TV's with DVB-T2 (DTT) AND Satellite Tuners

I don't think there are any DVB-T2 TVs available yet. STBs are starting to come on stream only now with the implementation in the UK.

No DVB-T2 implemented in Ireland - but it's a "hot-button" topic with some posters on this forum:D

championc wrote: »

Can Freesat equiped TV's tune into any Channels from Astra at 28.6e (or any other satellites for that matter) ?

LG LF77** does have FreeSat and also you can scan other channels from Astra
Press FreeSat button will get you the FreeSat channels
Press FreeSat button again will get you non-FreeSat channles

championc wrote: »

I don't think I even go as big as a 42" let alone a 50" !! Anything in the 32 or 36's ? Or who are likely do to do them once the UK start producing sets with MPEG-4 tuners for Freeview-HD ?

And what are Ethernet connectors intended to be used for ?


C

Future use for BBC iPlayer

+1 as regards T2. The DVB-T spec for Ireland does not include T2. The issue is more of an immediate problem in the UK, where terrestrial HD will only be available on T2 equipped STBs or receivers. Wait for that stink to die down first;)
As regards LNBs - they are not specifically "digital" in nature - they are part of the antenna system. Universal LNBs handle all signals in the analogue domain and just down convert the signal from satellite frequencies to 950 - 2000Mhz on the cable so that the receiver can demodulate it into the digital domain. The newer receivers used for digital reception are designed to work with universal LNBs, but general purpose FTA receivers have menu functions which will allow them to work with different LNBs. The same LNB can be used to receive analogue or digital satellite signals.

slegs wrote: »

The latest Sony W5800 Freesat range should be perfect for Ireland. It is Sony's first foray into freesat and their MPEG4 TVs have been the most compatible (EPG, MHEG5 dig teletext) since the beginning.

Its DVB-T / DVB-S2(Freesat) with MPEG4 and MHEG5 and full 7 day EPG by the way.

Anyone got one? How is the EPG switching handled? Can they be merged?

I have a Sony Bravia KDL46W5810 and the built in hybrid tuner is excellent.
It picks up heaps of channels, several in HD. Also has an ether net port.

Dunno about this terrestrial lark, don't have the antenna, but maybe later.
Don't know what to buy to be honest, any recs?

Why would anyone think that there is even the faintest chance of T2 deployment if the cost of deploying T1 is so horrendous it wont be implemented even a year after it was supposed to have been? I would think there is a very good chance we still wont even have T1 even two years from now, given the total shambles that has transpired.

I also think it is better to get a DBV-T2 boxes as even the transmission is not just ready for T2, whenever it will change over to DVB-T2 format, the boxes are already there so the viewer does not need to go out and buy another kit.

Sam Russell wrote: »

Look, they have it all working now.

Yea at the network end. But the whole company formation, channel line-up negotiations with broadcasters will take at least a month or two. Set top boxes will take longer, to have sufficient quantity available from a variety of manufacturers (DVb-T1) MPEG4 boxes and TVs are only becoming more widely available here with DVB-T2 boxes on a few months behind given the UK market is skipping our intermediate spec and feeds the ROI TV market.

Sam Russell wrote: »

They just need to tell everyone, including those in the TV trade.

And how do you do that? I agree there are cheap ways to do this, such as news programmes like Prime Time etc. use of libraries, colleges with posters, Newspaper free CD explanation. But ultimately rather than just informing, as in the case of FTA DTT, you have to have a marketing campaign to attract subscribers to the pay DTT end, simple as. You have to set your stall and sell. Even Freeview do a little of that. That takes afew months from inviting pitches to selecting one, to booking airtime. You also have to put in place customer service teams etc... for the marketing and stb ends.

All that will simply take at least 3 months and maybe more. That's not to say it can't be done. But its alot of rushing. That's not to say they can't achieve launch by June. It just means rushing. So yes its possible, but of course if OneVision don't sign then you're definitely talking Christmas or Paddy's Day 2011.

I just have a feeling that One Vision may go with T2 boxes & seek transmitters upgrade to T2. Of course they mighn't & who knows they may not have been in a rush, striking for the best deal they could get, also aware of the T2 situation stb timeline before now, also seeking direction from their new parent towards DTT. Now its an option for them pre-launch. I think if the security bond is overcome & I think it might be, then you'll have launch. You could even see RTÉ NL invited to place a nominal shareholding in the project.

