What don't I get if I use an ordinary digital receiver on Freesat?

ajkgordon

Standard Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
43
Reaction score
1
Points
16
Maplins sell a satellite kit for £70 with small dish and digital receiver. I presume that's enough to receive all the Freesat channels. But what don't you get that the dedicated Freesat receivers give you? Is it just EPG? Or more fundamental than that?

(Please excuse the typo in the thread heading!)
 
Maplins sell a satellite kit for £70 with small dish and digital receiver. I presume that's enough to receive all the Freesat channels. But what don't you get that the dedicated Freesat receivers give you? Is it just EPG? Or more fundamental than that?

(Please excuse the typo in the thread heading!)

You also wont get the interactive (red button) features. I think ITV HD is going to be accessed this way.
 
You also wont get the interactive (red button) features. I think ITV HD is going to be accessed this way.

OK, but I'll still get ordinary channel reception, right?

I'll upgrade to an HD Freesat receiver in a year or so when they're more available, cheaper, and bug-free. And when there's a decent amount of HD content. In the meantime I just want something that can give me Freeview - my aerial won't get good reception even with boosters, ultra-high aerial, etc.
 
It is possible to add ITV HD to the Fortec HD receiver Maplin sell by using a PC to edit the channel list - my father has just done this on his receiver.

Non-freesat boxes won't get the EPG - and non-freesat PVRs won't benefit from the Freeview Playback-like functionality.
 
With an SD generic FTA receiver you will lack the full 7 day EPG and merely have a "now and next" EPG. Also the generic box will not have the interactive screens available by "press red" for alternative evnts, matches etc on sporting events and things like Glastonbury BUT you will be able to tune manually to th interactive channel streams and be able to wacth them.

If the Maplins kit you are referring to is the camping "satellite in a suitcase" kit then the dish is rather too small for anywhere north of Birmingham (and even south of there is liable to rain fade) and is also rather flimsy and only really suitable for portable use (for which it is excellent value - I use one for holidays)
 
No, not the portable one. This one:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=218642&doy=14m5

TBH, I'm not fussed about the red buttons or EPG. I just want to watch TV! Interested to know if you can programme the thing to receive HD though.

Thanks for all your help chaps.

No chance of HD at all:cool:

If you wish to upgrade later to HD PVR then you will need to change the lnb to a multi output one and fit additional cabling at that stage.
 
Thanks all.

I've asked elsewhere but can you point me to a resource that shows you how to do basic coax cabling from a dish to a point on the wall?
 
I thought "Freesat" would be free of any proprietary restrictions in hardware or software. How disappointing. How infuriating!
 
Unfortunately, life's not quite as simple as that.

Firstly, though there are standards for delivering a 7 day EPG, they're not perfect, and in any event you couldn't deliver both those and the data used by Sky on the same transponders at the same time. So a method had to be developed that would work alongside Sky, otherwise all the channels would need two transponders to be on each.

So, since that's being done, the decision was taken to make sure it's an advanced EPG and platform, going well beyond what's possible with the basic standards, with things like support for meta data to provide recording facilities equivalent to Freeview Playback.

And, to provide a service at least equivalent to Freeview (remember one reason for this is to give service to those who will never get DTT coverage) an interactive element was specified, using MHEG (same as Freeview), plus extensions that will ensure the equipment has a reasonably long life, including the possibility of IPTV and broadband return path in future.

And, having created those specs, Freesat want to ensure that any box with the logo meets them. The standard isn't a secret, but you do have to agree to the way it's implemented to sign up.
 
In time, I guess - freesat certainly don't have any massive objection in principle - but they do want to ensure that everything meets a reasonable standard; whether they'll have slightly different rules for cards, for example with regard to the EPG presentation, I don't know yet.
 
My interest is reception in Cyprus in a year or two - need a dish >3metre! with a sensitive LNB and receiver,
 
You'll also have to wade through 100's of other European channels to actually pick out the UK channels..... so I personally wouldn't bother with the unofficial boxes, but each to their own and all that.
 
If the Maplins kit you are referring to is the camping "satellite in a suitcase" kit then the dish is rather too small for anywhere north of Birmingham (and even south of there is liable to rain fade) and is also rather flimsy and only really suitable for portable use (for which it is excellent value - I use one for holidays)

Same here - but I also use it to receive Premier Sport on Astra plus a wide range of Hotbird programming in the middle of north Northumberland. This is viewed with sceptisism by folks on other forums - but why would I fib??
Personally, i would advise the use of a technomate 6800/6900 HD and a Zone 2 dish (be perpared - you don't know how weak some future signals may be) and this would enable the reception of all the current FTA packages (including ITVHD) and you can attach a USB HDD to use as a PVR.
The current firmware allows the watching of one RECORDED channel whilst recording another. The capitals are added to avoid confusion - it is not a twin tuner !.
If one feels adventurous, one can add a motor to the setup = about £40 or perhaps less. Not at all difficult to set up and gives access to a wide range of programmes in English - there's also a window into the cultures of distant lands.
 
Personally, i would advise the use of a technomate 6800/6900 HD and a Zone 2 dish (be perpared - you don't know how weak some future signals may be) and this would enable the reception of all the current FTA packages (including ITVHD) and you can attach a USB HDD to use as a PVR.

Can you confirm that ITV HD is viewable on a generic DVB-S2 receiver and also all other freesat stations (sans EPG and interactive of course)? I’m looking at a TT USB receiver for my PC but I want to know what freesat channels I could receive. Someone has said that Ch4 and its siblings are a no-no..? Can you confirm this at all? Thanks.
 
Can you confirm that ITV HD is viewable on a generic DVB-S2 receiver and also all other freesat stations (sans EPG and interactive of course)? I'm looking at a TT USB receiver for my PC but I want to know what freesat channels I could receive. Someone has said that Ch4 and its siblings are a no-no..? Can you confirm this at all? Thanks.

I'm getting ITV HD with no problems - after a bit of footling - on a Firewire connected DVB-S2 FireDTVS2 external tuner box on my PC. I get all the other FTA channels - including the interactive video and audio streams - on Astra 2/Eurobird at 28.2/28.5 with this set-up. I'm using DVBViewer (which I bought for €15) but other software may well work - and the box also works on a Mac using Eye TV 3 software (though it crashes with ITV HD in Eye TV 3 apparently - I'm doing most of my video stuff in Windows).

C4, E4 and More4 in SD are now available FTA on a narrow UK-beam (though there is only one C4 SD feed - the regionalised feeds remain FTV as they are on a wider Europe-beam. I'm pretty certain that I've seen E4+1 and More4+1 - but can't remember seeing C4+1.

My dad is also getting ITV HD on his Fortec HD box after downloading revised transponder/channel info from his PC.
 
Can you confirm that ITV HD is viewable on a generic DVB-S2 receiver and also all other freesat stations (sans EPG and interactive of course)? I’m looking at a TT USB receiver for my PC but I want to know what freesat channels I could receive. Someone has said that Ch4 and its siblings are a no-no..? Can you confirm this at all? Thanks.

C4HD and C4 are contracted to Sky, but they will most likely be FTA in the not-too-distant future.
- E4, More4 and the rest are now FTA - ITV HD is available on a number of HD receivers Technomate, Clarke, Rortec and others.
With regard to intercative - if you hunt through the 2-300 FTA channels on 28e you will find some of the BBC stuff - Score is one that I have discovered.
 

The latest video from AVForums

TV Buying Guide - Which TV Is Best For You?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Back
Top Bottom