French Satellite TV reception in UK??

[Martin963]

Hi Danny

Mine is on 1.0050.    It demanded a download from the satellite fairly soon after being installed.

I know that a number of people have complained about buggy software,   I hadn't read up on it as much as you so I'll investigate downloading from the website,    although for the moment it's working fine.

Thanks for the pointer though....

I'm keeping an eye on the Humax situation,   they are generally a good make but have not been without their software bugs -  certainly we've had an irritating one on our Freeview PVR where it constantly demands to scan for new channels even though there aren't any -  a known problem but it hadn't been sorted out after three months back in the spring.

[Danny]

Martin,

version 1.0050 was rushed out for the World Cup football in 3D on TF1 and seemed to cause a lot of problems for many and the 1.0060 on the website is much more stable but also not without bugs...

Danny

[Martin963]

Thanks to you Danny,   just updated to 1.0060 this morning.   A very simple procedure.

When I think back some years to updating a Technomate,  needing a serial lead with "crossed" connections,   then later a USB to serial converter.....

This was a doddle in comparison.

[Martin963]

I daresay that the answer to this isn't known (Danny?) but.....

If you record a programme on the Simba onto an external HDD or onto a USB stick,    then I know that it will only play back on the Simba;  in other words you can't watch the progamme on a computer.

But can you *store* the programme on - say - a DVD or a different HDD (or different USB stick) and then (having copied it back from say DVD to HDD or USB) watch it as normal?

In other words,  could I record a show here in France,   put it on a DVD RW(unwatchable I know) for convenient transport back to Britain,   put it back onto a different HDD,   plug that into the Simba and watch the show....?

I suppose the answer is that I ought to try,   I suspect the copy protection might kick in....

[Danny]

Hi Martin,

it gets a bit complicated as the Simba does not work under a Windows system but a UNIX file system which handles and edits files in different ways but....

assuming you have a Simba in France and another in the UK....

you could record your program, copy all the disc contents to a disc and then back on to a different drive and watch it. You have to copy all the files relating to the program and the menu structure, I think.

Much more simple would be to record on to a USB flash drive (for example, 8 GB drives pretty cheap these days - £10) and stick it in your pocket and when you get back to the UK put it in the Simba and off you go... no problems with any protection.

regards

Danny

[Danny]

[quote user="Martin963"]

If you record a programme on the Simba onto an external HDD or onto a USB stick,    then I know that it will only play back on the Simba;  in other words you can't watch the progamme on a computer.

[/quote]

You can watch quite a lot of programs recorded a flash drive or HDD on the computer by browsing the disc contents and renaming the files from a .trp format to a .ts format.

say you recorded Blah blah in France, you will have a file called blahblah.trp on the disc. Rename this blahblah.ts

These can normally be played with VLC media player no problem. This will only work if the programs are not encrypted though.

If they are encrypted you can still watch them on any Simba. I would make sure the software versions are the same though!

Danny

[pachapapa]

Still undecided whether to go DVB-T or DVB-S but at least the terrestrial situation is clearer. After trawling through all the TVCenter software and drivers compatible with a legal reinstall using the original licence key and in accordance with the implied transfer of utilisation rights under the terms of the EULA; at a cost of € 7.[:)] The Version 4.94 works best on the netbook, it is the last version in 32 bit before the Version 4.99 incorporation of 64 bit and a 200 MB jump in size of set-up folder.

In line of site to the Amailloux mast  with the netbook and the "tooth-pick" aerial 28 "chaines " were picked up of which TF1 has the strongest signal and Direct 8 the weakest. In addition 4 HD channels were identified. All in all rather satisfied with last sundays car boot €7 outlay and the skilled bargaining down from the €10 starting price.[:)]

[ericd]

Sorry for bringing the post to its original topic   :-)   i have bought and received (at work) my new demodulateur Fransat that I will try first thing Monday evening. Watch the space !!!.....hehehehe ....Watch ...The ...Space...!! Nearly as good as English humour !

[Martin963]

Let us know how you get on with it ericd;   I know I shall be in trouble if it isn't what you'd hoped for!

Danny - thanks,  will have a play in a few days time with both encrypted and unencrypted material.    At the moment we're moving a lot of tree debris around following a visit from our "man with the chain-saw".

[Martin963]

Danny - have just tried it out in preparation for a full test on the "Last Night of the Proms".

However,  whilst the USB memory stick (8 GB) records fine,   and VLC player does open the file after renaming,  it only plays for a few stuttery frames on the computer,   before jamming (although the play cursor continues smoothly on its passage to the end of the file,  I just recorded half a minute).

Brilliant picture quality,  but as I say just a few jerks and then "mortibus" as the Perigordins say.

I wonder whether I've got an old version of VLC or whether my computer isn't fast enough.   Eventually VLC announces it has a problem and is sorry it's having to close.

