MUX 2 launch date ?

The Cush

Sam Russell wrote: »

So the budget is on the 15th and the second mux gets fired up the following Monday. Hmmmm - could OTV be in the budget?

Unlikely, the Oireachtas estimates for 2014 has already been published and the budget estimate for televising the Oireachtas is lower than 2012 or 2013 - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84332688

Hotblack Desiato

galtee boy wrote: »

Don't expect much from RTE1 HD when it launches, if RTE2 HD is anything to go by.

SD-upscaled-to-HD would be a big improvement on what we have now, SD-downscaled-to-low-bitrate-mushyvision.

The PQ on the SD channels at the moment is appalling, there's just too many channels for one mux to handle comfortably.

tlaavtech

I'm hoping that once they have the two MUX's running, that we will start to see them use the full bandwidth of the MUX's allowing 1920x1080 HD rather than the current 1440x1080 and allow the SD channels to be 720x576 instead of the current 544x576 (Not so sure if they will do this one - it would give TV3 better PQ, and my guess is that they will continue to give TV3 the minimum since TV3 are not willing to pay the minimum.)

whitebriar

I like proper hd but a lot of people could not give a hoot.
You need good eyesight to get the benefits and be near the tv.
Being near the tv doesn't help your eyesight!

Elmo

Many people are happy with the current quality of picture, many are coming from snowy analogue pictures

watty

tlaavtech wrote: »

allowing 1920x1080 HD rather than the current 1440x1080 and allow the SD channels to be 720x576 instead of the current 544x576

No, that is never going to happen. That would make SD and HD more than 30% more expensive and also eventually would have to be reduced when TV3 and TG4 go HD and Oireachtas TV starts.

The aim is not to compete with Bluray but replace Analogue Terrestrial as cheaply as possible.

Peter Rhea

Elmo wrote: »

Many people are happy with the current quality of picture, many are coming from snowy analogue pictures

Many people had decent analogue reception & now have much bigger screens than they had a few years back.

watty

That's what HD is for, larger than 37" screens, not really for "better" pictures, About 90% of people wouldn't be able to see better pictures than 600 x 600 on a 32" set.


Actually increasing frame rate to 48 fps progressive would give a better quality boost than 4K / UHD.

Elmo

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Many people had decent analogue reception & now have much bigger screens than they had a few years back.

It would be interesting to know how many people who were in 4 TV land now have a TV screen bigger than 32"

Peter Rhea

You mean 4-channel land? That hasn't existed for years.

watty

75% of folk had ITV/UTV BEFORE Sky Digital existed.
92% have UPC or Sky.

Maybe 3% to 6% only had just four channels before Digital. Some of them probably didn't have TV3. If you left out Sky & UPC, TV3 only had about 80% coverage.

I'd more interest in what proportion of TVs Oct 2010 and later sold that can't receive Saorview.
Also what proportion of main TVs are sold since Oct 2010?
How many people wasted money on CRT Widescreen?

Widescreen really only makes sense on HD, (and on WS sets larger than 37") and it was CRIMINAL that broadcasters ever launched it before HD. When RTE went Widescreen all Analogue was degraded in quality and SD Digital is only suitable resolution for 4:3.

Elmo

Peter Rhea wrote: »

You mean 4-channel land? That hasn't existed for years.

Just because you didn't live in 4 TV land does mean others didn't. My parents would have lived quite happily in 4 TV Land (we always referred to it as 2 TV land growing up).

DTT barely takes people out of 4 TV land.

Those that move to Saorview are largely made up of 4 channel/TV land and those who also had fta sat.

Much of 3e's increase in audience is largely from Saorview.

byte

Can anyone confirm if MUX2 (Ch25) from Castlebar is on-air?

Ronnie Raygun

Elmo wrote: »

My parents would have lived quite happily in 4 TV Land (we always referred to it as 2 TV land growing up).

"4 channel land" never really existed. "2 channel land", yes, but years ago in parts of the country that were out of range of UK terrestrial transmitters & had no cable network.

All the time we have had 4 native tv channels, there has always been some way of getting more, no matter where you are in the country.

STB

watty wrote: »

92% have UPC or Sky.

Watty (welcome back)

I guess you are basing these figures on the Comreg Report on the Television service delivery "survey".

The actual combined Sky figures added up to 82% nationally and 91% city based. The base surveyed was 848.

This base is too small to provide. Secondly, how many people refer to satellite reception as Sky, regardless of subscribing or being ex subscribers? Lots.

The true figures for FTA reception are higher than 9%. Easily 20%+.

Elmo

Ronnie Raygun wrote: »

"4 channel land" never really existed. "2 channel land", yes, but years ago in parts of the country that were out of range of UK terrestrial transmitters & had no cable network.

All the time we have had 4 native tv channels, there has always been some way of getting more, no matter where you are in the country.

I grew up in 2 TV land or 2 Channel Land. I lived in Dublin, we prob could have put up an aerial to gain access to the 4 Welsh or NI channels. We enter 4 TV land in 1998 and prior to that 3(or channel) TV land. Some people didn't not want to pay for cable even in cabled areas.

The point is that those who used the Analogue system, even with spillover and FTA Sat only really got a better reception for the 4 Irish Channel after DSO. Most of those don't really care about how good or bad the picture is when in many cases it is a vast improvement on Analogue BUT it hasn't added anything to change the line up of channels. That was the point.

Though I suppose RTÉ News Now, RTÉJR, RTÉ 1+1 are additions even though they are only repeats and simulcasts of existing services. 3e just about meets the merits of a TV channel.

