Digital Switchover

dinorebel

If you're getting the analogue uk stations through the aerial would a cheap set top box from the north work in Letterkenny.

muffler

dinorebel wrote: »

If you're getting the analogue uk stations through the aerial would a cheap set top box from the north work in Letterkenny.

It will.

You wont need one if its a digital TV though.

sesswhat

dinorebel wrote: »

If you're getting the analogue uk stations through the aerial would a cheap set top box from the north work in Letterkenny.

The cheaper boxes in the north marked 'Freeview' will only work with the standard definition UK channels.

A locally bought Saorview certified box can be used for the Irish and UK digital channels, including any Irish HD channels.

Meanwhile a 'Freeview HD' box from the north can be used for HD Freeview, SD Freeview and should also work for Saorview.*

* Before buying anything I would suggest getting the make and model number and running it past the Terrestrial forum first.

NIMAN

Its not 100% that a Freeview HD box will work with Saorview.

I had one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TechniSat-Freeview-Terrestrial-Receiver-functionality/dp/B003XU78CC
and it didn't work properly.

worked for half of them, but on the other half of the channels I got sound only, no picture.

sesswhat

NIMAN wrote: »

Its not 100% that a Freeview HD box will work with Saorview.

There have been problems with some Freeview HD boxes as you say. I've edited the post to add the same warning as previously.

dinorebel

muffler wrote: »

It will.

You wont need one if its a digital TV though.

I have Sky and a digital tv what I'm looking for is a way to get a signal for an old tv in the kids playroom.If a £20 set top box will work through the aerial that would be ideal.

sesswhat

dinorebel wrote: »

I have Sky and a digital tv what I'm looking for is a way to get a signal for an old tv in the kids playroom.If a £20 set top box will work through the aerial that would be ideal.

The trouble with the £20 Freeview boxes is that you will have no Irish channels after the 24th October. A Saorview box may be more suitable if you want RTE Junior, TG4 etc.

You will probably need to connect through a SCART socket. There will be no HD but this will likely not be an issue.

dinorebel

sesswhat wrote: »

The trouble with the £20 Freeview boxes is that you will have no Irish channels after the 24th October. A Saorview box may be more suitable if you want RTE Junior, TG4 etc.

You will probably need to connect through a SCART socket. There will be no HD but this will likely not be an issue.

Not to fussed about the lack of Irish channels as will have them in main room.If I could get BBC,ITV,C4 ect I will be happy enough.

muffler

dinorebel wrote: »

Not to fussed about the lack of Irish channels as will have them in main room.If I could get BBC,ITV,C4 ect I will be happy enough.

You shouldn't have any problems in getting those

harpstilidie

Done a scan last night to see what UK channels I could get on the Saorview box and it picked up all the BBC channels but didn't pick up UTV, Channel 4 etc. Will it be possible to get those channels at all after the switchover? I also connected my HDMI cable to my saorview box but it still won't show RTE 2 in HD just SD. I assume I can't get the HD version as it isn't a Saorview approved box?

sesswhat

harpstilidie wrote: »

Done a scan last night to see what UK channels I could get on the Saorview box and it picked up all the BBC channels but didn't pick up UTV, Channel 4 etc. Will it be possible to get those channels at all after the switchover? I also connected my HDMI cable to my saorview box but it still won't show RTE 2 in HD just SD. I assume I can't get the HD version as it isn't a Saorview approved box?

The other channels will follow on the 24th.

RTE2 is HD-only on Saorview. Do you have it connected by SCART as well?

What is the model number of the box?

harpstilidie

sesswhat wrote: »

The other channels will follow on the 24th.

RTE2 is HD-only on Saorview. Do you have it connected by SCART as well?

What is the model number of the box?

Thanks. Yeah connected by SCART into the TV and the HDMI lead from the box into the TV.

It's a DVB-T Receiver HD H.264/MPEG-4. Model number from what I can gather is DTR5104M.

sesswhat

Try connecting by HDMI only, or select HDMI as the source on the TV. When using SCART, any HD pictures get downscaled to SD.

harpstilidie

sesswhat wrote: »

Try connecting by HDMI only, or select HDMI as the source on the TV. When using SCART, any HD pictures get downscaled to SD.

