Advice on equipment - F1 PPV from UK?

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F1 Mike

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I have spoken to various people on the net who have suitable equipment to recieve digital PPV F1 Grands Prix broadcasts from the UK,and I am determined to go this route as ITV does not give the greatest of coverage not to mention it misses 5 full sessions of action every race weekend.
I know one company who do digital F1 is Canal across several channels with selectable camera views etc,but need to collect more info on this and other channels who give a similar service.
I am technically minded,but do not fully understand most technical satellite talk,so I guess you could call me a clueless newbie:)

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated including pirate card info and the best sat system to go for,suitable for recieving 19.2E broadcasts.
I am aware there are many different encryption systems such as Mediaguard,Irdeto,Conax etc but first I need to know the advantages/disadvantages,and other available channels etc before I can decide on the best option,and best(but cheapest)equipment for the job.How many channels will be in English?How many specialist dealers will deal with pirate cards? etc.

Any info like this will be great,thanks!(and try not to make it too technical;))

Mike
 

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Dear F1

I watch most of the sports on the feeds that are uplinked directly from the trackside (the feed frequencies are advertised in both the usual places - Lyngsat and Satcodx), its just a case of having them stored in the receiver beforehand

If you are fixed on 19.2 East then you have to look at what equipment you have (you havent mentioned whether you are a true novice or whether you have some satellite kit as a starter)

You will of course be looking at using the system with an official pay per view card, supplied by the broadcasters subscriber management centre, so there should be absolutely no trouble with the law of the land

Seriously there are a number of broadasters putting far better coverage than that emanating from the UK, you will have to look at the programme schedules from the competirion to see what suits your viewing pleasure the best, and then chose the box / CAM/ Card/ emulator that continues to supply the programmes of choice

A lot of broadcasters will be changing the encryption systems presently used very soon, so this is also to be taken into account so that you dont lose out
 

ProDave

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Slightly off topic, but related to F1 coverage.

The German station RTL (or is it RTL2) show the F1 coverage free to air on Analogue Astra1 19.2 degrees.

The pictures are exactly the same as shown on ITV1 in the UK, but the comentary is in German.

I use it as a means to continue watching the race when the ITV1 adverts come on. I simply switch over to analogue satellite to continue watching.

If you want continued English comentary then tune in to radio 5.

So while watching a race, I usually have Radio 5 for comentary (via Sky Digibox and Hi-Fi) and alternate between ITV1 and RTL for the pictures.

Still doesn't help you with extra coverage of practice sessions, other camera views etc.
 
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F1 Mike

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I am a novice and no nothing compared to most of you who come in here,but I learn quick,and am good at teaching myself - I used to be the only member of the family who could set the vcr timer ...... at 6 years old!!:):):) (1989)
 

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F1 is the main reason I got into this, now I'm addicted! The multi-view signals are superior to the standard signal seen on ITV, with more cameras and of course you can follow the leader, in-car shots etc.

On 19.2E, the multi-view F1 signals are transmitted by Kiosque (French), Taquilla (Spanish), and I believe PW (Premiere World - German). On 13E, it's also available on Tele+.

Kiosque, Taquilla, and Tele+ are encoded in Seca, so for any of these you would need a Seca cam (I use Aston 1.05) to insert in a suitable digital satellite receiver, or it would probably be cheaper if you're starting from scratch to get one with a built-in Seca cam. PW is encoded in Betacrypt, which is a variation of Irdeto.

What seems to be the best receiver for flexibility is the Humax 5400 (I don't have one). It has an embedded Irdeto decoder, and an unofficially modified one is widely available in the UK which can also (with the right card) decode Betacrypt and Seca as well (and a couple of other types).

I have not watched F1 on PW, but I can testify that on other channels, there is a choice of soundtrack, either language of broadcaster or no commentary. I listen to Radio 5 commentary and from what I'm hearing, I'm sure those guys are looking at the multi-view signal as well.

When I watch, I set up 2 TV's, one wit hthe standard (ITV) signal, and the other connected to the satellite. Only problem is there is about a 2-second delay between them which is very disconcerting (probably there to make the commentators seem more quick-witted than the rest of us). I have even considered having a 2nd digital receiver to get around this.

It's very difficult to get official cards (maybe impossible?) in the UK, so you will probably have to rely on unofficial cards, and there is no guarantee that what is available now with these will be available all through the year (or even by March), but if you give yourself the maximum flexibility in your set-up, you lessen the chances of being snookered.

I could go on and on, but that's a starter pack for you. Feel free to ask me for more info.

Doodler
 
F

F1 Mike

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Marvelous:)
I was thinking the exact same thing with the 2-tv setup,and it would probably work better for me because I've already got ITV Digital:)

Anyways,this is fantastic info,thanx a lot!
A few questions:

*Do you know if the latest Nokia STBs are any good,and which models are spoke of with recognition the most?

*How many channels roughly can you get with the seca system on 19.2E

*Finally,for now,how much will a Humax 5400 cost combined with a good motorised dish?

thanks a lot:)

Mike
 

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Nokia boxes seem to be well thought of - I have a 9800s which works well with the seca 1.05 cam and will suit your needs. There are a few niggly problems with it though:
* it's slow to respond to remote control
* not great at interpreting the epg/timing information from all networks (I don't know if this is better with other receivers)

There have probably been other threads in this newgroup you can follow with recommendations on receivers

There are LOTS of seca channels on 19.2E including movies and sports - check out www.lyngsat.com or any edition of What Satelllite magazine

You need to check with local retailers about prices, www.satelliteonline.net is URL of Astratech, a well-respected dealer where Humax price is £349

Doodler
 
F

F1 Mike

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[updated:LAST EDITED ON 27-Jan-02 AT 04:50 AM (GMT)]cheers mate,I look forward to the new season
Incidentally,Sky have just bagged the rights to F1 PPV,but I'm still getting some decent kit - it won't cost as much as the box office in the long run:)!!
Thanks for the info
 
G

Guji

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Hi All

I thought I knew a little a about sat digi tv, but after reading this thread I now know that the little I knew is even less. So I was wondering of any one could help me out, I now live and work in Switzerland
And I have received some excelent feed back on how to manage to get SKY digi in Switzerland.
I was thinking of bringing my digi box over from uk and buying a bigger dish for a stronger stable signal. .However after reading this thread I am not to sure now what to do should I buy one of theses systems I mean am addicted to F1 too must watch each race and has to be live too With new F1 PPV I am determined to be able to view this channel. I mean I never knew aboutt Humax or Seca before . I don`t mind spending a little money in order to be able to view.

In a nutshell I want o be able to view the new F1 PPV channel I am not looking for doggie cards that will work for a 3moths or so and then be useless what ever it costs I will pay in order to watch F1 live and via the new PPV channel howver if there are ways then I am always open to suggestions to save money Please could someone help me out on :

1) What is the best solution bring my old box over from uk or buy new complete system
2) Where I can get the complete packge form including the viewing card and (if possible)
3) The best way to go abouts instalation or just get the guys I buy it off to set it up.

Please any info would be greatly appreciated I am getting desparte for a solution as it now Thursday and even I miss the PPV for the first race ok I will live. But I must see the race live at least

Thanks

Guji

PS sorry for the lenth of this post
 

rolfw

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If you go the same route as ProDave, you could end up with quite a cheap solution. Take your Digibox with you, buy an analogue receiver in the UK, price £10 or so, set up a dish with 2 LNBs, one pointing at Astra 28.2 and the other pointing at 19.2 (for the analogue RTL) and providing RTL continue to show the races you will have coverage.

Rolf
 
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