BBC Prime Package

[HB13DISH]

Here is the BBC Prime package details.
Note 10/12/2008:
The subscription form is not available anymore on the BBC Prime website. Contact them directly to see if a DTH service is still available

[iframe]http://www.satellite-newbie.co.uk/sat1/bbcprime.htm[/iframe]

 

[HB13DISH]

There are several factors that determine the channel quality.
- Video resolution
- bitrate (or bit rate) for video and audio
- Provider name

I finally managed to install a plugin for a bitrate viewer (v1.30) for DM7000S (thanks to mhku) and it is very helpful to show the bitrate of every channel (not sure about HD) both FTA and encrypted.
I tested with official smart cards and the results are the same before and after inserting the card.
So I am confident that the bitrate reading is correct for a certain channel, even if it is not open.

A quantitative measure can help to understand why a certain channel looks great and another is not so good.

I tested BBC Prime and BBC World (FTA). See Table below
est.=estimated

(It would help to have the possiblity to insert a table in the reply box)

It is apparent now why an official smartcard for BBC Prime would give you a better video and audio quality than relying on the local providers.

Channel Name Provider Resolution Video bitrate (kb/s) Audio bitrate (kb/s)
----------- ------------- --------- ---------------- ----------------
BBC Prime Globecast UK 720x576 4400 256

BBC Prime Sky Italia 544x576 (est.) 2100 160

BBC Prime Cyfra+ 720x576 (est.) 3500 192

BBC World Globecast UK 720x576 4000 256

BBC World MediaSet 544x576 1800 128


When I have time, I will try to compile similar tables for adult channels (if this would be of interest )

 

[rolfw]

You can type as a table and use

 tags around the text, this should retain formatting.

 

[HB13DISH]

Thanks rolf.
It doesn't seem to work for me. There must be a better way.

Attached pdf file instead.

 

[HB13DISH]

BBC Prime on Hot Bird 13E is FTA over the last couple of days.
Over the past few years, this channel became FTA before Christmas and until the New Year, perhaps it is their way of a season's gift.
I can't guarantee that the same thing will happen this time.
Enjoy it while it is still FTA

 

[HB13DISH]

BBC Prime has discontinued the Teletext service.
There are now fewer language subtitles options than before:
All the Scandinavian language subtitles that were accessible from the teletext pages have gone.
Using the remote to set up the subtitles shows fewer languages now:
Italian, Polish, Hebrew, Romanian, Hungarian?
As an over priced one channel package with endless repeats, my personal opinion is that the teletext service did have an added value to the whole package and I am sorry to see that it has gone.

 

[HB13DISH]

The DTH subscription form shown in first post is no longer available in the BBC Prime website.
When I checked the website, I can't see any information about a personal subscription.
They have probably discontinued this possibility and rely only on the local providers in the respective countries.

 

[perthkenny]

I emailed BBC Prime about 3 weeks ago to enquire about a subscription, and they replied that it is still possible to subscribe to the DTH service.
Cost is the same as your previous post, but you would also need a "red" CAM for your box.
Frankly, the price is truly ridiculous just to get one channel!

BBC Prime is still available on Sky Italia, and this is the route on which we have gone.
Cost for Sky Italia was....65 euro which included the first 3 months subscriptions, the box, the card, and the men came to our house to install the dish.
For the first 3 months we have all of the Sky Italia packages except pay per view movies, then we will choose 2 packages plus "news", e.g. Entertainment, World and culture plus news. The monthly subscription will be 15 euros per month.
The Sky package of course includes BBC Prime.
I can't see how anyone from outside Italy could subscribe in this way, as you need to give a valid Italian address so that the installers can visit to install your dish, (they also bring the card), or if you don't want a dish, the card is posted to you. You also need to produce I.D. and an Italian bank account detail to subscribe.
Good value for money viewing, though.
BBC Prime, I think, will eventually be withdrawn and replaced by the four new BBC International channels, BBC Knowledge, BBC Entertainment, BBC Lifestyle and CBeebies.
This has already happened on Polsat, and I think now on the Scandinavian package.

 

[HB13DISH]

Thank you perthkenny for your input.
If they are still doing the DTH service, then you have at least another 12 months of service as the subscription is for one year and I doubt if they would stop the service without giving an ample notice.
Also they changed recently the encryption and I doubt if they are going to discontinue it that soon.
Not sure why the Scandinavian countries, Nova (Greece) and Cyfra+ (poland) have left it out of their package, but it is still on the Yes Israel package and there are no plans to add the other four BBC channels mentioned in your post.
Glad to see that you have taken the Sky Italia route to get the BBC Prime, but I have a feeling that they have (Sky Italia) too much American content and less International (European, Middle-Eastern, Asian, etc) culture variety, except offcourse the original Italian works.
Let us have your feedback in the Sky Italia section in few weeks time.

