DTT Commercial Multiplexes (was OneVision, Boxer etc...)

10000maniacs wrote: »

But NATIONAL TELEVISION MULTIPLEX can be interpratated to mean anything.

Not in this case. The Statutory Instrument gives effect to a section of the Broadcasting Act 2009 [Sec. 130(1)(b)(i)(I)].

In the context of the Act, Part 8 - Digital Broadcasting and Analogue Switch-Off, it defines a multiplex as follows

“multiplex” means an electronic system which combines programme
material and related and other data in a digital form and the transmission
of that material and data so combined by means of wireless
telegraphy directly or indirectly for reception by the general public;

In the three Broadcasting Acts to date relating to digital broadcasting the definition of multiplex is the same and never refers to analogue broadcasting.

For all the slagging that Eamonn Ryan gets, he has actually put a date on FTA DTT. It surprises me how little reaction there has been here to this.

If it doesn't happen, then by all means attack whomsoever deserves your wrath, but at least now we have something fairly concrete. He has also told One Vision to pee or get off the pot!

Granted, the turn-around on the MoU was bloody annoying, but as I said at the time, it really would have screwed over any commercial interests in DTT (and I think i said it before the U-turn, but I am open to correction on this ).

Bottom line, after all the years of nothing happening, it is finally happening. Let's celebrate and enjoy.

(And no, I have no vested interests, political or otherwise - I am just trying to bring a little bit of balance to the discussion.)

As for ASO and Joe Duffy, that's SEP (Someone Elses Problem)!! Those of us that are here are forward-looking technology savvy persons, who very likely will have done our own ASO long before the official one. In my case, the first time i put up an aerial was last year for DTT .

ASO - What ASO!

rpm1966 wrote: »

If I buy an LCD TV with MPEG2 and with the UK's Freesat built-in to use in Dublin, will I be able to pick up the Freesat and other FTA satellite channels?

Is there any issue with the satellite transmission coverage/footprint - ie does the signal quality degrade as you go southwards on the Island of Ireland? And if so where is it unreliable or unfeasible to use?

When RTE eventually deploy Digital Terrestrial TV, will I just need an MPEG4-MPEG2 Set top Box to convert RTE's MPEG4 to MPEG2? Are there any other drawbacks? Would I lose any picture or sound quality by having an MPEG4-MPEG2 converter?

Is it true that RTE should have deployed Digital Terr. to all of the the 26 counties by October 2010 on foot of Eamon Ryan's recent order to do so?

All freesat TVs are MPEG-4 (the freesat Panasonics may have issues with Irish DTT - you should do a search of other posts) so no worries about converting from MPEG-4 to MPEG-2.

Three manufacturers currently produce freesat TVs Panasonic, Sony and LG. As I said above the Panasonic may have issues, the LG LF7700 models appear to the be most hassle-free: freesat, Irish DTT, MHEG-5 (freesat epg/Irish digital text), many posts here about this model - do a search. Not sure about other FTA sat channels.

The Sony freesat's act differently in UK mode and non-UK mode. In the UK setting you get freesat with MHEG-5 7/8 day EPG. In a non UK setting you get FTA Sat with DiSEqC 1.0, no freesat epg as MHEG-5 appears to be enabled only in the UK setting. The lack of MHEG-5 also means no digital text on the Irish DTT channels. If you use the UK setting with freesat enabled the Irish DTT channels are automatically placed in the 800's as they are seen as non UK/out of region channels, according to others here they can be manually placed from 001 upwards also in the UK setting no VHF analogue tuning if you receive RTÉ 1/2 via a VHF aerial (not required in Dublin).

So to answer your first question if you want both the freesat and FTA satellite channels the Sony will do this with now and next info only and DiSEqC 1.0 control for multi-LNB setups and also the Irish DTT channels with epg and VHF analogue tuning. All in the Ireland setting.

Regarding the Oct 2010 date, this is the date RTÉNL's DTT network must be available to approx. 90% of the population (national coverage Dec 2011). The official launch date is another matter.

There is no definitive launch date for a DTT service in Ireland as yet. This is a matter for RTÉ (www.rte.ie) and the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (www.bci.ie) to determine.

http://www.rtenl.ie/dtt.htm

jammygit wrote: »

Do you happen to know the model number of the Sony set you refer to? It sounds interesting. .

The UK Sony 5800 & 5810 models.

Recent posts here and here on the Sony freesats, search for others.

Power City stock some of these Sony TVs.

A caveat, try before you buy. My information is based on posts here and information from elsewhere as I don't own one.

Article from today's Sunday Business Post, two inaccuracies in the article - the RTÉ multiplex order was signed last month, not last week and OneVision were awarded the contract last May.

RTE must have DTT operational by October

28 March 2010 By Samantha McCaughren

The government has ordered RTE to have digital terrestrial television (DTT) available to more than 90 per cent of the population by the end of October, despite ongoing delays with the commercial side of the project.

RTE is understood to be fairly confident that it can have the public service side of DTT operational in time for this deadline.

However, it is likely to put further pressure on the Eircom-led commercial consortium OneVision to sign contracts with RTE and the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI).

A statutory instrument, signed by communications minister Eamon Ryan last week, requires RTE to ensure that its free-to-air digital television service is operational and available to the majority of homes by October 31.

DTT will replace signals received free by hundreds of thousands of homes and will compete with Sky Digital and UPC. It was planned that RTE’s free stations would be launched along with commercial bundles of stations to make it attractive to consumers.

However, the commercial side has still not been agreed, and an initial launch date of September 2009 was missed.

Sources said that, as RTE proceeds with the public service multiplex, or bundle of stations, it will become more difficult to accommodate the commercial operator.

RTE’s transmission business RTENL will have to spend in excess of €100 million building the network, but it is understood that it could save up to €40 million if it facilitates only the public service side of the project.

OneVision has yet to agree a transmission deal with RTE, amid claims that the broadcaster is seeking too many financial guarantees.

However, RTE insiders said it had moved its position as far as possible. OneVision will also have to enter into agreements with the BAI, providers of television content, and a set-top box company.

The BAI meets tomorrow, and the issue of DTT will be high on the agenda. BAI chairman Bob Collins recently said that the authority was running out of patience on the issue.

OneVision was awarded the contract last June after the Communicorp-led consortium Boxer pulled out of negotiations.

Although speedy negotiations with OneVision were hoped for, the talks have dragged on with RTE, which is legally obliged only to get the public service DTT up and running.

http://www.sbpost.ie/news/ireland/rte-must-have-dtt-operational-by-october-48251.html

Right now things are not looking good for pay DTT, in Portugal the 5 commercial multiplexes have been handed back.