Digital Aerial Tuner Query - UK and Irish Channels

DK1981 · 07-10-2024 2:27pm #1

Hi all, i was recently in a hotel in Carrick on shannon that appeared to have the channels coming in via a digital aerial. It had the saorview channels and some of the uk channels only ( some BBC, some ITV, C4, C5, etc) but not all the channels that might potentially be available in uk from an aerial eg no ITV plus channels or others

I tried to manually tune in some additional channels ( just for the craic to see if i could) but only the same certain number of channels would come in on an auto scan and a manual scan - the same select few channels.

Just wondering out of curiosity why this might be?

There did not appear to be a satellite feed as such , just an aerial - so im curious why the other uk channels might not tune in if some of them did?

Im assuming a close location to the border was why some came in via aerial in the first place?

would welcome anybody who might know why this might be?

thanks

Glaceon · 07-10-2024 2:33pm

A lot of hotels and B&Bs have internal distribution systems, effectively small cable TV networks. These would carry the channels in-band so would be picked up on a standard terrestrial TV tuner without the need for a separate box.

They would almost certainly be sourcing the UK channels from satellite, I was in a hotel last December which had the SD closedown banner on BBC One.

DK1981 · 07-10-2024 2:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693812#Comment_122693812

Thanks for the reply. Ok that makes sense - you would think then if they did use a satellite, they would tune in the 50-100 channels that would be available. Maye its just ease at their end - they tuned in a select few and didn't bother with the rest - even if they could get them.

muffler · 07-10-2024 2:45pm

Would they not just pick them up from both the Saorview and Freeview (NI) transmitters? For example I get the Saorview channels plus Freeview channels with a single aerial. The Freeview comes from the transmitter in Strabane which is known as Freeview Lite but the array of channels available is limited compared to other transmitters.

Glaceon · 07-10-2024 3:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693828#Comment_122693828

Not really, it comes down to cost. A lot of these systems are still analogue, so they'd need one modulator per channel. DVB-T ones exist but are expensive. This would be one of the big reasons why analogue tuners still exist in TVs.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693874#Comment_122693874

If you can get a Freeview signal, it would certainly make more sense to just feed both around and not bother with the distribution system at all.

Rippy · 07-10-2024 3:20pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693874#Comment_122693874

It all comes down to bandwidth if they are using satellite for UK channels. A typical digital head-end used in a hotel has an output of 4 adjacent MUXs. Each can call carry 4-6 low standard definition channels (depending on their compression and resolution), or 2 HD channels and a few radio channels. As the major UK broadcasters move to HD only, the number of channels that can be carried on the system decreases.

greasepalm · 07-10-2024 3:25pm

I remember scanning an Arriva and picking up UK channels on Saorview scan . Skerries location.

The Cush · 07-10-2024 4:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058373176/digital-aerial-tuner-query-uk-and-irish-channels

This is why there's hotel mode on TVs, so guests don't go around retuning the hotels' TVs 😁

Most likely picking up the Freeview overspill signal from NI. The channels being received dependant on the signal strength of the respective mux/frequency.

How were the Saorview and Freeview channels stored, i.e. what channel was on LCN 1, RTÉ 1 or BBC 1?