTT service).

I'm not sure if you can attach a quattro lnb to a sky mini dish (different mount? someone might clarify), but will work with a standard dish.

If the cabling works with the Sky receiver you should have no problem.

http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/lnb.htm#quattro

Mexecutioner

The Cush wrote: »

I'm not sure if you can attach a quattro lnb to a sky mini dish (different mount? someone might clarify), but will work with a standard dish.

Get a multiswitch that works with a quad & just use existing.

One example; http://www.optima-tv.com/assets/pdf/OPTIMA-Multiswitches.pdf

Sponge Bob

That is a 5 in multiswitch, he would be better off with a 9 in multiswitch. Explained.

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/2satellite-fixed-dishes.htm#triaxmultiswitch

Dunno if the saorsat signal will fit perfectly on one quattro range input either. IE you have a 9 in and use all four quattro cables for the sky dish ( given the wide spectrum used) and one of the other 4 inputs only for saorsat. The maestros in the Sat forum like Apogee will soon confirm this one way or another, I am not familiar with the Ka bandplan at all worst case 2 inputs I'd say.

The 9th input is an aerial input.

Shane732

Sponge Bob wrote: »

That is a 5 in multiswitch, he would be better off with a 9 in multiswitch. Explained.

http://www.satellitesuperstore.com/2satellite-fixed-dishes.htm#triaxmultiswitch

Dunno if the saorsat signal will fit perfectly on one quattro range input either. IE you have a 9 in and use all four quattro cables for the sky dish ( given the wide spectrum used) and one of the other 4 inputs only for saorsat. The maestros in the Sat forum like Apogee will soon confirm this one way or another, I am not familiar with the Ka bandplan at all worst case 2 inputs I'd say.

The 9th input is an aerial input.

What now?!!

Unfortunately I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this stuff!

I've another bit of a question.... I don't have the HD package at the moment but if I get a sky HD box will I just be able to connect that up instead of the normal box I have at the moment (i.e. the non-plus one) and get freeview HD channels through it? It doesn't bother me that I would be able to record (as I don't have a second connection running to the box).

Thanks for the help so far.

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

What now?!!

Unfortunately I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to this stuff!

If you can get Saorview thru the aerial to the TV I wouldn't worry about Saorsat.

For the average user Saorsat will require a new dish, lnb and a receiver at each TV not connected to Sky, for the Irish channels. Saorview via an aerial will be a cheaper and less complicated option.

A 5/x multiswitch (5 = 4 sat / 1 terrestrial aerial inputs, x = no. of outputs to feed the various receiver inputs) will work for you e.g. http://www.sateuropa.co.uk/product_overview.asp?prod=Atevio-Premium-Line-5/8&id=2438&catid=12&subcat=11.

Shane732

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Octo__Eight_output_LNB_for_sky_mini_dish.html
Hmmm....

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

http://www.satellite.ie/acatalog/Octo__Eight_output_LNB_for_sky_mini_dish.html
Hmmm....

That'll work, no multiswitch required. How may feeds will you require?

Will you have to run additional for satellite & aerial?

Shane732

The Cush wrote: »

That'll work, no multiswitch required. How may feeds will you require?

Will you have to run additional for satellite & aerial?

I need 2 for the Sky Plus box and one for the standard box. Then I one for each of the other 3 boxes.

Just in relation to my query regarding the standard sky box....... Can I simply replace the standard sky box (i.e. the non Sky + one) and get the freeview HD channels? Is the cable running to the standard SD sky box the same as that as you need for a Sky HD + box? I know I won't be able to record because I'll only have the one connection but will I be able to watch freeview HD channels?

What do you mean by Will you have to run additional for satellite & aerial?

Thanks for your help

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

Just in relation to my query regarding the standard sky box....... Can I simply replace the standard sky box (i.e. the non Sky + one) and get the freeview HD channels? Is the cable running to the standard SD sky box the same as that as you need for a Sky HD + box? I know I won't be able to record because I'll only have the one connection but will I be able to watch freeview HD channels?

Do you meant to mean to remove the basic Sky box and replace it with freesat-hd receiver for the free channels.

In any case the cable from the dish will feed any satellite receiver.

Shane732 wrote: »

What do you mean by Will you have to run additional for satellite & aerial?

Should have added "cable runs" (it was a late post). Will you have to run any additional cable from the aerial to any TVs for the terrestrial channels?

Shane732

The Cush wrote: »

Do you meant to mean to remove the basic Sky box and replace it with freesat-hd receiver for the free channels.

No I meant replace the standard Sky box with a Sky + HD box. That way I'll be able to get all the sky channels and also the freeview channels on sky.....

ballbag05

Shane732 wrote: »

No I meant replace the standard Sky box with a Sky + HD box. That way I'll be able to get all the sky channels and also the freeview channels on sky.....

how can u replace standard box with sky+ 1? have old box with 6 yrs, do u have to change contract or what?

Shane732

Shane732 wrote: »

No I meant replace the standard Sky box with a Sky + HD box. That way I'll be able to get all the sky channels and also the freeview channels on sky.....

The Cush -

Will this work?

Shane732

ballbag05 wrote: »

how can u replace standard box with sky+ 1? have old box with 6 yrs, do u have to change contract or what?

You need to change the LNB on the dish, run a second cable in to the location of the box and change the box.

What I'm looking to do is change a standard box to a HD one - I'm not particularly interested in recording of the HD so I don't need to run a second cable in.

The Cush

Shane732 wrote: »

The Cush -

Will this work?

Yes. The cable from the dish will work with any satellite receiver including a Sky HD receiver.

The Cush

ballbag05 wrote: »

how can u replace standard box with sky+ 1? have old box with 6 yrs, do u have to change contract or what?

Shane732 wrote: »

You need to change the LNB on the dish, run a second cable in to the location of the box and change the box.

What I'm looking to do is change a standard box to a HD one - I'm not particularly interested in recording of the HD so I don't need to run a second cable in.

Shane I think what he was asking is are Sky replacing your standard receiver with a new HD one?