What do I need for Freeview

Forums › Freeview (DVB-T/DVB-S) › What do I need for Freeview

JBNZ

25 posts

Geek

#106502 25-Jul-2012 09:59

Hi,

I'm currently a Sky subscriber so have their dish sitting on my roof.

I also have two old TV aerials from way-back, possibly a Sky one and an ordinary one, neither of which I use and I'm thinking of having removed.

My concern is that if I ever decide to drop Sky and go Freeview what would I need on my roof to enable me to receive Freeview. Would one of the current aerials suffice or would I need something new (i.e. I can still dump the old aerials).

Sorry it's a bit of a noob question but hey we all gotta start somewhere!

Cheers JB

mthredgo

80 posts

Master Geek

#661509 25-Jul-2012 10:07

For Freeview-Sat you can use the Sky Dish without moving it or changing it as they use the same satellite.
For Freeview-HD you want a UHF antenna. If those old antennae are VHF then yep they're just about junk. If one is UHF then it may be good enough to get non-marginal signals, and is probably already aligned to the transmission tower if it was once working.

Jaxson

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#661511 25-Jul-2012 10:11

Rather depends on where you are in NZ?

Specifically, are you in a freeview HD transmission/reception area?

JBNZ

25 posts

Geek

#661523 25-Jul-2012 10:30

Thanks for the quick replies.

According to the Freeview website, I'm 'unlikely' to have HD aerial coverage at my address, so it looks as if the Satellite option is the only one available to me.

So if I were to switch to Freeview I would just need to hook up a Freeview satellite receiver and I'm good to go? And I can ditch the aerials?

oxnsox

1923 posts

Uber Geek

#661543 25-Jul-2012 10:46

You should be aware that Freeview over satellite is not in HD, so the picture won't be as good as Freeview terrestrial.

If you're in a marginal spot, see what your neighbours are using or if they're getting a Freeview signal.

davidcole

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#661544 25-Jul-2012 10:47

JBNZ: Thanks for the quick replies.

According to the Freeview website, I'm 'unlikely' to have HD aerial coverage at my address, so it looks as if the Satellite option is the only one available to me.

So if I were to switch to Freeview I would just need to hook up a Freeview satellite receiver and I'm good to go? And I can ditch the aerials?

Short answer is yes, Satellite decoder box hooked up to the aerial from the Sky Satellite dish. But don't ditch the aerials. Well not the old "sky uhf" one as if HD comes to your location you'll want it.

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mthredgo

80 posts

Master Geek

#661563 25-Jul-2012 10:52

Yep you can ditch the aerials.
It will be a case of unplugging your Sky box and plugging in a Satellite Receiver Set Top Box or PVR. A Freeview approved Sat box means it is MHEG-5 enabled which means you get the Freeview episode guide, but it limits you to viewing just Freeview services, and not other channels and other satellites. There are no other FTA services on the Optus D1 Horizontal beams (which Sky and Freeview use) so this may not bother you. (And nothing on Vertical now either). If it does bother you get a nonFreeview approved DVB-S or DVB-S2 STB or PVR and you can still get the Freeview Sat channels and have a slightly less pretty episode guide, but you have future expansion options for more channels with more dishes and more LNBs.

davidcole

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#661569 25-Jul-2012 10:58

mthredgo: ...A Freeview approved Sat box means it is MHEG-5 enabled which means you get the Freeview episode guide....

Pedantic point possibly, but I understood the EPG for DVB-S was EIT based not MHEG5 like the DVB-T.

Happy to be corrected. And for 99% of NZ nobody cares, it's gets you the information on the screen.

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JBNZ

25 posts

Geek

#661570 25-Jul-2012 10:59

Again, thanks for the quick replies, some forums I feel like I wait months to get answers!

Yeah I was aware of the difference between Sat and UHF/HD Freeview, I've flicked an email to Freeview to see if they have any plans to expand HD coverage to my area and I will check with my neighbours too.

Appreciate all of the feedback.

JB

mthredgo

80 posts

Master Geek

#661577 25-Jul-2012 11:01

"Pedantic point possibly, but I understood the EPG for DVB-S was EIT based not MHEG5 like the DVB-T. "

Well yep I could be wrong.

I avoided the Freeview-approved boxes so I could get channels on more sats. I've only seen the Freeview EPG on the inbuilt Freeview-HD in my TV.

davidcole

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#661579 25-Jul-2012 11:05

mthredgo: "Pedantic point possibly, but I understood the EPG for DVB-S was EIT based not MHEG5 like the DVB-T. "

Well yep I could be wrong.

I avoided the Freeview-approved boxes so I could get channels on more sats. I've only seen the Freeview EPG on the inbuilt Freeview-HD in my TV.

Yeah me too. @stevebiddle tells me that mheg5 is on DVB-S there as well as EIT.

The difference for those following along, is generally programs on computers, with tuners like the EIT as it's just data. MHEG5 is more picture based, and takes special effort to get the data out when thinking about recording devices (and most likely non approved recording devices).

Again for 99% of NZ who just want to watch and record telly using consumer devices it makes no difference.

Jaxson

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#661596 25-Jul-2012 11:21

Yes, official boxes have the full freeview MHEG5 EPG. Most official boxes can also tune in non freeview channels as well, and show EPG's for them via an EIT EPG options.

I'd keep the UHF aerial if you have one, in case you buy a new TV, which will almost certainly have freeview HD onboard. (Internal TV freeview tuners are only ever freeview HD, so will only work with a UHF aerial, not a satellite dish.)

Jaxson

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#661598 25-Jul-2012 11:25

And for completeness of the above.

Both Satellite and Terrestrial freeview have both MHEG5 and EIT EPG formats in place.
The difference is that on the Terrestrial service, the EIT content is limited to now/next entries, not a full 7 day dataset as broadcast on the Satellite service.

As mentioned above, the freeview HD/UHF/Terrestrial service is the way to go if you have the choice.

If you are an ex SKY customer a freeview satellite tuner box will work straight away, as freeview and SKY use exactly the same satellite and in the same orientation polarity.

alasta

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Subscriber

#661627 25-Jul-2012 11:51

Am I right in assuming that freeview satellite would suffer from rain fade as Sky does?

I'm planning to use satellite when I move into my new place next week as there already happens to be a dish there and I don't want to spend the money on a UHF aerial at this stage, but rain fade used to be a nuisance when I had Sky a few years ago.

mthredgo

80 posts

Master Geek

#661647 25-Jul-2012 11:58

Using a 90cm dish I have never seen my Freeview-Sat service rainfade.
Standard Sky dishes are smaller I think.

Jaxson

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#661672 25-Jul-2012 12:22

Rain fade should only occur under really heavy downpour type situations. A good LNB and a dish that is properly aligned should be fine. But yes, fundamentally satellite transmissions can be affected by rain.

You can use the same dish cable for a UHF aerial, so already having a dish is a good way to avoid the laying new cable hassle when you're converting to terrestrial.