Free View

[j1000]

Pick a post code from a region of your choice! It dictates which version of BBC1 or ITV your recieve... London, Central, Anglia etc.

None of the info goes back to the head end as there is no telephone connection, its not a way of working out if you are abroad or not.

[Mikea]

Sorry, just thinking out aloud here but if it were truly legal to utilise the Freesat service outside of the UK would they not have put a box for this in the menu saying 'Not in UK' or the like instead of insisting upon a valid UK entry...I suppose it is just covering their backside against other countries within the footprint to whom the BBC, ITV or C4 have sold exclusive content rights such as Top Gear to Spain etc initiating a breach of contract action!

[j1000]

Its not truly legal! The broadcasters only have rights to broadcast in the UK, but these channels are transmitted with no form of encryption.
There are laws against hacking systems and illegally decrypting encrypted services, not for receiving transmissions with no encryption.
I think the main issue that people seem to be high lighting at the moment is the legality and consequence of retransmitting a signal on a paid service platform like Telemicro who are using content from providers they are not licensed to retransmit. Although the content is not supposed to be screened outside the UK or EIRE the main issue is money!
When a hotel in the UK installs a satellite system and distributes one or a few channels to many rooms they have to pay an amount calculated per channel, per night… bloody expensive but the right way to do things! They could take a standard sky box leave it on Sky One and distribute that to every room for just £16 on a residential supscription saving them thousands and thousands but Sky wouldn’t be too impressed and if caught would fine them heavily. The same with Sky Sports being shown in public places could be cheap and avoid large subscription but if caught fined!
What I’m getting at… if you have a legitimate system and pay a legitimate subscription for home use, although it is not within terms and conditions you are causing no financial loss and chances are, not screening media to the wrong audience making it a civil matter rather than a criminal matter, so worst case the suspending of your subscription – if you have one which wouldn’t be the case with freesat!
If you have a system that distributes the home use subscription to many households for financial gain not only does it annoy the provider it doesn’t look good in the view of the publican and hotelier that pays fortunes every year for the privilege of showing content to their patrons!
I could go on and bore you further!!!

[JOHN73]

Spanish Freeview

Someone told me it was possible to change the language of many of the channels (fox, calle13 etc) to English. Is this true and how?

I am considering getting a box soon, as it seems Telmicro is not working despite rumours that they where going to start broadcasting today. I also phoned Telefonica, who was nice enough to inform me that they could not provide their TV package to the Orihuela Costa yet, but would be able to soon.

[Mikea]

J1000. Thanks for your most informative reply. It made a lot of sense whilst also confirming my suspicions regarding 'a totally legal method of UK TV viewing' is still not available in Spain!

[englishbullterrier]

I have only located one channel that is broadcasting Spanish and English audio streams, and that is the Sony Channel broadcast on SETenVEO in the evenings with mainly American sitcoms......

It is a feature in the 'Personalised Settings' menu.

[david s]

I live in the Quesada area. I had Telmicro up to May when the loss of Sky channels happened the first time, but also a UK registered Sky card.

I decided to ditch Telmicro and add Sky sports to my Sky subscription instead.

I now have a 1.45m dish and can get BBC1, ITV, Channels 4 & 5 etc and because I subscribe, Sky Sports. I cannot get BBc2, 3 or 4, and even if I subscribed could not get Sky Films unless I buy a bigger dish.

I bought a new digibox called the Dark Box for €280, which will take my Sky card and is an HD receiver, so I get the free to air HD channels (at the moment BBC, Channel 4 and ITV coming soon). I could get the Sky HD channels if I added them to my Sky subscription.

I could ditch the Sky card and get all the free to air channels with no ongoing fee if I wished. The HD digibox was purely an optional extra - I could have just used my Sky Box and only paid for the dish.

The picture is much clearer and I don't have to worry about the future of these guys like Telmicro, Superbeam etc.

