5 TV sets and Saorview? Do I need 5 Saorview boxes?

irish147

Like most of the land, we have to get Saorview boxes, but do I have to get 5 Saorview boxes to see RTe/TV3 etc?

will my RTE TV and TV3 TV aerial on the roof work?

thanks

Enda Murphy

irish147 wrote: »

Like most of the land, we have to get Saorview boxes, but do I have to get 5 Saorview boxes to see RTe/TV3 etc?

will my RTE TV and TV3 TV aerial on the roof work?

thanks

Do you have sky or upc?

Richard

If you want to be able to change channels on each TV, then each one will need a Saorview box (or a sky box or cable). You could run two tvs off one saorview box, but that would mean you'd have to watch the same tv channel on both.

As for aerials, Saorview uses UHF, which is used by TV3 and TG4, and in many areas by RTE as well. A UHF aerial should be fine for Saorview.

RTE uses VHF in some areas, so an aerial designed for this won't be any good for TV after switchover.

irish147

thanks for your info, but i was thinking, this will get expensive for many people as money is not great anymore, if family's have to buy 4 to 6 boxs..

thanks anyway

michea;

Richard wrote: »

If you want to be able to change channels on each TV, then each one will need a Saorview box (or a sky box or cable). You could run two tvs off one saorview box, but that would mean you'd have to watch the same tv channel on both.

As for aerials, Saorview uses UHF, which is used by TV3 and TG4, and in many areas by RTE as well. A UHF aerial should be fine for Saorview.

RTE uses VHF in some areas, so an aerial designed for this won't be any good for TV after switchover.

Antenna

Richard wrote: »

You could run two tvs off one saorview box, but that would mean you'd have to watch the same tv channel on both.

No Saorview approved STBs have modulators. You would also have to buy a modulator if you wanted to do that + yet more expense if you wanted to use the remote in another room like Sky Eye. (another option is video senders but they often give poor results.

Richard wrote: »

As for aerials, Saorview uses UHF, which is used by TV3 and TG4, and in many areas by RTE as well. A UHF aerial should be fine for Saorview.

RTE uses VHF in some areas, so an aerial designed for this won't be any good for TV after switchover.

Original poster in Co. Wexford. which is one area where existing aerials would probably have to be replaced, as its wrong group for digital if not wideband. Even if an existing group-A aerial did manage to work work there, it may be very prone to co-channel interference from the back during "high pressure" - which is an issue there.

The Cush

irish147 wrote: »

thanks for your info, but i was thinking, this will get expensive for many people as money is not great anymore, if family's have to buy 4 to 6 boxs..

Analogue switchoff is still 12 months away and you don't have to convert every TV and recorder until then. There may be cheaper converters on the market before then.

Gay Byrne, who will be the face of the switchover campaign said the following at the launch

For those struggling to meet the cost, Mr Byrne said it might be worth waiting till closer to the time to upgrade as discount supermarkets, such as Aldi and Lidl, were likely to offer cheap set-top boxes for as little as €10.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/government-to-net-euro180m-from-digital-tv-switch-2907072.html

Richard

The Cush wrote: »

Analogue switchoff is still 12 months away and you don't have to convert every TV and recorder until then. There may be cheaper converters on the market before then.

In the UK you can by Freeview boxes from about £15. These won't work in ROI, but I imagine MPEG4 boxes will be cheaper than they are now in a year from now.

Sam Russell

I would be surprised if certified boxes ever come down below €20 but non-certified ones should - if anyone cares to offer them. Blame the high cost of certification.

STB

Richard wrote: »

In the UK you can by Freeview boxes from about £15. These won't work in ROI, but I imagine MPEG4 boxes will be cheaper than they are now in a year from now.

The reason that Freeview boxes (MPEG2) are that price is that Freeview HD level boxes have replaced these old and incompatible old tat even by the UK's standards.

Freeview branded boxes are not suitable for Saorview Ireland as they are MPEG2 boxes.

Freeview HD boxes will work with Saorview but not fully compliant with our standard. They are not £15.

Sam Russell wrote: »

I would be surprised if certified boxes ever come down below €20 but non-certified ones should - if anyone cares to offer them. Blame the high cost of certification.

