JP1 Remotes

[Capn Trips]

I know this isn't necessarily the right forum for this question, but since it appears that a significant number of JP1 users are in the UK, I thought I'd post it here.

I'll be moving to the UK this Fall for three years, and want to get as prepared as possible for this transition. My receiver has selectable AM frequency steps and input voltage, so it's OK, CD player needs a transformer, DVD player has selectable input voltage AND is a region-free unit, and my Plasma can display all TV formats, so it seems the only thing I need is a source for UK/European TV signals.

I figure a cheap multi-system VCR can pull double-duty as my OTA receiver and to play the odd non-NTSC VHS I may come across, although the bulk of my rentals and purchases will be DVD.

My question is, will this be sufficient or should I consider a satellite receiver and if so which is the best one? (I presume my Dish PVR 501 won't work there) What is the choice of service providers, functions/capability? Do they have the equivalent of Dish 501/508/510 DVRs? Since I'm going to be in suburban London, do I really need satellite? or is there plenty of OTA available there?

Finally, what HDTV content is available - and are there any format compatibility problems (I have a Samsung SIR T-151 HDTV receiver)?

Any assistance in helping me plan this move (and dive into some more customization of my 1994 and 2117 for new European gear!) will be appreciated.

Also, if there is another forum where I can more appropriately address these questions outside of JP1, I'm happy to move over there.

Thanks.

[kenwilco]

Capn Trips,

I agree with your use of a multi-system VCR as a basic OTA signal source.

But I think that we have a better option for you in the UK, there is a well established Digital Terrestrial Televison service called 'FreeView' , it contains all the main broadcast UK TV channels and some others, plus 15 to 20 digital radio services. In good reception areas (London should be well covered) picture quality is excellent and easily betters analogue signals. A Set Top Box for 'Freeview' will cost around £50, and no subscription fees, although there is an add-on DTT service called 'top-up tv' which gives a handful of paid channels for £7.99/month.

Analogue Satellite services are available, but initial set up could be a bit pricey. I have no idea whether your own Satellite equipment would be compatible with the European 'Astra-D' Satellite (I guess a web-search might turn up answers for you~)
Whether you 'need' Satellite is entirely down to your viewing preferences.
I don't personally have Satellite TV, so I can't recommend specific equipment.
Most UK Satellite users go for subsciption Digital Satellite via 'Sky', which can be upward of £30/month depending on channel choices, in which case the 'mini-dish' and STB (and installation) come as part of the package.
In some areas planning permission is required in order to mount a Satellite dish.
Cable TV would almost certainly be an option in London, probably via NTL, pricing and channels would be similar to 'Sky'.

Unfortunately, HDTV is not yet available in the UK, although trials are underway. It's unlikely to be operating in the timescale of your visit to UK.
Widescreen 16:9 output, however, is available on all the digital services where the source material matches.

I think a good web-site to visit and join their forums is www.digitalspy.co.uk, you will find lots of discussions there about UK tv and many answers to technical questions.

Hope this answers most of your queries.
I'd be happy to help further if I can, either here, or at www.digitalspy.co.uk or by E-Mail
**kenwilco**@**ntlworld**.**com**
(remove the asterisks)

Ken

p.s. You have to have a TV Licence in the UK (this is how the BBC is funded) it's £121/year

[The Robman]

[Capn Trips]

Thanks for the info kenwilco. Will check out the forum and website you recommend.

Are you saying that "Freeview" is a terrestrial digital broadcast standard/system (as opposed to satellite)? How many channels - roughly (single digit? a few dozen? hundreds? )

Digital but with no HD content - got it!

Final question - I pay Her Majesty's government (or is it gouvernment?) for the priviledge of watching TV?????!!!!! Holy taxation without representation, Batman! Is this fee on a "per receiver" basis? per monitor? per square inch of viewing area? Or just a flat fee per household?

[kenwilco]

Sorry to disagree with you Robman,
But you are wrong about the UK TV licence.
The licence is a government issued permit to 'operate television receiving apparatus', and is legally required whether you watch BBC channels or not, it is true that B&W licence is cheaper.
(I'm a UK citizen, by the way)
The list you refer to covers all recently purchased TV sets, VCR's, STB's etc, anything with a TV tuner in it. If they catch you watching ANY channel without a licence you will be fined.
The bank you refer to could easily have avoided being fined by using an RGB monitor rather than a tuner-equipped TV for their video-loops.

I think the story about the old man you refer to is almost certainly apocryphal. If you only have a B&W TV you would not be asked to pay for a colour licence regardless of your VCR or STB etc. In any event Old Age Pensioners (Senior Citizens I think you would say) are exempt from the TV licence over 70 years of age.

