It was not so long ago that we had to exchange our old box televisions for flat-screens.
And then there were the endless upgrades to high definition and screens that could show 3D images.
But it seems it could all have be in vain as the technology is already out of date through the arrival of the 4K picture.
The ultra-high quality definition is four times as sharp as standard quality high definition and is close to that viewed only in an Imax cinema.
However, for those wishing to view the latest picture in their own living room, they must have plenty of room available for the 84inch screen and plenty of spare cash.
Sony has brought out a model that is more than 7ft wide and can play the new technology. Costing £25,000, only Harrods in central London currently sells the television.
The giant screen can convert ordinary television into 3D, and comes with five pairs of glasses for viewing the pin-sharp images.
Even without 3D, the ultra-high definition images are 16 times sharper than those on a normal television.
Experts say the television's picture is so technologically advanced that few broadcasters can yet take advantage of its full potential.
It may also solve family arguments. The screen is so large that it can be split, allowing viewers to watch two movies at once - and it has voice-activated and motion controls, putting an end to fruitless searches for the remote.
Those preferring something more discreet might wish to wait for the 65-inch version or even the dinky 55-inch, which will be in the shops this summer.
The emergence of 4K comes as the BBC is preparing to film it's next meerkat natural history programme using the new technology.
The series, being made by the BBC's Natural History Unit in Bristol, will show how animals go through the same basic life stages as humans.
'We are looking at six ages of man as seen through animal lives,' Mike Gunton, creative director of the NHU, told The Independent.
'It's looking at the trials and tribulations that animals face at different stages of their lives and how different species have different solutions - from birth, to growing up, to adolescence, to finding their first home, to finding their place in the social hierarchy, to getting a mate and finally having offspring of their own.
'There's a new reality which those images give. I think it makes the images more engaging. You feel you can almost touch them and get into the heads of the animals.'
source: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2269127/Forget-3D-Now-4K-TVs-latest-25-000-price-tag-youll-select-bunch-viewers.html
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Australian Open 2013 live on British Eurosport and BBC Sport
British Eurosport will be the only place to see extensive live daily coverage of the 2013 Australian Open as the BBC scales back its coverage further.
After limiting their live coverage of the Australian Open to the semi-finals and final in 2012, the BBC have reduced their TV coverage further this year with only the men’s & women’s finals scheduled for live broadcast on BBC Two. The reduction in the BBC’s coverage of the event sparked angry reaction from fans last year.
British Eurosport’s unrivalled coverage will start on Monday 14 January and include over 300 hours across both channels with live action on British Eurosport HD and British Eurosport 2 HD. Tennis fans can also catch up on the day’s play with daily and evening highlights while online viewers can access live streams from up to seven courts and comprehensive video on demand via Eurosport Player.
BBC Two’s live coverage of the men’s and women’s final will be presented by Sue Barker with Andrew Castle and John Lloyd on Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 January.
Australian Open 2013 (14 – 27 January)
British Eurosport coverage
- Daily live coverage (14-27 January) throughout the tournament on British Eurosport HD, British Eurosport 2 HD & Eurosport Player from midnight daily.
- The only place to follow Andy Murray’s progress through the tournament
- Daily Eurosport Tennis Magazine ‘Game, Set & Mats’
- Daily and evening highlights
BBC TV coverage
- Live coverage of women’s and men’s single final only
- Saturday 26 January – Women’s singles final, 8:25am live on BBC Two
- Sunday 27 January- Men’s singles final, 8:15am live on BBC Two
After limiting their live coverage of the Australian Open to the semi-finals and final in 2012, the BBC have reduced their TV coverage further this year with only the men’s & women’s finals scheduled for live broadcast on BBC Two. The reduction in the BBC’s coverage of the event sparked angry reaction from fans last year.
British Eurosport’s unrivalled coverage will start on Monday 14 January and include over 300 hours across both channels with live action on British Eurosport HD and British Eurosport 2 HD. Tennis fans can also catch up on the day’s play with daily and evening highlights while online viewers can access live streams from up to seven courts and comprehensive video on demand via Eurosport Player.
BBC Two’s live coverage of the men’s and women’s final will be presented by Sue Barker with Andrew Castle and John Lloyd on Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 January.
Australian Open 2013 (14 – 27 January)
British Eurosport coverage
- Daily live coverage (14-27 January) throughout the tournament on British Eurosport HD, British Eurosport 2 HD & Eurosport Player from midnight daily.
- The only place to follow Andy Murray’s progress through the tournament
- Daily Eurosport Tennis Magazine ‘Game, Set & Mats’
- Daily and evening highlights
BBC TV coverage
- Live coverage of women’s and men’s single final only
- Saturday 26 January – Women’s singles final, 8:25am live on BBC Two
- Sunday 27 January- Men’s singles final, 8:15am live on BBC Two
Friday, January 4, 2013
LG's next generation 55ins TV that's just FOUR MILLIMETRES thick
LG's next generation 55ins TV that's just FOUR MILLIMETRES thick
LG has launched its eagerly awaited 55ins television which, thanks to OLED technology, promise startlingly clear images on screens just 4mm thick.
The set - the first big screen OLED on the market - heralds the arrival of a new technology which is set to take over our living rooms.
The South Korean company said the TVs have a price tag of 11million won (£6,363), and will be delivered to buyers in its home market next month.
They will be available in North America, Europe and the rest of Asia before the end of March.
While LG becomes the world's first company to bring a big-screen next-generation TV to market, it's far from clear whether the bet will pay off.
Manufacturing the sets is difficult and expensive, while incremental increases in image quality offer diminishing returns to consumers and the company is beset by cut-throat competition from rivals.
TVs using OLEDs - organic light-emitting diodes - offer images with enhanced clarity, deeper colour saturation and sharper contrast than standard liquid crystal display TVs.
The advanced, energy-efficient display technology makes it possible to manufacture thinner televisions, with LG's model measuring up at just 4mm thick.
LG's announcement is the culmination of a race by electronics makers to be the first to deliver the next-generation sets.
Sony showed up the world's first 11in OLED TV set in 2007, but the Japanese company failed to follow up with a bigger display.
While OLED panels are more widely used in mobile screens, mass producing large panels is still tough because of technological challenges.
Jang Moon-ik, director of LG's TV business, said in an interview last year that only two companies in the world have a capacity to mass produce large screen OLED TVs: LG and rival South Korean company Samsung Electronics.
