Advice needed in Bulgaria

[Debbieowen]

Can anyone give advice to a complete and utter idiot when it comes to satellites. I am an expat and live in central Bulgaria. I have been watching telly on Astra 28.2 E. I am aware that things are changing and do not understand any of it. I have tried looking on forums and it is all gobblydegook to me. Could anyone explain to me in the language of idiot what I need to do keep watching.

 

[Lazarus]

Move somewhat closer to England.

It will get worse, not better over the next couple of years.

New Satellites with the ability to shape (hence restrict) transmissions even more than 2D could.

 

[Analoguesat]

Hi Debbie, welcome to the forum.

This answer avoids the more technical stuff deliberately, Im trying to keep it simple for you.

The current satellites that broadcast the uk tv channels are coming to the end of their lives and are now starting to be replaced. the first new satellite in place is Astra 1N, recently launched and just going into service.

The transmission beam that carries the uk psb channels (ITV C4 & C5) are much tighter on the new bird, and various folks are having problems getting some of the channels on the new bird.

Hard to say exactly what you need to do as things are changing & will keep on changing over the next few weeks and months as channels are moved around. Things will change again in 2012,13 & 14 as three new satellites are introduced!

Which are the most important channels to you?

 

[Debbieowen]

Thank you for helping me to understand what is happening. The channel I watch the most of the 3 you listed is ITV. I do also enjoy a lot of the channels available on the multi room card. Discovery, History, FX . I have never been able to get BBC. I am in an unfortunate position as far as the computer goes. I live in a small village and broadband has not arrived here yet, I have looked into the possibility of viewing through the computer as I have located a company that I can get an English ISPN through but my download speed is far to slow.

 

[Lazarus]

Hello Debbie .............. sorry for the delay in further replies - as a new Member your Post went into a Moderation queue and I've only just found it (Sunday morning lie in!) and stuck in on the Thread.

Hopefully Analoguesat will see it soon and help further

 

[Analoguesat]

Did someone call?

Until you get broadband you have no chance of getting British TV via the internet. (I visited coastal Bulgaria a few years ago and loved it)

As you cant get the BBC channels on 2D you wont get the ITV channels when they move to 1N in the coming weeks.

Although you are likely to lose ITV &C5 in the next few weeks, you will continue to get many of the subscription channels - they will continue to be carried on the widebeams rather than the uk beams.

Have a look at the first post in this thread as well:

-http://www.satellites.co.uk/forums/astra-28-2e-astra-1n-astra-2d-fringe-reception-technical-discussion/134110-cant-get-astra-2d-heres-where-find-main-psb-channels.html, by using a little known trick on the box you might get one or two other channels to play with.

The post has been updated in the last few days and is current as far as the info we have atm.

The trick is by using Add Channels then watching the extra stuff via the Other Channels menu. (These can be found in the services menu)

 

[Debbieowen]

Thanks for the advice. I already have to use the other channels for itv, c4 as it does not come through on the normal place. Fortunately with the technomate box I can see the numbers I have to put in on the other box to watch them on other channels.
Would it make a great difference to the amount of channels I get on astra 2 if I had a larger dish?
I have friends who have broadband living close to us and they can get programmes over the internet. They have tried to put them on an external hard drive for us to watch. This has been BBC but it does not work. Is there a way around this.

 

[wod]

unfortuately not, if you are able to upgrade the dish to a much larger size then you have a better chance of receiving more channels but nothing is quaranteed to work with the new satellite changes going on at the 28east position.

where is your dish installed on a roof or garden ?

what channels do you watch ? because the likes of discovery, nat geo etc are in english on other tv providers. i have sky italia and alot of the usa shows are in english on fox channel which would be easier for you to receive.

 

[Analoguesat]

Thanks for the advice. I already have to use the other channels for itv, c4 as it does not come through on the normal place. Fortunately with the technomate box I can see the numbers I have to put in on the other box to watch them on other channels.
Would it make a great difference to the amount of channels I get on astra 2 if I had a larger dish?
I have friends who have broadband living close to us and they can get programmes over the internet. They have tried to put them on an external hard drive for us to watch. This has been BBC but it does not work. Is there a way around this.

Have you tried playing the stuff on the hard drive using the freeware vlc player - that will play almost anything. If that fails then there might be digital rights management stuff going on in the background.

 

[Debbieowen]

The dish is on a roof but I have a field at the end of the garden where I could put a larger dish. On reflection there are loads of channels I can watch already. I am just being greedy. lol
Thanks for you reply

 

[Debbieowen]

Analoguesat. Thanks for getting back to me but you are heading into the realms of complicated. I will have to google this to find out what it is. lol
As for losing ITV in the near future I am begining to come to terms with it. It's just dreadful thinking I might not see the X factor final and Dancing on Ice in the new year.
The trials of living abroad...
Thanks once again for your help

 

[Analoguesat]

VLC player:

-http://www.videolan.org/vlc/


A decent video player for your computer. (And free which is the best sort of price)

It'll play most video streams (and can be used for nifty video playing across a network as well for those that need it, although you wont).

GIve it a try and see how you get on.

 

[Debbieowen]

I have had a look at this and did not realise that I already have it on my computer. If you had said it had an icon that looked like a traffic cone I would have known. ( lol. I did explain we were in the land of simple here )
However I did not have this when I tried to watch a programme from BBC on my friend external hard drive. I will have a go and see how I get on.
Thanks again

 

[wod]

on the programs you have tried to watch right click on the file and choose "open with" and then select vlc media player.

 

[ralphmagno]

hello debbie,
if you are able to watch itv and ch4 there is a ch5 and e-4 as well if your card is active.
there is nothing for sure that anyone will loose ths as of yet.
being that those channels have on free view for years why have these extra channels encrypted??
there is 3 beams on astra 1n one is a spot bean for the uk only.
more than likely free view will go there and the others will stay where they are for some years to come.
if you ask me there should not be itv 1 and ch4 tv5,fiver five usa and e-4 on other signals and free fiew at the same time.
this has been there for over 5 years.
and it is not on 2d at all.
so this satellite will replace 2 d.
it is unknown if future satellites will be the same.
there are millions of expats,americans,and others that watch uk tv outside of uk.
this would put a big dent in sky's pocket to suddenly stop this.
we will have to wait and see that happens.
for now don't worry too much.
enjoy tv.
ralph

 

[robbiemcd]

the new satellite.bg package has quite a few hd channels now all broadacasting in english!

 

[Analoguesat]

hello debbie,
if you are able to watch itv and ch4 there is a ch5 and e-4 as well if your card is active.
there is nothing for sure that anyone will loose ths as of yet.
being that those channels have on free view for years why have these extra channels encrypted??

We already know the SD ITV regions on the widebeams will be moving Ralph. A second ITV 1N transponder will be fired up in the next few weeks.

C4HD has already gone, C5HD will disappear off the widebeam probably next summer, and the widebeam SD C5's will close next week when the 1N versions go fta.