 

[Zorba]

BBC Prime is also on the Orbit package,which should be a cheaper alternative. Last time I did one it was $40 per month.

 

[HB13DISH]

BBC Prime is also on the Orbit package,which should be a cheaper alternative. Last time I did one it was $40 per month.

Sorry Zorba but how can $40 per month be cheaper than the BBC Prime DTH which is only few pounds a month (85 pounds + VAT annual subscription)?

 

[Zorba]

BBC Prime on its own is pretty lame and shows a lot of repeats and a lot of my customers say its not worth 100 sterling a year. Orbit as a package is okay with movies,documentaries,kids etc

 

[HB13DISH]

BBC Prime on its own is pretty lame and shows a lot of repeats and a lot of my customers say its not worth 100 sterling a year. Orbit as a package is okay with movies,documentaries,kids etc

OK, I agree with you that this channel is not worth what they charge annually.
I think that they should make it a lot cheaper for renewals after the first year as there is hardly anything new.
Or to make it FTA so that viewers can use it to improve their English if they
don't subscribe to a local provider.
Yes Israel Basic package also have BBC Prime and costs ~ $40 as well.

 

[perthkenny]

I think that BBC Prime will indeed be retired sometime in the near future.
Here is a "copy and paste" from the Wikipedia article on BBC Prime.


Phasing out of the brand
See main article: BBC Entertainment

In September 2006 it was announced that the BBC Prime brand was to be phased out, replaced by BBC Entertainment, one of a number of new international channels planned by BBC Worldwide. BBC Worldwide's Managing Director of Global Channels, Darren Childs said: "BBC Prime will disappear as a brand. It is something we can do better. It was too non-specific. BBC Entertainment will do what it says on the tin."[4] To date, BBC Prime is still available in Europe (except Poland) and the Middle East, but will be replaced by BBC Entertainment in Scandinavia in December 2008.[5]

copy and paste ends.

One could speculate that the BBC Prime DTH subscription would simply "morph" seamlessly to BBC Entertainment and its 3 sister channels, and the other providers eg Sky Italia and Orbit would stop showing Prime and change to Entertainment, as Polsat has done.

4 for the price of one seems like a better deal.

 

[perthkenny]

Actually, many of the programmes on BBC Prime from Sky Italia automatically display Italian language subtitles.
I have not been able to disable the feature, and can only assume they are a Provider setting, but clearly they are an educational tool, as Italians can watch programmes in English audio with Italian subtitling to help them to learn English; but it works the opposite way for us- we can watch and listen in English and see an instant translation in Italian onscreen, to help us learn Italian.

 

[A1ikou]

Hi all, I seem to have completely lost the BBC Prime website here in Greece and keep being directed to BBC Knowledge that doesn't list Greece/Europe as an area option.
Anyone know why? Have we lost BBC Prime and acquired Knowledge/ Entertainmant instead? The programmes work fine and everything still says BBC Prime. I'm confused...

 

[HB13DISH]

Hi all, I seem to have completely lost the BBC Prime website here in Greece and keep being directed to BBC Knowledge that doesn't list Greece/Europe as an area option.
Anyone know why? Have we lost BBC Prime and acquired Knowledge/ Entertainmant instead? The programmes work fine and everything still says BBC Prime. I'm confused...

No problem here when I select Region as Middle East or Israel.
Looks like an updated website since last week.
The region selection is probably to make sure that the programing timing is correct for the viewers.
Which URL did you use?

 

[A1ikou]

Ok, on my PC I can find the website (and yes very new style) but Greece hasdisappeared from the country list. My new Apple doesn't find it at all? I used Google to search as always and first on the list is 'select country'. Always worked before. (Excuse me for not being more technical savvy!)

 

[HB13DISH]

Ok, on my PC I can find the website (and yes very new style) but Greece hasdisappeared from the country list. My new Apple doesn't find it at all? I used Google to search as always and first on the list is 'select country'. Always worked before. (Excuse me for not being more technical savvy!)

What does it really matter?
BBC Prime was on Nova and now they dropped it few months ago.
So it is obvious that as they don't have the service in Greece, they are not going to assign it in their select region menu.
As I said before, the only reason is to give viewers the correct time for their programming.

 

[Zorba]

BBC Prime was never on Nova,you were getting the hacked version. On Showtime BBC Food has changed to BBC Lifestyle,still many cookery programs but some doing house up programs thrown in,but no Eastenders.