Even though LG and Samsung touted OLEDs as the future of television, both failed to deliver them to the market as promised in the fourth quarter of 2012 due to manufacturing challenges.
Samsung declined to comment on the availability of its OLED TVs, saying making perfect products is more important than the launch schedule.
Grabbing the title of the first OLED TV maker is much more symbolic than practical because initial production numbers will likely be small.
Manufacturing big-screen new TVs requires billions in investments to upgrade factories. South Korean TV makers nevertheless hope their cutting-edge display technology can help offset falling prices and make their products stand out from those of their fast-growing Chinese rivals.
Japanese companies, which previously dominated the global TV market, are struggling to come up with their own next-generation TV sets to avoid falling further behind but don't have enough cash to invest in new technology.
source: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2256471/LGs-generation-set-big-screen-OLED-hit-market.html
LG has launched its eagerly awaited 55ins television which, thanks to OLED technology, promise startlingly clear images on screens just 4mm thick.
The set - the first big screen OLED on the market - heralds the arrival of a new technology which is set to take over our living rooms.
The South Korean company said the TVs have a price tag of 11million won (£6,363), and will be delivered to buyers in its home market next month.
They will be available in North America, Europe and the rest of Asia before the end of March.
While LG becomes the world's first company to bring a big-screen next-generation TV to market, it's far from clear whether the bet will pay off.
Manufacturing the sets is difficult and expensive, while incremental increases in image quality offer diminishing returns to consumers and the company is beset by cut-throat competition from rivals.
TVs using OLEDs - organic light-emitting diodes - offer images with enhanced clarity, deeper colour saturation and sharper contrast than standard liquid crystal display TVs.
The advanced, energy-efficient display technology makes it possible to manufacture thinner televisions, with LG's model measuring up at just 4mm thick.
LG's announcement is the culmination of a race by electronics makers to be the first to deliver the next-generation sets.
Sony showed up the world's first 11in OLED TV set in 2007, but the Japanese company failed to follow up with a bigger display.
While OLED panels are more widely used in mobile screens, mass producing large panels is still tough because of technological challenges.
Jang Moon-ik, director of LG's TV business, said in an interview last year that only two companies in the world have a capacity to mass produce large screen OLED TVs: LG and rival South Korean company Samsung Electronics.
Even though LG and Samsung touted OLEDs as the future of television, both failed to deliver them to the market as promised in the fourth quarter of 2012 due to manufacturing challenges.
Samsung declined to comment on the availability of its OLED TVs, saying making perfect products is more important than the launch schedule.
Grabbing the title of the first OLED TV maker is much more symbolic than practical because initial production numbers will likely be small.
Manufacturing big-screen new TVs requires billions in investments to upgrade factories. South Korean TV makers nevertheless hope their cutting-edge display technology can help offset falling prices and make their products stand out from those of their fast-growing Chinese rivals.
Japanese companies, which previously dominated the global TV market, are struggling to come up with their own next-generation TV sets to avoid falling further behind but don't have enough cash to invest in new technology.
source: dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2256471/LGs-generation-set-big-screen-OLED-hit-market.html
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Spanish TV Broadcasters settle La Liga spat, but no freeview for Madrid, Barca
The spat between Spanish broadcasters that threatened the start of the La Liga football season has been resolved, with the result that no matches featuring Real Madrid or Barcelona FC will be shown on free-to-air broadcast.
The season coverage will begin as scheduled this Sunday. Real Madrid is hosting Valencia and Barcelona faces Real Sociedad at home.
Canal+ and Mediapro have agreed to a three-year deal to share the television rights, with Canal+ showing 28 matches involving either Madrid or Barcelona, and Mediapro's pay-per-view channel airing a match featuring one of the two teams each weekend. Mediapro also nabbed the rights to one of the Clasico matchups betwee the two teams.
Mediapro will offer one match on their freeview channel each week, and retains the international TV rights for La Liga.
"The agreement...establishes a viable model for the Spanish league and presents a stable scenario for football fans [through 2015]," Mediapro said in a statement.
Carlos Martinez, director at Canal+, said that public broadcasters couldn't see their way clear to paying a premium for the sports content. "Free view TV was the first choice, but they lost out because the operators believed that the valuation was an exorbitant amount," he told reporters.
The season coverage will begin as scheduled this Sunday. Real Madrid is hosting Valencia and Barcelona faces Real Sociedad at home.
Canal+ and Mediapro have agreed to a three-year deal to share the television rights, with Canal+ showing 28 matches involving either Madrid or Barcelona, and Mediapro's pay-per-view channel airing a match featuring one of the two teams each weekend. Mediapro also nabbed the rights to one of the Clasico matchups betwee the two teams.
Mediapro will offer one match on their freeview channel each week, and retains the international TV rights for La Liga.
"The agreement...establishes a viable model for the Spanish league and presents a stable scenario for football fans [through 2015]," Mediapro said in a statement.
Carlos Martinez, director at Canal+, said that public broadcasters couldn't see their way clear to paying a premium for the sports content. "Free view TV was the first choice, but they lost out because the operators believed that the valuation was an exorbitant amount," he told reporters.
Monday, May 24, 2010
TDT via satellite - interesting survey results
A recent survey saw that an overwhelming 98% responded that they wanted a Satellite DTT as in other countries.
Many of the current problems of TDT reception are due to grey areas, where TDT signals are either very weak or nonexistant. In Spain 1.5% of the population live in these TDT grey areas, which rises to over 35% if you count areas bloccked by buildings. A total of more than 2 million households would receive NO TV in a position today and another 3.5 million million have pixilation, Fadding or white noise along the coast.
This could be solved by TDT by satellite
According to the latest survey on satellite DTT, 97.7% of Internet users who responded to the consultation want access to TDT channels via satellite for free, as in most European countries, such as France, Italy and the UK (Freesat).
Unlike in Spain, the governments of these countries have opted for open models in the distribution of DTT by the alternative pathway of the satellite, making it easier for all who want access to this modality.
The result is that any French citizen, English or Italian has only to approach a distributor (dealer or supermarket) to buy the receiver and the corresponding card (if required - not in the UK, but in France - TNTSAT) for a price of around 100 euros.
Another difference is that in these cases the package is available by satellite is the same as the land based transmitters and includes the HD channels and pay channels.
