UPC cable / an aerial for Freeview HD ?

CaSCaDe711

Hi all.

Recently bought a Sony HDTV (KDL32W653A). Can watch the World Cup on RTE2 HD, or check out RTE1 HD, looks great, but I'm not using an aerial as it is connected (via a splitter) to the point on the wall where the UPC signal (internet and FM) comes in (coax cable into the back of TV).

Without that connected I get nothing, so if UPC goes down I will lose the HD channels (and the analog).

Questions I have are:

If I purchased an outdoor (or is there a recommended indoor ?) aerial, would I get the same HD channels, or would I see more/less ?

From what I have discovered so far this TV only allows me to record from either the RTE1 HD or RTE2 HD signal, yet I'm seeing the regular 17 Analog channels. Without opting for Horizon, and considering we have an unused Sky dish on the side of the house, what option would be best to supply the most channels to suit recording to USB drives ?

Thank you for your time, this noob really needs advice before he starts making more purchases.

Thank you.
CaSCaDe711

The Cush

I'm assuming you're not a UPC TV subscriber?

RTÉ 1 & 2 HD are encrypted on the UPC signal and require a UPC sub and receiver to the best of my knowledge so if you receiving those HD channels without the UPC digital sub the cabling is most likely acting as an aerial and picking up the Saorview signal and feeding it to your TV together with the unencrypted UPC analogue channels.

Do you receive any of the other Saorview channels such as RTÉ News Now on channel 6 or RTÉ+1 on channel 8? List of current Saorview channels here - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=90758514&postcount=8

Antenna

The Cush wrote: »

RTÉ 1 & 2 HD are encrypted on the UPC signal

AFAIK RTE1 never was, sounds like RTE2 isn't either.

Leaving one of two digital channels unencrypted makes fault-finding for them (upc) easier, and no one is going to 'steal cable' to get just one or two of 7 (some wrongly say 8) TV channels available on saorview.

The Cush

CaSCaDe711 wrote: »

Questions I have are:

If I purchased an outdoor (or is there a recommended indoor ?) aerial, would I get the same HD channels, or would I see more/less ?

If the situation is as Antenna describes it above then the channels you will receive with an aerial are listed here. You can continue to combine the Saorview channels with the UPC analogue channels but in Dublin analogue Channel 4 may not be available as it conflicts with the Saorview Mux 2 frequency from Three Rock carrying RTÉ HD, RTÉ+1 and RTÉjr (UHF Ch. 30).

Using an indoor aerial will depend on what the signal is like where you sit the it and they are prone to local interference, the transmission network will always recommend an outdoor aerial. You could test a cheap aerial indoor aerial and see how it goes.

CaSCaDe711 wrote: »

Questions I have are:

From what I have discovered so far this TV only allows me to record from either the RTE1 HD or RTE2 HD signal, yet I'm seeing the regular 17 Analog channels. Without opting for Horizon, and considering we have an unused Sky dish on the side of the house, what option would be best to supply the most channels to suit recording to USB drives ?

A combi satellite/terrestrial box might fit the bill. I don't own one so I can't recommed a specific one. (They won't record the UPC analogue channels)

http://satellite.ie/acatalog/Ferguson_ariva_120_installed.html
http://www.tvtrade.ie/satellite-receivers/combo-receivers.html
http://www.satworld.ie/satellite-receivers/irish-and-uk-combo-boxes.html

CaSCaDe711

Thanks a lot for the info and links, very helpful.

We do subscribe to UPC, but keep the digibox downstairs, and the wall point upstairs is for the modem.

Here are all channels I receive:

Analogue:
RTE One, RTE Two, TV3, BBC 2, UTV, TG4, BBC 1, Sky 1, Setanta Ireland,
3e, Nick, MTV, Sky News, Sky Living, E4, Channel 4, Discovery.

Digital:
RTE One, Cula4, DCTV, Euronews, Euronews FRA, Euronews DEU,
Euronews ITA, Euronews ESP, Euronews RUS, UPC Test Channel,
Barker, CCTv, UPC Customer Channel, RTE One HD, RTE Two HD.

