Saorview pickup

dutch oven

Can anyone tell me why my SAORVIEW tv has problems picking up certain channels through DIGITAL such as BBC, UTV, CH 4 etc and yet the same aerial and tv has those channels chrystal clear through ANALOGUE.
I thought the point of digital was to provide a better, clearer and more reliable picture?

kirving

You're trying to pick up BBC, CH4 and UTV via Saorview(over the air)? Sorry if I've understood that wrong.

Saorview only relates to Irish channels such as RTE and TV3.

I'm assuming you're in a border area? If so, the only reason you're getting analogue UK terrestrials is that you're picking up overspill from a NI transmitter. In October when these transmissions close, the digital services will increase in power so you might pick them up then.

Otis Driftwood

Moved from tGC,no idea how he managed to post it there.

The Cush

dutch oven wrote: »

Can anyone tell me why my SAORVIEW tv has problems picking up certain channels through DIGITAL such as BBC, UTV, CH 4 etc and yet the same aerial and tv has those channels chrystal clear through ANALOGUE.

UK Freeview DTT is only available from 3 main transmitters in NI at the moment, no relays carry the service now.

The switchover to digital starts on Oct 10th next and completes on Oct 24th.

http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/when_do_i_switch/northernireland
http://www.digitaluk.co.uk/postcodechecker/main/traderegion/utv_region/main/NA/NA

dutch oven

While I appreciate SAORVIEW is primarily intended for Irish channels I was under the impression it would also pick up any other free to air digital channels such as the UK FREEVIEW where signal strength allowed.

Peter Rhea

Where are you located? That might give some idea of your ability to receive the UK Freeview broadcasts.

The Cush

dutch oven wrote: »

While I appreciate SAORVIEW is primarily intended for Irish channels I was under the impression it would also pick up any other free to air digital channels such as the UK FREEVIEW where signal strength allowed.

That's correct, the NI transmitters don't go full power until Oct 24th next. You may be receiving the UK analogue channels from a transmitter with no Freeview transmissions or a transmitter on low power until next Oct.

dutch oven

Thanks folks, thats cleared up a few things.

Iderown

I'm in Bangor, Co Down, and receive pretty good analogue transmissions from Clermont Carn. Do not yet have a digital box.

The digital signal coverage map at
http://www.saorview.ie/make-the-switch/coverage-checker/coverage-map/
Is it the present digital coverage or the predicted digital coverage after October 2012?

Further, I'm guessing that a digital set-top box designed for saorview will also decode BBC freeview clannels from Divis transmitter. But maybe not vice versa. Any advice?

Iderown

Iderown wrote: »

I'm in Bangor, Co Down, and receive pretty good analogue transmissions from Clermont Carn. Do not yet have a digital box.

The digital signal coverage map at
http://www.saorview.ie/make-the-switch/coverage-checker/coverage-map/
Is it the present digital coverage or the predicted digital coverage after October 2012?

Further, I'm guessing that a digital set-top box designed for saorview will also decode BBC freeview clannels from Divis transmitter. But maybe not vice versa. Any advice?

The area in red on the coverage map is the post-October 2012 coverage. A Saorview box should also do UK Freeview, just not vice versa.

Gerry Wicklow

A SaorView box probably wont decode FreeView HD as it needs a DVB-T2 tuner.

Iderown

Thanks for that, Karsini and Gerry Wicklow.

I'm not worried about high definition channels.
Sometime soon, I'll have a rail trip to Dundalk, Drogheda or Dublin and buy an appropriate set top box and have a play with it.

Peter Rhea

So your current tv is not capable of receiving any digital programmes or displaying a HD picture?

I would think it highly unlikely that you'll get a Saorview signal at your location until after switchover in October when Clermont Carn starts using its main transmitting array.

By then, Freeview HD transmissions will have started on all NI transmitters (to add to RTE2 HD), so a new tv might be a better investment (or maybe you'll be happy enough to just have a replacement for the switched off analogue channels).

Iderown

Peter Rhea - I'm personally not a great televiewer. My main watch is TG4 - not during the day . Wife does some soap viewing. The main viewing TV is analogue - definitely not HD. (Happens that we also have a little used UK freesat dish and box.)
My main question really concerned the digital terrestrial box which I would need to see (eventually) both RTÉ and UK transmissions.

Peter Rhea

If you currently have reception from Divis/Black Mountain don't forget about the RTE & TG4 'mini-mux' which is due to broadcast from BM following switchover.

Afaia, this will carry RTE 1, 2 & TG4, but will be transmitted using the newer DVB-T2 standard, so will require a Freeview HD box (the Irish channels will be SD). This could be a useful extra option should reception from Clermont not live up to expectations.

Ronnie Raygun

Iderown wrote: »

Further, I'm guessing that a digital set-top box designed for saorview will also decode BBC freeview clannels from Divis transmitter. But maybe not vice versa.

It's useful to separate the modulation scheme used from the actual video coding.

Freeview & Saorview both use DVB-T modulation but Saorview uses the later, more efficient MPEG4 video coding rather than the MPEG2 used by Freeview. A Saorview box will be backwards compatible with Freeview, however.

Freeview HD on the other hand, uses DVB-T2 modulation combined with this MPEG4 video codec. These are also backwards compatible with DVB-T & MPEG2, so a Freeview HD box should receive & decode the Saorview channels as well as SD Freeview.

So basically, for the widest choice (including the "mini-mux" mentioned above), you need a T2 receiver & none of the currently available Saorview approved boxes have this facility.

Iderown

Thanks Ronnie Raygun and Peter Rhea. That will make the change over a bit easier to arrange in the Iderown household! Next is to go hunt the required box in Belfast.

Peter Rhea

Most Freeview HD boxes so far seem to function with the Saorview signal, with an exception being the receiver mentioned in this thread.

watty

Not perfectly though.