Another set-top box...

[Hitcher]

Coming soon to a television near you?

http://freeviewnz.tv/

One wonders why these people don't do a deal with Sky and TelstraClear, rather than rolling out yet another platform.

[Finn]

Coming soon to a television near you?

http://freeviewnz.tv/

One wonders why these people don't do a deal with Sky and TelstraClear, rather than rolling out yet another platform.

They want their own system because in the near future they will have the pay-per-view option for movies, sports etc. Besides, you should know to never look for logic with the Government.

[T.I.E]

Coming soon to a television near you?

http://freeviewnz.tv/

One wonders why these people don't do a deal with Sky and TelstraClear, rather than rolling out yet another platform.

they are the competition, and as the platform is cheaper than running analog, makes more sense. but i am asuming that all sky people get the services from all the free channels. and the signal will be will be way better than what is currently on offer. espically for those homes that are in the country.
so makes great sense.

just hoping the high def will finally come out. so many people have HD televsions but no one is transmitting in high def. waste of money.

[Biff]

yayyyy - at freakin last, some competition for rupert the wanker.

fkin sky - how dare they charge me for watching tv ads - now i can watch them for free. at least they're more interesting that the crap awful programmes on tv these days.

tv is dead - long live youtube

[SimJen]

Waste of time if you ask me, if you don't have a dish you'll have to buy one.
In which case the price goes up a lot, up to $900 at some places.
Channels are rubbish too. Sky's startup has heaps more, and many to keep the missus happy too :) (for when you're not watching motorbike racing on sky sport).
Basis startup sky is cheap and install is only $99. Would take a few years of Freeview to start saving money! (if you had to buy the dish/install etc).
Only a matter of time before Sky removes the dishes from houses if you don't have Sky installed. Why should they make it easy for everyone to get freeview cheap. Im sure there is something in the original contract that states the dish belongs to Sky, as does the decoder.

[Devil]

I love the claims of "digital quality"! Cripes it's only the same old resolution. 576 or whatever.
Bring on HD.

[SimJen]

Its good I suppose if you don't want Sky (or sport/movie channels) and have crap standard reception (via analogue) and have an old sky dish already on your house.
When I first moved into my place in the Wops, I figured out I had abyssmal reception being in a valley miles from nowhere. A few months later Sky announced digital. Wicked, but cost me a heap to be an early adopter.
Still it works, and its not too costly.
I'd be lost without my Motogp and WSBK coverage though and could never go back to a 4 or 5 channel system, despite the fact theres never anything to watch on sky. Although channel surfing can take up a fair bit of time if you have too :)

[Krayy]

Actually, you can use the Sky dish for Freeview, and use a PVR if you have one rather than a set-top box. All you need to do is go to channel 888 on Sky Digital and if you see a picture, you can use the dish.

For more info, check out a workmates side business here: http://www.openmedia.co.nz/openmedia/

[SimJen]

Yep you can use the Sky dish, but what if Sky decides to take them back if you're no longer a subscriber....

[vifferman]

Basis startup sky is cheap
Apparently Sky Basic (not advertised, as they don't like people subscribing to it) is $18.49 or somesuch, and you don't need to pay $300 for the set-top box. It gives you access only to the "free to air" channels.

[bungbung]

If you can wait until next year, DVB-T broadcast will allow HD reception using a UHF antenna. The DVB-S (satellite version using sky style dish) will not have HD or the additional channels.

Plenty of PVRs and TVs available in the UK have freeview decoders built in.
A matter of time before they arrive here, or bring them in yourself.

[Hitcher]

There has been some absolute twattage mouthed today by Cabinet Ministers about "rural" folk now being able to get better quality tv pictures. Many have been on Sky satellite for years and have absolutely nothing wrong with their tv reception compared with "city" folk. And why should they now have to fork out for a second box?

And, from a technical point of view, how easy is it to run two decoders from the one dish?

[davereid]

Yep you can use the Sky dish, but what if Sky decides to take them back if you're no longer a subscriber....

Dish was on my house when I got there... so if Sky want to take the dish back they will have to pay an admission charge. And repaint my roof if it leaves marks that could rust.

But.. the hassle with set top boxes is that every TV in the house needs one if they want to watch different channels..

Its hard to watch one channel and record another if they both come via the set top box

It takes forever to change channels.. no quick fire surfing for me now

The same old crap will be on the telly anyway. I'll just go for a ride instead !

[bungbung]

And, from a technical point of view, how easy is it to run two decoders from the one dish?

