UK Freesat closer to launch

Satdude

Satdude

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UK Freesat closer to launch

The Digital TV Group, the industry association for digital television in the UK, has moved a step closer to helping deliver a common test specification for Freesat, the subscription-free digital service from ITV and the BBC.

Freesat will offer more than 200 channels and services including high definition television to consumers across the UK for a one off payment, no contract, no subscription. Digital TV Group testing centre, DTG Testing, has been chosen to conduct the essential conformance testing for Freesat compliant receivers in order to deliver a high quality service to consumers. DTG Testing's facilities will ensure consumers get best value and services when they buy digital television products and services.

Along with other Freesat technology partners, Siemens, Arqiva and eventIS, the Digital TV Group will work to deliver the technology required to implement the Freesat service.

Richard Lindsay-Davies, director general of the Digital TV Group, said that a common specification for service and receiver conformance was critical to the success of advanced digital services as it provided the framework for a vibrant and stable market. "In addition, consumer trust in the brand is vital and knowing that DTG Testing is defining the test requirements for all of the products necessary to bring Freesat to market will go some way to ensuring this, he added."

Freesat's first wave of chosen manufacturers (Humax, Panasonic, Sagem and Alba) will need to ensure their devices meet the Digital TV Group's future-focused test regime for Freesat, pass the rigorous DTG Testing procedures and sign up to the Freesat trademark licence. By doing so consumers can be confident of the reliability and high quality of the Freesat compliant equipment they purchase. Emma Scott, Freesat’s MD, said that discussions were taking place at IBC in Amsterdam with a second wave of manufacturers.

Regards Satdude.
 
think satdude has shares in the company lucky blighter. but very good info. think 200 channels is a little OTT myself orginary 80 is mooted some HD channels such as BBC and ITV and Channel 4. maybe BBC2 and 2 news channel run by ITV and BBC 24 hours... We wont know until they announce the date. My bet its March 30 th or the first day of spring.. \Notice Pace was not on the list or Amstrad/funei
Get the impression its a European EEC freesat not a UK one..mmmm think there could be stormy waters ahead on this
 
you can have a million channels, its gonna be no good if sky still has all the aces.

200 channels of old black and white films... great!!
 
Freesat has a future maybe only a short one.say 5 years... But could make Sky very worried. there will be other satellite tv companies out there.. Another thing how much is sky being hit by the recession in the USA.. they own Fox ,20th century,and sebveral major newspapers. Do they own any large areas of real estate i wonder..
 
flashgordon1952 said:
think satdude has shares in the company lucky blighter. but very good info. think 200 channels is a little OTT myself orginary 80 is mooted some HD channels such as BBC and ITV and Channel 4. maybe BBC2 and 2 news channel run by ITV and BBC 24 hours... We wont know until they announce the date. My bet its March 30 th or the first day of spring.. \Notice Pace was not on the list or Amstrad/funei
Get the impression its a European EEC freesat not a UK one..mmmm think there could be stormy waters ahead on this
Click to expand...

Do we have any idea what the footprint might look like??
Geoff
Cyprus
 
geoffreys said:
Do we have any idea what the footprint might look like??
Geoff
Cyprus
Click to expand...
I think the footprint will be the same as it at the moment - with channel 4 and 5 moving to astra 2d, so it is out the reach of people like yourself on foreign shores (if you can already get astra 2d with that monster 2.4 nothing will change).. Other channels without copyright issues will be on the same wider footprint as the sats at that position already offer:-reindeer
 
Should have some money left after christmas after i sign up with sky i will have a dish for freesat already. so as soon as the boxes become available. will get one.. Haveing two dvd recorders one will be connected to sky then the other will be connected to freesat . I am not shure whether i will use the built in freeview . Time will tell. originary thought of connecting the freesat to the spare tv in the bedroom. but have shelved the idea. as i might not ever get out of bed. i wonder when we will know what channels have signed up other than the ones we know already. i assume all the ones on freeview plus several HD channels.... Roll on march.
 
kip said:
I think the footprint will be the same as it at the moment - with channel 4 and 5 moving to astra 2d, so it is out the reach of people like yourself on foreign shores (if you can already get astra 2d with that monster 2.4 nothing will change).. Other channels without copyright issues will be on the same wider footprint as the sats at that position already offer:-reindeer
Click to expand...
Kip
we can pick up the Beeb etc in Cyprus using a 4.2 metre dish but cannot pick up channels on 2D which are on the Vertical signals.
 
flashgordon1952 said:
Freesat has a future maybe only a short one.say 5 years... But could make Sky very worried. there will be other satellite tv companies out there.. Another thing how much is sky being hit by the recession in the USA.. they own Fox ,20th century,and sebveral major newspapers. Do they own any large areas of real estate i wonder..
Click to expand...

