Freeview Box

[junebaby]

Hi there

I know my Freeview box won't pick up English TV but will it pick up French Freeview (if there is such a thing!).

Thank you

Vicki

[Will]

Yes, the French Freeview is called TNT. It works on pretty much the same system as the English transmissions, though different frequencies, so more recent Freeview boxes (i.e. virtually anything newer than the original On Digital ones) will also work in France

www.tnt-france.com will tell you if and when you are likely to get it, what channels you receive, etc.

Edit -  www.tnt-gratuite.fr is a bit more clear and up to date than the site above.

[Tim]

Yes, I agree - I bought over a couple of Sony IDTVs ( they've got a Freeview box built in) and they work fine on French TNT - also quite an old Grundig Freeview box - this behaves in a slightly strange manner, but nevertheless picks up the channels ok.

Regards - Tim

[Andrewjspencer]

I concur with Tim.

A Sagem freeview box purchased in Comet Dec 2005 works a treat in Calvados )altho TF1 drops out occasionally) and at the time was considerably cheaper than the exact same box on sale in Comet's French arm Darty.

regards

Andy

[junebaby]

Thanks very much - we have a Sony Freeview box we bought a couple of years ago which was in our daughter's room.  Wewill probably use it to pick up the free French TV - hopefully it will help us to improve our French!

Vicki

[Brilec]

[quote user="junebaby"]

 hopefully it will help us to improve our French!

[/quote]

You will love programmes like Le Morse, and le Starsky & Hutch just to mention but a few.[:D]

[Dick Smith]

And Inspector Derrick!

A few years ago we were staying with French families and they all wanted to know if we got Inspector Derrick in England - they loved it.

[Benjamin]

Yes, Benny Hill comes across very well in French. [;-)]

[Dick Smith]

The Land of Culture...

I should have been warned by my first sight of the net curtains.

[Mel Prett]

I got a box from bricomarche a year and a half ago and pick up all the BBC ITV and all radio stations + all free to air cost 79 euro inclusive dish. No problems.

Mel

[Will]

That must be a satellite box, rather than the TNT/Freeview boxes, which are terrestrial digital (i.e through an aerial).

[Cassis]

[quote user="Brilec"][quote user="junebaby"]

 hopefully it will help us to improve our French!

[/quote]

You will love programmes like Le Morse, and le Starsky & Hutch just to mention but a few.[:D]

[/quote]

What about that weird Starsky & Hutch theme tune "Starsky ... et Hutch  do-do-do-do-do-do,  Starsky ... et Hutch  do-do-do-do-do-do".  And "Huggy le bon tuyau"?

[Mel Prett]

Your right Will it was a satellite box.

Mel

[Martin963]

junebaby (and others) - do remember that rural coverage of TNT is incomplete in many many areas.   None of the low power relays have been equipped,  and many of the main stations have to wait until the proper switch over in about four years.   So the Lot may be very difficult for terrestrial digital.

[Jc]

According to Freeview in the UK,my house cannot receive a good enough signal thro' my aerial but I went ahead and installed a set-top box anyway-pictures are excellent.Where am I-wilds of Scotland?;N0-county town-30 miles from London.

[Martin963]

possibly because your location is "officially" within the service area of an analogue relay which hasn't yet been equipped with DTT,  but you have an aerial pointed at the main station (Crystal Palace from your description...?) with a clear view and no co-channel interference on the DTT frequencies.

The people who plot the coverage can't mind read as to what every viewer has actually installed, and those that are favourable sited.

The location in question in the Lot may be fine if it has line of sight to the Pyrenees (Pic du Midi de Bigorre) or possibly to Audrix (Bergerac tx - opened a month ago for DTT) AND the appropriate aerial on that tx is already installed,   but if say they are dependent on the Cahors relays or the even smaller village ones then they won't get DTT/TNT for a while yet

[Danny]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]junebaby (and others) - do remember that rural coverage of TNT is incomplete in many many areas.   None of the low power relays have been equipped,  and many of the main stations have to wait until the proper switch over in about four years.   So the Lot may be very difficult for terrestrial digital.
[/quote]

Martin,

any news of the proposed TNT channels by satellite which you have mentioned before... I would certainly appreciate being kept updated about developments as we can't get TNT here in this part of the Lot.

