Connecting Saorview to UPC outlet?

King Leer

Hi guys, I guess the short way of putting the question is in the title. The long way is this:

I'm living in an apartment complex and each flat has a UPC outlet for the TV. We had the previous owner's subscription run over for a few weeks, but now it's cut out and we can't afford a UPC subscription.
It's hardly this easy, but can we just buy and connect a saorview box to the UPC outlet or do you really need to have an outdoor UHF aerial?

We do have a very strong indoor UHF indoor aerial that you have to plug into the wall, but I presume that's useless. It does pick up all the RTE radio stations that are on Saorview though when connected to the TV via the UPC outlet

Thanks for any help you can give me; I've looked through previous posts anc couldn't find a similar question.

Peter Rhea

King Leer wrote: »

We do have a very strong indoor UHF indoor aerial that you have to plug into the wall, but I presume that's useless. It does pick up all the RTE radio stations that are on Saorview though when connected to the TV via the UPC outlet

How exactly do you connect the aerial via the UPC outlet? Don't presume the indoor aerial is useless: it could perform ok, if a strong enough signal is present.

winston_1

You certainly can connect a Saorview box to your UPC outlet but it won't work.

You need an outdoor aerial. Indoor ones can work but only in about 10% of cases.

Charles Slane

If your TV can pick up the radio stations through an indoor aerial, but not the TV stations, it may not be compatible with Saorview. In which case, no matter what aerial you use, you still won't be able to see channels broadcast through Saorview.

King Leer

Peter Rhea wrote: »

How exactly do you connect the aerial via the UPC outlet? Don't presume the indoor aerial is useless: it could perform ok, if a strong enough signal is present.

Basically, I've plugged the UPC cable (which came from the outlet) into the aerial and then connected the aerial to the TV.

Then, as I said, it picked up all the RTE radio stations (so not Newstalk, Today FM etc) but no TV channels.

mar1us

Charles Slane wrote: »

If your TV can pick up the radio stations through an indoor aerial, but not the TV stations, it may not be compatible with Saorview. In which case, no matter what aerial you use, you still won't be able to see channels broadcast through Saorview.

That is true !

The Cush

King Leer wrote: »

Basically, I've plugged the UPC cable (which came from the outlet) into the aerial and then connected the aerial to the TV.

Then, as I said, it picked up all the RTE radio stations (so not Newstalk, Today FM etc) but no TV channels.

If you're receiving the 10 Saorview radio stations only on that TV it appears the TV isn't Saorview compatible i.e. no MPEG-4 video decoder but it may indicate that the indoor aerial might work with a Saorview STB between the aerial and the TV.

King Leer

The Cush wrote: »

If you're receiving the 10 Saorview radio stations only on that TV it appears the TV isn't Saorview compatible i.e. no MPEG-4 video decoder but it may indicate that the indoor aerial might work with a Saorview STB between the aerial and the TV.

Oh, that's interesting. I don't know how old the TV is, but I think it's fairly new: it's a 32" flat screen Evotel.. Very decent TV - USB, HDMI connectivity etc.

winston_1

King Leer wrote: »

Basically, I've plugged the UPC cable (which came from the outlet) into the aerial and then connected the aerial to the TV.

Then, as I said, it picked up all the RTE radio stations (so not Newstalk, Today FM etc) but no TV channels.

Don't connect the aerial to the UPC cable. The aerial will radiate them which is illegal.

The Cush

King Leer wrote: »

Oh, that's interesting. I don't know how old the TV is, but I think it's fairly new: it's a 32" flat screen Evotel.. Very decent TV - USB, HDMI connectivity etc.

Probably an MPEG-2 digital TV for UK Freeview hence the reason for audio (radio) and no video (TV). MPEG-4 video decoding required for the Saorview TV channels. List of Saorview approved products here - http://www.saorview.ie/equipment/saorview-approved-product-listings/

Old thread here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=69741560#post69741560

King Leer

The Cush wrote: »

Probably an MPEG-2 digital TV for UK Freeview hence the reason for audio (radio) and no video (TV). MPEG-4 video decoding required for the Saorview TV channels. List of Saorview approved products here - http://www.saorview.ie/equipment/saorview-approved-product-listings/

Good to know, thank you very much!

Edit: I just read that thread and it said that TV shouldn't be for sale outside the UK alright, which is not good for me...

The Cush

King Leer wrote: »

Edit: I just read that thread and it said that TV shouldn't be for sale outside the UK alright, which is not good for me...

The TV connected to a Saorview STB via HDMI or scart will not be problem provided the indoor aerial connected directly to the STB supplies a stable Saorview signal.

Edit: there is this receiver available for €48 which connects directly to the TV's HDMI connector (aerial also required) which will provide the Saorview channels but probably will not do the new digital teletext service on the RTÉ channels. A Saorview approved receiver will be required if you you want digital Aertel.

King Leer

The Cush wrote: »

The TV connected to a Saorview STB via HDMI or scart will not be problem provided the indoor aerial connected directly to the STB supplies a stable Saorview signal.

I understand now! Sorry, I'm a bit slow today..

Yeah, but I guess there's no way I can test that out without having to buy a STB. I might have to bite the bullet; I wonder if I could return it if it doesn't work!

Ok, so that means the UPC outlet (which I presume is connected to a satellite/aerial on the roof) is not a viable signal source anyway, and there's a small percentage chance my strong indoor aerial might work with a STB.

The Cush

King Leer wrote: »

Yeah, but I guess there's no way I can test that out without having to buy a STB. I might have to bite the bullet; I wonder if I could return it if it doesn't work!

You posted earlier that you had the RTÉ radio stations via the aerial, were they glitch free, without breakup? If so, that may be a good indication that the Saorview signal may be acceptable. But the only way to be sure is to install a Saorview receiver and test it out. Argos accept returns I believe.

King Leer wrote: »

Ok, so that means the UPC outlet (which I presume is connected to a satellite/aerial on the roof) is not a viable signal source anyway, and there's a small percentage chance my strong indoor aerial might work with a STB.

The UPC wall connection may be connected to its own cable network outside the building. Have you done a retune of the TV when connected to the UPC connection only, does it find and store any channels?

King Leer

The Cush wrote: »

You posted earlier that you had the RTÉ radio stations via the aerial, were they glitch free, without breakup? If so, that may be a good indication that the Saorview signal may be acceptable. But the only way to be sure is to install a Saorview receiver and test it out. Argos accept returns I believe.

Yeah, they were perfect. I will have to get something on sale or return; Argos is a good idea.

The Cush wrote: »

The UPC wall connection may be connected to its own cable network outside the building. Have you done a retune of the TV when connected to the UPC connection only, does it find and store any channels?

I was talking to the maintenance guy today (who apparently has no idea about Saorview at all) and yes, UPC has a its own cable network.
And, yes, I have retuned it, but it no longer picks up any channels; it did initially, as when I came to the flat we tuned them in but as I said, the previous tenant's UPC contract is now up.