New BBC HD channels to launch - frequencies and channel number details

On Tuesday 10th December the BBC will be launching 5 new HD channels on Freesat HD and Sky HD.

These channels are:
BBC Three HD
BBC Four HD
BBC News HD
CBBC HD
and
CBeebiesHD


These new BBC HD channels will be added to the Freesat and Sky channel listings soon. Their channel numbers can be found at : http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2013/12/new-bbc-hd-channels-channel-numbers-sky-hd-digiboxes-freesat-hd-set-top-boxes/

USers with other HD satellite receivers will have to scan the relevant frequencies to add these new BBC HD channels to their channel lists : http://www.satandpcguy.com/blog/2013/12/new-bbc-hd-channels-frequency-settings-satellite/

New BBC HD channels : frequency settings for satellite

Some new BBC HD channels are, according to rumours, expected to launch on the 10th December 2013, on Sky HD and Freesat HD.

The channels have been testing for a few days, indication that they will soon be launched.

BBC Three HD Frequency: 10847 Vertical 23000 2/3 DVB-S2 8PSK Satellite: Astra 1N

BBC Four HD Frequency: 11024 Horizontal 23000 2/3 DVB-S2 8PSK Satellite: Astra 2F

CBBC HD Frequency: 10847 Vertical 23000 2/3 DVB-S2 8PSK Satellite: Astra 1N

CBeebies HD Frequency: 11024 Horizontal 23000 2/3 DVB-S2 8PSK Satellite: Astra 2F

BBC News HD Frequency: 11024 Horizontal 23000 2/3 DVB-S2 8PSK Satellite: Astra 2F


Sky HD and Freesat HD channel numbers are still to be confirmed.

Sky HD digiboxes and Freesat HD set top boxes will automatically update to include these new channels.

Users of other satellite receivers will need to perform a channel scan, usually available via the installation menu (check your user manual for details).

More frequency information and settings for BBC TV on satellite at : http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/bbc_satellite_tv_costa_blanca_spain.php

English Premier League : Al Jazeera Sport Channel 2013

English Premier League : Al Jazeera Sport Channel 2013

Al Jazeera Sport has won the broadcast rights to show all 380 English Premier League football matches for the next three seasons, taking over from AD Sports.

You can watch the English Premier League on Al Jazeera Sport in Spain on an 80cm or 1m satellite dish, and with an Al Jazeera viewing card and compatible satellite receiver.





For more information see:
http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/al_jazeera_sports_channels_frequencies.php
http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/al_jazeera_sports_channels.php
http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/viewing_cards_spain.php
http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/live_football_on_satellite/season_2013_2014/live_football_on_satellite_tv_costa_blanca_spain_2013_2014.php

SES Astra say Astra 2F is now in position and ready for operations

SES Astra say Astra 2F is now in position and ready for operations



The Astra 2F satellite

According to a press reelease today, the ASTRA 2F satellite has successfully completed its in-orbit testing and is now fully operational and in commercial service at the orbital neighborhood of 28.2/28.5 degrees East.


See the full press release here


See Astra 2F reception reports for Spain on our reception report maps here


See Astra 2F predicted signal reception maps here

Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice

I have received an email about the Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice, and thought it would be useful to share the information.

This is a services used by Sky Sports for allowing the viewing of multiple matches, either tennis or football, that are not available on the main Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports 4 channels.

During the US Open Tennis, the match choice allows the viewers to watch the matches on other courts - a bit like when the BBC have Wimbledon on their Multiscreen Sports Interactive streams.

For football, Sky have Match choice, when they show highlights of the days Premier League matches. Although all matches are shown on the main channels, you can still select which of the days matches you want to watch.

Reception of Sky Sports 1, Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports 3 on the Costa Blanca are easily available on a small satellite dish - say an 80cm satellite dish.

Sky Sports 4 (and Sky Sports News) are on a north beam frequency of the Astra 2 satellites. These north beam frequencies are weakest in Spain around 5pm in the afternoon, and even some big 2.4m satellite dishes may struggle to get these Astra 2 satellite frequencies all day.

And the Sky Sports Red Button Match Choice channels are also on these weaker Astra 2 satellite north beam frequencies, and so may not be available all day - especially on small (80cm and 1m) satellite dishes.

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Sky Sports - new season of Sports advert campaign

BSkyB has struck back at BT's attempt to lure sports fans to its TV service at heavily discounted prices, recruiting Eric Cantona for one of its biggest advertising campaigns of the year.

The "no compromise" campaign, which starts with TV advertising breaking today, features Cantona appearing to walk right through famous moments in sport such as Liverpool's comeback to win the Champions League final against AC Milan in 2005.



"Anything can happen in sport," says Cantona at the end of the TV ad. "The only certainty is you'll get all of Sky Sports on Sky."

