02/07/09
Eutelsat backs 3D and satellite broadband
While TV remains the bread-and-butter for Astra and Eutelsat, the growth in income from new channels demanding satellite capacity has started to slow down.
Satellite operators plan so far in advance that they've already built in capacity for high definition TV and need something more to attract investors.
Eutelsat boss Guiliano Berretta sees the next wave of growth coming from 3D HD and broadband-via-satellite.
"3D is a real revolution. We are creating a specialisation in shooting and transmitting it. Normal TV has a limit,” Giuliano Berretta, chief executive of the company, told the Financial Times.
07/05/09
Major problems with top-up TV boxes
A software download on Sunday caused some Top Up TV boxes to stop working, requiring a hard disk format or a software revert to permit the box to be used again.
Thomson DTi6300 boxes, the first generation of Top Up's DTRs, were affected by the download in what a Top Up TV representative described on the Digital Spy forums as an "extraordinary" event "of great concern" to the terrestrial pay TV company.
"As most of you will have read (and possibly experienced) there was an issue with the Sunday morning EPG download that caused a problem on the first generation DTRs," the Top Up TV staff member posted.
"We've found that either a hard disk format or software revert recovers the situation.
"We're obviously very concerned to determine what caused the issue. We've been downloading EPGs every day since launch without issue so yesterday's problems are extraordinary and of great concern to us.
"I'd like to pass on Top Up's apologies to anyone affected by this issue."
Because the fix involves wiping the box, any recorded programmes on the affected DTRs are lost.
28/03/09
Get ITV HD with your Sky+ HD
The channel can be found by entering 11.427GHz as the frequency, Horizontal polarity, 2/3 as the forward error correction (FEC) and 27500 as the symbol rate.
38,000 boxes were updated this week as part of a staggered rollout of the new high-def programme guide to compatible receivers which is expected to be completed in the next few months.
03/02/09
Film4 changes channel on freeview
Film4 will move from channel 32 to channel 15 today, 03 Feb.
Most Freeview boxes and digital TV's will automatically update the channel's location, but some will require a retune.
15/01/09
CNN & Russia today launch on freeview
News channels CNN and Russia today are being launched on freeview this week. To recieve these channels you will need to scan for new channels. CNN is currently USA and Hong Kong based but is planning a European news office. Russia today is a Russian state owned news channel but is broadcast in English with English speaking prersenters.
27/12/08
TV's set to go up in price!
TV manufacturers have issued a warning that prices of TV's and other AV goods will have to go up in 2009 because the pound is so weak against Far Eastern currencies.
Japan's manufactures and exporters are struggling with the effect of the high value of the Yen on export costs, and a strong Won is making life tough for South Korean manufactures as well.
The falling prices that we have seen in recent years are likely to end when current stock sells out after Christmas, and UK retailers will have to increase their prices on AV equipment for the first time in years.
21/12/08
Freesat+ now available
The much awaited Humax freesat+ is now available in Comet, John Lewis and Argos for just under three hundred pounds.
Features include:
320GB hard drive, allowing you to store up to 80 hours of HD programming, or up to 200 hours of standard definition shows 8 day electronic programme guide, for easy one touch viewing and recording Series linkrecording Live pause and instant rewind Option to record programmes in standard and high-definition when shows are broadcast in both formats Split recordings for two-part programmes (interupted by news etc) Digital text and interactive services
13/12/08
Freeview receivers and TV's that wont work after the Digital Switch over
Digital UK has published a list of digital TV freeview boxes and integrated digital TVs which won't work after your local digital switchover
Most of the products date back to the early days of ONdigital and ITV Digital, and the early days of
Freeview
They were designed for 2K transmission mode, not the more efficient 8K mode which is being brought in for Digital Switch over. All recent receivers support both modes and will automatically switch between them
A list of set top boxes and TV's that wont work can be found on ukfree.tv blog
10/12/08
BBC want to bring forward Freeview HD
Ofcom is looking into whether some analogue frequencies can be allocated to Freeview HD to allow more regions to receieve the service from 2009 following a request from the BBC
At present only the Granada region is set to get the HD TV service through a digital TV aerial from next year, a further change to the frequencies takes place later to allow other regions to receive it by 2012