Getting FTA (English) Satelite TV in France: What is Possible?

blobert

Hi there,

My parents have recently bought an apartment in Antibes in the South of France. It's a lovely town but very quiet at night so they would like to be able to watch some (English language) TV if possible.

My question is this, I know if you stick up a satellite dish and receiver here in Ireland it's possible to pick up a lot of free English channels, but would it be possible to do this in France?

Would something like this do the trick:
http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home.nsf/pages...atelliteSystem

I have absolutely zero knowledge of this area so some advice would be much appreciated. I'm going over there in about 2 weeks so I'd like to be able to set it up for them and surprise them when they are next over there.

Thanks in advance,
Robert

tapfit2004

the lidl box would be ok but the dish is likely to be far too small. according to lyngsat you will need a 75-95 cm dish but i would think you will need a mininum of a 1m dish to have uninterupted reception, otherwise you should have no problems.

wil

Im no expert but am learning, as far as I know the Sky satellites Astra2a,2b,2d and Eurobird have a reasonably good signal in most of France, at least thats as appears on site lyngsat.com.
I know plenty of people in England go camping in North of France and bring their sat equipment with them. In the South you may need a slightly bigger dish.
I doubt a minidish would give a decent signal expecially in rain, if anyone knows better please correct me, but I reckon an 80cm should get most of the FTA - BBC,ITV,Film4, Zone Horror/Movies/Reality, True Movies etc.
The FTA receivers are pretty similar, once dish is pointed correctly then scan for unencrypted channels.

Actually a quick google confirms most of whay I just said and a pretty good site too
http://www.lost-in-france.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=28

This indicates best bet is to bring Sky digibox with you and buy dish there.
Only thing I'm not sure about is the PAL/SECAM issue ie Irish/UK tvs are Pal, French are Secam, so pictures may just appear in black and white. You could have a multi-system TV or video that could handle it.
Dont know if Digibox can output Secam, doubt it, but FTA boxes may have this option.
Maplins or some of the Satellite stores might be a better bet than Lidl but the sat stores will be a lot better on advice. All said the lidl system if you can get one is a pretty keen price if only for the receiver, may have a satfinder thrown in, if it says can output Secam, go for it but still get the bigger dish over there. Maybe could use the minidish for local French analog satellite.

Hagar

A 90cm dish will get the UK FTA channels.
If it's an apartment block the syndicate that manages the building may not allow it.
They may go along with a transparent dish as they are slightly less obtrusive.
FTA the channels avaliable on 28e are quite limited really. The main ones are BBC(s), ITV, Sky News, Bollywood music channels and a shed load of QVC rubbish.
ITV is the weakest so get the installer to maximise reception on it.

Many of the channels you mentioned are soft encrypted ie can only be received by a Sky box but no sub is required. You will really need a sky box with a freeview card to get a worthwhile selection.

You can but full sat kits in Leroy Merlin on the A8 near Cannes J48 I think or Bricoman A8 J38. Ther may be closer places but these are the cheapest for miles. A transparent 90cm dish with .3 lnb will set you back about €80. A FTA decoder will be from €60 to €90. A mounting kit with brackets cables etc costs about €30.


/Edit Pal/SECAM won't be an issue most TVS here are dual system. If you use a scart the issue goes away completely.
Hope that helps.

watty

There is no "soft encryption"

There are Free channels: Any Digital Receiver (BBC HD requires HD receiver and HD TV set, it is not an HD version of BBC1, a separate channels).

FTV channels: C4 (maybe free next year), Five, Five US, Five Live & Sky3. They require a Sky Digibox and a once off card payment. Card only posted to UK post code address. (Sky's Freesat, not to be confused with next year's BBC/ITV Freesat that is really free or "Freeview" which uses no card and is terrestrial).

Pay & Pay to view: Require a sub from Sky and a Sky Digibox. The Irish channels don't work on a UK sub, and are not free.


The lidl systems are no longer good value, a local bought 90cm dish and french supermarket Sat receiver is better.

[Stupid thoughtless comment snipped]

My sig has list of Free channels.

blobert

Thanks for all the advice guys it's much appreciated.

So would the best way to go to be to buy a dish and reciever over there locally?

A 90cm dish seems very big, I know the building the apartment is in is full of fussy old French people so they may well object.

I found a bit of info on bigdishsat.com (they are based in the south east of France) which lets you put in the area you are in and then gives installation instructions:

Astra 2 from Dépt No: 33 (Gironde)
Elevation = 31°
Azimuth = 142°
Minimum Dish Size = 60cm
LNB Skew Angle = 19°


The following is a step by step guide which will show you how to install a satellite dish in the Gironde using a Free to Air Satellite Receiver. We will show you how to find a location for the dish, how to mount it, how to align it and finally how to fine tune it so you get good results even in bad weather.

