Digital Changeover - Soarview Help Please

supergirl2

Hi all

I am living in Cavan & receive the following 8 stations via rooftop ariel:
rte1, rte2, tv3, tg4, bbc1, bbc2, utv, c4.

I have heard that if i buy a saorview box (which i will need as my tv is only mpg2) that not only will i receive the irish digital stations but that i will also be able to pick up the uk stations too as i currenty can due to the overflow signal i am currently getting.

Qn 1: Does anybody know if this is true?

I don't want to buy a saorview 'only' box when i really should be buying a combi box and a satelite dish to be able to get the free to air uk stations also, as i would like to keep the few stations i do have for the switchover.

My tv has UK freeview built in but this is of no use to me as i am not living in the uk

Qn 2: Will the is built in freeview on the tv kick in when the digital change over happens in the uk?

Looking forward to your feedback & thanks in advance

Ronnie Raygun

The UK channels receivable on a Saorview box are the Freeview channels, Freeview being the UK terrestrial digital service. They're currently being transmitted with low power from the main transmitters in the north & all channels will be full power at switchover on Oct. 24, same day as we switch off analogue.

Your tv's tuner will decode the standard definition Freeview channels, so you could wait until then to see what reception is like before deciding if you need satellite for the UK channels.

supergirl2

Thanks Ronnie!!

What wonderful news you bring & so well explained too!!
Excellent idea, will do this

Luap

I also have a question looking at a tv in tesco that says its freeview approved.


How do I know if its Saorview approved as its in the box? And there is no spec.

Did a google and it says its mpeg 4 but is this the case with uk models.

It's a Samsung LE22D450.

MarkK

To check if a TV is approved, look it up here:

http://www.saorview.ie/equipment/saorview-approved-product-listings/

supergirl2

I bought the Alba Saorview box in Argos.
I only picked up the Irish saorview stations on the box though....
Seems i will need a combi box & dish after all if a stronger signal does not come through in October

MarkK

The power of the Freeview signal from the North will be increased in October.
So you probably will get the BBC channels on Freeview on 10 October, then the rest on 24 October.

It's not guaranteed though, you'd have to wait and see.

If you want to be sure of getting the UK channels, then satellite is the way to go.

Ronnie Raygun

supergirl2 wrote: »

I bought the Alba Saorview box in Argos.
I only picked up the Irish saorview stations on the box though....

Hardly a surprise, since your tv had already failed with the UK Freeview channels.

supergirl2

Freeview is only available in the UK not in Ireland - Freeview is not available with a satellite dish, only via an aerial in the UK or UK spill over areas.

Free to Air is available in Ireland with a satellite dish pointed at Astra 2 receiver.

I do not understand why you would say "you are not surprised" when nobody in Ireland can pick up Freeview. My TV has Freeview built in but as i said it was of no addition to me in Ireland although i do believe i was getting an over spill signal from the UK to be able to get BBC1, BBC2, UTV & C4 from my roof top ariel.

Ronnie Raygun

I thought from your response to my post #2 that you understood the situation?

Freeview is broadcast from the same Northern Irish transmitters that currently transmit the analogue UK channels into Cavan. You can't stop tv signals dead at the border, so if you currently receive the UK analogue channels, there's a good chance you'll get the Freeview PSB channels at least, when analogue is switched off.

supergirl2

So...What you are saying is at this moment in time/present day, you are not surprised that I was not able to pick them up BUT you suspect that they might kick in when the UK switch-over happens? Your answer seemed to contradict to #2, thus my confusion

Ronnie Raygun

The UK channels receivable on a Saorview box are the Freeview channels, will only be available if you can receive the Freeview signal from a UK transmitter, Freeview being the UK terrestrial digital service.

Maybe this would remove any uncertainty from my original reply?

If you have decent analogue reception atm, you should get the PSB Freeview service at least & you need the Saorview box anyway, so shouldn't be a waste.

doney84

supergirl2 wrote: »

Hi all

I am living in Cavan & receive the following 8 stations via rooftop ariel:
rte1, rte2, tv3, tg4, bbc1, bbc2, utv, c4.

I have heard that if i buy a saorview box (which i will need as my tv is only mpg2) that not only will i receive the irish digital stations but that i will also be able to pick up the uk stations too as i currenty can due to the overflow signal i am currently getting.

Qn 1: Does anybody know if this is true?

