General: Freesat

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      CommentAuthorHuddy
    • CommentTimeJun 22nd 2008 edited
     

    As per usual, I'm here asking for help!

    Has anyone investigated using Freesat at all? Our standard aerial reception is rubbish, and I'm contemplating using it. Not really bothered about its limited HD potential - just want TV channels that don't suddenly drop off in quality.

    But the main reasons I'm looking at Freesat are:
    1)We're in a tenement, our neighbours are tossers, and I don't really fancy replacing/fixing the aerial (besides, we'll probably move out next year).
    2)We already have a satellite dish installed.

    The problem is that the dish was there when we moved in, so all I know about it is what it looks like from behind (when I peer out of the window), and that we have a cable coming into the living room from it.

    The only advice I can find online is 'ask your retailer if you already have a dish', but I suspect the staff at Argos may be of limited help! So I figured I'd ask the handy people who use the best forum on the net ;)

    Anyone got any suggestions?

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      CommentAuthorClubBarf
    • CommentTimeJun 22nd 2008
     

    My advice would be to join your local freecycle group and ask if anyone has a sky digibox going spare. Hook that badboy up and see what's what.

    In the long run, though, you'll need a mini-itx based media centre PC (with 5 1TB hdd's in RAID 5) and a pair of digital satellite receiver cards, a 1080p projector, dolby digital/DTS reciever and 5.1 speaker setup with a 1000W subwoofer, to show those neighbours who's boss. And a samurai sword for when they complain.

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      CommentAuthorHuddy
    • CommentTimeJun 22nd 2008
     
    Posted By: ClubBarf

    In the long run, though, you'll need a mini-itx based media centre PC (with 5 1TB hdd's in RAID 5) and a pair of digital satellite receiver cards, a 1080p projector, dolby digital/DTS reciever and 5.1 speaker setup with a 1000W subwoofer, to show those neighbours who's boss. And a samurai sword for when they complain.

    I'd prefer to start with an actual TV... ;) Currently watching TV on the desktop I originally built about 4 years ago...it's start to shown the strain! Especially with the rubbish Hauppage software.

    When I stop temping and actually manage to get a real job, I might actually buy some of the things many people take for granted! (Bought a new vacuum cleaner the other weekend...in our flat, that counts as a luxury item)!

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      CommentAuthorcrazy pete
    • CommentTimeJun 22nd 2008
     

    I've installed a few Freesat systems, the box made by Humax seems to be the best. If you wait about 6 months you'll be able to get a Sky+ type receiver with a hard disk. You will need a extra feed from the dish for that though. CB's right, there's bound to be an old Sky box no one wants you can use to check the signal.

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      CommentAuthorSpode
    • CommentTimeJun 23rd 2008
     

    MythTV supports FreeSat :)

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      CommentAuthorKrazyIvan
    • CommentTimeJun 23rd 2008
     

    I was toying with the idea of freesat but was discouraged by the fact that most channels would be in a different language that I would not understand. :(

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      CommentAuthorcrazy pete
    • CommentTimeJun 23rd 2008
     

    Our freesat service is very different to yours i would imagine. Here it duplicates everything on regular tv to help out the people who can't pick up digital tv through their aerial. Analogue is being switched off in phases across the country. Freesat is currently the only free way to receive hd here.

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      CommentAuthorKrazyIvan
    • CommentTimeJun 23rd 2008
     

    Ah, okay. We are going through the same thing here. Feb 17 is the deadline. I have ordered my D/A converter boxes and have had an HD capable aerial installed for about a year and a half now.

    Interesting how they did that for you guys in the UK. Here, they are anticipating about 5-7 million households will get worse/no reception with the new HD signal versus analog. There is no other provision other than to order some other service like cable or sat which you have to pay for. Luckily I live in an area that gets pretty good signal. The problem is getting analog channels from Mexico, which will not be converting to digital. I am just going to set up a 1 ghz splitter to send one coax line to the digital converter and the other line to the regular analog input on the set.