You can buy the basic sky boxes very cheaply now, because people want Sky+ etc. But if you are buying one, I was advised, and found it to be true, that because it works best in low signal strength areas it is best to stick to Pace. I brought my Grundig from the UK and it was hopeless here.

[englishbullterrier]

Any idea where I might get good prices for dishes ? Many thanks by the way.....

[david s]

Any idea where I might get good prices for dishes ? Many thanks by the way.....

Lee Digital did mine - tel: 968 43 26 11 or 618 25 80 55

He installed mine for about €500, but he did say he expected the price he pays for the dishes to go up in view of the problems with Telmicro, and reading the forum it looks as if they have done so. But he is very straight and reliable.

If you do speak to him please mention you were recommended by David in Quesada.

[englishbullterrier]

Thanks David

but I'm not looking to get a dish installed and pay someone for something I can do myself.

I'm looking for either a retail outlet or a distributor that I can purchase from and install myself.

Cheers all the same tho'.............EBT

[felipetut]

Free to Air TV (FTA)

Does anyone know what appears to be a satellite system in use around the Costa Blanca?
Description:
Small dish no more than 50cm and a FTA satellite receiver of German origin (the one I have seen is a Zehnder Dx 610) receiving reasonable quality FTA english TV but no BBC 2. The dish appears not to be pointing at the sky but accreoss the terrain at the coast, I tracked one down to a cluster of buildings in Punta Prima.
The confusion for me is.... Is this a re-transmitted signal, and, if so, why does the program information on the subscribers TV state that it is looking at Astra1E, IF?
These satellites do not seem to have the English TV programs on their transmission list. Can anyone give me a clue? Is it possible to pick up these siganals with a cheap over the counter system without paying the rip off prices of €400- €600 that people have paid. and is it legal since the channels are FTA.

[Nalle]

Its true, but you dont get calle 13 on Spanish TDT.

Telefonica are upgrading all of there comuters so adsl 2 (and imagenio and other services) should be available everywhere.

When the conmuters are ypgraded, you no longer would need a telefonica subscription, you casn then pick any other operator without paying the line rental to telefonica

[debbie888]

Exactly, so skytvinspain is talking a load of porkies.

I have just had skytvinspain install a 1.5 dish, and I am happy, and I have FREE VIEW (FTV) so he is clearly not talking porkies.. only thing is that BBC2 goes off after 7pm???

[Chrisdee]

I SUGGEST YOU DO YOUR HOME WORK BEFORE MAKING STATEMENTS LIKE THAT (SILLY-BILLY)

Freeview is available to some areas in the UK but not outside. Freesat or as its also known free to air from Sky can be picked up in Spain but it is still not legal. The copyright belongs to SkyUK. Is this not correct then, this is what I thought was correct?

[Chrisdee]

I find it amazing that this and most other Torrevieja forums all revolve around if receiving SKY TV in Torrevieja is legal, bearing in mind that for the past 15 or so years certain companies have been re-broadcasting TV programmes, films, music, sports and documentaries.

In order to re-broadcast such a wide spectrum of programming would require authorization not just from the TV Channel put the actual producers and or production Company that has produced the show and then sold it to Ch4 or ITV etc, let us not forget that ALL TV programmes are covered by Law in the country that they are broadcast in NOT the country that it is being received in.

Also if you read last weeks News stories you will see that a statement was made by officials who said

"The legislation would only affect those receiving re-broadcasted signals through mesh dishes, as satellite dishes receive a direct, legitimate signal from Sky or alternative broadcasting networks"

Providing you have an original SKY BOX and a SKY VIEWING CARD you are not breaking any Laws in Spain or UK. FACT.

When you open a new SKY Box packaging there is a "User Agreement" and it states that by using the equipment you agree to the agreement and the agreement says "Not to be used outside UK or Ireland" FACT.

Hope that this is now clear.

PERFECTLY. IT IS NOT LEGAL. I am now throwing in the towel and will just read the postings on this matter and see what the outcome is, hopefully I will be able to get some English TV, eventually. Legal or not. Thanks for your time, back to your beer now!