BBC satellite services moving to Astra 1N on 24th February 2012
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV As Astra 1N will be providing the services on the same frequencies with the same parameters, no action will need to be taken by Sky and Freesat viewers, but any programmes being recorded by Sky+ or Freesat+ devices during this period will be disrupted.
The following services are affected:
- BBC One (including all National and Regional variants)
- BBC One HD
- BBC Two (including all National variants)
- BBC Three
- BBC Four
- BBC HD
- CBeebies
- CBBC Channel
- BBC News
- BBC Parliament
- BBC ALBA
- BBC Radio 5 Live
- BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra
Details from BBC - About the BBC: Changes to BBC services on satellite on 24th February 2012.
Help with Free satellite?
In this section
Friday, 6 April 2012
A
Alex5:31 PM
sorry,you mean they are getting Sky in Cyprus from 1N ?
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Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Y
Yorkiebar12:07 PM
Hi Briantist what do you mean by a generic free satellite box
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M
Mike Dimmick5:11 PM
Yorkiebar: There are satellite receivers on the market that haven't signed up to Freesat's EPG and branding. They simply implement the basic DVB-S/S2 and MPEG-2, MPEG-4 video decoding specifications. Because they don't download a broadcaster-provided EPG, you have to tune them in yourself. They can show any service that conforms to the standards, which is broadcast unencrypted (aka 'free-to-air').
A Freesat-branded receiver does all that the generic free satellite box does, but also downloads Freesat's EPG, therefore automatically tunes in all the services that Freesat advertise, at the channel numbers that Freesat advertise. A Sky box downloads Sky's EPG and does the same, plus passes encrypted channel streams to the viewing card to be decrypted. (Actually, Freesat boxes often have CAM slots to allow a decryption module to be plugged in, and would pass any encrypted channel to that CAM, but Sky will not allow CAMs for their encryption scheme, and no UK channel is encrypted with any other scheme at present.) Both EPGs carry not only the next several days of programme information, but also content-delivery flags that signal a recorder to start recording when a programme actually starts.
For German channels there is no advantage to using a Freesat-branded receiver. Since the dish is pointing to a different part of the sky, it won't be able to pick up the Freesat EPG. Some Freesat receivers do have a 'non-Freesat' mode where you just tune it yourself, but others won't work at all if they can't find the Freesat EPG.
There are other free EPG providers in Germany, for example tvtv. Boxes sold in Germany are designed to download the EPG from one of these providers. They may also support the 'HD+' service, which are encrypted but have a much cheaper annual access fee. The cost of the first year is included in the cost of the box.
More advanced receivers support the DiSEqC (Digital Satellite Equipment Control) standard, to control switches and even motorized dishes. That can allow you to connect both a dish pointed to the UK satellite cluster and one pointed to the central-European cluster to the same box. You can also set up one dish with multiple LNBs to collect the signals from more than one satellite cluster (the dish and LNBs have to be positioned so that the signals from one cluster bounce off the dish to one LNB, and from the other cluster to the other LNB).
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Thursday, 24 May 2012
J
Jeremy10:23 AM
Is it known if/when all channels currently beamed from 2D will be moved to 1N? Is there any chance that signals from 1N may in future be picked up in western Cyprus?
Thank you.
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N
NottsUK12:39 PM
Jeremy: All the channels from Astra 2D switched to Astra 1N earlier this year. There is now nothing being beamed from Astra 2D.
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Tuesday, 12 June 2012
A
Andre8:15 AM
CAN anyone please let me know if there is a system or a digi box (not associated with internet)I can buy to get the UK CHANNELS BACK on our sky satellite system which was working perfectly until the digital changeover.We have a large satellite dish sky box etc AND WE LIVE IN CYPRUS.
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M
Mike Dimmick7:21 PM
Andre: The most likely fix is to get an even bigger dish. The free UK channels are deliberately broadcast from a satellite aerial whose footprint covers the British Isles only. Any coverage of Cyprus is accidental 'overspill', it's not intended by the broadcasters. They claim they'd have to pay much more for broadcast rights if anyone in Europe could (easily) receive it.
The ongoing digital switchover process only affects terrestrial transmission, it doesn't do anything to satellite broadcasts. The 1N satellite was introduced because the previous 2D satellite was getting old - running out of fuel to maintain its position - and had limited capacity. They took the opportunity to get a tighter beam in some areas, possible with the newer technology.
Astra 1N isn't actually designed to serve its full life at this position, and the new transmitting dish was probably designed for a different purpose. When the true replacement, 2F, goes up later this year, it may have an even tighter footprint.
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Wednesday, 8 August 2012
J
James Boyle 9:30 PM
Hello UKfreetv,
Good evening!
Appreciate to know how one can watch SKY UK channels/packages in Vienna, Austria.
We have access to ASTRA 28.2.
Many thanks and best wishes
Dr. James Boyle
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Friday, 28 September 2012
D
David Green8:42 PM
Any luck so far James, I'm considering a sat instal, and would love to catch some uk home channels. I'm located 70km to the east of you in Trnava Slovakia. i would be is anyone can please offer some advice.
Many thanks
Dave G.
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Friday, 12 October 2012
Thank you everyone who has posted here. If I am ever able to retire (to some Greek island), I would sure like not to miss the BBC!
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