I don't want to buy a saorview 'only' box when i really should be buying a combi box and a satelite dish to be able to get the free to air uk stations also, as i would like to keep the few stations i do have for the switchover.

My tv has UK freeview built in but this is of no use to me as i am not living in the uk

Qn 2: Will the is built in freeview on the tv kick in when the digital change over happens in the uk?

Looking forward to your feedback & thanks in advance

Do you know which transmitter you are picking up the analogue bbc1,bbc2,utv & ch4 from? If it is a relay transmitter no freeview is currently been broadcast from them but come Oct 24th the relays will broadcast some UK terrestial stations known as "Freeview Lite"...

supergirl2

Doney84: Hi, I'm guessing my signal is either coming from Brougher Mountain in Tyrone or Limavady in Antrim... Not quite sure how to find out exactly Maybe i should have said "I have no idea!!" Thank you for your imput tho

Ronnie: Thank you for that;) The analogue signal for the 4 UK channels is actually a fraction better than the Irish signal so hoping all does work out in the end & yes, the saorview box was not a waste, the digital signal is so good & a pleasure to view.

doney84

supergirl2 wrote: »

Doney84: Hi, I'm guessing my signal is either coming from Brougher Mountain in Tyrone or Limavady in Antrim... Not quite sure how to find out exactly Maybe i should have said "I have no idea!!" Thank you for your imput tho

If your able to tell us what frequencies the analogue stations are on we maybe able to get an idea of what transmitter your picking up. You should find the frequencies in a "setup" or "tuning" menu on the tv. To give you an idea if your picking up Brougher Mountain, BBC1 should be on frequency "ch22 or 482.0MHz"

Sponge Bob

supergirl2 wrote: »

Doney84: Hi, I'm guessing my signal is either coming from Brougher Mountain in Tyrone or Limavady in Antrim... Not quite sure how to find out exactly

Brougher is very low power now and will turn up a lot in October post ASO , while southern TXs have run nearer full power than Brougher (but seem turned down right now from reports, eg Truskmore)

If you 'do something' (eg amplify) now you may be faced with an overload in late October.

Furthermore a lot more channels will be available off Brougher ( full Freeview) than off small relays in the Brougher area ( Freeview Lite..explained)

supergirl2

doney84 wrote: »

If your able to tell us what frequencies the analogue stations are on we maybe able to get an idea of what transmitter your picking up. You should find the frequencies in a "setup" or "tuning" menu on the tv. To give you an idea if your picking up Brougher Mountain, BBC1 should be on frequency "ch22 or 482.0MHz"

My analogue frequencies are:
BBC1 CH22, BBC2 CH28, UTV CH25, C4 CH32, RTE1 CH40, RTE2 CH43, TV3 CH46 & TNG CH50.
So it seems i am picking up Brougher Mountain signal then

Sponge Bob

supergirl2 wrote: »

My analogue frequencies are:
BBC1 CH22, BBC2 CH28, UTV CH25, C4 CH32, RTE1 CH40, RTE2 CH43, TV3 CH46 & TNG CH50.
So it seems i am picking up Brougher Mountain signal then

Yep, check here for Brougher.

http://www.ukfree.tv/shutdowndetail.php?tx=IH350527

Ronnie Raygun

supergirl2 wrote: »

So it seems i am picking up Brougher Mountain signal then

The commercial channels from Brougher will not be operating at anywhere near the same power level as the PSBs. Add to this the fact that the Brougher coms. will share frequencies with the massively more powerful Divis PSBs & you could still end up with the "Freeview Lite" service due to interference (the Divis transmissions mightn't actually be usable in Cavan, but could still be present in sufficient strength to wipe out Brougher's com. offering).

lawhec

Analogue reception of TV from Brougher in Cavan town is almost as good as in Enniskillen, but the current Freeview multiplexes are on quite low power so they might struggle a little bit. I've seen near perfect analogue pictures from Brougher whereas there's not a sniff of Freeview at present on the very fringes of the analogue service area.

To check what reception is predicted for the PSB multiplexes go to Ceefax on BBC1 page 284 and repeat on BBC2 & UTV. As for the commercial multiplexes it'll simply be a wait and see approach however given how well Brougher gets into Cavan town and the distance from Belfast you'd have a reasonable chance. You might also be able to get the NI mix carrying Rte and Tg4 but this might be interfered with from Three Rock in Dublin, not that it'll matter really if Saorview is fine.