Watching UK TV abroad

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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

kevsboredagain wrote: Does that not mean twin LNBs and 2 cables to the dish as well?
In theory, yes it does. But we ran ours with only one cable for a long while (until one of the gite's satellite needed repairs and I took the opportunity to have my own changed on the same bill!).

Again, it's discussed here. Depending on transponder that the programmes are transmitted on, you can watch one channel and record another at the same time. Of course, there will be occasions when you can't and that's annoying, but it will tell you in advance.
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Cassis
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Post by Cassis »

Yes, we've got twin LNBs and two cables.
CarolineH wrote:In theory, yes it does. But we ran ours with only one cable for a long while (until one of the gite's satellite needed repairs and I took the opportunity to have my own changed on the same bill!).

Again, it's discussed here. Depending on transponder that the programmes are transmitted on, you can watch one channel and record another at the same time. Of course, there will be occasions when you can't and that's annoying, but it will tell you in advance.
+1

If we're recording two channels then we can still watch a third channel but choice is restricted (due to the transponder issue Caroline mentions).
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la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

kevsboredagain wrote:
Cassis wrote:Susan - make sure you buy a Freesat box with twin tuners so you can record one channel while watching another, or record two different channels at the same time. Humax is a good make according to the guy who installed our dish. We bought ours from John Lewis. Reception should be fine with a regular dish where you are in Brittany - we've got a small dish here in Pays de la Loire and no probs at all. Dish alignment is critical - a fraction out and you'll get nothing.
Does that not mean twin LNBs and 2 cables to the dish as well?
Yes - but it is what I have already for my Sky+ box so no problems there! Caroline's recommendation looks good. I'll have all the features I need without having to pay 30€ a month to Sky...
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la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

I only have 2Mo bandwidth so I'm not sure if any internet connection with the TV is viable :oops:
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

7 Aspire wrote:
la vache! wrote:I only have 2Mo bandwidth so I'm not sure if any internet connection with the TV is viable :oops:
Nearly all electronic programme guides (EPGs) require an internet connection to download the programme data - no EPG, no easy way to programme recordings.

However, the data stream required to support an EPG is not particularly large in size (I remember when my first generation Tivo box used to use dial up networking in the early hours of the morning to get its EPG!).

What may not work well with a limited bandwidth is some of the Freetime functionality associated with the Humax box ie its ability to play previously transmitted programmes on demand from the EPG, up to one week after broadcast (not to be confused with the ability to play recordings taken at the time of broadcast or other 28-day on demand players).

I've never had Sky, but I assume its EPG is on the satellite downlink?
For Freesat you don't need internet for the EPG. I hooked up an ethernet cable to my Freesat box and tried out the BBC player etc. It was rubbish, so I used the cable for another device instead. The EPG comes from the satellite download.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

7 Aspire wrote:
kevsboredagain wrote:For Freesat you don't need internet for the EPG. I hooked up an ethernet cable to my Freesat box and tried out the BBC player etc. It was rubbish, so I used the cable for another device instead. The EPG comes from the satellite download.
My apologies, kev is quite right.

My confusion comes about because I use the Android Freesat app that allows me to see the Freesat EPG and to programme recordings directly from my laptop, and I know this only works if my Humax box has a network connection.
That sounds cool. I'll have to try that when I get a new dish and connect it all up again. Moving house in 2 days, so all in boxes.
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

Just as an aside, because we're discussed PVRs in this thread, our Panasonic box stopped working once. It needed a software upgrade in order to work again. Although it had an internet connection it wasn't able to download this particular software, so we had to download it from the net on to a memory stick and get it on the machine that way. A little hiccup in its life but has worked fine ever since!
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Post by la vache! »

CarolineH wrote:I bought this last year http://www.amazon.co.uk/HDR-1000S-Frees ... ax+freesat following Mols' recommendation somewhere else on here. It's fab! No probs at all, so easy to set up. After 10 years of watching virtually no UK TV, I now record everything (including the Archers every Sunday!) and catch up when it suits me.
I use the Tune In Radio app on my smartphone for catching up on all the radio 4 programmes (including the Archers) - I can clean the gites at the same time as listening :wink:
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

My Humax is all now installed and running. I accidentally forgot to pack it in the car when I left the UK so had a UK TV free Christmas (and French TV was atrocious this year) so in fact I had a relatively TV free Christmas.
The Humax took a few factory resets to capture the satellite signal, it was more complicated than I thought it would be but the Humax Freesat menu is very pretty, much more sophisticated than that of Sky and without that bloody awful music which is another bonus.
Thankyou again for all of your advice :D
Pendragon
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Post by Pendragon »

LV you can turn off the music. It drove us mad too until the Engineer turned it off.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Thanks Pendragon, but I don't have the music anymore because I don't use Sky.
One thing I have noticed - the HD channels don't work for me, not sure if that is because the dish is too small or because the alignment is slightly out. Does anyone else in N France receive HD clearly?
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