Canal Digitaal viewing card

[smeftahi]

Hello

Since it looks like canal digitaal are moving to Seca2 in May, does anyone know where I can obtain an official viewing card to be used in the UK.

Cheers

smeftahi

 

[2old4this]

All OFFICIAL Canal Digitaal viewing cards must be registered on a Dutch address, used by Dutch residents. If you ever see any "official" cards advertised for sale outside the Netherlands, then you can be sure they are not as official as they would have you believe. At the very least they have been procured in breach of contract.

2old

 

[smeftahi]

Cheers 2Old4this

Once I find someone who lives in holland that can buy it for me, can I simply use it with my Seca1.05 cam or do I need a decoder.

Cheers

smeftahi

 

[2old4this]

The new Mediaguard2 ("seca2") cards for C+NL are compatible with Aston 1.05. There have been some problems with the Echostar 7000 receivers in combination wuith the new card and Aston105, but Echostar have just released a new fix for that (and as far as I'm aware no such problems were reported on the 3000 series).

Incidentally, the new cards are also compatible in normal use with the older Aston 1.03 CI CAMs too, although that CAM will NOT support pay-per-view events (if Canal Digitaal ever finally introduce the ppv they've been promising for 2 years already...)

2old

 

[w hole]

Helo All

Just out of interest O.M. what is the cost of the service in The Nederlands?

Are there different packages?

Kind regards

W. Hole
[Surviving just about - Head due to come above water in the next few weeks]

 

[smeftahi]

Hi

This should u answer ur questions, errrrrm if u read Dutch that is.

It does look a lot cheaper than sky anyway, but u need to have an address in Holland.


http://www.canaldigitaal.nl/

 

[2old4this]

It is NOT cheaper than Sky. In fact, as I've stated many times before to apparently disbelieving audiences, Sky is extremely good value comparatively speaking. No other European market offers the range of channels and digital features offered by Sky.

Take the Dutch package for instance.
The "basic" package only gives you the two C+ channels - Rood & Blauw - plus the widescreen C+16:9 over and beyond the stuff that 95% of the country get on cable (and it in fact it gives you less since the cable packages include many channles - not least BBC1 & 2 - which are not available in the Dutch satellite package at all). For the 3 extra channels, you pay € 26,80 per month, being 19 of your earth pounds. By comparison, the "family" package from Sky gives more than a hundred extra channels for less per month.

The most expensive "Top" Canal Digitaal package here costs € 46,50 per month (GBP 33). That gives 19 channels and some games.

The Brits don't know they're born! They get time-shift variants of many major channels (Discovery+1, UKgold+1, etc); they get a vast array of music and sports channels; huge (and I mean HUGE) numbers of movie PPV channels.
And they get all those interactive features, games, shopping, multi-screen news, etc etc. None of that (except for a few games) is available from Canal Digitaal in Holland...

Oh, and it's all in their own mother tongue, too...!

2old

 

[rolfw]

Gotta say that you are spot on there 2old, Sky is almost universaly loathed by the hobbyist community (Perhaps mainly because it hasn't been hacked), but on a programme to programme basis probably offer at least as good, if not better value than most other European providers.

I, like many other subscribers would like to pay for only what I want to view, but in real terms, it ain't going to happen. It probably doesn't help that a lot of people lump the PPV freebies into the available hacked packages, but of course, they are not freely available to the legitimate subscriber, only at a cost.

 

[jimbo]

Aren't the cards available from here ?

 

[Old Satellite]

For those that have Iderto cams dont forget for the moment (Dec 2003 is the latest I hear) that with the acception of 16/9 and the X zone the package is still avalible on a 6/1 card or on a Irderto only gold card etc.

Incidently Genuine cards may also be purchased from several sources without a Netherlands address, how they do it though is some thing else!

Regards

Old Satellite

 

[Channel Hopper]

I, like many other subscribers would like to pay for only what I want to view, but in real terms, it ain't going to happen

If one took the time to look through the total number of channels available through Sky (not including BBC and the other terrestrial channels), you would find that it gives just over thirteen days worth of unique viewing for every 24 hour cycle. This could mean that each person subscribing has a choice thats thirteen times greater than they could physically watch on a permanent basis, but the rub is the amount of repeat shows (including news) , self advertising and shopping/holiday channels which brings the amount down to around nine and a quarter (a third of BSKYBs output is this stuff)

Add the point that a number of the channels are only on the platform to be viewed in this country (Discovery, Nat Geo, Cartoon Network, a smatter of foreign stuff etc) and the total amount of Sky exclusive only programming drops to about four days per 24 hour.

Remove the Sports channels brings it down to just under three, Sci fi lops another quarter day of, leaving one with the Premium movie channels and Sky One content.

You are right the amount of TV that is supplied within a fixed family package appears to be good value at under pound a day, but compared to the unique programme content one gets from the BBC and other terrestrial channels, its still a long way off.

But then the British people are now of the mind that paying for anything to be received is the norm. This is probably the greatest impact Sky has had on home entertainment, even advertising space is sold to the public.

Freeview I hope will redress the balance.

 

[jimbo]

Originally posted by Old Satellite
Incidently Genuine cards may also be purchased from several sources without a Netherlands address, how they do it though is some thing else!

Quite, hence my link above.

 

[smeftahi]

Yeah, how do they do it ???

What's the Initial admin £ 116.50 for ?? :-)

 

[jimbo]

Possibly for setting up the locations I suppose. In the case of French TPS though, that TV company are happy to deal with UK residents direct.

