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Question of free to air channels available in Ireland

  • 26-08-2020 5:22am
    #1
    Neilw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,788 ✭✭✭


    Hi all,

    I don't know much about free to air channels, at the moment we have a box which gives us BBC's, ITV's, E4, More4, Film 4 and so on.

    I want to buy a better TV and see if it's possible to have these channels without the external box. I see some TV's have a built in receiver.

    Question is what do I need to look for in TV spec to get the channels above?
    I'd just like to be able to plug in the existing dish we have and view the channels listed above.

    Whats the difference between freesat and freeview?

    Thanks :)


Comments

  • #2
    decor58
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 878 ✭✭✭decor58


    Neilw wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I don't know much about free to air channels, at the moment we have a box which gives us BBC's, ITV's, E4, More4, Film 4 and so on.

    I want to buy a better TV and see if it's possible to have these channels without the external box. I see some TV's have a built in receiver.

    Question is what do I need to look for in TV spec to get the channels above?
    I'd just like to be able to plug in the existing dish we have and view the channels listed above.

    Whats the difference between freesat and freeview?

    Thanks :)
    Look for a tv with satellite tuner, many of the LG, Walker, Nordmende, Toshiba, have Saorview and Satellite built-in. Freesat is satellite broadcast, available in most of Ireland, freeview is land based broadcast, generally only available along the border and some parts of the east coast.


  • #3
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,369 ✭ [Deleted User]


    For some reason my Walker tv refuses to tune in the e4 / channel 4 stations. Never figured it out even after doing an exact tune for them.


  • #4
    Neilw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,788 ✭✭✭Neilw


    decor58 wrote: »
    Look for a tv with satellite tuner, many of the LG, Walker, Nordmende, Toshiba, have Saorview and Satellite built-in. Freesat is satellite broadcast, available in most of Ireland, freeview is land based broadcast, generally only available along the border and some parts of the east coast.

    Ok, it’s a satellite tuner I need, great.
    Any idea if Sony tv’s are available with one, I’m hoping to get a middle range 65”.


  • #5
    Del2005
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,040 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    Neilw wrote: »
    Ok, it’s a satellite tuner I need, great.
    Any idea if Sony tv’s are available with one, I’m hoping to get a middle range 65”.

    You need to check the specs of the TV you are interested in. There should be some available with a sat turner built in but be aware that though the product code can be similar the specification of the TV can vary a lot.


  • #6
    dulpit
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,450 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    LG TVs come with proper Freesat, which gives you a full 7 day EPG, whereas other TVs come with just a FTA tuner. You'll still get the same channels, but you'd have to rearrange the ordering yourself, and you'll only get now/next on the channels.


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  • #7
    byte
    Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 19,131 Mod ✭✭✭✭byte
    byte


    Niner leprauchan wrote: »
    For some reason my Walker tv refuses to tune in the e4 / channel 4 stations. Never figured it out even after doing an exact tune for them.
    The Walker TV's (and STB's) see the C4's as encrypted (even though they're not), so you'll need to scan encrypted channels instead of just free-to-air for them to show up.


  • #8
    byte
    Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 19,131 Mod ✭✭✭✭byte
    byte


    Neilw wrote: »
    Ok, it’s a satellite tuner I need, great.
    Any idea if Sony tv’s are available with one, I’m hoping to get a middle range 65”.
    Generally, the Sony Android TV's have satellite tuners and 5 year warranties.

    For example, their current KD65XH8196


  • #9
    Neilw
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,788 ✭✭✭Neilw


    byte wrote: »
    Generally, the Sony Android TV's have satellite tuners and 5 year warranties.

    For example, their current KD65XH8196

    Great, thanks everyone for the advice.


  • #10
    Spn744
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 472 ✭✭Spn744


    Look on the back of the tv picture before you buy and if it has a satellite input you will receive channels. If you will get the listings for what’s on etc more unlikely. Best to have a box to be sure of the 7 day listings! :)


  • #11
    dubrov
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,611 ✭✭✭dubrov


    1) Saorview = Free Irish channels (RTE, TG4, Virgin Media etc.). You need an aerial feed and terrestrial tuner. Look for DVB-T2 in the specs.

    2) Freeview = Free UK channels (BBC/ITV etc.). You need an aerial feed and terrestrial tuner. Look for DVB-T2 in the specs. Only available in the UK/NI or if you live closeby

    3) Free-to-air(FTA) = Free UK channels (BBC/ITV etc.). You need a satellite feed and satellite tuner. Look for DVB-S2 in the specs. This is avaialble all over Ireland and the UK and will likely provide the bulk of your free channels.

    4) FreeSat = THis is basically software that organises free-to-air satellite channels and provides a full 7 day TV guide. It needs the same DVB-S2 tuner as FTA. At the moment LG (and I think Samsung) TVs provide FreeSat but this can change from year-to-year. Check UK sites for specs as it is not openly advertised in Ireland and you generally need to select UK as the region when setting up your TV to get it.

    There are many TVs that provide both DVB-T2 and DVB-S2 tuners. However be aware that it can be very clunky (6 buttons plus) to switch between Saorview and Freesat/FTA channels.

    A dedicated set top box will give a much better experience than a TV but there is some setup work required and you have the extra clutter of an additional box.


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