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      CommentAuthorcrazy pete
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008 edited
     

    Most of us here have had standard def (576 lines) digital tv for about 10 years, but it has been broadcast alongside the existing analogue system. The analogue is beong switched off in stages starting this year, with the last area (here) going in 2012.

    At the same time HD (720 or 1080 lines) is being phased in, it's currently being sold as a commodity, with a few special HD channels. Most of the programming is available at the same time in SD. HD is currently only available on satellite or cable (but there's no cable here).

    HD will be available soon on terrestrial digital tv, but only to those with MPEG-4 capable recievers, which are only just starting to come onto the market.

    Now, you can imagine my frustration in trying to expain this to elderly customers, who just want to watch the news once a day. The whole thing has been handled badly from the start.

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      CommentAuthorClubBarf
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008
     

    Agreed - H.264 should have been the codec for all content from day 1. And SD should have been phased out along with analogue, in favour of 720p (which should have been phased out by 1080p eventually too) - without the knowledge of users who don't know what H.264 or 720p or 1080i/1080p even are.

    Typical of the UK government to obfuscate something that should be simple.

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      CommentAuthorKrazyIvan
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008 edited
     

    So it's not perfect over there either. :P

    I ordered my D/A converters back on June 5th and they still have not arrived. I just got an email that they shipped yesterday. That's what I get for ordering from one of the government suggested retailers. :S :cry: :x

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      CommentAuthorClubBarf
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008
     

    Just to clarify - "from day 1" - I mean that when the government decided to phase out analogue, not from the beginning of digital TV in the UK (H.264 wasn't really viable back then, if the standard had been ratified, which I don't know it was).

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      CommentAuthorcrazy pete
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008
     

    I think by that time there were probably just too many sets out there with MPEG-2 hardware. They would have had to find even more space in the radio spectrum to broadcast in H.264 too. As with most things in tech, by the time it gets in the hands of the comsumer, it's out of date.

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      CommentAuthorClubBarf
    • CommentTimeJun 24th 2008
     

    True, but H.264 set top boxes can be manufactured for next to nothing. They should be being sold for £20 or so, and replacing the MPEG-2 boxes. I mean, VHS got replaced by DVD, which is being replaced by BluRay - why not have H.264 boxes replace MPEG-2 ones? It's not like the public isn't used to playing "chase the new tech".

    MPEG-2 has had it's day. It's old hat. Get rid of it. A H.264 stream in HD takes up less airspace than a SD MPEG-2 stream, so it makes sense.

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      CommentAuthorLolly
    • CommentTimeJun 26th 2008
     

    'lo all; have been busy but I'm back! I graduate today at 11am (BA (Hons) Class I :D). Huzzah.

    I've been thinking about Freesat for a while - the latest Black Gold card (BGT3540) supports it (as well as analogue and DVB-T, and dual tuners too!) and would be quite splendid in a WMC box. On the other hand, we would need to get a dish, too, and we have perfectly good Freeview...

    • CommentAuthorSirkent
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2008
     

    The only real benefit for me for using Freesat would be getting HD. Currently I only watch Blu-Ray and downloaded HD content (as well as playing some HD games). Unfortunately there are no freesat HD PC cards yet and none of the freesat set-top boxes are available as PVRs. Hopefully this will be remedied soon, but in the meantime, I'll have to stick to what I have.

    Oh and while Sky to do Free satellite channels they don't do any free HD ones.

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      CommentAuthorKrazyIvan
    • CommentTimeJun 30th 2008
     

    My converter boxes came in. I was able to tune in 24 channels. Only a few are transmitting in HD. Which really does not matter since the converter only has an RF and composite output. Plus, the only TV I have that can do 1080i/720p has component inputs for those resolutions. With the MPAA running the show here, I have found it very difficult to find any hardware that can do 1080i/720p over analog. My MVIX media player does upconverting to 1080i over analog so its not a total loss.

    All the channels except for two come in at full 100% signal strength. The two that don't, come in at about 40% signal stregth but are watchable. There are a few channels I did not know existed and are pretty good. I am very happy with the clarity. Good bye snowy screen. :D

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Copyright Andrew Miller (Spode), 2008