In Spain access to satellite DTT is much more restricted because we have to go to an installer approved by Abertis and meet certain requirements and procedures, which lengthen the process and make it expensive: The installer goes to the user's home (which should be in shaded area) to check that there is no possibility of receiving the TDT signal and draws up a report submitted by Abertis. Abertis gives its approval and delivery to the user keys that can unlock the receiver and the card (also approved by Abertis). Once these unlocked, the installer returns the address of the user to proceed to the final installation. The average cost of a satellite installation of DTT in Spain is around 400 euros.
In addition, each receptor is only for a TV and its reception capacity is limited to two transponders on Hispasat.
The survey, which was attended by 8545 Internet users, giving results very clear about how you should distribute satellite DTT in Spain:
- 8348 people, 97.69% of participants want a cheap satellite DTT and free access, as in other countries.
- 1.33% DTT Satellite wants a free access, no matter the price.
- 0.44% The states that do not need satellite DTT in Spain.
- 0.41% is satisfied as currently distributed by Abertis.
And the 0.12% estimated that DTT is not necessary as some satellite channels are available in packages of payment.
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
Many of the current problems of TDT reception are due to grey areas, where TDT signals are either very weak or nonexistant. In Spain 1.5% of the population live in these TDT grey areas, which rises to over 35% if you count areas bloccked by buildings. A total of more than 2 million households would receive NO TV in a position today and another 3.5 million million have pixilation, Fadding or white noise along the coast.
This could be solved by TDT by satellite
According to the latest survey on satellite DTT, 97.7% of Internet users who responded to the consultation want access to TDT channels via satellite for free, as in most European countries, such as France, Italy and the UK (Freesat).
Unlike in Spain, the governments of these countries have opted for open models in the distribution of DTT by the alternative pathway of the satellite, making it easier for all who want access to this modality.
The result is that any French citizen, English or Italian has only to approach a distributor (dealer or supermarket) to buy the receiver and the corresponding card (if required - not in the UK, but in France - TNTSAT) for a price of around 100 euros.
Another difference is that in these cases the package is available by satellite is the same as the land based transmitters and includes the HD channels and pay channels.
In Spain access to satellite DTT is much more restricted because we have to go to an installer approved by Abertis and meet certain requirements and procedures, which lengthen the process and make it expensive: The installer goes to the user's home (which should be in shaded area) to check that there is no possibility of receiving the TDT signal and draws up a report submitted by Abertis. Abertis gives its approval and delivery to the user keys that can unlock the receiver and the card (also approved by Abertis). Once these unlocked, the installer returns the address of the user to proceed to the final installation. The average cost of a satellite installation of DTT in Spain is around 400 euros.
In addition, each receptor is only for a TV and its reception capacity is limited to two transponders on Hispasat.
The survey, which was attended by 8545 Internet users, giving results very clear about how you should distribute satellite DTT in Spain:
- 8348 people, 97.69% of participants want a cheap satellite DTT and free access, as in other countries.
- 1.33% DTT Satellite wants a free access, no matter the price.
- 0.44% The states that do not need satellite DTT in Spain.
- 0.41% is satisfied as currently distributed by Abertis.
And the 0.12% estimated that DTT is not necessary as some satellite channels are available in packages of payment.
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
Sunday, December 6, 2009
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
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....
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
Monday, August 31, 2009
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
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
Thursday, May 21, 2009
British UK English TV In Costa Blanca Spain (Freeview Freesat TV Freesatfromsky Sky TV UKTV)
English / British / UK Television in Costa Blanca Spain
This page gives a summary of all the details within my main website (http://www.satandpcguy.com/) with respect to receiving UK Television within Spain, and the various other services available, such as TDT - Spain's version of Freeview.
FREEVIEW
"Freeview" is the brand name of a UK Digital TV service ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK. It is available via TV aerials on the houses, and is only transmitted from TV transmitters in the UK. You will need either a Freeview "set top box" or a TV with Freeview built in. Again, Freeview is not available in Spain.
There are channels on the Freeview system that you have to pay for on via satellite - like Dave, UK History.
TDT
Spain has its own version of "Freeview" called Television Digital Terrestrial (TDT). There are approximately 30 digital Spanish TV channels via a TV aerial...many channels / programmes you can change the programmes into their original audio...not always English as a few German programmes have cropped up...you will need a TDT "set top box" or a TV with TDT built in. Your existing television aerial may be ok for this but it may need to be reconfigured, and you may also require some signal amplifiers.
You can use a UK Freeview set top box to get TDT, but there are some limitations - language change options may be limited to English, Welsh and Gaelic, TDT uses frequency 69, UK Freeview set top boxes ma not be able to scan this frequency.
see http://www.tdt.es or http://www.tdt1.com for more information
FREESAT
Freesat, a satellite version of Freeview, was launched in May 2008. Using an official Freesat receiver, you can watch the about 100 free satellite TV channels. All BBC channels, ITV1,2,3,4, C4, E4, More4, Film4 and FIVE are all free to watch on satellite. But some free channels the availability is limited due to signal strengths - so for example Five on Freesat will only be available at the same times as BBC2 as they share a frequency. FIVE with a Sky card (see below) is available 24/7 as this Sky FIVE is transmitted on a different frequency.
Official "Freesat" receivers currently only have about 100 TV channels on their EPG at the moment - but on some Freesat receivers you can manually add other channels not on the EPG using a "non-Freesat mode". They can only receive "free to air" channels. Freesat receivers will have the Freesat logo on them.
Some Freesat boxes have two modes. In Freesat mode the Freesat channels are in the Freesat EPG - the ones that have been officially added to the EPG and where new channels are updated automatically. In nonfreesatmode you can manually add other free channels into an other channel list - the nonfreesatmode channels list- by manually scanning the individual frequencies. To scan for channels, go to the menu and select Setup > Manual Tune. To switch back to Freesat mode after playing with the other channels, go to: Menu > STB Mode > Freesat It's handy being able to switch between Freesat and Non-Freesat channels, for situations where a channel is not yet part of Freesat, or is a Freesat-only channel. Note that when scanning for non-Freesat channels, the numbering sequence will be a bit odd, and also they can't be accessed via the Freesat Electronic Programme Guide.
There are basic Freesat receivers - Grundigs, Bush and Humax have had good reports for reception on the Costa Blanca.
