Freesat Competitor

I

irart

Regular Member
My Satellite Setup
Sky Freesat in UK,
Astra 1 ana/dig in UK
using Technomate -5000 DAPCI,
Astra 2 South Beam and Eurobird in Spain.
My Location
Cornwall, UK
I see that Freesat is to have some direct competion starting next February. It's called Real Digital and has a similar channel lineup to Freesat but with the addition of pay to view channels. You can find details of this at _www.realdigitaltv.com
 
irart said:
I see that Freesat is to have some direct competion starting next February. It's called Real Digital and has a similar channel lineup to Freesat but with the addition of pay to view channels. You can find details of this at _www.realdigitaltv.com
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I'm afraid the former Rapture TV, Broadcaster (Failed), appears to be closely connected to this venture and is promoting it on other Forums.

Freesat, however, is not a competitive business, a point that many seem to fail to acknowledge, perhaps because it doesn't suit their interest. It's merely a facility to enable people who choose Satellite, or who have Hobson's Choice in the matter, to carry on viewing after DSO.

The proposed platform is being supported by Fortec Star (an appropriate marriage, perhaps) and is supposed to be able to offer what hitherto are wholly unspecified additional features over and above Freesat.

Any true competition is really with BSkyB.
 
It's very much a web site under construction, isn't it?

It sound very much what Freesat should have been to start of with.

Really and truly, it's not Freesat that needs the competition, it's $ly. If it comes to pass it could fragment the opposition against $ly.

Also, what subscription channels will they be offering? I can't see $ly willingly offering any of theior tied channels - unless they play a really Machiavellian stroke to wipe out the opposition!
 
Interesting replies, thanks.
 
Tivù said:
carry on viewing after DSO.
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DSO? I've never heard of that one. What is it, "Digital Switch Off"?
 
Huevos said:
DSO? I've never heard of that one. What is it, "Digital Switch Off"?
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"Digital Switch On" :-rofl2

or ASO analogue switch off :cool:
 
Huevos said:
DSO? I've never heard of that one. What is it, "Digital Switch Off"?
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Sorry - bad habit using UK Acronyms.

Digital SwitchOver


Phased withdrawal of Analogue UHF Telly by 2012, with increased power for Digital Terrestrial taking its place.

It will leave a significant minority without any viable Terrestrial Signal at all.

Hence Freesat :)
 
Tivù said:
It will leave a significant minority without any viable Terrestrial Signal at all.
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And huge numbers of people with "Freeview Lite" - Half the population of the Scottish Borders only gets 3 DTT muxes as only Selkirk main tx was re-engineered for all 6 muxes.
 
3 Muxes?

Luxury.


I get precisely one.
 
Tivù said:
Phased withdrawal of Analogue UHF Telly by 2010, with increased power for Digital Terrestrial taking its place.

It will leave a significant minority without any viable Terrestrial Signal at all.
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Analogue switch off here is February and there is still only about 90% of the population covered. The other 10% are the ones that live in remote areas (the difficult ones to get signal to). And of the 90% with coverage probably only half of them are prepared. Even when there is coverage in some zones you need an aerial pointing at 3 different transmitters. My new digital terrestrial meter is arriving shortly. I can't wait (no Freesat equivalent here).
 
irart said:
I see that Freesat is to have some direct competion starting next February. It's called Real Digital and has a similar channel lineup to Freesat but with the addition of pay to view channels. You can find details of this at _www.realdigitaltv.com
Click to expand...

Hmm, sounds a bit pony, I wonder how many pay channels they'll have and whether the fortecstar receivers will have more than the standard now and next EPG for the free to air channels.

Don't think they are in competition with Freesat, they would appear to be trying to compete with Sky, BTVision, Virgin and TopupTV.

EDIT. See they say they will have a 7 day EPG.
 
I`ve just found out about Real TV and have been doing some reading up on it

Maplin will be stocking the first load of boxes to be released and they will offer broadband conectivity too!