As rivals including BT and Virgin Media aim to break Sky's stranglehold on football subscribers, following Ofcom's order in March that the latter had to drop the wholesale rate it sells Sky Sports 1 and 2 to rivals, the satellite broadcaster is aiming to position its overall sports offering as the best in the market.

"You'll only get all of Sky Sports with Sky," runs a voiceover, which ends by pointing out that Sky offers four sports channels as well as Sky Sports News, which is becoming a premium subscription channel like the other Sky Sports services.

BSkyB's campaign comes weeks after BT launched a major TV and print campaign featuring footballers including Michael Owen and the actor Kris Marshall, who stars in the regular "BT Family" ads, offering Sky Sports 1 and 2 at a steep discount.

Sky's TV campaign, which will run across the channels including ITV1 and Channel 4, will be supported by a large-scale campaign of press, billboard and digital advertising from 19 July.

Four billboards attempt to drive home Sky's superiority over rivals with big pictures of Cantona and lines including "The unmissable should be just that", "Compromise is not an option" and "What's the point of greatness if you cannot watch it?"

"[Fans] don't want to miss a moment of the sports they love, which is why we believe customers will respond to the authenticity of Sky Sports, a brand which has won the trust of sports fans following over two decades of ground-breaking coverage," said David Murdin, Sky's director of marketing for sport and news.



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SunTalk on Bay Radio close down

Bay Radio, an English language radio station for the Costa Blanca, will no longer broadcast SunTalk with John Gaunt.

The Sun has decided to scrap its Jon Gaunt-fronted internet radio station SunTalk after just over a year in operation.

The station, which described itself as "the home of free speech" when it launched in April last year, aired every weekday for three hours. SunTalk was also broadcast on FM to the expatriate community in parts of Spain.

However, yesterday's show was the station's final transmission. A message on the SunTalk homepage said: "SunTalk is no longer live. Thank you for listening over the last 18 months. Please continue to enjoy our podcasts."

News International had been considering expanding the station with a launch nationwide on the digital audio broadcasting (DAB) platform, but is thought to have been put off by the cost, reports The Guardian.

A News International spokesman said: "News International can confirm that SunTalk has closed. This was a business decision taken as part of an ongoing review of costs and strategy to focus on core operations."


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Five HD to launch on Sky

Five HD is scheduled to launch on Tuesday 13th July


It will be on Sky channel 171.

It will be free to view, and require a Sky viewing card to watch.

Five HD reception on the Costa Blanca and Spain should be OK - Five HD frequency is 12266 - Astra 2 south beam.

Programme information on the Five HD placeholder on Sky channel 171 now says "Programme no longer available" - an indicaation Five HD will be starting on Tuesday.
 

Update

Following quoted from Five.tv press FAQ section:

"Five will be launching its own High Definition channel on Sky+ HD on Tuesday 13th July 2010. The channel will be called Five HD and will be on channel number 171. It will be a simulcast of the current standard definition service and will broadcast HD versions of our most popular acquired American dramas as well as our Australian soaps Neighbours and Home And Away. A wider variety of our commissioned programmes are being produced in High Definition and we expect these to become available on the channel in future.

In order to receive Five HD viewers will require a Sky+ HD box, a Sky viewing card and a television set that is HD compatible. There will be no additional subscription charge for the channel.

Although Freeview is launching a High Definition service in the near future, Five HD will not initially be available on this platform. However, we are exploring options to launch Five HD on Freeview at some future date and are also considering other digital television platforms."




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Sky Sports price increase by £3 pm from Sept 2010

According to reports, as part of its annual priceing review, Sky Sports package will be increasing.

The cost of receiving Sky Sport 1 and Sky Sports 2 will increase by £3 per month from 1st September 2010.

Sky Sports 3 and 4 are "bonus" channels for those who subscribbe to both 1 and 2.

Sky are saying that this is due to the fact that the are showing more live sport then ever before, and 115 live Premier League games with the return of Monday Night Football.



There hsa been no word yet about increases for other packages - but generally every Spetember Sky increase their prices by £1...last year one or two packages prices were reduced.

There are also rumours that this autumn Sky will be reviewing and changing their HD channel policy.


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Sky Sports pay increase from Setember?

The price of Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 is due to increase by £3 per month from September 2010. Sky are saying that this is due to the increase in the amount of Premier LEgaue games that hey are covering for the next three years, with the return of Monday Night Football on the satellite broadcaster.

The cost of watching Premiership football matches is set to plunge for sports fans willing to sign up with BT, but will rise for customers of Sky after the satellite broadcaster tried to wrongfoot its rival today by increasing its prices. The move means BT is likely to make a loss on providing sports coverage.