Danny

[Will]

The TNT sites linked above will tell you which transmitters have the service, and for those that don't, when they are likely to get it. But even if your nearest transmitter is TNT-enabled if you are in a poor signal area, e.g. in a valley or on the wrong side of a hill, you may not be able to receive the service.

Jc, I fully agree with what you say. Our English house is in a popular commuter town 35 miles from London. But Freeview is not available to most of the population (and neither, I understand, is DAB radio).

 

[Martin963]

@ Jane & Danny

Sorry - have been en route to France since last Thursday so have only just seen your message.

The plans for AB3 at 5 deg west are still progressing but they haven't

yet decided whether to use MPEG 2 or MPEG 4 and I doubt it will be up

and running before the end of the year.

However,  from 15th June you will (apparently) be able to get all

the TNT channels via Canalsatellite from Astra 1 but WITHOUT an ongoing

sub.   Specifically,  all the TNT channels are already

of course broadcast by CSat and you can get them at the moment via the

basic sub,  but from June you will be able to get a card and box -

apparently for about €50 + €20 - from CSat and watch TNT that

way.   It's of course in CSat's interest because rather like

with the C4/C5 card on Sky you will probably keep seeing messages about

upgrading (and paying!) for a CSat sub.

It seems they've stolen a bit of a march on the "official" TNT sat service on AB3.

I'm glad you asked because this am I have ordered Club Internet and you

seem to be the experts on French ADSL so I shall be picking your brains!

[Danny]

Thanks for the info, Martin

much appreciated.

By the way, I wouldn't say that I am an expert but I like to keep up with things here. I have been with Club Internet for 3 years now, 1 year with broadband and it has been pretty good. No complaints. However, my year subscription is nearly up and I am planning to ditch them and go with Free - essentially because it is 5 euros cheaper a month. I am still in two minds over whether to do away with the FT line and 15 euros a month cost or keep it just in case of problems....I am curious why you have plumped for CI though.

ask away if I can help

Danny

[Martin963]

Basically because I've opted for the engineer visit that CI

offer,  on the basis that if it doesn't all work first time (and

we're over 6 kms from the exchange) we will have a professional's

opinion to back us up when we go for resiliation.   I hope

that doesn't happen but I'm NOT going to waste time as a ping pong ball

between an ISP and FT,  and have read too many horror stories here

to have much confidence!

Having said that I believe that you can try and set it up yourself and

call the engineer only if you're defeated;   [email protected] not sure

about that but the lady to whom I spoke when ordering just told me to

ring the Client Services line when I had got the equipment,  so

maybe you don't get billed for the visit unless you actually order

it.   We shall see.....

But I appreciate your kindness on being on standby as it were!

[Danny]

Martin

watch out for the call charges when you call Customer services - it is usually 34 cents a min and counting...!!!

Danny

[carol]

Hi Mel[:)]

You said you bought a box, do you mean a freeview box or a satellite box and dish. I wonder can you view some British TV channels on freeview france TNT?

Thanks Carol[:)]

[Tim]

Hi, I'm not Mel, but I can tell you that there are no UK channels on French TNT - no offence, but why should there be? We don't have French channels on the UK's Freeview service.

If Mel is getting UK TV, then she must have bought a Free to Air satellite receiver - there are plenty of them in France.

Regards - Tim

[carol]

Thanks Tim[:)]

I do not have freeview in UK, so sorry about my iggnorance about free British channels on French freeview.

I have Sky in UK and one of the channels is the French channel, so I assumed that was on freeview here too, however you have now answered my questions. Thanks Carol[:D]