HD Freesat receivers - the best being the Humax Foxsat Freesat HD receiver Freesat+ - Humax Foxsat HDR+ with inbuilt hard disk Freesat HD receivers will get you BBC HD channel and ITV HD Red button service. C4HD has not yet confirmed if or when it will be available on Freesat. Most come with a HDMI cable so that you can connect it directly to your HD TV - as long as it has a HDMI connection - and start watching HD TV straight away.
The Humax Freesat+ receiver is available December 2008 for around £300 It will have a 320GB hard drive that can store up to 80 hours of HD programming, or up to 200 hours of standard definition shows.
FREESATFROMSKY
Freesatfromsky uses official Sky receivers and allows the viewing of many more free channels than Freesat. With a "Freesatfromsky" viewing card you can receive the FTA channels and Five, Five US and Fiver, Sky Three, Setanta Sports News.
The "Freesatfromsky" viewing cards are available in the UK for £20 (and some dealers may still be supplying them), and are subject to the same terms and conditions as a Sky subscription contract - including the "must not be used outside the uk". your viewing card can be disabled if Sky find out that you are using it outside the UK but if they don't know you are using one here in Spain....
SKY
If you have a Sky receiver and want to pay monthly used for Free to air, free to view and subscription channels...Again the viewing cards are subject to the same terms and conditions as a Sky subscription contract - including the "must not be used outside the uk". your viewing card can be disabled if Sky find out that you are using it outside the UK but if they don't know you are using one here in Spain.....
The best Sky receivers for Spain is the Pace 2600, followed by the Pace 430N. These ceased production about 5 years ago, and can only be bought as "reconditioned" units - or from Ebay. The best of the latest batch of Sky receivers is the Thomson, followed by the Amstrad. Avoid the Pace 440 and 445 - I have found these to be very poor performers.
SKY+
Sky's award winning PVR. Pause Live TV, recording with no tapes, watch one channel whilst recording another channel, series linking. Available with ANY sky TV subscription package (from £17per month), or with no Sky TV subscription package for £10 per month - for the extra 7 quid best get at least 1 sky mix!
SKY HD
A Sky HD receiver will incorporate all the recording functions of the Sky+, but with the added ability to watch HD channels. BBC HD and C4 HD are available to watch without any subscription. For the other 30ish HD channels, you will need to pay an extra £10 per month for Skys HD Channels. Sky HD does not, at the moment, have access to ITV HD.
On any HD box you will get BBCHD
On a Freesat HD box you will get BBCHD and ITVHD
On a sky hd box you will get BBCHD and, with a freesatfromskycard, C4HD
On a sky hd box you will get BBCHD and, with a sky card with hd sub, C4HD and the other subscription HD channels depending on what sky mix you are on.
GENERIC
Note that many installers are using generic receivers (sometimes called Free To Air receivers) and calling them Freesat or Freeview receivers which may be confusing people. Official Freesat and sky receivers have a full 7 day programme guide...generic FTA receivers only have now and next programme information. Some generic receivers can also be modified with software to read Sky cards.
Digital+
D+ is the Spanish satellite service. It is broadcast from two satellites - Astra 19E and Hispasat 30W. There is a variety of channels, from entertainment, movies and Sports. Many channels and programmes on the UK Sky system are also available on D+, and in most cases the language of the programmes can be changed into English. D+ can be received on a small satellite dish, approx 80cm. You will need an official D+ viewing card to watch these channels. Some, not all, TDT channels are also on D+.
BBC Prime
BBC Prime is a BBC pay channels for expats. It does not show movies or sport, but just home-grown programmes. It does show eastenders, and a variety of BBC and C4 programmes. The standalone version of BBC Prime that was on Hotbird will, by March 2009, only be available on Eurobird at 9 degrees east - so you may need your dish realigning. You will need an official BBC Prime subscription card available from http://www.bbcprime.com. BBC Prime is also available as part of some subscription packages. Some generic receivers have been able to access BBC Prime by software that removes the encryption. It now appears that BBC Prime has moved to version Viaccess 2.6. Therefore for those who were watching BBC Prime without paying for it, your screen will have gone blank.
MBC / Dubai One / Fox Movies / Arabic
You could always point a dish to badr / Arabsat at 26 degrees and look at the MBC 2,4,Action channels, the Fox Movie Channel, the Fox Series channel and Dubai One. These channels show various movies dramas and action series such as Once upon a time in Mexico, One Hour Photo ,The Rookie ,TRAINING DAY ,Taxi, Ghost Whisperer , Smallville , Grey's Anatomy , Hustle, Knight Rider, and older series of TOP GEAR!!! The channels and programmes are all mainly in English but with Arabic subtitles. All these channels are currently free to air, requiring a generic digital satellite receiver and at least an 80cm dish
Channels
The main BBC, ITV and C4 channels are free and do not require any Sky card or form of subscription (note some ITV regions do require a freesatfromsky or sky card) to view these channels.
All channels on Freesat (apart from ITV HD) are available on a sky receiver, and were also available for free before the launch of Freesat using a sky or generic receiver. Five, Five US, Five US+1, Fiver, Fiver+1 are all only available with a freesatfromsky or sky card at the moment. No monthly payments are required.
EU Television Without Frontiers
In 1989 the EU created the TVwF, as directive as to how it would like to see TV reception between member states. Various amendments have subsequently deemed the original proposals as unworkable (especially with PAY TV operations) but the directive is still alive and well and in use to level the playing field with broadcasters with rules on advertising, racial content, violence and protection of minors. One area that people quote me on is Article 2a 1. "Member States shall ensure freedom of reception and shall not restrict retransmissions on their territory of television broadcasts from other Member States for reasons which fall within the fields coordinated by this Directive." I refer them to Article 7 Member States shall ensure that broadcasters under their jurisdiction do not broadcast cinematographic works outside periods agreed with the rights holders.
Its all about copyright holders and the contracts signed between broadcasters and programme makers. So for example Sky cannot sign a deal with D+ in Spain to show Sky Sports without consulting all of the providers of their sport programmes (almost all are from third party programme makers) or the Governing bodies (like the FA), as these providers may have already signed deals with broadcasters in Spain who may object to the programmes they have paid for to be made available on another service (like TVE and the FA for Premier League TV rights)
The Freedom of Information Act (Various EU Directives) is covered by channels like BBC World News, the BBC World Service and Sky News - the UK Foreign Office partially fund the World Service and BBC World! These allow UK expats access to UK news and events and covers the requirements of the directive - it does not mean you should be allowed to receiver all the national channels!! Similarly all other European countries have at least one channels in their own language that offers similar services. For example TVEi is the international version of TVE for Spain which is available for free on various satellites.