Tomorrow BT will announce the prices it will charge customers of its broadband TV service BT Vision for Sky's main sports channels. The head of its retail business, Gavin Patterson, previously pledged that it would offer Sky Sports 1 and 2 – plus rival ESPN – for under £20 a month, well below the £26 a month which satellite users must fork out.

BT's new prices are based on a deal struck with regulator Ofcom back in March, which ended years of wrangling between the company, Sky and Virgin Media and introduced reduced wholesale prices for Sky Sports 1 and 2. Ofcom demanded that Sky drop its prices by more than 20%. But it also linked the wholesale price it must charge its rivals for Sky Sports 1 and 2 with the price the broadcaster charges its own customers. Sky's rivals assumed that was designed to protect the satellite company from being undercut by other broadcasters. But in a dramatic move Sky revealed that it would actually increase its retail prices, which means its wholesale prices will increase accordingly.

BT was taken utterly unawares and the move is likely to mean that it will lose money on every customer it signs up to sports packages on BT Vision. BT said: "We are proceeding as planned and will deal with the issue of Sky's wholesale pricing in due course. It's surprising that Sky are raising prices for their customers just when we're about to enter the market. This will only make our prices more attractive and so could drive customers to our door," he added.

Rival Virgin Media is understood to be unaffected, as it has already signed a separate deal with Sky.

Sky is increasing the retail price of Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 2 by £3. Under the complicated wholesale pricing mechanism set out in Ofcom's ruling, this means that the wholesale price of Sky Sports 1 increases from £10.63 a month to £13.42, Sky Sports 2 rises from £10.63 to £13.34 and both channels together rise from £17.14 to £19.07 per month.

For Sky's retail customers, meanwhile, it means that from 1 September the cost of a basic subscription plus Sky Sports 1 or 2 will increase from £26 a month to £29 a month. The cost of a basic subscription plus all its sports channels will increase from £35 to £38 and the cost of all its sports plus its six entertainment bundles will rise from £41 to £44 per month. The cost of its top-end package – including movies – will increase from £48.50 to £51.50.

Sky had originally intended to inform customers of the price increase in letters to be sent out from 23 July. But as BT had decided to make such a fuss about its new prices, it is understood to have brought its plans forwards. The reason for the price increase is that Sky will be offering more games come the next Premiership season, which starts in mid-August.

The regulator's review of the UK's pay-TV market dragged on so long that one of the original complainants – Setanta – went bust during the process. The Premiership games it acquired were picked up by ESPN, but under the deal Setanta originally struck it lost one package of matches from next season. Those matches were picked up by Sky and it now has 115 games, compared with the 92 it showed last season. That is roughly five out of every six games to be played next season.

A spokesman for Ofcom said the regulator had always recognised "that retail prices would change in the future".

"That is why we set a fixed margin between Sky's retail prices and wholesale prices," the spokesman said. "This means that if Sky's retail prices change, then its wholesale prices will move by a fixed amount. Our decisions will therefore deliver competition, choice and innovation in the pay TV market, regardless of changes to Sky's retail prices."

The above is taken from The Guardian - _http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jun/30/sky-raises-prices



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Possible loss of TDT Reception in the summer for the Costas

Reports of heat affecting TDT (Spanish TV)reception.

There have been reports in some Spanish media outlets that the heat during the summer is having an affect on the TDT TV signals across the Costas.

According to reports, emergancy work is being donw on many transmitters, with some more repeaters being installed in some areas affected.

This may mean that some popele may lose some channels.

But as an emergany measure, some channels are being made available on some other frequencies - that are less affected by the heat.

It may be that a rescan on your TDT receiver is required.

It may mean that some community TV systems in Spain will have to be upgraded with new frequency modules to make sure the community TV installations receive these emergancy TDT frequencies.

Possible Loss of Spanish TDT TV signals in Spain

This and further information can be found on our website and Satellite TV forum:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

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What is the best satellite for English channels?

What is the best satellite for English channels?

The main satellites that provide the UK with their satellite TV channels are the Astra 2 and Eurobird 1 satellites, located at 28 degrees east of south.

These satellites carry the main BBC,  ITV, C4, Five and "Sky subscription package" channels for the UK.
They are not available on any other satellite system, and so the answer to this question is simple.

The best satellite for English channels is the satellite used by Freesat / BBC / ITV and Sky.

However....

There are obviously many other satellite TV providers operating in other countries. And many of these systems carry the same channels and prgramming as the UK TV service. For example, Discovery Europe sell a version of their Discovery CHannel to individual counties, so you have Discovery UK, Discovery France and Discovery Spain. In many cases the programmes orignal soundtrack is available, and so programmes and movies can be watched with their origninal English speaking audio soundtrack.