Radio:
Newstalk 106, FM104, Sunshine 106.8, Spin 1038, 98FM, 4FM, RTEjr Radio,
RTE Pulse, RTE 2XM, RTE Gold, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5Live,
BBC World Svce, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC 6 Music, BBC 5Live Extra,
BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, Radio Nova, UCB Ireland, Planet Rock, RTE Radio 1, RTE 2 FM, RTE Lyric FM, RTE R Na G, Today FM,
Smooth FM, WRN, RTE Radio 1 Extra, TXFM, Galway Bay FM, Kiss Radio.

I will browse the links and decide my next move. Thanks again.

The Cush

CaSCaDe711 wrote: »

Here are all channels I receive:

Analogue:
RTE One, RTE Two, TV3, BBC 2, UTV, TG4, BBC 1, Sky 1, Setanta Ireland,
3e, Nick, MTV, Sky News, Sky Living, E4, Channel 4, Discovery.

Digital:
RTE One, Cula4, DCTV, Euronews, Euronews FRA, Euronews DEU,
Euronews ITA, Euronews ESP, Euronews RUS, UPC Test Channel,
Barker, CCTv, UPC Customer Channel, RTE One HD, RTE Two HD.

Radio:
Newstalk 106, FM104, Sunshine 106.8, Spin 1038, 98FM, 4FM, RTEjr Radio,
RTE Pulse, RTE 2XM, RTE Gold, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5Live,
BBC World Svce, BBC Radio Ulster, BBC 6 Music, BBC 5Live Extra,
BBC Radio 4 Extra, BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, Radio Nova, UCB Ireland, Planet Rock, RTE Radio 1, RTE 2 FM, RTE Lyric FM, RTE R Na G, Today FM,
Smooth FM, WRN, RTE Radio 1 Extra, TXFM, Galway Bay FM, Kiss Radio.

Thanks for the list of unencrypted digital channels on UPC.

These are the Saorview channels you'll get with an aerial

Channel line-up by LCN on a Saorview TV setup with Ireland as the country/region on first install

LCN

|

Channel

||

Mux

|
01|RTÉ One|HD|2|
02|RTÉ Two|HD|1|
03|TV3|SD|1|
04|TG4|SD|1|
05|3e|SD|1|
06|RTÉ News Now|SD|1|
07|RTÉ Junior**|SD|2|
08|RTÉ One +1**|SD|2|
09-10|(not used)|||
11*|(no channel name/testcard)|SD|1|previously LCN01 RTÉ1 SD
12*|(no channel name/testcard)|HD|2|
13*|(no channel name/testcard)|SD|2|RTÉ Lyric FM audio
14*|(no channel name/testcard)|HD|2|TG4 subtitles and teletext tested previously
15*|(no channel name/testcard)|SD|2|
16|(not used)|||
17*|(no channel name/testcard)|SD|1|previously LCN07 RTÉ Junior
18*|-|SD|1|previously LCN08 RTÉ1 +1
200|RTÉ Radio 1|Radio|1|
201|RTÉ Radio 1 Extra|Radio|1|
202|RTÉ 2FM|Radio|1|
203|RTÉ Lyric FM|Radio|1|
204|RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta|Radio|1|
205|RTÉ Pulse|Radio|1|
206|RTÉ 2XM|Radio|1|
207*|-||1|previously RTÉ Choice
208|RTÉ Gold|Radio|1|
209|RTÉ Junior/RTÉ Chill|Radio|1|
210|(not used)||
211-212*|(no radio channel names)|Radio|2|
213*|(no radio channel name)|Radio|2|
214*|(no radio channel name)|Radio|2|
215-220*|(no radio channel names)|Radio|2|
249|SSU||1|
250|SSU||2|

As I said earlier you'll lose analogue Channel4 if you receive your Saorview signal from Three Rock due to a frequency conflict if you combine both. I don't know which UPC frequencies carry which digital channels but you may also lose some of the unencrypted UPC digital channels if there is any frequency conflict.