Dishes
UK TV channels are mainly broadcast from the Astra 2,a,b,c,and d and Eurobird 1 satellites located at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east of south. There are other Astra satellites around also - which tend to do more European channels (Spain D+ is on Astra's at 19.2). Many channels are available with a small 80cm dish, but to get the BBC and ITV and C4's, which are on the weaker Astra 2D satellite you will require a "big dish". Note that reception of channels depends on your location and dish size.
As a rough guide: 80cm will get you some channels - approx 50% of what is available 1.4m will get more channels (including bbc1 and itv1,2,3,4) 1.8/2.4 will get even more channels (including bbc2 and c4) not all channels will be available all day.
BIG DISHES
There are two companies, both from Portugal, which produce what are regarded as the best quality and performing (for their price) satellite dishes for the Costa Blanca. Personally I have found that there is very little difference in the performance of both the Portuguese made 1.8m dishes (despite the propaganda!)
Famaval produce a 2.4m prime focus dishes which is identifiable with the holes around the rim of the dish, allowing extension panels to be added if required, to make the dish a 3.1m! For whatever reason I have found this Famaval 2.4m dish not to be as prone to rusting as the Famaval 1,8m counterpart!
Other 1.8 and 2.4m prime focus dishes are available and can be cheaper, like the Fortecstar Petal Dishes. Myself and some other installers do not recommend these "petal" dishes, as we have found them not to perform as good as their equivalent Famaval dishes. I have found that dishes made in Turkey generally perform poorer than those made in Portugal. They are made from spun steel, and can be identified by the "spin circles" on the back of the dish.
Some models of big dishes area actually two parts welded together - you can sometimes see the join along the dish!
Some other makes of dish, like Channel Masters, do perform much better than the Portuguese dishes, and their cost reflects this (around 2000euros).
For reference Famaval dish sizes are
1.4 prime focus Outside diameter: 1440mm x 1440mm Reflector diameter: 1330mm x 1330mm
1.8 prime focus Outside diameter: 1940mm x 1940mm Reflector diameter: 1790mm x 1790mm
2.4 prime focus Outside diameter: 2470mm x 2470mm Reflector diameter: 2290mm x 2290mm
Community Installs
It is possible for one dish to serve a number of receivers at different houses. If less than 4 connections are required then a 4 output LNB should be OK, with a cable from the dish to each location. If more than 4 connections are required, then the system will require a special signal distribution unit - called multiswitches.
These multiswicthes are strategically placed around the community to serve, and individual connections are made from these points. I personally run new cable in these systems, as you cannot rely on the condition of the existing cable. Ideally, the community will pay for the infrastructure required (dish, LNB, cables from LNB to multiswicthes, multiswicthes and amplifiers) and individuals will pay for the connection from the multiswitch to their house, and any receivers they require.
Permission must be sought for dishes to be installed on community areas, including apartment blocks. In privately owned houses, dish rules are fairly relaxed, but generally make sure it is installed in an area that wont upset your neighbours. You may also be required to ask your local town hall for permission to install a big dish.
Rebroadcasting
Under the Rome Convention broadcasters have the right to authorize or prohibit the re-broadcasting of their broadcasts. "Re-broadcasting" is defined under the Rome Convention as the simultaneous broadcasting by one broadcasting organization of the broadcast of another broadcast organization. Broadcasters also have the right to authorize or prohibit the fixation of their broadcasts; the reproduction of unauthorized original fixations of their broadcasts; the reproduction for purposes other than those authorized fixations of their broadcasts.
Basically it says you need authorisation from the "Broadcasting organisations" like BBC and ITV to rebroadcast their transmission in the EU.
You may be using a rebroadcaster if your TV company:
is offering bbc and itv on a small dish or mesh aerial - these channels can only be legitimately received for free via a minimum of 1.4mdish (some areas 1.8m)
offers bbc and itv for a monthly subscription - bbc and itv are free on satellite and do not need a subscription
offers "freesat" with only 20 or 64 channels - by satellite you will receive over 100 free tv channels, not 20 or 64. the bbc have over 15 regional variations on satellite alone.
offers sky sports for less than £36 per month or setanta sports for less than £14 per month - the costs of legitimate subscriptions to these channels.
offers channels from other countries - channels like Showtime Sports for example.
says they get BBC and ITV from a satellite other than Astra 2, like Hotbird - bbc and itv are only broadcast on one "satellite constellation (those satellites at 28.3 to 28.5 degrees)
as these companies will more than likely be a rebroadcasting services who's signal may be terminated just like Telemicro.
Advantages of Satellite
With a sky or freesat receiver you can get bbc interactive, sky active and a full 7 day programme guide. you may need a big dish, you may pay more for the installation, but at least the signal is pretty much guaranteed as it it direct from the satellite and is not reliant on a third party. pure digital broadcasting (with some channels in full Dolby Digital sound), not reliant on second or third or fourth generation signals as the signals gets past from one rebroadcast transmitter to another.
Many ex rebroadcasting clients have commented on how good the signal direct from the satellite is compared to that of a rebroadcasted signal.
if you are in doubt as to whether or not it is OK to view free satellite tv channels (like BBC and ITV) in Spain via satellite see http://www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=help.Question&id=1667 which says that "it may be possible outside the UK to use a satellite receiver to pick up channels available on freesat" - nothing about it being illegal - the technical term is "satellite signal overspill".
A final thought on this: if it was illegal to watch TV channels that were broadcasted for free, then all shops selling free to air receivers would be in trouble, as would Canal Digital + (the Spanish satellite service) as their receivers can also pick up free tv satellite channels from other countries.
Default Transponder Settings for Spain or Resetting your Sky Receiver after powercut
When a Sky receiver is first booted up, like after a power cut, then the first thing it requires to function is at least 6 hours of EPG information. It looks for this data on the Default transponder frequency of 11778. this frequency can be poor in Spain, and therefore the receiver will not be able to find the information is required and therefore will not work - giving the message "No satellite Signal is Being Received". Changing the default transponder to another frequency (i use 12129) allow the receiver to get the information it requires to function. No matter what people tell you changing this default transponder does not increase how long channels are available. It is only used to “assist” the receiver to boot up. It is normal for the Default Transponder to revert back to 11778 once the receiver is functioning.