In fact, some UK and USA imported programmes are also avail;able in English on TDT - the Spanish digital services available via a TV aerial.

So now the answer to the question "What is the best satellite for English channels?" can be most satellites offer Ebnglish language programmes and channels, but if you want he main UK TV channels like BBC and ITV in Spain, then its the Astra 2 and Eurobird 1 satellites at 28 degrees east of south.



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Free Sky TV (sort of!)

Free Sky TV Weekend Pass

This coming weekend, the 17 and 18th April, Sky 3 will be showcasing some of the programmes on Sky pay TV channels with another "free access" weekend/

This will include some sports events (Soccer AM ,lIve rugby union (saturday afternoon)), programming from Sky movies (A few episodes of the HBO "The Pacific"), Discovery Channels, "v", Dexter, NCIS and a few other programmes from the variosu channels avaialble from a Sky subscription.

This is to showcase to non subscribers some of the offerings available on the SKy Subscription package.

Sky 3 is available for no subscription on Sky channels 108.

You will require a freesatfromsky free to view card to view this channels.





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Loss of UK TV BBC ITV Astra 2d signals in Spain in the mornings

Well its that time of the year again when you may be experiencing some signal loss on yur Sky UK satellite TV systems.

For about 10 minutes a day, there will be a temporary loss of the UK TV channel frequencies via the Astra 2D satellite for about 10 or 15 minutes a day.

This will normally be happening at around 11 am CET.

This is beacuse the Astra 2D satellite, that carries BBC and ITV channels, is directly in line with the sun. It is assumed that he suns energy swamps the signals from the "weaker beamed" Astra 2D satellite, resulting in a loss of BBC ITV Channel 4 channels in Spain for this short amount of time.

This happens twice a year. There are two times in the year when the sun, Astra 2d and the earth are in alignment and the sun causes this drop out in signal. It happens early March and in October.


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UK TV Channel Frequences for Sky TV and Freesat TV digiboxes

UK TV Channel Frequences for Sky TV and Freesat TV digiboxes

BBC TV in Spain
The BBC1 TV channel is available on various frequencies, due to the various BBC1 local regions. The best or strongest region is BBC1 Channels Islands.

The frequency for BBC 1 Channel Islands is 10847 V 22000 5/6.
This is also the same frequency setting for the BBC HD Channel, available on HD satellite receivers.

Other regions are available by searching on other frequency settings
BBC TV Satellite Frequency Settings

ITV TV in Spain
The ITV1 channel is available on various frequencies, due to the various ITV1 advertising regions. The best or strongest free (ie no sky viewing card is required) regions is ITV1 Channel Islands. The frequency for ITV1 Channel Islands is 10905 V 22000 5/6.
If you have a Sky viewing card, the best or strongest ITV regions are on frequency 12402 V 27500 2/3 - including Tyne Tees South (TTS) and Meridian SE (Mer SE)


Other regions are available by searching on other frequency settings

ITV Satellite Frequency Settings

Channel 4 TV in Spain
Channel 4 group of channels are available on various frequencies.
The free to air channel 4 channels, on Sky chanel 104, are on ,frequency 10714 H 22000 5/6. On the Costa Blanca, this frequency may not be available all day. This is the same frequency for Film 4.
Channel 4+1 (and E4 and More4) are avaialble on 10729 V 22000 5/6, which should be available most of the day on a "big satellite dish"

If you have a Sky viewing card, the best or strongest Channel 4 channels frequency 12480 V 27500 2/3 - the Irish version of the Channel 4 group of channels.

Channel 4 Satellite Frequency Settings

Channel 5 TV in Spain
The Channel Five group of channels are available over two frequencies.
Five, Fiver and Five USA are available on frequency 12422 H 27500 2/3 - with a Sky viewing card.
Channel Five, the Freesat version avaialble without a Sky card, is on 10773 H 22000 5/6 - the same frequency as BBC2, so reception of this version of Five will be as per BBC2.

Channel Five Satellite Frequency Settings

Sky TV in Spain
Sky TV is available in Spain. Its channels are spread over many frequencies. Many frequencies also carry channels available on Freesat

Sky TV and Freesat TV Channel Frequency Settings

Irish TV Channels In Spain
Irish TV channels are spread over many frequencies. The main Irish TV channels, like RTÉ One, RTÉ Two, TG 4, TV 3 are availabel on frequency 10744 H 22000 5/6. Irish TV channel 3e is on frequency 11261 H 27500 2/3.

All the main Irish TV channels require a Sky veiwing card registered at an Irish address to view. You cannot use a Sky card at a UK address to view Irish TV channels.
Irish TV Satellite Frequency Settings


To see how to add the "secret" and additional ITV, Chanel 4, and Five channels insructoins can be found at
Extra Secret Additional Sky and Freesat Frequencies


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