Sat4Free/Freesat in Ireland

kbell

Nope, not that i noticed.

snaps

what price in tescos now? Is this the install price or receiver only?

GerardKeating

benifa wrote: »

Tesco have discontinued the Sat4Free boxes, according to the shelf label in the Waterford Ardkeen store.

Not sure if that means nuch, Tesco Galway had the red discontinued labels on the Sat4Free box on the first day they went on sale last year..

kbell

snaps wrote: »

what price in tescos now? Is this the install price or receiver only?

€299 SD
€399 HD
inc Installation

Not sure of price for reciever only.

Tony

Makes a nice change to be able to undercut a major supermarket

kbell wrote: »

€299 SD
€399 HD
inc Installation

Not sure of price for reciever only.

snaps

Tony wrote: »

Makes a nice change to be able to undercut a major supermarket

Thats not a very discounted price then from Tescos! Panic button not pressed just yet!

My local Tesco's arent selling them so must just be the main branches.

Tony

Most independents I know are doing official freesat at 289 for standard install. It would be interesting to know what sat4free are paying their installers and what the quality of work is like.

snaps wrote: »

Thats not a very discounted price then from Tescos! Panic button not pressed just yet!

My local Tesco's arent selling them so must just be the main branches.

jArgHA

TheDriver wrote: »

Freesat is a class way to go but unless your projector can handle HD signals, you may as well just get a sd box. I never watch RTE anymore to be honest

The projector is a full HD projector, which is the main reason I'd be going for a HD Freesat receiver (ITV HD champions league / FA Cup footie).

emaherx wrote:

Just use a Video player for Analouge tv reception

Do you mean get a VCR, hook up an antenna, and connect SCART output to projector?

Is there any other simpler tuner device which could be used rather than a VCR to provide video output (over component, composite or HDMI whichever) that I could use for the terrestrial channels?

If so I could combine that with a Freesat receiver. The terrestrial channels are important to me mainly for current affairs.

Tony

Using a video to resolve the analogue channels is your best bet as I've not seen dedicated tuners in years.

Sonic_exyouth

jArgHA wrote: »

The projector is a full HD projector, which is the main reason I'd be going for a HD Freesat receiver (ITV HD champions league / FA Cup footie).


Do you mean get a VCR, hook up an antenna, and connect SCART output to projector?

Is there any other simpler tuner device which could be used rather than a VCR to provide video output (over component, composite or HDMI whichever) that I could use for the terrestrial channels?

If so I could combine that with a Freesat receiver. The terrestrial channels are important to me mainly for current affairs.

I've been reduced to using Broadband to watch RTE News and Prime time.

watty

Dunnes have a few of the Plustron DVD recorders at €99. These where originally discounted to €300 in Germany! They are cheap because they have Analogue PAL tuner only. No digital. Only "composite in" Recording to DVD, which was handy when we had Sky sub as its VCR out is only composite.

The SCART output is OK from TV aerial (analogue Woodcock hill). The DVD output & 5.1 sound decoder is best I have had.

It also appears to play/record USB dongle plugged into front. I must try USB HDD


EDIT: Plays USB HDD. Won't record to it. Also has DV/IEEE1394/Firewire/iLink input.

Apogee

Assuming you're within range of Spur Hill, you could go down the combo DTT/satellite box route instead. You would have the terrestrial channels in digital, as well as the FTA sat channels, both SD and HD. The only drawback would be the absence of a 7 day EPG for the sat channels.

See here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055471880
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055475266

jArgHA

Apogee wrote: »

Assuming you're within range of Spur Hill, you could go down the combo DTT/satellite box route instead. You would have the terrestrial channels in digital, as well as the FTA sat channels, both SD and HD. The only drawback would be the absence of a 7 day EPG for the sat channels.

See here:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055471880
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055475266

thanks Apogee, I'm a total newb can someone tell me what the story with DTT is - I thought this wasn't being fully rolled out until end of this year? Does the transmitter on Spur Hill provide 24x7 transmission of the terrestrial channels or is it just a test transmitter which goes up and down?

Also, does a standard attic antenna work for DTT or does one need a special digital antenna ?

The_Conductor

jArgHA wrote: »

Also, does a standard attic antenna work for DTT or does one need a special digital antenna ?

Standard works fine- despite the advertising you see on many antennae.....

The Cush

jArgHA wrote: »

Also, does a standard attic antenna work for DTT or does one need a special digital antenna ?

The ‘digital aerial’ myth

The myth says that you need a special aerial for digital. There is no such thing as a digital aerial. All aerials receive digital and analogue signals.

declanskidneys

lads, is there any such thing as a sat dish that supplies free to air sky sports and setanta sports. i have sky digital at the moment but dont have the dosh for the sports packages.

Sonic_exyouth

declanskidneys wrote: »

lads, is there any such thing as a sat dish that supplies free to air sky sports and setanta sports. i have sky digital at the moment but dont have the dosh for the sports packages.

