Northern Ireland "mini multiplex" (NIMM)
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV A special service for 80%-90% of households in Northern Ireland will see three Freeview additional channels being available. These will be:
- TG4 - Irish language television channel - Teilifis Gaeilge
- RTE Television: RTE One
- RTE Television: RTE Two (in HD on Saorview)
Some homes will be able to receive the services directly from the Saorview transmitters in the RoI (see SAORVIEW - Ireland's free digital television service ), and others will, from the digital switchover date of Wednesday 24th October 2012, have a service provided from three Freeview transmitters in Northern Ireland.
- Brougher Mountain at 2kW on C30 (
speculativlyC30) - Black Mountain at 1kW on C39+
(speculativly C48) - Carnmoney Hill 16w on C48 (
speculativlyC48)
However, you will not be able to view these services using a standard-definition Freeview receiver - a Freeview HD box or set will be required. It is not known at this time if the NIMM will carry RTE2 in HD, as per the Saorview service. TG4 and RTE1 are broadcast in standard definition at the moment.
The requirement for a Freeview HD receiver is because the services are being broadcasting in "D-Book Option 11", which uses the DVB-T2 standard ("a new mode, option 11, is being planned for a multiplex in Northern Ireland. Receivers should be able to switch between these automatically", D-Book 7, DTG164 is defined in appendix G as: FFT size 32k, 16QAM modulation, 1/128 guard interval, PP7, FEC 64800). Digital Television - Technical guidance on the availability of TG4 in Northern Ireland after digital switchover says that Option 11 is: DVB-T2 16QAM FEC 1/2.
Update: DVB-T2 16QAM FEC 1/2 provides a bitrate for the multiplex of 12.77Mb/s.
Update: DVB-T2, QPSK modulation, FEC 2/3, 32K carriers, 9.954 Mbit/s.
Help with Freeview, aerials?
In this section
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
It's probably worth noting that the proposed Local TV service for Northern Ireland is going to be on C30 at Divis.
"Ofcom have projected that a local television service for Belfast including Lisburn could use an Interleaved Frequency on the Divis transmitter using C30".
See Local TV on Freeview - new Ofcom maps | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for the map and First 20 Local TV sites | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for the site announcements.
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Peter Henderson11:26 PM
There's also a local TV station currently broadcasting to the greater Belfast aerea Brian, Northern Visions TV on channel 62.
I'm not sure what will happen to them after 24th October 2012 (will the transmitter shut down ?). I would imagine they may possibly submit an application for the local licence on Freeview.
TG4 is also broadcasting from Divis on channel 58 from a low power transmitter. I assume this will also shut down at DSO ?
I wonder if this means the NIMM will start on the 24th October 2012 ?
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Peter Henderson: The only recent document that mentions Northern Visions http://www.northernvisions.org is this Ofcom consultation - http://stakeholders.ofcom….pdf (Closing date for responses: 19 March 2012).
*ALL* analogue services in both the RoI and NI close on 24th October. As I said above, the NIMM will start transmissions on that date.
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Wednesday, 8 February 2012
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Warren Wilding12:33 AM
Briantist, Whilst in an earlier post you mention that the aerial group of the Black Mountain transmitter is group B, this refers to the low power (and low down the mast) Divis Relay which covers the area where Black Mountain shadows out coverage from Divis. The C5 TX is at the top and although C37 is group B, it is also just within Group A feasibility. The RTE minimux if it comes from Black mountain will more than likely need to be in group for group A as it will be intended to cater for quasi-national coverage.
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Warren Wilding: Yes, that's why I wrote "Black Mountain is group B, but the Divis is group A..."
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Carl7:42 PM
Brian, Mike and Cush, thankyou for your input on this site I must apologise if I seem a bit blunt when asking about the mini mux as for a year or more I have tried to find out what was happening as customers have been asking and I have been frustrated by different documents and lack of information.
I would assume that a test signal will have to be up and running shortly on Black mountain and with the local mux on Divis?
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Thursday, 9 February 2012
Carl: As will the digital switchover in general, there will be no test signals. The service only will have allocated frequencies from the start date and will start then.
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Friday, 17 February 2012
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U12:28 PM
It is a certain sign og progress on the political front in Northern Ireland when tv transmitters for Irish tv can be located within the six counties.When Claremont Cairn tv transmitter was under construction,24/7 security by Irish police and army was on site to guard against loyalist threats.Proximity to the border led to outrage from unionist politicans.Now it is wecomed.
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Ronan1:37 PM
has Kilkeel started in digital yet..i.m in Dun Laoghaire and could recieve Kilkeel analogue.. will i be able to reciev3e digital too from thisw transmitter?
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Ronan: No, Kilkeel is broadcasting only the four analogue channels (no digital). At switchover it will broadcast "Freeview Light"; that is Public Service Broadcaster multiplexes only.
On Wednesday 10th October BBC Two analogue will be switched off and BBC standard definition TV and radio channels will come on air. Two weeks later on 24th October the other three analogue channels will go off and the other digital services (UTV, ITV2, C4, E4, More4, C5, HD channels and some others) will come on air.
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