Connected by HDMI only now and it still looks like it's in SD not HD. There is some kids programme on at the minute though so hard to tell!

sesswhat

A lot of the content uses SD material which is then upscaled by RTE. The best results are from material originally shot in HD, like many sports events. As time goes on they should have more 'Native HD'.

I don't know much about that receiver, but there may be an option somehere in the menus to change the output resolution.

harpstilidie

sesswhat wrote: »

A lot of the content uses SD material which is then upscaled by RTE. The best results are from material originally shot in HD, like many sports events. As time goes on they should have more 'Native HD'.

I don't know much about that receiver, but there may be an option somehere in the menus to change the output resolution.

Thanks man, appreciate the help. I'll check the next time they have a programme shot in actual HD. It does seem slightly better quality than the other channels so it may have worked.

sesswhat

Try 7pm tomorrow;)

harpstilidie

sesswhat wrote: »

Try 7pm tomorrow;)

Exactly what I was thinking! All set to watch a horror show in stunning HD

muffler

If its any help there are details of the available channels and coverage after the switch over for the Strabane region here and the Limavady region here

firemansam4

Was reading this thread earlier today and thinking to myself that I might try tune in the bbc channels into our saorview box when i get home, was thinking maybe that the tv reception we had from our loft aerial probably wouldn't pick them up

But just switched on the saorview box and an extra 10 BBC channels appeared on it without having to tune anything in - they all seem to work fine, as good as the saorview stations.

sandt

Ok, so after reading through this thread, a few threads in the terrestrial forum and the saorview site I'm still a bit unsure.

Can anyone definitively answer:

If I buy a freeview hd box and use it in a border region can I pick up saorview and freeview channels?



Thanks

theblueirish

sandt wrote: »

Ok, so after reading through this thread, a few threads in the terrestrial forum and the saorview site I'm still a bit unsure.

Can anyone definitively answer:

If I buy a freeview hd box and use it in a border region can I pick up saorview and freeview channels?



Thanks

Yes

byte

sandt wrote: »

Ok, so after reading through this thread, a few threads in the terrestrial forum and the saorview site I'm still a bit unsure.

Can anyone definitively answer:

If I buy a freeview hd box and use it in a border region can I pick up saorview and freeview channels?



Thanks

Depends on the make and model of box. In theory, it should be fine, but some boxes, for whatever technical or software reason, have issue with Saorview.

sandt

byte wrote: »

Depends on the make and model of box. In theory, it should be fine, but some boxes, for whatever technical or software reason, have issue with Saorview.

Any recommendations? Approx price range?

I'd like to get one that can record and series link if possible?

redt0m

Just set up a main tv and smaller tv for the folks, main tv connected to regular aerial, smaller tv connected to one of those Technica rabbit ear jobs from Tesco (a 46dB model) - both tvs have built in Saorview tuners and are receiving Saorview and whatever UK Channels are available at the moment perfectly.

byte

sandt wrote: »

Any recommendations? Approx price range?

I'd like to get one that can record and series link if possible?

I've not trialled any personally, apart from a Triax model which had the time an hour out.

As for PVR's, there are no Saorview approved PVR's as of yet which is lame. Also, RTE don't do Series Link yet... not until an approved PVR exists they say. RTE1+1 seems to trial series link for Fair City etc, but that's it.

sandt

byte wrote: »

I've not trialled any personally, apart from a Triax model which had the time an hour out.

As for PVR's, there are no Saorview approved PVR's as of yet which is lame. Also, RTE don't do Series Link yet... not until an approved PVR exists they say. RTE1+1 seems to trial series link for Fair City etc, but that's it.

So if I got a freeview hd box I could only record/series link on the freeview channels and not on the saorview channels? At least for the time being?

Thanks

NIMAN

Thats right. For now.

redt0m

Wonder is some work being done in NI,all the BBC channels we got on friday are gone at the moment...

NIMAN

redt0m wrote: »

Wonder is some work being done in NI,all the BBC channels we got on friday are gone at the moment...

Yeah the Beeb channels have been getting staggered out, in preparation for the big switch on.