See the link in the menu on the left hand side of the screen to help reset your sky digibox.
Auto Standby
Sky has been deploying new receiver software, and incorporated in to this is a new feature designed to help save energy when the Sky receiver is not being used. If the box hasn't been used for a period of two hours after 11pm, or for four hours during the day time, an ‘Auto Standby' message will pop up on screen for three minutes. If there's no further use the box will go into Standby mode automatically, until the user turns it back on. This can be an issue if you are using a VCR to record things from the Sky receivers as when the receiver goes into Autostandby mode you will record a blank (or blue!) screen if the box has shut down.... You can turn it off by using the option in Services (Sky+ Setup for + and HD users!)
Electronic Programme Guide (EPGs)
Sky's Electronic Programme Guide is used on Sky receivers. Although all the frequencies used by Sky transmit limited EPG information, the main EPG data is transmitted on one frequency - 11778. You may notice that this frequency is also the main Default Transponder - and the same frequency that is measured in the Sky receivers Signal Test screen. This frequency's reception varies greatly during the day and may not be available 24/7 - especially during the afternoon, and also certain Sky receivers really do not like this frequency. Hence why you may only get a limited (6 hours or so, EPG information in the EPG.
The Freesat EPG is transmitted from a different frequency to Sky (in fact it is on a different satellite!), whose reception is widely available over Europe - hence why you do not have to change the Freesat receiver "default transponder". It was the fact that the Freesat EPG would be easily available over Europe on a small dish that lead many, including installers, into thinking that all channels on Freesat would be available all over Europe in a small dish. Where as in fact both Sky and Freesat EPGs point to the same frequencies for the channels they use (apart from FIVE!)
For more information visit
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This page gives a summary of all the details within my main website (http://www.satandpcguy.com/) with respect to receiving UK Television within Spain, and the various other services available, such as TDT - Spain's version of Freeview.
FREEVIEW
"Freeview" is the brand name of a UK Digital TV service ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK. It is available via TV aerials on the houses, and is only transmitted from TV transmitters in the UK. You will need either a Freeview "set top box" or a TV with Freeview built in. Again, Freeview is not available in Spain.
There are channels on the Freeview system that you have to pay for on via satellite - like Dave, UK History.
TDT
Spain has its own version of "Freeview" called Television Digital Terrestrial (TDT). There are approximately 30 digital Spanish TV channels via a TV aerial...many channels / programmes you can change the programmes into their original audio...not always English as a few German programmes have cropped up...you will need a TDT "set top box" or a TV with TDT built in. Your existing television aerial may be ok for this but it may need to be reconfigured, and you may also require some signal amplifiers.
You can use a UK Freeview set top box to get TDT, but there are some limitations - language change options may be limited to English, Welsh and Gaelic, TDT uses frequency 69, UK Freeview set top boxes ma not be able to scan this frequency.
see http://www.tdt.es or http://www.tdt1.com for more information
FREESAT
Freesat, a satellite version of Freeview, was launched in May 2008. Using an official Freesat receiver, you can watch the about 100 free satellite TV channels. All BBC channels, ITV1,2,3,4, C4, E4, More4, Film4 and FIVE are all free to watch on satellite. But some free channels the availability is limited due to signal strengths - so for example Five on Freesat will only be available at the same times as BBC2 as they share a frequency. FIVE with a Sky card (see below) is available 24/7 as this Sky FIVE is transmitted on a different frequency.
Official "Freesat" receivers currently only have about 100 TV channels on their EPG at the moment - but on some Freesat receivers you can manually add other channels not on the EPG using a "non-Freesat mode". They can only receive "free to air" channels. Freesat receivers will have the Freesat logo on them.
Some Freesat boxes have two modes. In Freesat mode the Freesat channels are in the Freesat EPG - the ones that have been officially added to the EPG and where new channels are updated automatically. In nonfreesatmode you can manually add other free channels into an other channel list - the nonfreesatmode channels list- by manually scanning the individual frequencies. To scan for channels, go to the menu and select Setup > Manual Tune. To switch back to Freesat mode after playing with the other channels, go to: Menu > STB Mode > Freesat It's handy being able to switch between Freesat and Non-Freesat channels, for situations where a channel is not yet part of Freesat, or is a Freesat-only channel. Note that when scanning for non-Freesat channels, the numbering sequence will be a bit odd, and also they can't be accessed via the Freesat Electronic Programme Guide.
There are basic Freesat receivers - Grundigs, Bush and Humax have had good reports for reception on the Costa Blanca.
HD Freesat receivers - the best being the Humax Foxsat Freesat HD receiver Freesat+ - Humax Foxsat HDR+ with inbuilt hard disk Freesat HD receivers will get you BBC HD channel and ITV HD Red button service. C4HD has not yet confirmed if or when it will be available on Freesat. Most come with a HDMI cable so that you can connect it directly to your HD TV - as long as it has a HDMI connection - and start watching HD TV straight away.
The Humax Freesat+ receiver is available December 2008 for around £300 It will have a 320GB hard drive that can store up to 80 hours of HD programming, or up to 200 hours of standard definition shows.
FREESATFROMSKY
Freesatfromsky uses official Sky receivers and allows the viewing of many more free channels than Freesat. With a "Freesatfromsky" viewing card you can receive the FTA channels and Five, Five US and Fiver, Sky Three, Setanta Sports News.
The "Freesatfromsky" viewing cards are available in the UK for £20 (and some dealers may still be supplying them), and are subject to the same terms and conditions as a Sky subscription contract - including the "must not be used outside the uk". your viewing card can be disabled if Sky find out that you are using it outside the UK but if they don't know you are using one here in Spain....
SKY
If you have a Sky receiver and want to pay monthly used for Free to air, free to view and subscription channels...Again the viewing cards are subject to the same terms and conditions as a Sky subscription contract - including the "must not be used outside the uk". your viewing card can be disabled if Sky find out that you are using it outside the UK but if they don't know you are using one here in Spain.....
The best Sky receivers for Spain is the Pace 2600, followed by the Pace 430N. These ceased production about 5 years ago, and can only be bought as "reconditioned" units - or from Ebay. The best of the latest batch of Sky receivers is the Thomson, followed by the Amstrad. Avoid the Pace 440 and 445 - I have found these to be very poor performers.
