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Kittychan

85 posts

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#24967 8-Aug-2008 01:24
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Hi all 

With all the Olympic fever I am quite gutted to find out that channel one will be showing a bit of olympic and most of the shows will be on Freetv !!!

I have a skytv but no freetv dish or uhf anything like that in the house, but I have heard that if I get eyetv hybrid I can just watch freetv? or do I need anything else?

Please help me I cannot survive another day without olympic !!!

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davidcole
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  #155108 8-Aug-2008 08:01
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umm, the first problem i see is, even if the eyetv supports the nz dvb-t format (and I'm not sure if it doesn't, I don't have one).  You talk about not having uhf, so where is the eyetv getting the tv signal from??

Sorry but without a uhf tv aerial (from sky uhf) for dvb-t or an old sky satellite dish (from sky digitial) to tune into you have nothing that will receive the digital signal.

One possible shining light is that some people have reported that depending where you live, the signal may be so strong that you can get away without an aerial, or can get away with bunny (rabbit) ears.  This would be applicable for dvb-t (freeview hd).

You're only other option is that tvnz will be broadcasting 4 steams on the internet.




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wellygary
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  #155121 8-Aug-2008 08:42
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An EyeTV hybrid will do Freeview HD very nicely ( provided it is on a fast mac), but you will need a standard UHF aerial for the Signal,

But the EyeTV will *not* work for Freeview off a sky satellite dish

Jaxson
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  #155128 8-Aug-2008 09:08
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Just to clarify a few things...
The olympic coverage is on 4 channels. 
TV1 has most of the coverage people from NZ will want to see.
The freeview channel sports extra has ongoing coverage, but often this will be events that don't involve NZ athletes.  Sometimes if two NZ events clash, the second will be on sports extra.
There are also two online, computer based channels.

Given the bulk of NZ type coverage is on TV1, and you'll have this if you have any form of sky digital, then I wouldn't freak out about it.



Kittychan

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  #155200 8-Aug-2008 13:44
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Jaxson: Just to clarify a few things...
The olympic coverage is on 4 channels. 
TV1 has most of the coverage people from NZ will want to see.
The freeview channel sports extra has ongoing coverage, but often this will be events that don't involve NZ athletes.  Sometimes if two NZ events clash, the second will be on sports extra.
There are also two online, computer based channels.

Given the bulk of NZ type coverage is on TV1, and you'll have this if you have any form of sky digital, then I wouldn't freak out about it.

I am a big football and tennis fan and they show on TV 1 sport extra according to their schedule !!! Let me see whether I have any UHF antenna in the house !!! can I buy those small UHF antenna and use it in the house ? I live on Mt.Vic

Jaxson
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  #155201 8-Aug-2008 14:01
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Simplest way to get freeveiw is a set top box.  Personally, if you want it in a hurry, I'd go and buy a box.  That's just my opinion and I'm definitely not saying it can't be done via a computer, but a set top box will be quicker for you and probably cheaper. 

freeview is available on two formats, uhf has HD on some channels and satellite is all normal resolution but has more channels at the mo.  sports extra is on both formats, satellite and terrestrial uhf.

If you have a satellite already, then you can cut this cable and put a splitter into it so you can feed two boxes, your current sky one and your new freeview device.  The sky dish is aimed at the same satellite freeview uses so you don't have to move anything.

If you already have a uhf aerial and you're in a main centre (not sure how mt vic falls sorry!) then freeview HD boxes will just plug into this existing aerial.  you'll probably want to split off the signal just like above with a splitter.

Either will sort your problem quickly.  Personally if you have a new TV and you can get the HD signal locally I'd go that way.  The computer option will require a signal to it just like a freeview set top box.  If you are really only after the additional sports extra channel then this is in standard resolution only so will be the same quality on via either freeview method.


Kittychan

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  #155204 8-Aug-2008 14:07
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Jaxson:

Simplest way to get freeveiw is a set top box.  Personally, if you want it in a hurry, I'd go and buy a box.  That's just my opinion and I'm definitely not saying it can't be done via a computer, but a set top box will be quicker for you and probably cheaper. 

freeview is available on two formats, uhf has HD on some channels and satellite is all normal resolution but has more channels at the mo.  sports extra is on both formats, satellite and terrestrial uhf.

If you have a satellite already, then you can cut this cable and put a splitter into it so you can feed two boxes, your current sky one and your new freeview device.  The sky dish is aimed at the same satellite freeview uses so you don't have to move anything.

If you already have a uhf aerial and you're in a main centre (not sure how mt vic falls sorry!) then freeview HD boxes will just plug into this existing aerial.  you'll probably want to split off the signal just like above with a splitter.

Either will sort your problem quickly.  Personally if you have a new TV and you can get the HD signal locally I'd go that way.  The computer option will require a signal to it just like a freeview set top box.  If you are really only after the additional sports extra channel then this is in standard resolution only so will be the same quality on via either freeview method.



Thank you Jaxson, so just to clarify that I can use the Sky dish to feed the freeview?

yellow15
134 posts

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  #155210 8-Aug-2008 14:22
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yes you can. make sure you get the Freeview Satellite decoder, not the Freeview UHF/HD one which requires a (suprise!) UHF antenna.

 
 
 

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wellygary
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  #155215 8-Aug-2008 14:49
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Jaxson:

S

If you have a satellite already, then you can cut this cable and put a splitter into it so you can feed two boxes, your current sky one and your new freeview device. The sky dish is aimed at the same satellite freeview uses so you don't have to move anything.

A number of the satellite freeview boxes do have "pass thru" so you don't need a splitter, just an extra  length of cable to run from the freeview box to the existing sky box.

Kittychan

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  #155219 8-Aug-2008 15:01
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Wahoo I will go and get the box today then !!! But again it is sad that the Eyetv hybrid cannot connect it through sky cable. I thought it could !!!

Thank you all !!!

Jaxson
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  #155228 8-Aug-2008 15:29
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Yes, but just watch with pass through out with sat dish as you can't really safely have both boxes outputing the 12V to power the lnb, so often one set top box needs to be on all the time.  Yes it can be done but it's nicer to use an all ports power passing cable splitter.  To get Olympics fast though, yes totally use the pass through, and just keep both boxes running.

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