At that price point it will indeed be Non certified and possibly Freeview HD box as a result that will be the option. 66million vs 5.million

It is nothing to do with the cost of certification. It is to do with population and unit production. Supply and demand.

paulcdub85

Hi,

Sorry to go off topic here but I have a basic understanding of freesat and saoirview and reading some of the comments about co channel interferance etc...which i don't understand...could anyone reccomend a good website or book where I could learn the a=z theory of it all?

Thanks

Captain Vegetable

Try here for terrestrial stuff.

STB

paulcdub85 wrote: »

Hi,

Sorry to go off topic here but I have a basic understanding of freesat and saoirview and reading some of the comments about co channel interferance etc...which i don't understand...could anyone reccomend a good website or book where I could learn the a=z theory of it all?

Thanks

What do you want to know ?

Co Channel interference/xtalk ? Its where 2 TV transmitters broadcasting on the same TV channel covering the same geographical area meet and effectively cancel each other out.

paulcdub85

Captain Vegetable wrote: »

Try here for terrestrial stuff.

tanx

Sam Russell

STB wrote: »

At that price point it will indeed be Non certified and possibly Freeview HD box as a result that will be the option. 66million vs 5.million

It is nothing to do with the cost of certification. It is to do with population and unit production. Supply and demand.

At €20,000 for certification (plus VAT) is a huge cost to defray at a unit cost of €20 (inc VAT). Only large suppliers can afford to write that sort of cost.

danjo-xx

Saorview STB's €49 ~ 27th October in Lidl,

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056426156

joebre

My TV's are wall-mounted so I want to keep the set top boxes out of sight.
At the moment, I have a quatro LNB, feeding through a multi-switch into a stack of Sky boxes. I then use RF2 and a Magic Eye to each room.
I want to continue using the coax so will I be able to use the Magic Eye for control?
If the set top box has a modulator, will I be able to tune a number of TV's to the same box and be able to watch different channels in different rooms?

The Cush

joebre wrote: »

If the set top box has a modulator, will I be able to tune a number of TV's to the same box and be able to watch different channels in different rooms?

No, only the selected channel.

reslfj

irish147 wrote: »

thanks for your info, but i was thinking, this will get expensive for many people as money is not great anymore, if family's have to buy 4 to 6 boxs..

If a family has 4 or 6 TV sets - they are not nor should they be on 'Welfare' or be social clients - they must pay their own bills - or lower there requirements.

Modern TV sets are much larger, in many ways better and very much less expensive than CRT's, but they need digital signals for best picture quality.
The change to digital TV has great total value for the country - ASO is long overdue - and you have yet a full year - to the day - to save up the money needed.

The concept of terrestrial digital TV - is one receiver per TV-set - or even two inside most recording PVR's. This is how it is meant to work - and this is how the viewers should use the DTT system.

The Irish DTT broadcast is based on an HD strategy - trying to retrofit RF-modulators or other analogue technology into new equipment is - IMHO - nothing short of stupid. It surely is a waste of money*.

Lars

* With the possible exception of a SCART connector on STB's for a few more years.

Sam Russell

I agree, it is a waste of money adding a STB to a TV worth less than €100. If a TV is a LCD or plasma, then it is worth it. A widescreen CRT above 28 inches, probably worth it. But a screen size of less than 24 inches is a waste. A new Saorview set is better picture, better features and not much extra.

There will be a last minute scramble a month before ASO, whenever that occurs. If it were to be 31st Dec 2011 or if it were to be 31st October 2022, there would still be people complaining they knew nothing about it and why were we not told. So expect panic in 10 months time.

STB

A Box with RF Modulator seems to be a common question. Be aware it is restricted to displaying the channel you have the main box tuned to.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=75090304&postcount=18

Gerry Wicklow

STB am I right in thinking that by using the RF output you will only get analogue picture quality and Mono sound?

STB

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

STB am I right in thinking that by using the RF output you will only get analogue picture quality and Mono sound?

Yep. Its always been the way though hasn't it ? RF must be the dirtiest unfiltered output known. Analogue in a Digital world. Will we ever get away from it ? For those with old TVs looking for a cheap way of feeding them all over the house perhaps it wont be noticeable.

Antenna

reslfj wrote: »

Modern TV sets are much larger, in many ways better and very much less expensive than CRT's,

Though how long will they typically last?!