Sam Russell wrote: »

Tell everyone that the analogue goes off in 1st Jan 2011, and switch off the analogue one channel at a time. There is no quicker way of changing over than sitching off the old one. When my telly broke down, I went out and bought a new one, that day. If it has to be, the it has to be. People currently pay $ky and UPC upto €65 euros a month, the STB would be less than that as a single payment.

I agree as most know, like the Euro changeover, that the quickest way to increase subcribers to One Vision and save costs on broadcasting simultaneous analogue and digital is brief switchover. But this is a 'political decision' (Broadcating Act 2009), Minister has power here, ultimately and the Government will want to be seen to give people time to switchover. Ultimately it makes sense for us to co-time switchover with NI. That is something I think the BBC will be keen for. They're also keen for us to adopt DVB-T2 from their input in my dissertation about that as it simplifies matters.

One could switchover on dates according to transmitter over the 2 years, mirroring the UK set-up. That would be expensive method, as would rely on local papers which some don't read and be prolonged advertising, potential for confusion as to where you get signals from.

The big bang is cheaper, to inform just turn them off first at Donnybrook, then decomission the analogue setup.

The thing is that the Analogue Switchover Group was only recently formed presumably once negotiations were at an advanced sate in the BAI licensee signed off. RTÉ being in the 3rd consortium would obviously speed things up.

At which point then stakeholders will be invited. At the moment, its only to advise the Minister internal department group, its not a stakeholders panel which probably explains http://www.tvaccess.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88:dttprogress&catid=45:digital-terrestrial-television-articles&Itemid=65

One Vision not to have clarity about approach from the Government beyond 'sometime in 2012'. I suspect that once there's a DTT sign-off that that will start in earnest.

I suspect they'll go with a big bang similar to NI. Ideally if we could get NI to bring forward to switchover to the same time as us, it would be great and that means that January 1st 2012 is do-able. 1 year is enough. You have to give people time.

Sam Russell wrote: »

The ESB could distribute the new STBs if they were cheap enough, they used to do cookers. Or maybe Eircom could leave them on the doorsteps like they do with the Yellow Pages.:D

I think yer being humourous there hahahaha...ESB are out of that a few years now, with no appetite presumably to get back into it. As ror Eircom, I think they'll look to sell the set top box through retailers rather than offer them for free to every household with their Eircom Phonebook. BTW, Yellowpages is owned by Truvo I think, not Eircom I think,anymore see: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/836427m-profit-for-golden-pages-producer-1727852.html

Sam Russell wrote: »

There is no money for a big campaign, but word of mouth, and telling people through the tranmitters that it will soon be switched off is cheaper and more effective.

You'll find that there is money for a campaign. Any company launching a commercial product has to have one.

The problem about telling people through the transmitters could scare the bejasus out of some people. That solution is more suited to ASO, which is used in UK. I've advocated word of mouth to as in Town Hall type meetings I call them travelling roadshows in universities, chambers of commerce, etc with demos and information on nearest retailer. Definitely and internet are the cost effective methods. But Newspapers and TV and probably radio have to be used aswell. But it doesn't need to be a big campaign. More a sustained one. And its not a complicated proposition.

For example: UK is going digital as is Europe, satellite has gone digital, cable is undergoing digital presently.
terrestrial (transmission to aerial) in RO Ireland is finally going digital

Why? More radiowave capacity=more channel capacity 4*8 or 10 but less radiowave required needed
More services available and integration with internet
Better viewing expericence
Greater choice
Home regulated service, Irish jobs, more channels from Irish broadcasters
3rd Force competition for Pay TV- One Vision

Simple enough!

Well that's what I was meaning. That's it, no doubt RTÉ & TV3 helping out. But they have to watch this one or they'll have UPC and Sky on their back crying fowl unless they charge for ads, which they would. But also Sound & Vision Fund can be used for this aswell. Prime Time would do alot of explaining, followed up by a check uptake every month just to keep it in the public eye.

RF cable is usually an option on stb's. The main job will be picking up the tab for those on social welfare or pensioners. This is the part the Government could do without, but they'll have to pick up part or all of that cost.

I know what you're saying, the dept can go the cheap way. But is that informing people properly? On a TV ad will do that. I suspect they'll have to pay for airtime etc as they did with Change.ie promoting the website, basic explanation like i said. I suggest Séana Squirrel as the digital Mascot!!