Got broadband, connect your REAL Digital set top box to your Broadband service and open up a world of catch up services. BBC iplayer and other catch up services are available and a full IP media centre and VOD services are being finalized.
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The was ment to start on the 1st of this month but have put back the launch date apparently

Real will be using the Conax encryption according to their site
Conax and REAL Digital have signed an undisclosed length contract bringing the world leading specialists in broadcast security to the new exciting satellite platform.
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_http://realdigitaltv.com/about.html
_http://realdigitaltv.com/entry003_conax.html

I wonder how long it is before their flavour of Conax will be open on k*ys or mosc lol
 
I have my doubts, based upon the track record of the key players in this venture, about whether it will last more than a few months.

And then all that hardware, bought at considerable expense, will have nothing to apply it's special features to.

Just another doorstop.



At least the informed observer will keenly anticipate the ridiculous Litigation that will surely follow failure of the "Platform".
 
Tivù said:
I have my doubts, based upon the track record of the key players in this venture, about whether it will last more than a few months.

And then all that hardware, bought at considerable expense, will have nothing to apply it's special features to.

Just another doorstop.



At least the informed observer will keenly anticipate the ridiculous Litigation that will surely follow failure of the "Platform".
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I`m not buying into it, I have a dm500 and a sky sub so I have no need for it, although the iplayer feature would be handy to have lol

I did send them a message asking when they plan to launch, the channel line up, what premium channels they plan to offer and also if I can use their card in a linux based box such as a dream box for their premium services,

I`m awaiting their reply
 
smoggy07 said:
The was ment to start on the 1st of this month but have put back the launch date apparently

Real will be using the Conax encryption according to their site


_http://realdigitaltv.com/about.html
_http://realdigitaltv.com/entry003_conax.html

I wonder how long it is before their flavour of Conax will be open on k*ys or mosc lol
Click to expand...

If - and its a big if - they ever get on air with all the delays over the years they will be fta only to begin with. The Conax is really only for Sky Sports 1 & 2 which they will be permitted to carry.. The moment the Conax is prised open Sky can withdraw the sports channels - and that will spell the end of RD as any serious competitor to FS or MurdochTV.

Their boxes are vastly overpriced, from a company with a somewhat dubious track record of supporting boxes long term (FortecStar) and at least to begin with only available from maplin

The boxes also seem to have the requirement to have to pay for a card to activate the full epg which makes me wonder just how much actual demand there will be for them.
 
Unless you *just* want to receive Sky Sports 1 and 2 without any of the other channels that you *must* have with Sky, it seems a bit pointless to be honest.

Isn't Conax fairly secure these days?
 
Well now that F1 is (to some extent) joining Croquet on the dreaded Sky, even a refusenik like my good self might be tempted to get Sky Sports if the price is right. But I'd certainly never pay for the compulsory (and unwanted) Mixes that BSkyB incorporate into their Pricing Policy.

That said, the irony is that the history behind Real Digital stops me dead in my tracks.
 
Analoguesat said:
If - and its a big if - they ever get on air with all the delays over the years they will be fta only to begin with. The Conax is really only for Sky Sports 1 & 2 which they will be permitted to carry.. The moment the Conax is prised open Sky can withdraw the sports channels - and that will spell the end of RD as any serious competitor to FS or MurdochTV.

Their boxes are vastly overpriced, from a company with a somewhat dubious track record of supporting boxes long term (FortecStar) and at least to begin with only available from maplin

The boxes also seem to have the requirement to have to pay for a card to activate the full epg which makes me wonder just how much actual demand there will be for them.
Click to expand...

Apparently the EPG is also encrypted and requires the viewing card. There will also be a mini pay package called "Real Essentials" - channel line up not yet known.
 
Topper said:
"Digital Switch On" :-rofl2

or ASO analogue switch off :cool:
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AhSo........AhSo.webp
 
Captain Jack said:
Unless you *just* want to receive Sky Sports 1 and 2 without any of the other channels that you *must* have with Sky, it seems a bit pointless to be honest.

Isn't Conax fairly secure these days?
Click to expand...

Anyone want a bet as to how long it'll stay secure before its prised open when RD get their sticky fingers on SS1 & 2????

I give it six months tops..
 
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