We can all agree that picture quality should be improved with the addition of Mux 2, but that is about all.

Very few existing Sky and UPC customers moved to Saorview or a combination of Saorview/Freeview or FTA Sat.

watty

At this stage with a FTA sat install costing less than a 40" HDTV and giving all the main UK channels the only people with Saorview only, only want Saorview.

They won't use the extra mux to improve quality, other than channels changing from SD to HD.

Elmo

watty wrote: »

They won't use the extra mux to improve quality, other than channels changing from SD to HD.

But why watty?

So what are you expecting?

Just RTÉ One, Two, TV3 and TG4 in the current RTÉ TWO HD quality?
With RTÉ News Now, RTÉ One +1, RTÉjr and 3e staying exactly the same?

Can 2 muxes not handle these channels?

STB

Elmo wrote: »

But why watty?

So what are you expecting?

Just RTÉ One, Two, TV3 and TG4 in the current RTÉ TWO HD quality?
With RTÉ News Now, RTÉ One +1, RTÉjr and 3e staying exactly the same?

Can 2 muxes not handle these channels?

In my opinion all it will do is remove the logjam that is Mux 1.

Stat Muxing of 7 channels, (1 of which is a HD channel hogging 40% of the bandwidth) on a single 24 meg DVB-T Mux was never an ideal situation.

All it will do is allow for the 3 PSB channels to become HD. Hopefully it be soon. Comreg and the BAI should have stepped in a long time ago and sorted out an agreement. If certain stations still don't want to pay the, then they simply hand their licence back. It has went on too long.

Bear in mind that the actual tx costs are based upon the data used.

nikon1000

byte wrote: »

Can anyone confirm if MUX2 (Ch25) from Castlebar is on-air?

Yes, I've tried it on 2 TVs but it doesn't seem to be carrying any channels or test services.

byte

Ah, thanks. That explains what's killed off the Freeview PSB3 T2 mux from Brougher Mtn. in recent days.

So that's 2 Brougher muxes being hit by Castlebar in SW Donegal - both PSB2 and PSB3 on Ch22 and Ch25.

Machinehead

Test channel 14 HD on mux2 now live with TG4 (HD?) from Maghera.

Just gone off air - back to test screen.

Mr. Rabbit

Mux 2 launching 21st October:

http://www.2rn.ie/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/SAORVIEW-Rescan-2013-Installers.pdf

SAORVIEW is preparing to improve. To facilitate this, a second SAORVIEW multiplex will be brought on-air from October 21st. [FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]All SAORVIEW viewers [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][/FONT][/FONT]nationwide will have to re-scan their SAORVIEW TV’s and set-top boxes from October 21st 2013 to receive this additional multiplex.



At some transmitter sites the frequency of the first multiplex will need to change. This will also be done on October 21
st, so viewers in these areas will have to rescan their TVs or set-top-boxes on that day to avoid losing their service. If your SAORVIEW is tuned to one of the local transmitters listed below you must carry out this rescan [FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]on Monday October 21[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]st [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri]after 3pm [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][FONT=Calibri,Calibri][/FONT][/FONT]to continue viewing SAORVIEW. Please note that some service interruptions may occur in the affected areas on October 21st due to transmitter switching, as we make this change.

Peter Rhea

Mr. Rabbit wrote: »

Mux 2 launching 21st October

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=86903958&postcount=1018

Peter Rhea

Elmo wrote: »

The point is that those who used the Analogue system, even with spillover and FTA Sat only really got a better reception for the 4 Irish Channel after DSO. Most of those don't really care about how good or bad the picture is when in many cases it is a vast improvement on Analogue BUT it hasn't added anything to change the line up of channels. That was the point.

Speaking as someone 'who used the analogue system' for their main tv, I don't care about the lineup of channels on Saorview. Even if I didn't have UK terrestrial reception, I still wouldn't care.

I had decent analogue RTE reception & I'd be quite happy now if Saorview consisted of nothing else but versions of RTE 1 & 2 that are fit to be viewed on a 40" + screen.

Elmo

Peter Rhea wrote: »

Speaking as someone 'who used the analogue system' for their main tv, I don't care about the lineup of channels on Saorview. Even if I didn't have UK terrestrial reception, I still wouldn't care.

I had decent analogue RTE reception & I'd be quite happy now if Saorview consisted of nothing else but versions of RTE 1 & 2 that are fit to be viewed on a 40" + screen.

A number of things should really already have happened

Good quality digital pictures either in HD and SD for those looking for purely picture quality for their 40" and with access to spillover NI services

Some alternative content for those without spillover content.

Seems to me that neither have been provided.

irishfeen

Machinehead wrote: »

Test channel 14 HD on mux2 now live with TG4 (HD?) from Maghera.

Just gone off air - back to test screen.

Was it being played out over the "HD Test Transmission" channel?

Peter Rhea

Elmo wrote: »

A number of things should really already have happened

Good quality digital pictures either in HD and SD for those looking for purely picture quality for their 40" and with access to spillover NI services

Some alternative content for those without spillover content.

Everyone has satellite spillover. You did notice: 'Even if I didn't have UK terrestrial reception, I still wouldn't care' in my previous post?

sky23

so does that mean RTE One HD will be launched that day? any official announcements on that?

sky23

irishfeen wrote: »

Was it being played out over the "HD Test Transmission" channel?

all i seen was the usual test screens from Maghera