footloose Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 We are about to have a 'Free To Air' satellite system installed but a dealer did comment to me that despite many advantages (use abroad being a major one) the one poor aspect was the 'Electronic Programme Guide' (EPG). Does anyone know of a website where you can download programme guides to your PC....i.e. like a Radio Times' in something like .pdf format? I have tried searching for such a site but without success! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I can't advise on your direct question, but I can indirectly comment on it. The majority of the "simple" FTA receivers will give a very basic "now and next" program guide, and will not support access to additional services such as text or red button. AIUI it is possible to overcome many of these restrictions by purchasing a somewhat more expensive receiver (for instance, search on "Dreambox"), but I've little experience of these. However, if you wish to receive a full EPG, red button and text when in range of UK Freesat reception, all Freesat receivers are (supposedly) capable of being programmed to alternatively receive non-Freesat FTA broadcasts (which, incidentally meant that they will tune all the Freesat channels as well, but without red-button, etc). This is implemented in different ways on different boxes, some much more user-friendly than others. The Humax Foxsat HD freeview box, for instance, can be used in "Freesat Mode" with full EPG, etc, but may be switched via a single menu button to non-freesat mode, where it is then easy to "blind tune" ALL FTA stations from the satellite it is pointing at, making it a pretty versatile box. Unfortunately, it is mains only, not 12V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footloose Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Thank you for your advice but when in the UK we will also have freeview so that solves the EPG problem here. I am thinking more of if we are in europe for a month and do not always have internet access. I was just wondering what people do? If the wife missed watching or recording an extra episode of Emmerdale that they threw in I could be in real trouble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 ......but, if you're able to watch (or record) UK TV on satellite in Europe, surely you must be in reception range of Freesat, hence a Freesat receiver would give you the full (UK Freesat) EPG. :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footloose Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 My understanding was that Freesat is not available in europe but Free To Air is. I might be wrong as I have no experience of satellite in europe, but that is what I thouht I was being told by two installers and hence they said to go for FTA????? Can anyone confirm please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 The channels on "Freesat" are the same as the ones on sky. They are broadcast from the Astra 2 satellites at 28.2 to 28.5 degrees. The only difference is that with a Sky box you receive a Sky EPG and with a Freesat box you receive a Freesat EPG. All an EPG does is to tell your particular box which frequency, and channel on that frequency, to tune to for the station you want to watch. Having said that - most of the Freesat channels are broadcast form Astra 2D which has a narrow footprint - It is easily receivable through the UK and France but is weak in Spain, Portugal and the eastern side of Germany. For these areas you would require an increasingly larger dish the further you travel. But as long as you have an Astra 2D signal at the dish you will be able to get Freesat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 footloose - 2012-02-01 4:40 PM My understanding was that Freesat is not available in europe but Free To Air is. I might be wrong as I have no experience of satellite in europe, but that is what I thouht I was being told by two installers and hence they said to go for FTA????? Can anyone confirm please? As Frankkia has said, the (UK-based) channels that you can get are exactly the same tuned source, whether received on a Sky Box, a Freesat Box, or a FTA box. The first two will also broadcast an EPG (a different one for SKY and Freesat respectively) and will also support the use of Text and Red Button Services. A FTA box will simply provide a simple now and next EPG, and no red button or text support. The same "base channel" transmission is tuned in all of them. Hence, if you are in range of the main UK satellite channels, you will in almost all circumstances be able to get a full EPG from a Sky Box or a Freesat Box, but again, Frankkia has higlhighted the geographical limitations of these. Being able to easily tune ALL FTA channels (not just those related to SKY or Freesat) opens up other opportunities for English Language broadcasts outside the defined geographical limits, BUT, these won't (generally) include the standard UK channels. This was why I was suggesting a Freesat box (which is subscription free) which can also easily tune non-freesat (i.e. other FTA) channels in order to get the best compromise for your requirements. I personally have a cheap Maplin FTA box which gets all UK standard channels and ALL other FTA transmissions, BUT, only supports a now and next EPG. Given the amount of TV we watch (especially abroad) this is fine for us. (I have the Humax Foxsat-HD Freesat box at home). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footloose Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Aaaaahhhhh! So what the installers might have meant was that the FTA receivers could be tuned to other (mostly non-english) satellites whereas the Freesat ones were normally 'fixed to the satellite that Freesat transmits on. So if we are mostly interested in BBC and ITV programs the coverage in europe would remain the same for either type of receiver. Am I getting it now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 footloose - 2012-02-01 5:38 PM Aaaaahhhhh! So what the installers might have meant was that the FTA receivers could be tuned to other (mostly non-english) satellites whereas the Freesat ones were normally 'fixed to the satellite that Freesat transmits on. So if we are mostly interested in BBC and ITV programs the coverage in europe would remain the same for either type of receiver. Am I getting it now? Yup! (apart from a basic FTA receiver not getting the enhanced EPG or text/red button regardless of where you are) AFAIK, both SKY and Freesat boxes (have to) have the ability to tune programmes other than those linked to the SKY/Freesat EPGs. (i.e. they are legally constrained to function also as an FTA box) I understand, however, that most/all SKY boxes are (deliberately?) "fiddly" in this respect, and the Freesat ones vary in their ease of doing so. I know from experience that the Humax Foxsat HD functions very well as both a dedicated Freesat box and an FTA receiver (I use both modes at home). Enabling the FTA mode in the menu is a one-time (fairly well hidden in the manual) activity, after which, the mode can be switched at will in the main menu, but in non-Freesat mode you potentially gain more programmes but lose the enhanced EPG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footloose Posted February 1, 2012 Author Share Posted February 1, 2012 Thanks for all your help....I am starting to understand this a bit, hopefully. Still have the feeling that this is a VHS or Betamax moment and that I will end up opting for Betamax (if you remember Betamax)!!!! So ideally now I would like a 12v Freesat receiver with USB for attaching hard drive for recording.......does anyone know of one as I can't find one? Failing that it looks like an invertor or back to plan A, free to air. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankkia Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 You don't say which satellite system you are having fitted. If you are going for a fully automatic system with auto skew and an 85cm dish you should stand the best chance of receiving UK based channels through most of western Europe. I can't think of a 12 v box with a USB recording feature. However you may want to consider the use of one of these http://www.maplin.co.uk/video-2-pc-video-conversion-system-348158 in conjunction with your laptop for recording - You can't set a start time for recording but you can set a recording length. That means you can start recording as the prog starts and then go out whilst the laptop records your prog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm not aware of any units that meet your spec (though I am somewhat out of date). A good few of the High Definition receivers are 12V input (though I'd probably want to run them through a voltage stabiliser); unfortunately the Humax isn't. I know the Technisat HD box is USB PVR compatible, but it isn't 12V and has mixed reviews. (BTW, existence of a USB port on a box doesn't always allow PVR use, some are there simply for firmware updates). At a higher price point, the Goodmans ones with a built in hard drive are also 12V, but the handling of non-Freesat FTA channels is not good. If you want to check out the products available, the following sites are useful: http://www.freesat.co.uk/products/hd-digital-box-range http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/digital-boxes If you're after FTA capability, be careful how it is implemented - the Humax is good, some others considerably less so. Ideally, what you really want is "blind search" capability (i.e. the box will find all channels, rather than you having to manually add them), and the ability to work with other than satellites at 28.2E. If you can sacrifice the PVR and EPG functionality, the Maplin/Aldi/Lidl 12v FTA box is cheap, cheerful, functional and good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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