 

[hummaxboy]

hello

Sorry my english is not very well.But the channels in our packed
are nou still seca2 and the freechannels and channel + red and bleu are in irdeto available at this moment the exactly time when they will change is not know at this moment.
But we can still watch at the new card all channels at the moment
but it wil come soon there was a bug in the card and we hope
that that wil work .
thanks
hummaxboy
dutch;)

 

[johanlindstrom]

Do you need to order the "Set top box-pakket" (€ 15/year) to get the main Dutch channels (Nederland 1, Nederland 2, Nederland 3, RTL 4, RTL 5, SBS 6, Yorin, Veronica 8, TMF and Net 5)? Or is there a free FTV card available?

I've got a friend in Amsterdam that can help me, but I need some more info on where to get it and what to ask for.

 

[cjgall]

Do you need to order the "Set top box-pakket" (€ 15/year) to get the main Dutch channels (Nederland 1, Nederland 2, Nederland 3, RTL 4, RTL 5, SBS 6, Yorin, Veronica 8, TMF and Net 5)? Or is there a free FTV card available?

I've got a friend in Amsterdam that can help me, but I need some more info on where to get it and what to ask for.

Yes, you need a Set top box pakket card. Although I registered mine for € 15/year, as far as I know you do not need to do this. If you do not (re-)registered using the direct debit method, you must (re-)activate your card each year by phone (expensive 06 number) but you do not have to pay € 15. All in all its worth paying the € 15. Bear in mind that Canal Digitaal change there keys monthly so you need to tune to a channel such as SBS6 on a regular basis.

The easiest way would be to have your friend get a card from a satellite shop that allows him to fill out the form at home. He can then fill in your bank details etc (but not your address if outside the Netherlands). Be aware that the cards are not free, the cost € 65-70 (one off payment). I know this is off topic but maybe this is the way Sky should handle the UK FTA/FTV problem, i.e. sell Solus cards to those that want them at cost price (i.e. much less that € 65-70).

 

[BarMoo]

Incidentally, I read today that NOS are 'playing' with the idea of having their own Mini-pakket' as a result of the recent sale of Canal+ in Belgium to three wholly un-important companies.

Perhaps, there may well be a FTV card coming soon

As for the €65+ charge for a card? Does that include a CAM? Or, is it that the powers that be have worked out that even dutch ex-pats need some a few home comforts :-righton . I am a Brit and lived in A'dam for two years and dabbled with the idea of Canal Digitaal - albeit, I always thought that just for the FTA stations it didn't seem cheap compared to the FTV option (sic) that the UK offered at the time.

Have Fun,

Mark.

 

[cjgall]

I heard the NOS rumour too. It may be something similar to digitenne, i.e. after the Netherlands end all analogue transmissions, NED1, NED2 & NED3 will no longer be encoded, in other words they will FTA as is the UK's freeview.

I don't see a separate FTV card appearing for Dutch satellite broadcasts as the CanalDigitaal cards act as a FTV card (albeit a tad expensive) if you don't take out a subscription. As for the subscription packages offered, they are just not worth the extra cash.

The card does not come with a CAM although it should considering the high price. Even worse, the 'new'cards are in fact recycled ITN digital cards! Official Mediaguard receivers, like the Sky digiboxes have the CAM built in and are just as limited.
I use a Topfield box along with an Aston (Mediaguard) CAM for maximum compatability (although Magic CAM's with tetracrypt or pentacrypt also work) and an official viewing card, without subscription to any of the extra's. This costs me € 15 per year, thats all I pay. My Sky digibox which I use for viewing ITV, Channel 4 and Five is connected to the Topfields 2nd tuner loop through.

Its definately worth getting your hands on a CanalDigitaal card. As you no doubt know, the Dutch subtitle everything and many programs on the 10 or so main Dutch channels are British or American.

Here's a list of what you receive for €15 per year:
NED1, 2 & 3, BVN-TV, RTL 4, RTL 5, YORIN, NET 5, SBS 6, TMF, V8, BBC WORLD, EURONEWS, CNBC, CNN along with a number of radio stations.

All that for €15 per year is what I call good value!

Almost forgot, a TV guide can be found here:

http://www.veronica.nl/modules.php?name=satellitegids&site=satellitegids

or here:

http://www.tvgids.nl/alleprogrammas1.html

Bear in mind some of the series titles are translated, Wrekers = The Avengers etc.

 

[cjgall]

johanlindstrom:

Here's a more informative answer to your question:

Get a friend in the Netherlands to buy a card for you and arrange how you will be paying the card purchase costs and the yearly fee.

Have your friend fill in his details on the form that comes with the card. You are allowed more than one card so it doesn't matter if he/she already owns a card.

Have your friend note the serial number on the back of the card along with the phone number needed to activate the card and the send the card to you. The details should also be on his copy of the form.

When the card arrives insert it into your receiver (Must have a CAM with Astoncrypt (my preferred choice), tetracrypt or pentacrypt installed and then phone your friend and ask him to phone canaldigitaal to activate the card if its not already activated. Don't forget to point your dish at Astra1

If for some reason the card stops working then your friend will have to phone canaldigitaal to reactivate it.

Canaldigitaal cards do *not* need to be married to your digibox like the Sky cards do.
Canaldigitaal cards will not work in a Sky digibox, you need a mediaguard receiver or a receiver with UCAS or CAM.