Starting out on satellite TV

bv09nb

AM interested in gettign satellite TV (want to see TV5 the French channel) NTL used show it until recently but now want to charge for it as part of their digital service, but it's a rip off.

Does anyone know if I can get it on satellite or if I can get any of the main French TV channels in Ireland.

ANy details on satellite would be helpful, can I just by a dish and take it from there...do I always have to subscribe aka Sky.

cheers

lbruton

Hi
TV5 is available in analoge and digital on the astra sat at 19.2 east. It is a free to air channel so no subscription of any kind is needed. As far as know it is the only french channel on the analoge service which is free. However i set up my digital reciever last week and found plenty of free french channels at 19.2 east.
To see for yourself what is available try the astra homepage address below.

Liam

http://www.astra.lu

bv09nb

liam,

thanks,

is the quality ggod...i.e. is it like normal reception. Excuse my ignornace of this sat stuff !!

Can you reccommend a receiver/kit i'd need.


cheers

watty

Even analog satellite can be better than DVD....

Digital Satellite can look like a Web Cam or better than DVD depending on how much bandwidth (bitrate) the broadcaster pays for.

Last I looked HotBird Analog 13E had THREE french:
Arte
France 5 (formerly La Cinqueme)
TV5.

Also the German DW TV transmits in English, French and German at different times.
There used to be Choice of German, French and English on Eurosport (not sure if it still on).
BBC World TV is also on this in Analog FTA..

An old Sky analog box and dish realingned will work. If the dish is rusty, polish it (remove all rust) without bending or denting it and respray to dramatically boost the signal (especially old mesh dishes).



On Digital FTA (free) I have a LNB for 19E (Astra) and 13E (Hotbirds) giving French:
CineBox French Films (Trial period??)
France 5
TV 5
TV 5 Europe
Arte
Euronews
La Chaine Parlimente
AB Motuers
Motors TV

About 40 French Radio stations...

watty

If you want simple..
Palcom or Humax F1 Fox
Universal LNB
90cm Dish.

OPtionally:
A £20 4-Way Diseq switch (mounts at dish).
Two cheap "offset brackets"
Two more Universal LNBs

This lets your receiver access THREE satellites on one dish, automatically. (All 60 radio and 50 FTA TV on Sky, and all the TV and Radio on Hotbirds and Astra 19).

Other option is Hauppauge DVBs WinTV / Nexus-s PCI card for a PC. This lets you record in perfect quality. Do all the stuff of an ordinary Satellite Receiver, some other stuff too, and it feeds youur regular TV and HiFi.



With the "professional" channels, the quality on Satellite (Analog or Digital) is better than anything you ever saw.

I'm bitter about that I get 30 odd German, 20 odd Itallian all in perfect quality and I get RUBBISH pictures from RTE.

(The 4 Irish TV are on Sky, but you need a Digibox and Family Pack subscription. I do have TWO digiboxes, but the "highest" subscription I'm prepared to pay is Knowledge pack).

Dun

To get a good mix of French, Italian and Spanish channels, is 19.2 or 13 the best for digital channels? Well, so far French and Italian channels have been mentioned.. are there many fta Spanish channels?

And analogue satellite better than DVD? Hmm - you must have a bad dvd setup..

watty

Not many Spanish.
About 2.
TVE International
TV 24 Hora
Something else..

Fiesta and Canal Canaries was not bad but gone, Not sure if they FTA or encrypted on Hispasat.

Hispasat on 30W is most. But all the decent ones you need a card.

Rumour is that spanish beam on new "birds" will use same frequencies as main beam thus blocking non Spain viewers.

piet

How about any Dutch channels?
A need for a special decoder/card?
Someone told me thy used to have some Dutch channels on the old analog decoders, so he gave me such a decoder.
As said in another tread, you need to have another lnb to go from analog to digital, does the same apply on reverse?
At the moment I have only the dish and decoder sky installed
for me two years ago. And I have a second set with a ftv card.
Is it possible to change the sky/pace box to receive digtal dutch channels from the astra (3d I think)?
Thanks for any help on this, Piet.

seano

Hi Piet <goede dag>

BVN is free to receive on 19 .2 east]\

For the rest of the dutch channels you need a seca box .
The card is included and it will cost you 15 euro per year to receive Ned 1,2,3,rtl 4,5 sbs 6 .net 5. The box plus card shall cost max 400 euro

If you want to use your sky box you can only get BVN..

Maybe you can get the Sint to give you a seca box !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

watty

Originally posted by seano
Hi Piet <goede dag>

BVN is free to receive on 19 .2 east]\

For the rest of the dutch channels you need a seca box .
The card is included and it will cost you 15 euro per year to receive Ned 1,2,3,rtl 4,5 sbs 6 .net 5. The box plus card shall cost max 400 euro

If you want to use your sky box you can only get BVN..

Maybe you can get the Sint to give you a seca box !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The NED chs are sort of FTV... Its about €15 Euro a year for card. Most any box that has CI for a CAM and has a SECA-2 CAM will take the card. The only boxes that dont are Digibox and cheap embedded only "Viaccess". No idea if Magic CAM or ALL Cam do Seca-2 yet.