.. there is no legal way of doing this... though
SNIPPITY SNIP

Apogee

The website disappeared for a few weeks, but they have since made a botched attempt to host it on a free webserver - no images load.
www.sat4free.ie

Nearest Tesco ran out of the SD box a few weeks back, but have restocked since. Whether they are just running down old central stock or Sat4Free is still a going concern is unclear.

SD box without installation - €79
HD box " " - €179

SD box good value, but the HD box at that price isn't.

Kensington

That has to be the worst website I've seen in quite a while! What's with the banner ad at the bottom? Every time you click a link it adds a banner on top of it, so after about 10 link clicks, you can't see the webpage anymore, just ad banners

As regards stock, they're still getting stocks of boxes into the shops, or at least they were up to quite recently.

JB72

Im also trying to get round the Terrestrial with Freesat dilemma, or maybe not a dilemma? Could I just use a rooftop aerial with analogue cable going directly into back of my tv? Freesat would be coming in through scart as normal. This would just mean switching between inputs on the tv remote, wouldnt it?

Kotek Besar

JB72 wrote: »

Im also trying to get round the Terrestrial with Freesat dilemma, or maybe not a dilemma? Could I just use a rooftop aerial with analogue cable going directly into back of my tv? Freesat would be coming in through scart as normal. This would just mean switching between inputs on the tv remote, wouldnt it?

To use Freesat you need a satellite dish.

JB72

befina, i should have stated, i already have freesat via dish and grundig SD box. Thing is, Im trying to figure out the best way to get terrestrail channels too..

givecredit

JB72 wrote: »

Im also trying to get round the Terrestrial with Freesat dilemma, or maybe not a dilemma? Could I just use a rooftop aerial with analogue cable going directly into back of my tv? Freesat would be coming in through scart as normal. This would just mean switching between inputs on the tv remote, wouldnt it?

If you mean can you receive RTE etc by connecting rooftop aerial to back of tv, Yes this will work for RTE tv3 etc. You will receive Freesat via your av button and RTE etc on ch 1, 2,3 and 4. This method works fine for me.

The_Conductor

givecredit wrote: »

If you mean can you receive RTE etc by connecting rooftop aerial to back of tv, Yes this will work for RTE tv3 etc. You will receive Freesat via your av button and RTE etc on ch 1, 2,3 and 4. This method works fine for me.

Until analogue is turned off.

JB72

Thanks givecredit, just as I hoped. Another thing if ye dont mind: When the analogue to digital switchover is complete, how then can I receive the new digital terrestrial broadcasts with only one input on the freesat box? Will I never see Sharon Ni Bheoleain again??

givecredit

smccarrick wrote: »

Until analogue is turned off.

Which at the rate things are going at the moment will not be anytime before 2015. Hopefully before then the op will have invested in a new tv with an internal mpeg4 dtt tuner..

givecredit

JB72 wrote: »

Thanks givecredit, just as I hoped. Another thing if ye dont mind: When the analogue to digital switchover is complete, how then can I receive the new digital terrestrial broadcasts with only one input on the freesat box? Will I never see Sharon Ni Bheoleain again??

Dont worry, You will be able to see the beautiful Sharon in glorious widescreen with either a MPEG4 DTT receiver, (another set top box for DTT) OR a new tv with internal MPEG4 DTT tuner. Now commonly available in Ireland. Analogue switch off is getting further away day by day in this current economic climate. Probably 2015..

The_Conductor

givecredit wrote: »

Which at the rate things are going at the moment will not be anytime before 2015. Hopefully before then the op will have invested in a new tv with an internal mpeg4 dtt tuner..

The deadline is now 2012- so it'll be interesting to see whether its kept to (the infrastructure is in place- after testing is finished, its a simple case of throwing the switch).

I wouldn't assume that the OP or anyone else will have sets with internal DTT tuners- the proportion of incompatible sets on the market here because of the grey UK import market- is staggering......

S.

givecredit

smccarrick wrote: »

I wouldn't assume that the OP or anyone else will have sets with internal DTT tuners- the proportion of incompatible sets on the market here because of the grey UK import market- is staggering......

S.

I do not assume anthing. You are quite right. The Likes of Currys etc are full of Mpeg2 dtt tuner tvs. That is why i outlined the MPEG4 dtt tuner bit. Hopefully someone in Ireland will take responsibility for letting the public know what type of tv or set top box is required in Ireland. I heard recently that all Philips tvs in ROI going forward will have MPEG4 tuners as standard. Well done them!! Hopefully other manufacturers will follow suit.

As for the infrastructure in place already. Im sure there are plently out there in parts of ireland who would disagree. As far as im aware its just the main transmitter that are upgraded to DTT at this stage. All relays etc are on hold or delayed now. Im sure mr joe bloggs in West Mayo or Southern/western Kerry would have major difficulties in getting DTT at present.

JB72

Cheers lads. Was doing so well without RTE and all, think I'll get up to maplin and get the fancy rabbits ears after all.. Nationwide here I come!

watty

There is no start date for an Irish DTT service yet.