It goes on to give instructions. There are trees and other apartment blocks in the vicinity so there certainly is not a completely unobstructed view of the sky so I'm not sure if I'll be able to point the dish in the right direction.

Hagar

I've set up two systems here in the last 3 weeks.

Not a lot by your standards I'll admit, but enough to know what comes in on a FTA box as opposed to a SKY box.

Doesn't soft encryption mean "will decode without subscription using a specific decoder"?

And no, I'm not drunk. Thanks for that. Really nice.

Hagar

I've requested that I be de-modded from this Forum. following Watty's remarks above.

If trying to help people just leads to ridicule and disdain from a "fellow" mod, I'm giving up.

Au revoir, mes petits.

Sparky

I'll admit that a sky FTV card is better for those extra channels with it on 28.2e only.
It's a step better than just having the FTA channels. Plus sometimes sky will switch on premium channels to gather some subscriptions.

No need to give up Hagar. You are after all the founder of this forum, you should keep your title.

watty

Yes, Hagar, Not meaning to ridicule you., SORRY

But only Sky Analogue videocrypt used soft encryption.

Soft encryption means the CAM or specific Sky box is needed but no card. There are no such Sky Digital channels.

Either the channels work on any Satellite receiver or you need a Digibox and a an ROI, UK or FTV card.


I'm a bit abrasive, you shouldn't be going off just because of anything I say. Hagar. You should ban me for a week...

Hagar

I'll get over it.

I bow to your superior technical knowledge, I just get by on what appears to work for me.:o

watty

Well due to EPG issues, automatic versus manual tuning, Interactive etc, I think a Sky Digibox (+ FTV card if you can get it) is better value than a non-Sky FTA box.

A non-Sky FTA receiver will receive every single channel that works on a Digibox without a card including the video used in interactive streams.

Hagar

I have just done a quick test using my own Sky Box without a card. The following channels plus a shed load of selling channels all come in without a card. If I use a supermarket FTA box (with auto tuning) they come up as "scrambled". That's what led me to believe they were "soft encrypted" like the good old days of analogue. I have no other explanation for it. There may well be more, but it's a tedious job flicking and waiting.

Free on SKY Box without a card.
Men & Motors
S4C
Life TV
Life 24
Life Showcase
Sumo TV
Ben
Zone Reality
Zone Reality +1
Zone Reality X
OBE
Hollywood TV
Bonanza
Open Access 2
Open Access 3
Information TV
Info TV2
Passion TV
Channel M
OnTV
GNTV
MKTV
Travel Channel
Travel Channel +1
Performance
Fashion TV
Real Estate TV
Real Estate +1
Wine TV
Baby Channel
O'seasproperty
Wedding TV
Film4
Film4 +1
Zone Horror
Zone Thriller
True Movies
True Movies 2
Movies4Men
Movies4Men2

/edit sorry about how the cut and paste worked out. I've fixed it now.

Sponge Bob

There is a form of soft encryption as Hagar put it....in my opinion correctly

Multiscreen and teletext only works properly on a sky box , only a sky box can decode them in a usable manner .

If you get an FTA box each multiscreen shows up as a separate channel requiring a lot of flicking between tennis matches to see which is which during Wimbledon ....and text is bollixed on bbc .

The sky box ( with no subscription or card ) makes this information usable.

watty

Actual Teletext works better on non-Sky. You mean "open TV" Interactive.

However this is nothing to do with "soft encyrption". "Open Tv" applications only work on the Sky box, but that is compatibility and proprietary software nothing to do wth the Sky NDS encryption. Soft Encyrption has a specific meaning, not just what ever we want it to mean.

I agree that a Sky box is handiest for 28.2E unless you want free recording, but this is nothing to do with "Soft Encryption"

watty

Hagar wrote:

I have just done a quick test using my own Sky Box without a card. The following channels plus a shed load of selling channels all come in without a card. If I use a supermarket FTA box (with auto tuning) they come up as "scrambled". That's what led me to believe they were "soft encrypted" like the good old days of analogue. I have no other explanation for it. There may well be more, but it's a tedious job flicking and waiting.

Free on SKY Box without a card.
Men & Motors
S4C
Life TV
Life 24
Life Showcase
Sumo TV
Ben
Zone Reality
Zone Reality +1
Zone Reality X
OBE
Hollywood TV
Bonanza
Open Access 2
Open Access 3
Information TV
Info TV2
Passion TV
Channel M
OnTV
GNTV
MKTV
Travel Channel
Travel Channel +1
Performance
Fashion TV
Real Estate TV
Real Estate +1
Wine TV
Baby Channel
O'seasproperty
Wedding TV
Film4
Film4 +1
Zone Horror
Zone Thriller
True Movies
True Movies 2
Movies4Men
Movies4Men2

/edit sorry about how the cut and paste worked out. I've fixed it now.

All these appear marked FTA on Kaon, PC, Palcom DSL4, Fortec Star Beta and Reelbox and any other Satellite receiver I've seen.

