UK Freesat

[Paranoid Delusion]

What I'm most interested in is whether we'll need a viewing card to view the channels or whether they will all be completely free to air.

I think i know what you mean as, what stops anyone outside britain, viewing uk specific channels, was wondering this myself, or is this part of the license arguments that have been going on whilst this was setup, ie, all channels will now be freely available across europe.

[allanp81]

In theory even if it does you would be alright if you have a receiver with cam slot.

[mortstar]

Originally Posted by Paranoid Delusion

I think i know what you mean as, what stops anyone outside britain, viewing uk specific channels, was wondering this myself.

From my reading up. It seems that the satellite that provides channels for the UK has a pretty closed footprint and is difficult to receive outside of the country.

I really, really, really hope that it is still Free-to-Air so that I can get a BlackGold 6-in-1 and enjoy HDTV, for little more than £100.

[Nemulate]

Like I said it's definately fta unless there are any last minute changes! I've been following it's progress on a few other forums. Apparently it will be on Astra 2D in an attempt to limit it's footprint and its epg will be propriety until somebody manages to unscramble it of course May the 9th seems to be the most common reported date for go-live.

[piercy007]

Originally Posted by SpudR

50" Plasma £949

I guess it's wait and see for FreeSat then

Anyone had any joy with Virgin through their HTPC??

Spud

Are you having problems getting virgin channels on MP as I have mine set up via TV server with no major issues (except a vert HOT CPU but that is a different issue!!)??

[SpudR]

No issues as I don't have a TV card - just speculating as to what I'm going to need when the Freesat launches.

I'm with Mortstar - looking for freesat through the Blackgold card mainly, just thought i'd get the Virgin stuff going to use MP as a PVR (mainly to satifsy the GF! You spend AGES getting a kickass HTPC setup - playing all the movies, music, trailers weather etc. with a great skin, and she's not impress 'cos she cant record stuff!!!! WOMEN!!!!! aaaggghhh!!!!!!!)

I do think it'll need a CAM though - some of the licensing for the BBC does not allow content to be broadcast live outside the UK AFAIK

If I have to pay a license fee to watch the BBC in the UK - WTF should Europe get it for free?? (I'll write to my MEP about it )

[allanp81]

But you can view BBC fta at the moment via Astra 2D anyway.

[revs]

You can, however I think that its provided by Sky (even through its FTA).

Freesat is a way of putting all the channels together and marketing them - to dispell the myth that only Sky provide satellite.

[Mew]

I don't believe that BBC on satellite is provided by Sky. The BBC pay Sky for their position on Sky's EPG and regionalisation via the Sky cards but I think that is all. The BBC would pay the operators of the Astra satellite for use of the transponders much as Sky do for the ones they use.

The BBC has been broadcasting FTA on Astra 2D since 2003 (and ITV since 2005) so I think the issues about these channels had being FTA were sorted out long ago. Astra 2D has the tightest footprint over the UK but there is still overspill and the signal can be picked up with varying degrees of success in other parts of Europe. The further away you go from the UK the larger the dish you need. I guess is has been accepted that people in other countries can receive a signal in much the same way that parts of Holland and Belgium could receive the analogue UK signal.

One thing of interest (well to me anyway) that I have read is that Channel 4 is currently broadcasting on Astra 2D FTA. The channel is apparently labelled 8350. Speculatation is that this is ahead of the Freesat launch. A copy of a Freesat brochure that someone posted a scan of on a forum mentioned that five may not be available at launch but did not mention Channel 4. A poster to another forum also said that he believed that the remaining encrypted channels were due to move off of Astra 2D in the next week or two so that E4, More 4 and five could move onto Astra 2D. This is all still specualtion but hopefully we should find out soon (well, before the end of spring anyway, maybe).

Mew

[Paranoid Delusion]

Last thing i read Five were tied to sky until the autumn this year, so definately where not in the launch lineup.