Freeview Box

[keith.p]

I am impressed with all the replies regarding TVs , you lot are very clued up so I am hoping someone will be able to help me please.

We have a TV and a DVD player at our house in the Vendee ( brought over from UK ) can I buy a Freeview box in UK and plug it in and get TV programs or do I have to get a system in France.

Thanks

Keith . P

[Quillan]

A UK one won't work in France. The system in France is called TNT and recieves French TV programs.

I rather suspect you want to watch UK TV programs in which case go to your local Brico Depot or simular and you can buy a digital reciever and dish for as little a 60 Euros and get you local guy to set it up for you which will cost around 100 Euros. You will then get all the normal BBC and ITV channels plus Film 4 and many more. If you don't want to get Sky TV (subscription TV) then there is no longer any need to buy Sky box's anymore.

[Martin963]

I'm going to get a reputation for nit picking aren't I -  but in fact in this case UK sourced DTT (freeview) boxes designed for terrestrial reception DO work in France for picking up French TV;  the only exception is that many of the original OnDigital boxes won't work, 'cos they can't cope with the French digital symbol system - it's either 2k or 8k they can't do (and I'm ****** if I can remember which without digging out the tech specs).

In this particular case it's sensible to buy in France,  but in general if you have a modernish Freeview DTT box in the UK then it is suitable for France (assuming you live in an area that is covered - coverage is not as extensive in France as it is in the UK).   In the Vendee you have a good chance of reception if you are already using the Maisonnay (Niort) or Haute Goulaine (Nantes) transmitters;  however re-reading the maps (hence the edit) I notice that there's an area in mid-Vendée which is not covered.

The TNT subscription services planned for France may well use MPEG 4 in which case a UK box wouldn't get them,  but it wouldn't anyway because the encryption system will be different.

As Quillan says,  if what you are actually after is British progs then a satellite system is the only way - a Freeview box will only pick up French progs once it's been moved to France. 

[DAVEF]

Hi

I am in south Vendee (La Tranche sur mer) and just use a normal Pace sky box with no problem.

I normally  receive all the freeveiw Tv and Radio Channels but strong winds we had a couple of weeks ago must

have moved the dish out of allignment so not receiving all at present.  

 Dave.  

Sorry . Your talking about terrestrial freeview box.

 

[Martin963]

It is extremely confusing in terms of terminology.

Free to air - no encryption whatsoever   (Freeview DTT in the UK,  BBC & ITV services on satellite,  analogue terrestrial TV (apart from Canal +)

Free to view - encryption applied but a one off payment card can be obtained (C4 and C5 on satellite).   This willl also shortly apply to the duplication of the TNT French channels on satellite to illuminate all the hexagone - a card will be available but the channels will appear encrypted on a FTA satellite receiver.   Youo'll need a receiver capable of decoding the encryption used (probably Viaccess)

Freeview - the UK DTT service  (excluding top-up-TV which is subscription)

Freesatfromsky - the scheme were Mr Murdoch sells you a box and installation (including card for C4 and C5) but there is no ongoing subscription.

TNT - the French equivalent of UK DTT,  although Canal + and others are encrypted,  so the comparison is more like UK DTT with top-up-TV thrown in

Have I missed any - let me know!

[Bob T]

Just try to remember that a freeview satelite dish can see the satelite, but a digital terrestial freeview box cannot see the transmitter aerial that is in the UK unless you can see Dover from where you live. So the answer has to be that the freeview box may pick up some French channels but it has not got a cat in hells chance of picking up UK TV.

[Quillan]

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]

It is extremely confusing in terms of terminology.

Free to air - no encryption whatsoever   (Freeview DTT in the UK,  BBC & ITV services on satellite,  analogue terrestrial TV (apart from Canal +)

Free to view - encryption applied but a one off payment card can be obtained (C4 and C5 on satellite).   This willl also shortly apply to the duplication of the TNT French channels on satellite to illuminate all the hexagone - a card will be available but the channels will appear encrypted on a FTA satellite receiver.   Youo'll need a receiver capable of decoding the encryption used (probably Viaccess)

Freeview - the UK DTT service  (excluding top-up-TV which is subscription)

Freesatfromsky - the scheme were Mr Murdoch sells you a box and installation (including card for C4 and C5) but there is no ongoing subscription.

TNT - the French equivalent of UK DTT,  although Canal + and others are encrypted,  so the comparison is more like UK DTT with top-up-TV thrown in

Have I missed any - let me know!

[/quote]

I must be different because I now have a French digital box and the only thing I can't get is 4 More and 4 More +.

[Martin963]

But Quillan presumably you can't get C4 and C5 or any Sky subscription service on your "French digital box" (I assume we're talking satellite box here).

Or am I missing your point?

[Quillan]

Sorry I didn't explain. I used to have a Sky box with a subscription and then I closed my UK bank account and it carried on for two months then they pulled the plug on me which is understandable. I did actually post on the forum that I wanted to know how to 'turn off' the Sky channels so I didn't have to keep using the menu to get to the free view channels and was told you can't, it's such a pain in haris. My mate told me to get a French box from Leroy Merlin and I can select or move channels around so they come one after another and I can channel hop just by pressing the back and forth buttons. As I said I get all the UK stuff excluding obviously Sky channels and More 4 or whatever it's called but I get all the rest including 5USA (I think thats what its called but on a Sky box it's channel 207).

The only reason I changed over was for convience, even wth a Philips Pronto you can't program it (Sky box) to jump from one working channel to the other. Hope that clears up any mis-understanding.

[Mikew]

If you travel with a computer, USB plug in digital television sticks work equally well in UK (Freeview) and in France (TNT). The only problem is getting a good signal if you use the mini antenna provided.

 

[keith.p]

Thanks guys for all your suggestions , we only go over aprrx every six weeks so I think I will just keep taking the kids some DVDs,

Keith.p

 And may I be the first to wish you all merry christmas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! theres a frightening thought.

 

[Martin963]

@ Quillan

I see now!   I don't think it is by accident that so many useful features have been excluded from Sky Digiboxes by their manufacturer!   But it is a complete pain that they are designed the way they are....

[Gyn_Paul]

Yes, and some of us with REALLY old Pace boxes, find that every time there is a software update, the box displays a new and exciting set of bizzare faults.

This week's latest is a goody: when you press the [TV Guide], then [All Channels], i.e. show me everything, rather than just a single category, it says, "No programmes of this type exist"

Good eh?

p

[cooperlola]

Anybody sussed how to get More 4 etc without a subscription yet?

[Martin963]

Well I was surprised at Quillan's mention of More 4 not working FTA 'cos I had assumed that all the channels in the C4 stable (apart from C4 itself) were completely unencrypted.  But he's 100% right.   Pulling my Skycard out did indeed extinguish the picture.

We can only hope that channel 4 will eventually break free from the encryption shackles it lumbered itself with when it started on Astra 2.  In those days the broadcasters thought the world would collapse on them (in the form of the rights police) if they weren't encrypted to prevent non-UK viewers tuning in,  but the BBC's move from Astra 2A to 2D seems to have taken the wind out of the right-holders' sails,  and still left more than adequate signal strengths in France and the Benelux. .  And thank goodness.

I read somewhere that there was little hope of C5 going FTA because Murdoch has a stake in it.   But as no-one ever seems to mention it maybe no-one watches it.  I know we are always disappointed in the few things we watch on C5,  but then being old fuddy-duddies we don't like all this "bigging up" of otherwise mediocre programme material.

 

[cooperlola]

I take it that's a no then Martin?[:)]