Ken

[kenwilco]

[Capn Trips]

Thanks greatly!

Plenty for me to digest in these links.

Cheerio!

[The Robman]

Hey Ken,
The rules have obviously changed since I became an ex-pat (which was back in 1988), so thanks for the update (and I'm still a British Citizen too, btw). I doubt RGB monitors even existed back then, so the bank just used a regular colour TV set. Back then, the rules certainly did let you use TVs without a licence just so long as you didn't get caught watching the BEEB. Surely you've heard of "detector vans" even if they're no longer needed. Under the current rules, if you buy a TV and don't have a licence, they can get you right away, but under the old rules they had to catch you watching the BBC.

As for the commercials vs. licence fee thing, I totally agree with you. I would love it if we had at least one mainstream channel over here in the States that wasn't tied to ratings and commercial revenue. The closest we've got is PBS but they just don't have the funds to produce "primetime" type programming.
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[Capn Trips]

[kenwilco]

Robman,
I'm glad there's Brits over there setting the Americans a good example !
They DO still have detector vans, they work on the assumption that 99% of housholds will have TV, therefore any address which appears in their 'list' but has no licence will be visited. They also randomly check households NOT on the list and with no licence, and households which have had a licence which was not renewed.

Interestingly, many licence fee critics in the UK think the BBC should go subscription based, they don't seem to realise that the consequent reduction in funding would lead to much poorer output, ie. it would become like the US PBS.
Personally I believe the BBC produces some of the highest quality programming in the world, but many here disagree with me.

Ken

[The Robman]

Although, it's also worth noting that even ITV is better than most US stations. Unless things have changed, ITV used to run commericals (or "adverts" as we call 'em "back 'ome") every quater hour, plus they would put up a nice "End of part one" banner letting you know that the ads are about to start and another when they are done. They also run ads inbetween the shows.

Here in the US, the program starts before the credits even run, so you have to start watching right away, then they runs the credits, then they run the 1st set of ads. There seems to be a 3 or 4 minute commercial break every 7 minutes or so. When the show is done, they run some more ads before the end credits, so if you're not sure if the show is over or not, you have to sit through the commericials to find out.

This is why the only way to watch TV in America is with a PVR (ie, ReplayTV or Tivo).
_________________
Rob
www.hifi-remote.com
Please don't PM me with remote questions, post them in the forums so all the experts can help!

[kenwilco]

Robman,

Even though we're way off the topic of remotes, I'm really enjoying this thread.
Personally, I think ITV has deteriorated over the last few years. They have had all manner of corporate cock-ups, not least of which was in fact Digital Terrestrial Television. In it's original form it was run by ITV under the name 'ON-Digital' and later 'ITV-Digital', and as such was a subscription only service. However it was beset with technical problems because they were reducing transmission bit-rates to squeeze in more channels. Also they were not prepared to invest in transmission infrastructure, leaving almost 40% of the UK unable to receive it at all. The final nail in that coffin was caused by an overblown deal to show 'second-string' live soccer matches (Sky satellite have exclusive UK rights to live Premiership soccer matches).
When the time came ITV-Digital were unable to pay the soccer clubs the agreed fees and the 'ITV-Digital' company (separate from the main ITV) collapsed.
'Freeview' is a consortium of interested parties (led by the BBC) created to rescue DTT in the UK. Because of the involvement of the BBC (and some investment in equipment) DTT was completely transformed. As a (largely) FreeTo Air system and with STB's at only £50 it is the fastest growing area of British televison services.
I hardly ever watch ITV now, great chunks of their output are now 'reality TV' shows, many of which have been exported now to the US (an export America probably shouldn't be pleased about), but they are cheap programs and ratings grabbers, so commercially you can't blame them I suppose. To be fair ITV do still produce some high production value programming, but only (I think) because their charter to operate includes certain requirements to do so.
Commercials are still shown at proper regular intervals (and still with the 'end of part one' cards), although a recent regulation change now allows for one extra commercial break (of three mins duration) per hour, giving a maximum of four I think.

The style of advertising you describe is used here on Sky satellite TV, in fact I think it may even be worse, although I don't have it myself I have watched it, they often don't have commercial breaks as such, they simply stop a program (at any point)and insert a couple of ads, then start the prog again occasionally not even getting the re-start point correct.
TiVO and Replay style devices are becoming more popular here too, I imagine the more regular nature of commercial breaks here actually makes this easier. There has been some grumbling from the commercial broadcasters in an attempt to keep these devices off the UK market.

Ken.