Channel 4 HD to start on Freesat
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Channel 4 and Freesat today announced that Freesat HD viewers will soon be able to enjoy Channel 4 HD when the channel launches on the subscription free satellite TV service in April.
Channel 4 HD becomes the fourth HD channel on Freesat joining BBC One HD, BBC HD, and ITV1 HD.
Freesat Managing Director Emma Scott said: "This is fantastic news for Freesat. C4HD is a high quality channel and we're sure it will prove popular with our discerning viewers.
"The addition of a fourth HD channel makes Freesat an even more attractive offer for savvy TV viewers looking for quality TV without monthly bills."
Help with Free satellite?
In this section
Saturday, 2 April 2011
G
George Buchanan1:53 PM
Same here - I get the Eurobird transmissions too but none of the others I get are HD. Something is amiss though, because I receive all the other free HD transmissions but maybe that's because all are on Astra. I would hope the professional dish alignment would be accurate, not least because they use professional grade equipment. Maybe I'm too far north.
| link to this comment |
M
Mike Dimmick5:45 PM
Reading
David, George Buchanan: the only DVB-S2 transponders on Eurobird 1 are this one carrying C4 HD, and another at 12726V. LyngSat.com is showing that it broadcasts a BT Tower HD test card on stream 54515.
If your receiver has trouble with that, it may be that it's not able to handle the DVB-S2 mode they've used.
You should also check whether you can see the SD channels on 12643 H and 12643 V. If there's a problem here, there'll be a problem on C4 HD as well. Most likely this would be caused by too long a run of cable, poor quality cable, or damp in the cable - higher frequencies travel less well than lower ones.
Also check whether anything over 11700 MHz is watchable. Try BBC News or BBC Parliament. If those don't work, something could be blocking the 22 kHz tone that the TV uses to tell the LNB to switch to high band.
Tech detail: the LNB does the first stage of tuning because the very high frequencies used directly by the satellites just won't carry on the cable. It has two 'local oscillators' for low and high band, at 9,750 MHz and 10,600 MHz respectively. The signal on the cable is the satellite frequency minus the local oscillator frequency, 950 MHz to 2,150 MHz. These are chosen because they're above the UHF TV band, so you can carry UHF TV and satellite signals on the same cable.
It occurs to me that these intermediate frequencies are pretty close to the mobile phone bands. If you have a 3G phone, which uses frequencies in the region of 2.1GHz, make sure it's well away from the TV!
| link to this comment |
Mike's: mapM's Freeview map terrainM's terrain plot wavesM's frequency data M's Freeview Detailed Coverage
M
Mike Dimmick5:50 PM
George Buchanan: It looks like southwest Scotland is still within the highest contour on Eurobird's fixed beam's footprint.
Eutelsat satellites : EUROBIRD 1 satellite at 28.5 degrees East
I don't think you'd need a bigger dish. (RG47SH)
| link to this comment |
N
NottsUK7:20 PM
Mike Dimmick: The BT Tower 1080i50 HD test card on frequency 12726 V, with the SID of 54515 went encrypted a couple of days ago, so now all you can see is a blank screen.
| link to this comment |
G
George Buchanan8:02 PM
Mike Dimmick: Hard to see much detail from such a small map. I'm in the Western Highlands, near Glencoe, which I wouldn't include as being in SW Scotland. If this is the problem, my remark about C4 being due a smack stands! Presumably, they chose the method of delivery and should have considered the UK as a whole as they are a UK wide broadcaster.
| link to this comment |
G
George Buchanan8:50 PM
Mike Dimmick: I found a more detailed zoomable Google map of the footprint on a site called Satbeams which shows that I am within the main footprint of Eurobird 1. Presumably, this indicates my normal dish size is indeed adequate. Must be something else causing the stuttering video on C4 HD.
| link to this comment |
Sunday, 3 April 2011
D
David9:42 AM
I have had the dish round to Astra 1 at 19deg E and tuned to Eins Festival and other HD DVB-S2 programs and I recieve them ok.
So there is something about CH4 HD that is not compatable.
| link to this comment |
G
George Buchanan11:12 AM
David: Indeed. Maybe some of the expert contributors to this forum can suggest likely reasons. If it is the skew, then the point about C4 using a peculiarly fussy set up seems valid because no other station that I view display anything similar.
| link to this comment |
N
NottsUK12:03 PM
I know this isn't much help but I have a Panasonic DMR-BS850 Freesat receiver fed from a 50cm dish and the Channel 4HD picture is rock solid on my TV. I think you can disregard the transmission method that Channel 4HD is using and concentrate on the signal path from the LNB to the TV screen.
| link to this comment |
G
George Buchanan12:24 PM
NottsUK: If you are right, then the point about a 'fussy' delivery method still seems valid because some viewers will have to investigate their installations (probably at some expense) just for a single channel. Is C4 HD on the Freesat EPG yet? If it is, and 99% are not experiencing problems, then some of us are just unlucky regarding our set up and will need to decide if a single channel is worth the hassle and expense of receiving it.
| link to this comment |
Select more comments
Your comment please