UK or Irish EPG

Charles Slane

Or more properly, the question is GB or Irish EPG ?

With the imminent arrival of RTE1, Network 2 and the TG4, and the possible arrival of TV3 on the Irish service, the (southern) Irish EPG will look a lot less like the poor relation of the British EPG than it has up to now.

We will actually have channels on ours that won't be accessible by our GB cousins.

On top of that, one of the GB's EPG's advantages over ours was the inclusion of Tara TV.

So now the question is (for fun), which would you prefer, the new patriotic Irish EPG with the Irish channels in their rightful place at the top in all their digital splendour ?

Or if you had your way, would you prefer the GB EPG with BBC Digital, ITV, C4 and C5, but no Irish channels ?

Obviously there's no point in making the NI EPG an option, as it's the Golden Ticket that everyone wants.

So, as they say in Zimbabwe - Vote early, vote often !!

smoke.me.a.kipper

id prefer to have the irish one.

what i miss on UTV is can see most of on TV3.

i can see most american progs on n2 first anyway. but there is some stuff on c4 i really wanted to see.

ShaneOC

Some of you may have seen this before - an exercise in futility but here is my suggestion for how the entertainment section should be.

101 RTE 1
102 Network 2
103 TV 3
104 TG 4
105 BBC 1 NI
106 BBC 2 NI
107 UTV
108 Channel 4
109 Channel 5
111 Sky 1
114 UK Gold
115 UK Gold 2
116 UK Style
117 UK Food
118 UK Drama
119 Play UK
120 BBC 3
121 BBC 4
123 ITV 2
126 E4
129 Granada Plus
130 Granada Breeze
131 Granada Men & Motors
134 Living TV
137 Challenge TV
140 Bravo
143 Paramount Comedy
146 Sci-Fi
149 Discovery Home & Leisure
150 Home & Leisure +1
153 Tara
156 Hallmark
159 Sky Travel
162 Travel Channel
165 Channel Health
168 Discovery Health
171 Artsworld (encrypted)
174 Life TV
177 Showcase
180 Fashion TV
183 Game Network

bucks73

Definitely the Irish EPG.

Almost everything on UK terrestrial channels will also be on our own channels plus the TV3 coverage of the champions league has been excellent while in the UK they get one free game a week and any others are on ITV Digitals subscription sport channels.

Genghis

Conditional Answer!

If you have perfect terrestrial reception as I do, then you would prefer the GB EPG.

If not, then the Irish!

However, I voted for the Irish EPG - in the optimistic expectation that it will one day contain the best of both worlds.

Isn't the GB EPG one of the best examples you've heard of 'an Irish answer to an Irish problem'!!

Charles Slane

2 to 1 so far favouring the Irish EPG !!

I must say I'm surprised.

ShaneOC

I suspect that some people voting already have the best of both worlds in that they might have a FTV card.

I voted for the Irish epg.
As I will be swapping my digibox for a friends in London which has the same subscription pcakage when the RTE's come on.
They'll get RTE-I'll get ITV 2
They'll get the Irish adds on Sky one and I'll get the Enlish ones.
Fair swap:D
mm

Charles Slane

Would that mean that neither of you could connect to a phone line ?

In which case, neither of you could access the interactive services.

Or is there a way around this ?

My friends at the minute have no phone line connected.
If theres a new Sky regulation coming in,enforcing phone lines, even for those that have had their box for over a year-then there will be a problem.
But I'm willing to try it out for the crack, while it works.
mm

Genghis

Neat arrangement - but then I thought: does that mean you can default on their bills and them on yours!! And will there have to be a physical swap of equipment, or will you arrange 'divorces and remarriages' and just swap cards? Who owns which equipment and what happens if the other decides to change package etc.

You are probably friends with these people, and so there are no worries with many of these questions. If there was a way that strangers could arrange these swaps, this could turn out to be the way to go in a few months.

There must be a way of hooking up with interested parties! I already have the Irish channels on terrestrial, the GB EPG would compliment them nicely! And as long as you never dial up, Sky need never know and couldn't ever detect!

It's a breach of contract probably,but no doubt,there will be loads of these arrangements(and advertisements for same).
In my case it's going to be a straight swap of boxes with cards.

If I was doing it with a stranger( ) and we fell out or something, a simple call to Sky would marry a new Irish card back to my "strange" box
mm

Mossy Monk

if i had the choice it would be the Irish one.

Why?

1. BBC1 and BBC2 are already there. the only other channels i desperately want are Channel 4, Channel 5, 5 Live, Talksport and News 24. i can receive all of these with the exception of Channel 5 and News 24 some way or another. i will have them all soon enough anyway

2. i want EPG information for the Irish channels and widescreen if it will be included

Charles Slane

Will RTE have widescreen when it appears on Sky Digital ?

bucks73

It would certainly be nice to see them transmit any programmes in widescreen that they receive from the US or UK in widescreen format.

ShaneOC

RTÉ have been playing with widescreen on their analogue service for some programmes such as ER (and maybe Fergus's Wedding but not sure). I hope that they would continue this when they go on Sky.

Gadgie

Originally posted by ShaneOC
RTÉ have been playing with widescreen on their analogue service for some programmes such as ER (and maybe Fergus's Wedding but not sure). I hope that they would continue this when they go on Sky.

The reason that ER is transmitted 16:9 letterbox on RTÉ is because as this is the way it is shown in the US, it is not framed for 4:3 fullscreen and cropping the sides will look poor. This is the case with 'Angel' S3 but Sky in their infinite wisdom have decided to crop it without giving viewers a chance to decide for themselves if they want to watch in widescreen or not.

My guess is that RTÉ will broadcast programmes the way that they currently do, but eventually will move onto full widescreen after a while on Sky.

Glenn