SKY+
Sky's award winning PVR. Pause Live TV, recording with no tapes, watch one channel whilst recording another channel, series linking. Available with ANY sky TV subscription package (from £17per month), or with no Sky TV subscription package for £10 per month - for the extra 7 quid best get at least 1 sky mix!
SKY HD
A Sky HD receiver will incorporate all the recording functions of the Sky+, but with the added ability to watch HD channels. BBC HD and C4 HD are available to watch without any subscription. For the other 30ish HD channels, you will need to pay an extra £10 per month for Skys HD Channels. Sky HD does not, at the moment, have access to ITV HD.
On any HD box you will get BBCHD
On a Freesat HD box you will get BBCHD and ITVHD
On a sky hd box you will get BBCHD and, with a freesatfromskycard, C4HD
On a sky hd box you will get BBCHD and, with a sky card with hd sub, C4HD and the other subscription HD channels depending on what sky mix you are on.
GENERIC
Note that many installers are using generic receivers (sometimes called Free To Air receivers) and calling them Freesat or Freeview receivers which may be confusing people. Official Freesat and sky receivers have a full 7 day programme guide...generic FTA receivers only have now and next programme information. Some generic receivers can also be modified with software to read Sky cards.
Digital+
D+ is the Spanish satellite service. It is broadcast from two satellites - Astra 19E and Hispasat 30W. There is a variety of channels, from entertainment, movies and Sports. Many channels and programmes on the UK Sky system are also available on D+, and in most cases the language of the programmes can be changed into English. D+ can be received on a small satellite dish, approx 80cm. You will need an official D+ viewing card to watch these channels. Some, not all, TDT channels are also on D+.
BBC Prime
BBC Prime is a BBC pay channels for expats. It does not show movies or sport, but just home-grown programmes. It does show eastenders, and a variety of BBC and C4 programmes. The standalone version of BBC Prime that was on Hotbird will, by March 2009, only be available on Eurobird at 9 degrees east - so you may need your dish realigning. You will need an official BBC Prime subscription card available from http://www.bbcprime.com. BBC Prime is also available as part of some subscription packages. Some generic receivers have been able to access BBC Prime by software that removes the encryption. It now appears that BBC Prime has moved to version Viaccess 2.6. Therefore for those who were watching BBC Prime without paying for it, your screen will have gone blank.
MBC / Dubai One / Fox Movies / Arabic
You could always point a dish to badr / Arabsat at 26 degrees and look at the MBC 2,4,Action channels, the Fox Movie Channel, the Fox Series channel and Dubai One. These channels show various movies dramas and action series such as Once upon a time in Mexico, One Hour Photo ,The Rookie ,TRAINING DAY ,Taxi, Ghost Whisperer , Smallville , Grey's Anatomy , Hustle, Knight Rider, and older series of TOP GEAR!!! The channels and programmes are all mainly in English but with Arabic subtitles. All these channels are currently free to air, requiring a generic digital satellite receiver and at least an 80cm dish
Channels
The main BBC, ITV and C4 channels are free and do not require any Sky card or form of subscription (note some ITV regions do require a freesatfromsky or sky card) to view these channels.
All channels on Freesat (apart from ITV HD) are available on a sky receiver, and were also available for free before the launch of Freesat using a sky or generic receiver. Five, Five US, Five US+1, Fiver, Fiver+1 are all only available with a freesatfromsky or sky card at the moment. No monthly payments are required.
EU Television Without Frontiers
In 1989 the EU created the TVwF, as directive as to how it would like to see TV reception between member states. Various amendments have subsequently deemed the original proposals as unworkable (especially with PAY TV operations) but the directive is still alive and well and in use to level the playing field with broadcasters with rules on advertising, racial content, violence and protection of minors. One area that people quote me on is Article 2a 1. "Member States shall ensure freedom of reception and shall not restrict retransmissions on their territory of television broadcasts from other Member States for reasons which fall within the fields coordinated by this Directive." I refer them to Article 7 Member States shall ensure that broadcasters under their jurisdiction do not broadcast cinematographic works outside periods agreed with the rights holders.
Its all about copyright holders and the contracts signed between broadcasters and programme makers. So for example Sky cannot sign a deal with D+ in Spain to show Sky Sports without consulting all of the providers of their sport programmes (almost all are from third party programme makers) or the Governing bodies (like the FA), as these providers may have already signed deals with broadcasters in Spain who may object to the programmes they have paid for to be made available on another service (like TVE and the FA for Premier League TV rights)
The Freedom of Information Act (Various EU Directives) is covered by channels like BBC World News, the BBC World Service and Sky News - the UK Foreign Office partially fund the World Service and BBC World! These allow UK expats access to UK news and events and covers the requirements of the directive - it does not mean you should be allowed to receiver all the national channels!! Similarly all other European countries have at least one channels in their own language that offers similar services. For example TVEi is the international version of TVE for Spain which is available for free on various satellites.
Dishes
UK TV channels are mainly broadcast from the Astra 2,a,b,c,and d and Eurobird 1 satellites located at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees east of south. There are other Astra satellites around also - which tend to do more European channels (Spain D+ is on Astra's at 19.2). Many channels are available with a small 80cm dish, but to get the BBC and ITV and C4's, which are on the weaker Astra 2D satellite you will require a "big dish". Note that reception of channels depends on your location and dish size.
As a rough guide: 80cm will get you some channels - approx 50% of what is available 1.4m will get more channels (including bbc1 and itv1,2,3,4) 1.8/2.4 will get even more channels (including bbc2 and c4) not all channels will be available all day.
BIG DISHES
There are two companies, both from Portugal, which produce what are regarded as the best quality and performing (for their price) satellite dishes for the Costa Blanca. Personally I have found that there is very little difference in the performance of both the Portuguese made 1.8m dishes (despite the propaganda!)
Famaval produce a 2.4m prime focus dishes which is identifiable with the holes around the rim of the dish, allowing extension panels to be added if required, to make the dish a 3.1m! For whatever reason I have found this Famaval 2.4m dish not to be as prone to rusting as the Famaval 1,8m counterpart!
Other 1.8 and 2.4m prime focus dishes are available and can be cheaper, like the Fortecstar Petal Dishes. Myself and some other installers do not recommend these "petal" dishes, as we have found them not to perform as good as their equivalent Famaval dishes. I have found that dishes made in Turkey generally perform poorer than those made in Portugal. They are made from spun steel, and can be identified by the "spin circles" on the back of the dish.
