Freeview & Saorview Channel Scan - December 2010

Reception of UK DTT (Freeview) and Republic of Ireland DTT (Saorview) services with a Metronic T2 Zapbox set top box.
This was a recording taken on the evening of Tuesday 14th December 2010. When the STB is tuned for the first time, the Saorview broadcasts are placed in the 800's because the setting of the software is to place UK channels in their LCN's. In this video, I've moved the Saorview television services into the 60's and the radio services starting from 730.
TV services are mostly between 1 and 99, the early 100's house MHEG text channels, the later 100's another couple of late-night chat channels. 301 is the BBC Red Button video stream for Freeview (Freeview only has one video stream compared to around six on satellite). Starting from 700 are radio channels.
There's no HD services for Freeview here at present, they will be available when the digital switch over takes place here at some point in 2012. There is one HD channel on Saorview, RTÉ Two, though currently their HD output is all upscaled (they plan to have some genuine HD material first with some live sport early next year, then when a new playout system is installed at RTÉ to handle HD) on channel 62 in this video - look for the HD symbol in the on screen graphics. There is also a temporary SD service of RTÉ Two here on Channel 65 (on Saorview approved equipment its LCN is 7) which will run until 18th April 2011 which is being provided for viewers with MPEG4 receivers that cannot handle HD. To be honest, the picture quality for this temporary channel is quite rough.
Reception for Freeview broadcasts is from the Brougher Mountain transmitter (E30, E34, E23, E26, E29 & E33) while Saorview comes from Truskmore (E53).

[@lawhec]

@ongchorcool They are broadcast on the UK DVB-T Freeview service from the Brougher Mountain transmitter site as mentioned in the description.

[@lawhec]

@ongchorcool I live in Northern Ireland. Freeview reception, including BBC NI, comes from a transmitter based in Northern Ireland while Saorview comes from a transmitter based in the Irish Republic.

[@lawhec]

@mrduffmagic This STB is not, as yet, Saorview approved although it could potentially be (if the appropriate software allows Ireland to be set as the country). The built-in EPG on this receiver has a 7 day guide available for all Saorview channels but there seems to be a bug in that the programme descriptions don't appear for these channels except oddly enough, the temporary RTÉ Two SD channel. The MHEG5 Aertel text service works fine on the RTÉ channels if a little slow compared to BBC RB.

[@lawhec]

@phoenix1916 you would also need to ensure you have a UHF aerial aimed towards a transmitter in the Republic that is broadcasting a Saorview service. A set top box or television certified for Saorview will be fine, a set top box or television certified for Freeview HD (not Freeview) should also be OK though there may be problems with subtitles, text etc. though general viewing is OK - you also might find the channels starting from 800 onwards, in my video I've rearranged the TV & radio channels.

[@antoniaford5478]

What song was that on 4Music?

[@jasonl5967]

My Bush DVB 680 has the same onscreen graphics as shown when the channels are changed.

[@phoenix1916]

Hi i managed to get my RTE set up but since the switch over i have lost channels i previously had eg quest, five fiveue film4 and music channels, about 20 in all, im the same transmitter as you, have you had this problem?

[@phoenix1916]

If i have a Mpeg 4 Saorview freebox can i pick up RTE TnaG TV3 etc in the North, now

[@ConorDuffyIRL]

Will this STB be able to decode saorview into 2012 including EPG and MHEG5 content?

[@NailHairCheer]

Do you have to pay any money?

[@ongchorcool]

are you staying in northern Ireland or great Britain how you receive BBC NI and soarview

[@ongchorcool]

@lawhec how you get ITV,BBC two,bbc three,itv and five