UK.Digital viewers in BBC blackout

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net1

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Satellite dishes: some must now be readjusted to receive BBC channels

Thousands of digital TV viewers have been left without BBC channels after the corporation's plan to save money by taking its channels out of BSkyB's digital satellite system backfired.
The digital satellite viewers lost access to the BBC's channels after it switched to a new satellite last week.

Households are now facing a bill of £65 for a trained engineer to realign their satellite dishes before they can receive BBC channels again.

However the BBC insists the problem is not its responsibility and it will not reimburse viewers.

"Sky has confirmed to us that because our signal complies with their technical standards, the problem is with people's [dish] installation," a BBC spokesman said.

"It's going to be necessary for a qualified dish installer to visit them. The dish just needs to be realigned by a couple of degrees," he added.

The BBC has moved its eight digital channels - including BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC News 24 - from the Astra 2A satellite to Astra 2D to ensure overseas viewers cannot pick up its channels when it comes off Sky's conditional access system.

If it did not make the switch, the broadcaster could face problems over programme rights when it begins broadcasting "in the clear" or unencrypted.

But because the signal from the new satellite is much weaker, many viewers have found they can no longer receive the BBC's channels.

A Sky spokesman played down the scale of the problem. "Only a very tiny proportion of satellite viewers have reported any difficulty in receiving the BBC services," he said.

"In most cases their viewing was restored quickly, after receiving technical advice from our call centre, without the need for a service call out."

In March the BBC announced it was pulling out of its conditional access agreement with Sky, claiming the move would save £85m over five years.

Sky and the BBC are currently waiting for the independent television commission to rule on whether BBC1 and BBC2 can retain the first two slots, 101 and 102, on Sky's electronic programme guide when they quit the conditional access system.

The BBC channels were due to go in the clear from tomorrow - May 30 - but the move has been put back by a month after Sky agreed to give the corporation another month on its existing conditional access deal while the ITC comes to its decision.
 

Channel Hopper

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The dish just needs to be realigned by a couple of degrees

What is this 'spokesman' smoking tonight ?

I can understans a number of dishes having sagged after a couple of months (material failure, sorry- bedding in ), some having been distorted away from the main 28E beam by the wind, and others rotting on their rawlplugs, and a tiny fraction having been put up badly by the 'professional' called in at the start

But not 2 degrees in ANY direction
 

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Besides, surely the failure of reception in the UK would have been noticed on channels other than the BBC ones that were transmitting on 2D after launch. The footprint strength here has not diminished by more than 1dB since the changeover.
 

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Households are now facing a bill of £65 for a trained engineer

Looks like Christmas is coming early (again) for the scaffold merchants.
Dish already on wall, signal cable already run, receiver already in place, tuned in, telephone cable stapled to wall and connected to BT socket.


All one needs is a £20 meter, a ladder in most cases (and a head for heights) maybe a new F plug (an additional £16 for parts love) and the gift of the gab.


Sometimes I wonder where the EU two year guarantee on goods /workmanship disappeared to ?
 
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Old Fred

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The main problem is with Panasonic TU-DSB20, 30, 31 and 35. They have problems with some LNBs which is caused by an internal fault in the Digibox and can be cured.

Fred
 
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GaryL

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i have a sky+ system a quad LNB

two two output that go to sky plus dont have the problem.

only the stadard Pace 2600 has the problem.
 

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I really don't understand the problem of program rights when a great part of europe are not affected by this changes...north France,Low countries,north Germany etc..and the others in the south have only to buy a bigger dish..it's like a net full of holes..So only who can't afford or doesn't have a garden to put a big dish is punished..L.L.
 

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Giving the reason that it restricts viewing to UK is b******t!!!!! I live here in Germany and everyone I know had appr. an 80cm dish. They, and I will soon, have all changed to 100cm dishes and can again watch BBC. Good in places where 2,4 upwards dishes are required you can of course have a problem and a lot of expense but in the most of europe everybody can still continue watching BBC just by simply buying a slightly larger dish. If the truths known all theyve really done is allowed more people abroad to receive BBC as its going to be sent unencrypted so you wont even need a SKY digibox.

Methos.
 

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As I have always been saying, the BBC are going to face serious problems because of their director who carrys a grudge against sky from a TV rights argument at his previous job.

Well the BBC can kiss there licence goodbye as it will need to be replaced with pay for view the only way to curb this problem.

Why should the British pay for the service when the rest of europe will have it free ?

Oh Dear there are problems ahead.

Maxi 1.
 

wagthedawg

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does anybody knows what size of dish i have to use in corfu Greece so to be able to get back the bbc chanels? Thanks.
 

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Mr.Maxi 1,but I think for example that the programs of our state television RAI 1,2,3 and other RAI channels are freeview for most of the time on the hot bird satellite,only a very limited number of sport programs are scrambled.We pay a subscription to our state television,(and we have a lot of commercial ads as well) So we thought that satellite tv was a good chance of cultural exchange..I can watch your programmes and you can watch ours..often the same films in a different language..
 
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@old fred
I've got a Panasonic TU-DSB30 digibox as well. You said the fault can be repaired. How?


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I believe it requires removal of the case lid, so unless you are somewhat proficient in electronics, and understand whats going on inside a receiver, I would send it to your friendly local repair shop.

Besides whats advertised as a cure may not always be the cure to the fault in your receiver
 

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i will still ask if someone knows what size of dish i need in corfu greece to get back the bbc chanels.
my dish size now is a chanel master 1.20 and i cant get them.
but as you all know you cant play with the sizes and the cost of them if it will be a 2.00 m one or a 2.40 m one...the cost of them is quit a lot.
can anybody help if you have any information about this?
 

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I reckon a 2.4m should do it.Maybe you should pop down to the tourist area where most pubs would have big dishes anyway,and see if they are still showing bbc.somebody must have put up a big dish for ITV anyway by now,so they will stil be getting bbc.:)
 
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