NO-ONE can reliably "get it".

Currys, Marks& sparks, Tesco, Homebase, B&Q etc are all UK, any surpise they sell UK models? (DAB, Freeview etc at various times before we even had current DAB & DTT tests).

Tony

JB72 wrote: »

This would just mean switching between inputs on the tv remote, wouldnt it?

Yes thats correct

Barr

Could someone advise if I bought this item I could pick up the HD free sat channels in Ireland ?
I have freeview at the moment through a skybox , is it just a matter of replacing the below Bush for my freeview box ?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5321564/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/2%7Ccat_14419512%7CDigital+boxes+and+services%7C14419633/c_3/3%7Ccat_14419633%7CFreesat+digital+set+top+boxes%7C14419634.htm

Thanks

Kotek Besar

Barr wrote: »

Could someone advise if I bought this item I could pick up the HD free sat channels in Ireland ?
I have freeview at the moment through a skybox , is it just a matter of replacing the below Bush for my freeview box ?

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5321564/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CHome+entertainment+and+sat+nav%7C14419512/c_2/2%7Ccat_14419512%7CDigital+boxes+and+services%7C14419633/c_3/3%7Ccat_14419633%7CFreesat+digital+set+top+boxes%7C14419634.htm

Thanks

Yes and yes.

Pal

yes .

you will get BBC HD and ITV HD


ITV has only a few programs in HD

Barr

Sweet , is the Bush in Argos the best price or are there better HD Freesat optins out there ?

Pal

Barr wrote: »

Sweet , is the Bush in Argos the best price or are there better HD Freesat optins out there ?

I dont know about "better"
Youre hardly spending a fortune so not a lot of downside.
BBC HD is worth the £67 on its own IMO.


you could go for a TV with Freesat built in.
With this you dont need a box at all

Nowso

Humax hd box 160euro in ireland Built in recorder verson 320. .

Get a quad lnb and you can add extra tvs around the house

The_Conductor

Nowso wrote: »

Humax hd box 160euro in ireland Built in recorder verson 320. .

Get a quad lnb and you can add extra tvs around the house

Along with extra boxes......

Rick_

If you are close to the border or if you just fancy a day trip up north, PC World and Curry's are selling the Goodmans Freesat HD STB's for £24.99 to clear all stock. Might be worth a look for those who don't want UTV as their ITV region and would like the oppertunity to change it, (something I understand you can't do on a Sat4Free STB).

FungiWalsh

Quick question for ye, lads. I just moved in to a new apartment, which has a free-to-air box already installed. I have an LG 32LH7000 LCDTV, which has a "Freeview" tuner built-in. If I run a cable directly from the cable port in the wall to the TV, will I be able to view the FTA channels without needing to route it through the box?

Thanks!

The_Conductor

FungiWalsh wrote: »

Quick question for ye, lads. I just moved in to a new apartment, which has a free-to-air box already installed. I have an LG 32LH7000 LCDTV, which has a "Freeview" tuner built-in. If I run a cable directly from the cable port in the wall to the TV, will I be able to view the FTA channels without needing to route it through the box?

Thanks!

No. Freeview- is the UK digital terrestrial broadcaster, whereas your Free-to-air box is a satellite box- you are comparing a digital terrestrial broadcast with a satellite service. Unless your TV has a builtin Satellite decoder (there are models out there with Freesat decoders built in), running the cable from the Free-to-view box into the TV is pointless.

evilivor

FungiWalsh wrote: »

Quick question for ye, lads. I just moved in to a new apartment, which has a free-to-air box already installed. I have an LG 32LH7000 LCDTV, which has a "Freeview" tuner built-in. If I run a cable directly from the cable port in the wall to the TV, will I be able to view the FTA channels without needing to route it through the box?

Thanks!

Nope. Freeview is digital terrestrial tv and Freesat is satellite so you will still need to use the free-to-air box.

FungiWalsh

evilivor wrote: »

Nope. Freeview is digital terrestrial tv and Freesat is satellite so you will still need to use the free-to-air box.

Gah! I was hoping I wouldn't have to, as it will make the cabling a lot messier. Ah well, thanks for the quick answer!

Barr

Nowso wrote: »

Humax hd box 160euro in ireland Built in recorder verson 320. .

Get a quad lnb and you can add extra tvs around the house

A built in recorder would be handy - where are they for sale at €160 ?

Martin_F

i think he meant 160 for the basic box, 320 for the recorder.

Hot Blonde

Were abouts on boards does it telll u in detail how to get free channels with a lidls satellite? Please

Tony

That would be the sticky thread that says Lidl satellite in the title

Hot Blonde wrote: »

Were abouts on boards does it telll u in detail how to get free channels with a lidls satellite? Please

John mac

Tony wrote: »

That would be the sticky thread that says Lidl satellite in the title

Hot Blonde

RandomName2

Pal wrote: »

yes .

you will get BBC HD and ITV HD


ITV has only a few programs in HD

Can't seem to get ITV HD on FTA (BBC HD is working fine). Any help?