Some models of big dishes area actually two parts welded together - you can sometimes see the join along the dish!
Some other makes of dish, like Channel Masters, do perform much better than the Portuguese dishes, and their cost reflects this (around 2000euros).
For reference Famaval dish sizes are
1.4 prime focus Outside diameter: 1440mm x 1440mm Reflector diameter: 1330mm x 1330mm
1.8 prime focus Outside diameter: 1940mm x 1940mm Reflector diameter: 1790mm x 1790mm
2.4 prime focus Outside diameter: 2470mm x 2470mm Reflector diameter: 2290mm x 2290mm
Community Installs
It is possible for one dish to serve a number of receivers at different houses. If less than 4 connections are required then a 4 output LNB should be OK, with a cable from the dish to each location. If more than 4 connections are required, then the system will require a special signal distribution unit - called multiswitches.
These multiswicthes are strategically placed around the community to serve, and individual connections are made from these points. I personally run new cable in these systems, as you cannot rely on the condition of the existing cable. Ideally, the community will pay for the infrastructure required (dish, LNB, cables from LNB to multiswicthes, multiswicthes and amplifiers) and individuals will pay for the connection from the multiswitch to their house, and any receivers they require.
Permission must be sought for dishes to be installed on community areas, including apartment blocks. In privately owned houses, dish rules are fairly relaxed, but generally make sure it is installed in an area that wont upset your neighbours. You may also be required to ask your local town hall for permission to install a big dish.
Rebroadcasting
Under the Rome Convention broadcasters have the right to authorize or prohibit the re-broadcasting of their broadcasts. "Re-broadcasting" is defined under the Rome Convention as the simultaneous broadcasting by one broadcasting organization of the broadcast of another broadcast organization. Broadcasters also have the right to authorize or prohibit the fixation of their broadcasts; the reproduction of unauthorized original fixations of their broadcasts; the reproduction for purposes other than those authorized fixations of their broadcasts.
Basically it says you need authorisation from the "Broadcasting organisations" like BBC and ITV to rebroadcast their transmission in the EU.
You may be using a rebroadcaster if your TV company:
is offering bbc and itv on a small dish or mesh aerial - these channels can only be legitimately received for free via a minimum of 1.4mdish (some areas 1.8m)
offers bbc and itv for a monthly subscription - bbc and itv are free on satellite and do not need a subscription
offers "freesat" with only 20 or 64 channels - by satellite you will receive over 100 free tv channels, not 20 or 64. the bbc have over 15 regional variations on satellite alone.
offers sky sports for less than £36 per month or setanta sports for less than £14 per month - the costs of legitimate subscriptions to these channels.
offers channels from other countries - channels like Showtime Sports for example.
says they get BBC and ITV from a satellite other than Astra 2, like Hotbird - bbc and itv are only broadcast on one "satellite constellation (those satellites at 28.3 to 28.5 degrees)
as these companies will more than likely be a rebroadcasting services who's signal may be terminated just like Telemicro.
Advantages of Satellite
With a sky or freesat receiver you can get bbc interactive, sky active and a full 7 day programme guide. you may need a big dish, you may pay more for the installation, but at least the signal is pretty much guaranteed as it it direct from the satellite and is not reliant on a third party. pure digital broadcasting (with some channels in full Dolby Digital sound), not reliant on second or third or fourth generation signals as the signals gets past from one rebroadcast transmitter to another.
Many ex rebroadcasting clients have commented on how good the signal direct from the satellite is compared to that of a rebroadcasted signal.
if you are in doubt as to whether or not it is OK to view free satellite tv channels (like BBC and ITV) in Spain via satellite see http://www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=help.Question&id=1667 which says that "it may be possible outside the UK to use a satellite receiver to pick up channels available on freesat" - nothing about it being illegal - the technical term is "satellite signal overspill".
A final thought on this: if it was illegal to watch TV channels that were broadcasted for free, then all shops selling free to air receivers would be in trouble, as would Canal Digital + (the Spanish satellite service) as their receivers can also pick up free tv satellite channels from other countries.
Default Transponder Settings for Spain or Resetting your Sky Receiver after powercut
When a Sky receiver is first booted up, like after a power cut, then the first thing it requires to function is at least 6 hours of EPG information. It looks for this data on the Default transponder frequency of 11778. this frequency can be poor in Spain, and therefore the receiver will not be able to find the information is required and therefore will not work - giving the message "No satellite Signal is Being Received". Changing the default transponder to another frequency (i use 12129) allow the receiver to get the information it requires to function. No matter what people tell you changing this default transponder does not increase how long channels are available. It is only used to “assist” the receiver to boot up. It is normal for the Default Transponder to revert back to 11778 once the receiver is functioning.
See the link in the menu on the left hand side of the screen to help reset your sky digibox.
Auto Standby
Sky has been deploying new receiver software, and incorporated in to this is a new feature designed to help save energy when the Sky receiver is not being used. If the box hasn't been used for a period of two hours after 11pm, or for four hours during the day time, an ‘Auto Standby' message will pop up on screen for three minutes. If there's no further use the box will go into Standby mode automatically, until the user turns it back on. This can be an issue if you are using a VCR to record things from the Sky receivers as when the receiver goes into Autostandby mode you will record a blank (or blue!) screen if the box has shut down.... You can turn it off by using the option in Services (Sky+ Setup for + and HD users!)
Electronic Programme Guide (EPGs)
Sky's Electronic Programme Guide is used on Sky receivers. Although all the frequencies used by Sky transmit limited EPG information, the main EPG data is transmitted on one frequency - 11778. You may notice that this frequency is also the main Default Transponder - and the same frequency that is measured in the Sky receivers Signal Test screen. This frequency's reception varies greatly during the day and may not be available 24/7 - especially during the afternoon, and also certain Sky receivers really do not like this frequency. Hence why you may only get a limited (6 hours or so, EPG information in the EPG.
The Freesat EPG is transmitted from a different frequency to Sky (in fact it is on a different satellite!), whose reception is widely available over Europe - hence why you do not have to change the Freesat receiver "default transponder". It was the fact that the Freesat EPG would be easily available over Europe on a small dish that lead many, including installers, into thinking that all channels on Freesat would be available all over Europe in a small dish. Where as in fact both Sky and Freesat EPGs point to the same frequencies for the channels they use (apart from FIVE!)
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