equipment needed to access French tv programmes

[Clementine]

Some years ago we had installed, here in the uk, a large satellite dish and using a Prima by Pace analogue box we could get TF1 FR2 FR3 M6 and ARTE with excellent results.

Due to family circumstances we did not use this equipment for about 18 months.

I recently tried to get these channels again and nothing worked. I wondered if it was a result of France going digital or equipment failure.

However I have now discovered that the bracket holding up the satellite dish is very rusty and one arm has completely snapped in two so I have to get an aerial installer in pretty quickly before the whole thing crashes down.

I suspect that if I want to get my French channels now I will need all new equipment. Can anyone let me know if my present set-up is still adequate (providing the satellite dish is still valid) or has everything now changed ,or is it likely to change in the near future due to digitalisation.

If getting equipment from France is an option, I will be going over there soon and could bring stuff back. ( I have a French address and bank account if that is relevent)

I would be very grateful if someone could advise me.

Thanks.

 

[AlphaOm]

Hey Clémentine,

First of all, by all means do get that dish sorted asap. Sounds very dangerous indeed.
Regarding your French TV channels, you have a few options.

1) If your dish was still firmly attached to the wall and still aimed at Atlantic Bird 3 (5W), you would still receive your analogue channels (TF1, F2, F3, C+, Arte/F5, M6). However, those channels will be gone within the next few months due to the digital switchover.

2) You can acquire a Fransat pack from any French supermarket and you will get all of the French TNT channels (about 20 channels). Your dish will still have to be aimed at 5W.

3) You can get a TNTSat pack (=receiver+card) from any French supermarket, and you will need your new dish to be aimed at Astra 19E. You will get the same channels as the Fransat option, but you will also have the option to subscribe to any CanalSat channel or pack in the future if you want to.

Both Fransat and TNTSat are subscription-free. The TNTSat option requires a card change every 4 years or so, but it is easily done if you have an address or family over there, and costs only a few euros.


There is no need to register either your Fransat or your TNTSat card. Activation is done by the box, without any need to ring anyone.
Hope this helps.

More info:
_www.fransat.fr
_www.tntsat.tv

PS. Might be a good idea to get a new dish and definitely a new lnb when the installer comes in, as your equipment sounds quite old. You'll get great results with a 60cm dish, since you are in South Wales.

 

[Clementine]

Thank you very much Alphaom. That was really helpful. I will ring someone tomorrow to get the dish down, then look at your suggestions to see which one would suit me best.

 

[Analoguesat]

If you can get an old discarded Sky digital dish it will do fine for the analogue channels at 5W for the last few months of their existence - they close in November when the last French area goes all digital.

 

[Lazarus]

Great advice given earlier.

There is one other, marginally limiting option if you don't want to obtain boxes with cards: France 2,3,5, Overseas and Arte are freely available from 5W with just a cheapo supermarket generic Digital Satellite Receiver. Not TF1 (Digital) though - albeit that is free on yet another Satellite at the 9E position. Also mighty strong in UK.

 

[Clementine]

Oh dear! I have browsed both Fransat and tntsat sites and they both say that in order to protect programme rights these programmes can only be viewed in France and they enforce this by encrypting. I am sure there is a workround for this as so many people are using the system here in the uk. So how does one overcome this? I presume there is some sort of password or code.

 

[sonic1]

I am using a TNTSAT card in a Vu Duo pointing at 19e, I payed about £40 for the card.
Have you checked the for sale section here ?

 

[Huevos]

Oh dear! I have browsed both Fransat and tntsat sites and they both say that in order to protect programme rights these programmes can only be viewed in France and they enforce this by encrypting

When you buy the receiver in the French supermarket the encryption card comes with it, and self activates just by inserting it in the receiver.

Not TF1 (Digital) though - albeit that is free on yet another Satellite at the 9E position

That's TF1 Suisse, not France. Unlike the French version it has the added bonus of an original version sound track (lots of stuff in English).

For anyone who is interested here is a grab of my French FTA bouquet.

 

[AlphaOm]

Oh dear! I have browsed both Fransat and tntsat sites and they both say that in order to protect programme rights these programmes can only be viewed in France and they enforce this by encrypting. I am sure there is a workround for this as so many people are using the system here in the uk. So how does one overcome this? I presume there is some sort of password or code.

Don't worry, Clémentine. Huevos is right. Just get yourself either a Fransat or TNTSat pack from a French supermarket, and provided your dish is aimed at the correct satellite, there is nothing more to worry about. The information on the website just means that selling those packs outside France is not authorised, that's all - although legally speaking I am not sure where they stand, considering the European Market laws. Anyway, don't worry. I got my TNTSat pack from a French supermarket, and never had any issue with it.