I have seen (Japanese manufactured) CRT colour TVs bought in the early 1980s still going strong to this day!

reslfj

Antenna wrote: »

Though how long will they typically last?!

I have seen (Japanese manufactured) CRT colour TVs bought in the early 1980s still going strong to this day!

I got a CRT 23" in 1984 - price ~€1000 in year 1984 money, maybe €2000 in todays money and yes I had it for almost 15 years.

Today, I can get 4-8 larger brandname TV sets for €2000 - they may not all last 15 or more year. But for €2000 I can change every second or third year for the same money - much more often than needed - so who cares?

Lars

Sam Russell

But that is not the only point. A CRT TV will only have a SD display, and probably a 4:3 display. A new TV will be HD and 16:9, and be equipped with a Saorview approved tuner. It will give a much better picture, and possibly give you internet connection, 3D, and possibly satellite (Freesat) tuner as well. Obviously this would be for top of the range. The last CRT I bought cost me €1,500 for a 32 inch (equal to 30 inch LCD as the glass is included) 16:9 100 hz, and weighed in at two tonnes. The next one was a LCD 40 inch HD Ready set and cost €1,000, had an MPEG 2 tuner. My next one cost €460, and is 42 inch, MPEG 4, MHEG 5, DVB-T2 tuner.

Each time a much better TV for a lot less money.

Second hand CRT TVs go for very little, because new ones go for very little money.

Gerry Wicklow

Sam Russell wrote: »

But that is not the only point. A CRT TV will only have a SD display, and probably a 4:3 display. A new TV will be HD and 16:9, and be equipped with a Saorview approved tuner. It will give a much better picture, and possibly give you internet connection, 3D, and possibly satellite (Freesat) tuner as well. Obviously this would be for top of the range. The last CRT I bought cost me €1,500 for a 32 inch (equal to 30 inch LCD as the glass is included) 16:9 100 hz, and weighed in at two tonnes. The next one was a LCD 40 inch HD Ready set and cost €1,000, had an MPEG 2 tuner. My next one cost €460, and is 42 inch, MPEG 4, MHEG 5, DVB-T2 tuner.

Each time a much better TV for a lot less money.

Second hand CRT TVs go for very little, because new ones go for very little money.

The "Moore's Law" of TV's?

dodzy

reslfj wrote: »

I got a CRT 23" in 1984 - price ~€1000 in year 1984 money, maybe €2000 in todays money and yes I had it for almost 15 years.

Today, I can get 4-8 larger brandname TV sets for €2000 - they may not all last 15 or more year. But for €2000 I can change every second or third year for the same money - much more often than needed - so who cares?

Lars

If i had to spend 2K every scond or third year on replacement tvs, i'd care, bigtime.

reslfj

dodzy wrote: »

If i had to spend 2K every scond or third year on replacement tvs, i'd care, bigtime.

I wrote: for €2000 I can buy a new and better TV set every 2. or 3. year for the next 15 years - and this was more often than needed - so who cares if each TV set does NOT last the full 15 years any more - comprendo ?

Lars

billbee

i have 4 TVs around my bungalow how will a new saorview type aerial be able to give my a good reception to all four tv s or will i need a different type of booster than the usual boosters .thank s billbee d if so is there a different type of booster needed

ardmacha

i have 4 TVs around my bungalow how will a new saorview type aerial be able to give my a good reception to all four tv s or will i need a different type of booster than the usual boosters .thank s billbee d if so is there a different type of booster needed

If you already receive TV3 and TG4 on the 4 TVs then you probably don't need a new aerial.

billbee

i do need an aerial.. i live in ashbourne and the signal is crap and i am trying to feed four tvs from one aerial across the roof of my bungalow .and the question is will the best aerial available feed four tv s cheers ..billbee

Digifriendly

billbee wrote: »

i have 4 TVs around my bungalow how will a new saorview type aerial be able to give my a good reception to all four tv s or will i need a different type of booster than the usual boosters .thank s billbee d if so is there a different type of booster needed

AFAIK one decent sized aerial with 4 way distribution amplifier should do the trick.

Sam Russell

Try a STB and see what you get with the current aerial. You probably would need a distribution amp to boost the signal, but try a STB first. You can move it from TV to TV and see how each performs.