Presumably yours doesn't do this....?

Incidentally,  have you tried this

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2010/audioexperiment/

It's very very good.

[Danny]

well, I haven't really done that much playback on PC but it has mostly played fine. I only really tried for testing purposes and to see if I could manage to make a DVD from a recording - which I did after a lot of hassle.

When it didn't work it usually says something like 'unsupported file format' or 'file corrupted' or somrthing like that and I assumed this was for any programmes encrypted....

Danny

[Martin963]

I'll have more of a play later today,  thanks Danny.

[Martin963]

Well I've tried copying the *.ts file onto the computer HDD and installing the latest version of VLC.

A considerable improvement but still it stutters badly on any sort of panning/zooming movements.

But the picture quality (both moving and the stills that result from the stuttres) is stunning;  you really can study the individual expressions on people's faces.

Tried on Wendy's more up to date computer but still the same stuttering.

Interesting experiment though.

[Danny]

maybe worth some more test recordings in HD and SD of free to air and not FTA on various sats if possible just to see what results you get.

A good Winter evening pursuit....

Danny

[Jako]

I use "project-x" (free) to demux, cut etc a .ts file  and a free dvd authoring utility to create a dvd from the demuxed basic audio/video/txt/subtitle  files. Both work fast and the two combined can create a dvd in minutes.

VLC should play a .ts file perfect though.

[Martin963]

Thanks Jako.   I wonder if my stuttering problem is simply down to the computer having (I assume) a standard video card (or whatever it's called) that simply won't run at the necessary 9.7 Mbps required for the BBC HD channel.

I haven't tried SD yet,    will do that when I've finished moving branches.

Now have TWO bonfires side by side as we can't reach high enough to go on stacking the normal one.    We'll probably have to break a few by-laws and fire them one night soon when the dew is down and the pompiers are all in bed.

[ericd]

Reporting on my set-up success !!!

Followed the easy to use instructions Et voila !!!! all channels working well, I even have every single FR3 local stations. More than enough programms to keep me awake for many hours. Signal strength and quality 99% (all this in Whitley Bay, slightly further North from the Watford gap!).

Thank you all for your support.

[Martin963]

Delighted that it's up and running. 

So now you too know that any restrictions on territorial rights are all in the minds of those oh-so-precious lawyers.

Vive la revolution.  Vive Fransat!

[pachapapa]

In UK use of FRANSAT box almost certainly a purely civil matter covered by the Amstrad double VHS kit giving tuner and recorder in one nefarious box encouraging copying VHS tapes, the case was lost by the music mafia. Slight variation on the if you buy an object capable of killing yourself the purveyor of the dastardly object has no responsibility for your suicidal tendencies.

In france however things are very different and encouraging "autruis" to circumvent the zonal rights of transmission and reception of sat TV is not so blameworthy.[:)]

[ericd]

Does this make me an outlaw?????[Www] ....Do I run the risk of being ejected from this forum??

[pachapapa]

[quote user="ericd"]Does this make me an outlaw?????[Www] ....Do I run the risk of being ejected from this forum??[/quote]

R.G. are watching you.[:P]

[ericd]

[quote user="pachapapa"]

[quote user="ericd"]Does this make me an outlaw?????[Www] ....Do I run the risk of being ejected from this forum??[/quote]

R.G. are watching you.[:P]

[/quote]

 

I wondered what that car was doing parked outside my house since last night....

[Martin963]

@ Danny (as you're so well-versed in the ways of the Simba).

Last night I recorded something off German Radio while we were out using the Simba and a USB memory stick.

It has turned up under "MesAudios" as a 160 MB *.tra file along with a much smaller *.tra.idx file.

Well I thought I could just rename it as an mp2 file (or .ts as you had for the video/audio file) but it isn't so simple as VLC won't have any of it.

What I was hoping to be able to do was convert what I assume is an mp2 file (ie the sat audio) to an mp3 file on the computer and move it to my very cheap mp3 player.

But I've fallen at the first hurdle.

And you'd think audio would be simple.

Have you any ideas perchance....?

[Pickles]

[quote user="ericd"][quote user="pachapapa"][quote user="ericd"]Does this make me an outlaw?????[Www] ....Do I run the risk of being ejected from this forum??[/quote]R.G. are watching you.[:P][/quote]I wondered what that car was doing parked outside my house since last night....[/quote]

It's not the cars that you should be worried about: it's the black helicopters ... What's that noise outsi...?

[Danny]

Martin,

sorry, no idea how to or even if it is possible.

You could try renaming it with every possible audio extension you can think of - ra, rm, au, etc etc and see if you can find a program to read it

how about real audio? it may be linked to a .ra file?

Keep you occupied in the Winter!

Danny

EDIT EDIT sorry I meant Real player