magical digital aerials

lawhec

Re: several remotes. I really do wonder sometimes how some of us coped in the 1990's with a separate remote for Sky (analogue) and also one for a VCR?

watty

TVs had remotes then too. Even in 1950s some TVs had remotes (cabled usually).

There was even a 1930s US radio with motor driven tuning for pre set channels and a wireless remote (using a low power radio transmitter!).

I know PLENTY of older people inc pensioners that cope with multiple remotes. They do different things, so its not different to each box having its own buttons. What people don't like is going from Sky or Freesat Interactive to manually tuning streams and scanning /adding channels at all. Most people of any age (a) can't do it or (b) Don't want to have to re-delete all the junk channels that reappear.

NewHillel

watty wrote: »

What people don't like is going from Sky or Freesat Interactive ...

Indeed. What most non-Sky consumers want is to have all their channels, UK or Irish, on a single EPG with a single remote. For all practical purposes that means either:

• Sky
• Cable
• Combo box.

watty wrote: »

...manually tuning streams and scanning /adding channels at all.

Of course they don't - but this is required very infrequently for the main UK channels, when using a generic FTA or Combo box.

watty wrote: »

Most people of any age (a) can't do it.

All it takes is a few simple steps that anyone with a modicum of knowledge can do.
Why all the attempts to make it appear difficult?
What you should be promoting is customer education - i.e. insisting that ISAA members provide their customer with a written set of steps so that they can re-tune their equipment, should they need to. Its not like there are that many steps involved!

watty wrote: »

(b) Don't want to have to re-delete all the junk channels that reappear.

Where is the "all" coming from. When channels are added properly only a small number of unwanted channels, which can easily be deleted, might reappear.

To the non-initiated reading this thread...

If you can set up a new TV, i.e. tune in the channels for your area, you'll have no problem re-tuning a Combi Box, when this is necessary. Or, if you're with Sky and you've added additional channels, such as UTV, to "Oher Channels".




Practically, you can expect to have to do small changes to your Combi (or generic FTA Aldi/LIDL/B&Q) Box a couple of times of year to:

• restore (a small number of) channels that have 'gone missing',
• or to add new channels.

When you do this you may see some additional channels (on the same satellite transponder), that you may have deleted previously.

You may consider this effort not worthwhile. (We all agree its a pain in the ar$e.) If so you're better off sticking with Sky or cable if you want a single remote and EPG. Otherwise you should consider Saorview and Freesat with two diferent remotes and two different boxes for recording Irish and UK channels.

If money is not an issue, I would go with Sky every time. If you are on a very tight budget I'd go for the Combi box - provided someone in your circle has a small level of technical knowledge, for when that infamous retune is required. Unless I was very confident in what I was doing, I am, I would go with an Irish supplier who understood the Irish situation.

I have no connection with Tony who posts here often, but I am very impressed with his knowledge and willingness to share this. I would be very inclined to purchase from him.

NewHillel

lawhec wrote: »

Re: several remotes. I really do wonder sometimes how some of us coped in the 1990's with a separate remote for Sky (analogue) and also one for a VCR?

Personally, I wouldn't mind - I'm looking at a chair with six remotes(TV/SKY/Freesat/DVD Recorder/BluRAy/Amplifier), right now. However, Sky upped the game in this area, and rightly so. People now expect a more user friendly setup, and expectations can only continue to grow.

In any case, many users are not comfortable with technology and want something that 'just works'. It's a real shame that RTE didn't work with Freesat to provide a FTV solution for Ireland. It could have been a win win all round and provided a real counterweight to the two dominant players.

lawhec

NewHillel wrote: »

Personally, I wouldn't mind - I'm looking at a chair with six remotes(TV/SKY/Freesat/DVD Recorder/BluRAy/Amplifier), right now. However, Sky upped the game in this area, and rightly so. People now expect a more user friendly setup, and expectations can only continue to grow.

Sky's remote integration is good, though it doesn't cover all TV's (not mine I'm afraid) and most Freeview STB remote controls in the UK don't have such integration. I've found that One-For-All remote controls beyond the very basic are very good for day to day use if you just need the one remote.

NewHillel wrote: »

In any case, many users are not comfortable with technology and want something that 'just works'. It's a real shame that RTE didn't work with Freesat to provide a FTV solution for Ireland. It could have been a win win all round and provided a real counterweight to the two dominant players.

This argument has been done to death here - the main problems off the top of my head are (a) RTÉ NL would have to pay their own transponder costs, (b) Freesat has never been officially promoted outside of the UK, nor is it intended to be, (c) Freesat from its inception been a FTA platform, not a FTV one - the Humax STBs have CI slots but no other Freesat STBs AFAIK have one (d) FTV is not a very effective way of geographical control, which was easily learned by the UK terrestrials when they were involved in the Solus card scheme.

There's nothing to stop a manufacturer designing a combined DVB-T(2) & DVB-S(2) receiver specifically for the Irish market, but would need to be subject to licencing from both Saorview & Freesat to at least avail of the latter's compressed EPG. The only receiver I know off the top of my head which has combined twin DTT & twin satellite tuners is the MyStar receiver for the Austar pay tv service in Australia.