Can I receive Spanish TV using my Sky digibox?

Simply no.

Firstly Spanish TV is now digital. It is transmitted terrestrially. Sky boxes do not have a digital terrestrial tuner. Sky boxes only have an analogue terrestrial tuner. So you cannot receive Spanish TV using my Sky digibox in Spain if you connect it to a TV aerial in Spain.

More on TDT - Spanish Digital Terrestrail TV here

Secondly, a Sky box cannot manage other encryption services. Most Spanish channels on satellite use a different encryption system to that used by Sky. So the Sky box cannot physically read a viewing card used to encrypt Spanish satellite TV.

A Sky box is designed to boot up and start to work using data from the UK TV satellites at 28 east. However, Spanish TV is transmitted from Astra 19.2 East and Hispasat 30 West, which do not carry the data required to boot up a Sky digibox.

If you want to watch Spanish TV via satellite then you will require a Canal+ dish, box and subscription. 

More on Canal+ (formally Digital+) in Spain

German Astra 1 Analogue Swicth off...

The transponders on Astra 19 degrees have now ceased analogue transmissions.

This has impacted mainly German channels, however the channels affected have been available on digital satellite for some time.

It has also meant that the free English language versions of Eurosport is no longer available.

(see http://costablancasatellite.blogspot.com.es/2012/04/eurosport-closes-on-30th-april-2012.html)

Some of the transponders have already been converted to digital, and are carrying a number of free HD channels.

11.347V - 3Sat HD, Kika HD, ZDFInfo HD
11.494H - ArteHD, ARD HD, SWR HD
11.582H - BR HD, Phoenix HD, NDR HD
11.641H - RTL HD Austria, RTL 2 HD Austria, VOX HD Austria, Super RTL HD (all encrypted)

Eurosport closes on the 30th April 2012 - Analogue version on Astra 19 to close

The analogue Eurosport service, available on Astra 1 at 19 degrees east, that also has English commentary, will stop transmitting and close on the 30th April 2012. The service will only be available in digital format.

More information

380 Premier League matches on Satellite TV - another operator

380 Premier League matches on Satellite TV - another operator gains the broadcast rights to all matches.


Portuguese operator TV Sport TV launches an English Premier League TV Sport Channel, devoted entirely to the Premier League, the leading English Football Championship.

Operating 24h/day and seven days a week, this channel aims to distribute a total of 380 English Premier League matches and highlights of the competition. It will be available at no additional cost to subscribers of the current HD channel Sport TV.

Many of these games will be shown LIVE, and in HD. Not all 3pm saturday kick offs will be available LIVE but they will be available on a delayed basis.

At the moment English Sport TV is available to customers of Portuguese MEO Satellite Operator. It is available on the Hispasat satellites at 30 West, the same group used by Spanish satewllite operator Digital+.

For more information please visit:

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

or the forum

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

Spanish TV Analogue Switch off - 31 December 2009

Phase 2 of Spains analogue TV Services switchoff will happen on the 31st December 2009.

Most of Spain is covered by Phase 2, with some areas alrdady being a digital only area from earlier this year, and the remaining areas having their analogue services switched off by April 2010.

If you wish to continue receiving Spanish TV, then you will need to go DIGITAL.

The Spanish Digital Terrestrial TV System is TDT - Television Digital Terrestre.

You can receive around 20 to 30 Spanish channels, all in digital, all in digital quality (no snowey effects like the old analogue system), and on many of the channels, you can switch the programmes audio into the programmes original versions - in many cases this is English. Some more local stations wil remain on analogue for the foreseeable future, until there is enough frequency space for them.

TDT is the equivilent of the UKs Freeview service - ie digital TV via a TV aerial.

You will require an TV aerial / antennae configured for digital tv signal, an amplifer and power supply, and a digital terrestrial tuner (either a set top box or a TV with a digital tuner built in).

Most apartment and communties have already made the switch, however many are still yet to be converted....and some Spanish installers are expecting to be busy at the end of December and beginning of January, as people are left with no TV over the Festive period.

The switch off is part of the European Wide switch from old inefficient and poor quality analogue systems. (1 analogue frequency can carry only 1 channel...one digital frequency can carry about 6 high quality digital channels!)


So to ensure your continous viewing of Spanish TV.....Go Digital....

For more information visit

http://www.satandpcguy.com/
or
www.satandpcguy.com/forum
Digital Satellite (BBC Sky Freesat) and Digital Terrestrial (TDT ie Freeview) Installations for the COsta Blanca and Costa Azahar and Valencia area of Spain

TDT and Pay TDT (Freeview) TV in Spain

Television in Spain is changing.
No longer do you have to put up with six or seven grainy, unwatchable TV channels.
Digital Terrestrial Television (TDT) is here, or rather has been here for a few years now.
Yu can received around 30 digital Spanish television channels for free - all the main Spanish channels and a load more - including a dedicated sports channel.

But also, there is a Pay TDT channel - GOLTV - a dedicated football channel, showing league and cup football from around the world, including UK Premiership football, La Liga and Champions League.
To access this pay TDT channels, you will require a viewing card from the broadcsaters, and a digital terrestrial receiver capable of reading the vewing card. The monthly subscription is 15€.

For more information visit
www.satandpcguy.com
or
www.satandpcguy.com/forum

Which Satellite receiver do you use for UK TV In Spain?

It just to see what sort of receivers people are using in the Costa Blanca and Spain...

and if there is a particular make that is dominant,
is HD really making an impact,
are PVRs (eg Sky+) popular,
are Freesat receivers as popular as it was thought it would be.

I understand that they all have their advantages and disadvantages

Vote via the link below (you will have to be a registered user to vote)

http://satandpcguy.com/forum/which-satellite-receiver-do-you-use-t363.html

For more information visit
http://www.satandpcguy.com/
or
www.satandpcguy.com/forum

TDT / Freeview in Spain / GOL TV /Premier League Football

TDT (Television Digital Terrestrial) is the Spanish version of the UK's Freeview digital TV service.
With TDT you can get around 30 free digital TV channels, all depending on your location on the Costa Blanca.
All you need are a good TV aerial, a good amplifer system, and a TDT receiver - either a set top box of a TDT intergrated digital TV.

And this last week the Spanish Government have given the go-ahead for PAY TDT - pay channels on TDT

And in light of this one channel has recently been launched.
GOLTV is currently free, and is a dedicated football channel. In fact this wekend there were 3 live Premier League games shown...for free.
However reports suggest that GOLTV will become a full subscription service by the end of August - just in time to take advantage of the Spanish football season!

With the next analogue swicth off approaching (December 31st!) make sure you are not one who leaves the installation of digital TV until the last minute. Many programmes on the TDT system can be changed from Spanish into English!

The Sat and PC Guy can install these systems for you.

For more information visit
http://www.satandpcguy.com/
or
www.satandpcguy.com/forum