Obviously there are "Pay TV " dutch channels too that don't work with 15 Euro card.

Like "BBC" FTV you need a Dutch address for the Dutch 15 Euro FTV card. "Pay only" channels might be possible from Canaal Digitaal at any address... dunno. Some European providers will sell sub to anyone.

BBC Prime sub available in ROI and all Europe EXCEPT UK

a bientot

Just a note to remind ntl that the battle is not over............
TV5 will regain its rightful place among the other public service broadcasters in the basic analogue cable service on ntl and will be available on more Chorus systems around the country by the end of the year....it is already in eight towns.
but YOU MUS demand it..........
If it's good enough for BskyB it has to be good enough for ntl and Chorus.....

watty

Erm but Cable, MMDS and Sky cost lots.

FTA means FREE TO AIR, i.e. you don't pay at all.
Thats the advantange of a Dish.

Cable & MMDS you get nothing if you don't pay.
Satellite has the following ABSOLUTELY free (Only some on Sky)
News / Documentary in English:
BBC World TV, DW TV, Nile TV, Fox News, EBs, Sky News, ITV News, Euronews, CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, MSNBC, CCTV9, Arriang TV, Reality TV, Travel, Chanel Health.
Pop Video
MTV Central, Viva, DJ, Video Italia, Onyx, 123Sat, Viva Plus, Magic (Italy), Chart Hits TV, B4U music, and others

Sport:
Extreme Sport, AB Motoeurs, Motors TV, DSF, Eurosport

Films
CineBox (Fr), Classics TV, TCM

Regligius
About 10

200+ Other language stations

80+ English Radio
100+ Other Radio (Pop, Classical, Jazz etc)
Cartoon
Boomerang

Others
Life, Ben, Fashion, Simply Nostalgai/Einstein/Nature

byte

Originally posted by watty

Two cheap "offset brackets"
Two more Universal LNBs

This lets your receiver access THREE satellites on one dish, automatically. (All 60 radio and 50 FTA TV on Sky, and all the TV and Radio on Hotbirds and Astra 19).

I have digital receiver (Manhattan Skyline) and an 80cm dish but it's only on 19.2E. I would like to add Hotbird and Astra 2 on the same dish if at all possible. Where can I get these brackets as I have browsed many websites but cannot seem to find them.

I have looked at WizardSatellite advert in What Satellite mag and they have a 90cm dish with positions for 5 LNBs (dunno why 5) and it's UK£59. How well would this work? Has anyone seen the advert/dish in question?

sceptre

Originally posted by a bientot
If it's good enough for BskyB it has to be good enough for ntl and Chorus.....

Oh, don't be making statements like that out loud. Next thing Chorus will be adding the American religious channels to the basic lineup and charging everyone extra for the privilege.

byte

Here's the dish I was referring to on Wizard Satellite:

Gemini 90Cm Tri Sat Dish
This Dish Is Specialy Designed To Enable Reception Of Astra 1 / Astra 2 And Hotbird Of 1 Dish

The price is £49, not £59. Maybe it's a pile of cack and I may be better trying to stick with my Triax 80cm?

watty

The arm looks a bit weak. I don't think more than 3 LNBs on a 90cm is a good idea anyway.

www.satcure.co.uk for brackets.

For hotbird just tie 2nd LNB on to side (east side) of existing LNB with scrap plastic to space it for best signal. Spacing might be 1/4" to 1/2" on 80 cm dish. The angle toward dish and relative up/down needs slight adjustment for best signal.

Toward 30E the LNB needs to be higher than a 19.2 E and towards 7E it needs to be lower than the 19.2E.


My very old site:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~watty/satellite/satellite.htm

And Kludge brackets shown on
http://homepage.eircom.net/~watty/satellite/sathowto-p6.htm

I have "proper" brackets now. Also more Dishes!


Sky 28.2E

---

Astra19 --- Hotbirds 13E
<---West

---

East --->

The dish, like a mirror reverses the image, which is why the furthest East LNB is on Westmost side.

Greenman

Nice site Watty,
Regards JD!!! Belgium!!!!!!

Tony

Originally posted by irishbyte
Here's the dish I was referring to on Wizard Satellite:




The price is £49, not £59. Maybe it's a pile of cack and I may be better trying to stick with my Triax 80cm?

AFAIK a bracket is available for the Triax

Cloud

Originally posted by watty
BBC World TV, Fox News, CNBC / MSNBC, Bloomberg,

Ludicrous isn't it that these channels aren't FTA on Sky.

chernobyl

Originally posted by Cloud
Ludicrous isn't it that these channels aren't FTA on Sky.

Not really as Sky handle the relay stations for all these channels and if you really wanted them for free then it wont cost you much.

Sky make an assumption that you are an ignorant and lazy customer and the magority are.

MEGA BRO WOLF 5000

I have two 2.1m dishes incl mountings and brackets for sale, good for analogue! Well i said id mention it since im here

byte

Originally posted by watty

My very old site:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~watty/satellite/satellite.htm

I was looking for that site a week or so ago but couldn't find it. Didn't have the link in Favorites! Didn't realise it's your site.:)