Something strange with your French Satellite receiver. These are not "soft encrypted" or even marked scrambled the last time I looked. However a "scrambled flag" is not "soft encrypted". For "Soft encrypted" you need a CAM (i.e. Digibox) but no card. These all work FTA

Hagar

watty wrote:

All these appear marked FTA on Kaon, PC, Palcom DSL4, Fortec Star Beta and Reelbox and any other Satellite receiver I've seen.

Something strange with your French Satellite receiver. These are not "soft encrypted" or even marked scrambled the last time I looked. However a "scrambled flag" is not "soft encrypted". For "Soft encrypted" you need a CAM (i.e. Digibox) but no card. These all work FTA

If you say so, it's just that nothing is viewable here regardless of the terminology.
I have no reason to make this up.
I'm the one in the SOF putting in locally sourced kit.
What more can I say?
Let's just agree that a Sky Box, preferrably with a card, is the OP's best option.

Sponge Bob

Hagar wrote:

Let's just agree that a Sky Box, preferrably with a card, is the OP's best option.

Agreed fully .

1. epg kept up to date over air channels added periodically , well maintained program guide .
2. ftv card if present gives you as extra channel4 channel5 + (2 c5 variants) and sky3 ..yeah on top of the free channels
3. multiscreen works smoothly when in use for wimbledon and snooker and stuff
5, news multiscreens on bbc and sky work smoothly .
4. 'ínteractive' as they call the text works smoothly .
5. over the air s/w and epg and transpoder updates are not from astra 1 like half the fta boxes I know .... and me pointing at astra 2 nearly all the time for all its worth

FTA is a bit clunky interface wise and cannot show c4 c5 at all although it can provide multilanguage options which are generally not present on astra 2 anyway so dont mention them

Hopefully the Beeb will sort this out for us soon with their own FTA box with funky epg and menu and multiscreen features and OTA updates from astra 2 and then we can throw out them sky boxes eh!

watty

I just did a fresh scan last night on Fortec box. All the channels that work on Sky box without card + a few extra all appeared and worked. I did a FTA only scan.

Hagar: Maybe your box needs a firmware update, a reset or more signal. I don't know. But I, nor anyone else I know have not seen the problem you have.

I've only seen one FTA receiver with user friendlyness approaching a Sky box. If you do know the NIT transponder, most FTA receivers will semi-automatically update their Transponder list.

Till the BBC/ITV box comes out the Sky Box is still best for 28.2E only. If you want Diseqc and 28.2, 19E, 13E, 5W all on one box then ANYTHING is better than the Sky box.

I have my cake and eat it by having 2 x Sky boxes and 5 other sat receivers.

I like to have my BBC World TV etc.

In Ireland or UK the best value route is to get a subsidised install and then cancel after a year (possibly with a downgrade to 2 x mix packs after one month). Arguable the best value sub card is an N.I. Card as it gives C4, Five, RTE1, RTE2 and TG4. Not possible otherwise on one card.

The N.I. or rest of UK sub card is effectively a FTV card for C4, Five etc after you cancel after 12 months.


I think we can also all agree that nowadays with many FTA sat receivers and SAT PVRs at good price, and HD etc, that the Lidl receiver with it particularly bad User Interface and tiny dish is neither good kit nor good value.

Pal

I had probs getting some transponders 28e with a 1 meter dish.
location Nantes.
half way down the Atlantic coast.

Antibes is right down on the Med. 90cm may not be enough.

Hagar

Hi Watty,


You sir are 100% on the money yet again. ( I'm getting a rubber stamp made to that effect)

I just got back from testing out one of the FTA boxes I put in last week.
It's a Visitronic 3 Slim. The tuning tables / software are crap. I never realised how bad they were. There are holes in the auto tuning that is making it skip channels all over the place. Also if you select Astra 28.2 E it doesn't tune in anything from Eurobird.

If you select Eurobird it picks up more on Astra than the Astra auto-tune does.

A right royal fúck up. I had to tune in loads of transponders manually. Then they worked ok.

Live and learn. Not everything does what it says on the tin.

watty

No problem. Maybe someday I'll get to France and we can laugh about it at a little cafe in Montemart

blobert

Thanks for all the replies guys,

So it seems as though you recommend a Sky setup, something like that available from here: http://www.freesatfromsky.com

Will I need to buy a bigger dish as I am right on the south east of France and so I assume the supplied mini dish will not do the trick.

Where is the best place to get the sky box and dish?

Pal

yes you will need a bigger dish. Mini-dish 60cm is too small for your location.

watty

Separately.

95 or 110cm dish locally in France and Sky Digibox from UK or Ireland. YOu need a UK / N.I. address anyway to get a FTV card unless you use a Proxy. Note the cards always belong to Sky / NDS, so while you may legally obtain one and use it where you like, they can't legally be bought and sold.