Easy, splitter upstream of the decoders. As long as you've enough signal.
I have 6 decoders running off one dish (admittedly it's a big dish).

[Swoop]

And, from a technical point of view, how easy is it to run two decoders from the one dish?
Reading up on this today. There are "issues" with having a sky decoder and this new "thingamy" plugged in at the same time.

Analogue is supposed to be phased out within "5-10 years".... Tui?

[Krayy]

...But.. the hassle with set top boxes is that every TV in the house needs one if they want to watch different channels....
Here's the beauty of having a PVR...when I get the money together to get one...

You can record off of the Sky box on one channel, record as many free to air channels as you have Sat on Antenna recievers in the PVR (and it has fast enuff disks), and then stream them around the house (including pre-recorded) using either Coax or remote PCs (media centers).

Go gigabit home network!!!

[Krayy]

Reading up on this today. There are "issues" with having a sky decoder and this new "thingamy" plugged in at the same time.

Analogue is supposed to be phased out within "5-10 years".... Tui?

Only because Skys signal is oriented vertical and Freeview is Horizontal...go to Sky channel 888 to see if you have Horiz capability. Sky have (apparntenly) intimated that there signal will be changed in the next few months..

[Krayy]

Also go here: http://www.mypvr.co.nz

[limbimtimwim]

Coming soon to a television near you?
http://freeviewnz.tv/
One wonders why these people don't do a deal with Sky and TelstraClear, rather than rolling out yet another platform.It's not a bad thing to do. When more TVs have DVB-T (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVB-T) receivers in them from the get go, it will all make sense. It shouldn't add much to the cost of televisions in the short term, and in the medium term won't add anything at all because the required bits and pieces already sell at comparable prices to analogue tuners. It means better picture and sound. DVB also allows there to be more channels in the same amount of electromagnetic spectrum, my understanding is that 5 channels can use the same chunk of spectrum at a time. Sorry, can't quote my source as I don't recall it.

Also, SkyTV and the cable TV networks are semi-proprietary. DVB-S and DVB-T are standards and you can buy off the shelf bits to receive the transmissions if you wanted to.

[Hitcher]

OK, I understand the upstream splitter thing, but what if the signal is coming off a different satellite: two dishes needed?

[lb99]

what say I know a person who has a tv tuner card in his pc, that tuner card could be capable of intercepting and decoding a certain paytv companys UHF signal if the owner felt the need.
Now that tuner card has an input for cable tv, could this be used to decode freeview digital to save the need for another set top box?

[limbimtimwim]

Now that tuner card has an input for cable tv, could this be used to decode freeview digital to save the need for another set top box?Unless that plug is a DVB-T or DVB-S tuner, no. However, you could get a DVB-S or DVB-T card in that PC for less than $150: http://www.pricespy.co.nz/search.php?q=dvb . One geeky good thing about DVB is since that it is already essentially MPEG video, you don't need to encode the transmission as it comes in the aerial, you effectively are saving the transmission to disk when you record stuff.

You've been able to point a DVB-S receiver at the Sky satellite for a long time and get TV1 and TV2 un-encrypted.

[limbimtimwim]

OK, I understand the upstream splitter thing, but what if the signal is coming off a different satellite: two dishes needed?Doesn't need reaming or another dish, it is on the same satellite. Though freeview are discouraging the re-use of the sky-dish because sky own it.

But if you had a freeview tuner in addition to a paid up sky box, they couldn't really take issue, could they?

[SimJen]

Apparently Sky Basic (not advertised, as they don't like people subscribing to it) is $18.49 or somesuch, and you don't need to pay $300 for the set-top box. It gives you access only to the "free to air" channels.

Theres a lot more free to air channels on sky than freeview and you have the option of adding more if you want to watch the rugby/soccer/bike racing etc. for a month or two. Nothing says you can't sign up only for the seasons of your favourite sports. Thats what I do.

[bungbung]

OK, I understand the upstream splitter thing, but what if the signal is coming off a different satellite: two dishes needed?

If you want to watch a channel from a different satellite, you'll either need another dish so you could flick between the two, or to repoint your dish at the new satellite. Which is involved if you don't have a motorised dish mount and a controller with a location memory function.

[ManDownUnder]

yayyyy - at freakin last, some competition for rupert the wanker.

fkin sky - how dare they charge me for watching tv ads - now i can watch them for free. at least they're more interesting that the crap awful programmes on tv these days.

tv is dead - long live youtube

redtube you say? (NWS... *ahem*)