I don't think real estate is a problem with such a big international company, but a recession caused by people having their houses reposessed because of rising interest rates will have an effect. But, TV is one of the things even the poorest people have, so they might not be as badly affected as other businesses.
 
flashgordon1952 said:
... Sky.... they own Fox ,20th century,and sebveral major newspapers.
Click to expand...

I think you will find that Sky don't own any of the above but that they are all owned or part owned by the same company - News Corp
 
What will be so special about Freesat when it launches apart from channels 4 and 5 going FTA?

The rest is all viewable with any FTA receiver currently available on the market.
 
But they don't have a decent EPG or 7 day programme guide at present. That's part of what Freesat iis all about.
 
kip said:
I think the footprint will be the same as it at the moment - with channel 4 and 5 moving to astra 2d, so it is out the reach of people like yourself on foreign shores (if you can already get astra 2d with that monster 2.4 nothing will change).. Other channels without copyright issues will be on the same wider footprint as the sats at that position already offer:-reindeer
Click to expand...

Freesat will completely move on Eurobird 28,5E, so please don´t spread romours about Astra 2D. Read it here _http://www.astra2d.com/freesat.htm where it says that Freesat will in March 2008 move on Eurobird 28,5E which is available in the most areas in whole Europe, not only Britain.
 
Unfortunately, I think you'll find that both you and they have misinterpreted the information.

It is highly unlikely that the BBC and ITV channels will move from 2D, as the reason they moved there in the first place was to restrict the footprint and negate the reason for encryption. Moving to 28.5 and a wider beam, would make no sense whatsoever.

Please give authoritative links to the information, apart from the clip you've linked to above, which specifically state that ITV and BBC channels will move onto Eurobird.
 
I have a feeling that they may use some form of encryption on certain channels when it launches according to the Astra website they have still not decided this. This could mean they may not be restricted by the smaller footprints.

w*w .astra2d.com/freesat.htm
 
Yes, but again you are not linking to an authoritative source, an interested one maybe, but not the horse's mouth.

The main channels (BBC, ITV etc) will not be able to encrypt, as that would then make them unavailable to people using Sky digiboxes in the UK, the outcry would be enormous.
 
interesting, could they not use some form of soft encryption that could be opened to sky viewers as well? or have specific versions of those channels on specific frequencies. There are already multiple regions of those channels broadcast.


Guess we only need to hear from the beeb or itv. I just have my doubts that they would put all the channels FTA, or people may not buy the specific freeview equipment, which is how they will make their money.
 
I know what you mean, the information has been sketchy to say the least. It is unlikely that a soft encryption is possible, as it would have to be compatible with NDS Videoguard and I'm pretty sure that Freesat would not move in that direction. Also, I think that by now we would have heard the news that a major encryption company had done the deal.
 
mdlyons said:
Guess we only need to hear from the beeb or itv. I just have my doubts that they would put all the channels FTA, or people may not buy the specific freeview equipment, which is how they will make their money.
Click to expand...

Good point, but I think what they are hoping is that the majority of people know or understand very little about sat receivers and will therefore just pay to have the equipment installed for them.

Mention satellite tv to most people in the UK and the first thing they will reply with is Sky.
(unfortunately, they know no different)
 
Don't think the receiver choice is an issue to most people, if I was only able to watch Astra 28.2 and had a choice of using the Sky+ box, or the Dreambox, there would be no hesitation, the Sky+ box would win hands down, with its more than 7 day, easy to read EPG, series link recording functions etc.

I guess that the Freesat box will have similar functionality and compete easily with other FTA boxes.
 
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