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German FTA receiver similar to freesat ?

  • 21-02-2010 10:59PM
    #1
    DannyD
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 852 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    I'm wondering does a receiver exist for the German market which is similar to the freesat boxes? I'm interested in a nice epg, auto channel update for the German market. I've done some googling but haven't found an answer.

    THanks.:pac:


Comments

  • #2
    stevethesatguy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 196 ✭✭stevethesatguy


    Not to the best of my knowledge, best you can get is a HD Free to air receiver and auto scan in your channels , EPG will only what the channel offers mostly now and next


  • #3
    jhegarty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,135 ✭✭✭jhegarty


    stevethesatguy wrote: »
    EPG will only what the channel offers mostly now and next


    Most (if not all) German stations transmit a full epg.


  • #4
    Apogee
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,906 ✭✭✭Apogee


    SES Astra did try to setup a homogeneous system for the German market called Entavio, but it met a lot of resistance and is shelved AFAIK.

    A number of manufacturer operate their own proprietary EPG and channel auto-update systems for the German market. For example, Technisat sell receivers with "Digibutler" services e.g. AutoInstall, "SiehFern INFO" (TV Info) - extended EPG, ISIPRO - automatic programme list updating via satellite, TechniMatic - automatic software updating via satellite.

    See www.technisat.de

    The Kathrein range of receivers have similar EPG/Channel update facilities.
    http://www.kathrein.de/en/sat/index.htm


  • #5
    cormacl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 360 ✭✭cormacl


    Technisat have a service called ISIPRO which is available on some of their receivers. It uses a 19.2E Satellite OTA service to download service lists to the receiver and essentially simplify the job of managing the whole thing. I think it prompts at intervals to suggest corrections in services etc.

    There may be others with similar services. Thats the only one I know of. You'd be wise to check out Kathrein and other popular German brands for competing offerings.

    The next I can think of may be the Lyngbox which was using an Internet hook-up to the receiver and provide auto-tuning of services.. not sure how successful that box had been TBH.

    The dreamboxes sort-of have a way of downloading preset channel lists from the addons menus that get updated over time.. might be an option but its not anything as smooth as the ISIPRO feature of the technisat receivers. The box would need to be Ethernet connected to a broadband connection.

    Last point on this.. Germany has lots and lots of satellite services.. the main ones change frequency so rarely that you generally get a scrolling message months ahead of the changes. Thats certainly been our experience (wife is German).

    Something like 42% of the German population get TV via satellite and they tend to be slow to reshuffle services. That was the case about 3 years ago.. can only assume the figure went up as KabelDeutschland started to deactivate analogue distribution, forcing some to pay for additional receivers around the house.

    For example, on our dreambox, we have about 45 German stations on a list of favourites for German TV. The only changes in the last year were the addition of new HD services and possibly one relocation of one of the services.


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