With competitors. In my view One Vision should consider offering the monthly and weekly Top-Up options which would be more expensive than annual subscriptions. I'll say it again, USB sticks, and also offer the channels from One Vision's website via online aswell. My One Vision broadband TV! as Boxer Sweden have started doing over the last year, cos TV is heading towards broadband!

Well ya know how things are done here lol. Easy going, informally, oh...we better do something, quick, a news conference, that'll do hehehe.

I know its not funny but that's the way we often do things. Well I looked at how the UK & others did it and did dissertation on it and that's with them gratis.


The point is that TV is considered bigger business than TV. Prime Time would be more prominent than the News. A programme devoted to it across all TV channels would be the way to go including Sky.

I think you'll see One Vision as the main ones pushing it. I'll be interested to see how much the Dept put into it there at, just at the start for a few days and then towards the ASO end.

It can be very quick, along lines points I suggested, and the website

http://www.digitaltelevision.ie.

I think to show balance they're going to have to add links to Sky and UPC aswell or they'll get criticism for promoting one platform over others.

I think really that website will need to be jigged up about all providers.

No, its not totally all about getting people to have FTA TV. If it was RTÉ would have been given an earlier launch date.

Instead it has been Dept policy over the last few years that it would be combination of both that is best for DTT. That makes sense and what the UK doesn't. But then a Top-up TV type service didn't succeed in getting the license which was lost to Freeview TV. It arrived 2 years later.

.With that in mind, of getting best return on investment Having FTA DTT go ahead of Pay DTT as we see in the UK undermines the potential of pay DTT. If you look at the answer of the Minister to TV Access he takes advice from RTÉ on the matter. RTÉ has to run as much as business as it can to not lose money. See: http://www.tvaccess.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=88:dttprogress&catid=45:digital-terrestrial-television-articles&Itemid=65

For DTT to pay its investment back to RTÉ, it needs Pay DTT rental payments to pay back its sunk investment. That's the reality. RTÉ hasn't got any Rupert Murdoch behind it.

Otherwise RTÉ might be aswell throwing its lot in with broadband providers and just switching of the ATT network full stop insisting on cable and satellite and broadband.

That's the reason that has been stated and restated by RTÉ on a few occasions over the last year. And I understand that. Its business versus enthusiast. Its a business. RTÉ NL are part of Easy TV so they may well see that as their next option and would be in a position having gone through 2 consortia already what is needed. RTÉ have to launch anyways commercially so why not doing it with UPC. And if not with UPC, I suspect Sky would be more than happy to step in in UPC's place and see can it expand its subscriber base, driving a hard bargain with the BAI as the remaining hope for DTT!

So I think this is happening with Pay DTT, simply because RTÉ require it to make back the suck investment in DTT.

What you're talking about is a Freeview model and of course it could be done on the cheap but newspapers isn't enough and one programme on TV. It has to be advertised.

Also Freeview would depend on getting enough Free to Air channels on DTT. That might be possible with UK Channels joining. Would they pay to join and make it back in advertising? I don't know, and with cable it works the other way.

I suspect launch will be in Summer/Autumn if One Vision sign and Paddy's Day if they don't and giving people 6 months is abit tight. People need a year, from early adopters to slow coaches. I know what you're saying, it could be done in 6months, it probably could. And there'd be benefits in that but really ideally its better to co-time with NI on it though we could witch ourselves too.

But, indications are good from One Vision's recent shareholding changes if you also read:

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...261300612.html bodes well for DTT, doesn't it! No surprise about the increased stake. Makes sign-off quite likely now.

John Collins writes in Irish Times: 'SINGAPORE-BASED STT has indicated to the Communications Regulator that it will invest in Eircom’s network infrastructure when it acquires the business and that it intends to stay in Ireland for the long term....“From our discussions with them they are looking at Eircom like it’s a telco and not an ATM,” said John Doherty, chairman of ComReg told The Irish Times '

It seems its prepared to invest money. So I think indications are good. Am just surprised Sky aren't taking a stake in the operation. But hey, they may be happy enough not to create more competition for themselves. Anyways, pay DTT is win win for Sky whether or not they're directly involved. More advertising reach and for sub channels wholesale royalty payment per subscriber to them.