Sky & Satellite Weekly News Thread, Week #37

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  13/09/14 - 20:42 #2

  9. Live TV-streaming service TVCatchup has introduced a catch-up service, for the UK’s four major TV broadcasters More.
  
  10. Best of British TV, the OTT channel backed by Midsomer Murders producer all3media, is to expand its availability. Video software specialists Easel TV, which runs the service, is planning a launch on iPads and iPhones and will also debut on Xbox 360 in the next few months. More.
  
  11. Sky has left the door open to a possible carriage deal with Netflix, similar to that being introduced by Virgin allowing customers to the cablenet to login to their account through TiVo. More.
  
  12. SES is showcasing two Ultra HD demo channels in the new HEVC standard at the SES stand at IBC 2013. The Ultra HD demo channels will be broadcast via SES’ prime European orbital position of 19.2 degrees East. For one of the Ultra HD channels, SES partners with Sky Deutschland and Harmonic to deliver an exciting array of Ultra HD content consisting of sports matches, blockbuster movies and documentaries to the first actual Ultra HD consumer set top boxes – from Humax and Technicolor – connected to a Sony 84-inch 4K TV screen. More.
  
  13. Freesat has launched a new low cost satellite receiver, bringing its connected service Freetime for around £99. The HUMAX-manufactured HD box will be available at John Lewis, Currys PC World and a range of independents. Included on Freetime are On Demand services BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5 and YouTube in addition to the 180 linear digital TV and radio channels. More.
  
  14. SES says it expects Europe to be an early adopter of Ultra-HD. Certainly the IBC halls are awash with live – or near-live – test transmissions of 4K for TV (3840 x 2160 pixels). Ferdinand Kayser, SES’s CCO, told journalists that sales of Ultra-HD displays were currently modest, but would pick up over the next year or two. SES is demonstrating a pair of Ultra-HD channels using HEVC for IBC which are transmitting from 19.2 deg East. One of the channels, set up with Fraunhofer HHI, is transmitting using HEVC at higher frame rates. More.
  
  15. UK comms regulator Ofcom has completed a research programme funded by the Intellectual Property Office designed to improve understanding of consumers’ behaviour and attitudes towards lawful and unlawful access of copyright material using the Internet. A core finding is that a small proportion of infringers account for the large majority of infringements. More.
  
  16. Virgin Media has announced that it will bring VOD service Netflix onto a pay-TV platform for the first time. Using the Netflix app, Virgin Media TiVo households will be able to watch Netflix series, documentaries, comedy and kids titles through their set-top box. Netflix will be available to Virgin Media TiVo homes this year, starting with a pilot launching in mid September. More.
  
  17. Channel 5 owner Richard Desmond has weighed into the retransmission fees debate and called on the government to ensure public sector broadcasters are protected from pressure from UK platforms such as Sky and US giants such as Amazon. In a rare public speech, the Northern & Shell chairman will reassert C5’s public service credentials and tell the Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention that TV regulation is in danger of lagging behind the industry. More.
  
  18. The DTT platform Freeview is at the heart of British TV and will strengthen, not diminish, its position in the years to come, according to Charles Constable, MD, Digital Platforms Division, Arqiva. Speaking at the Westminster eForum Keynote Seminar Mobile, TV and whitespace spectrum: regulation, competition and innovation, he added that demand for DTT is growing in the UK, with 1.2 million more homes choosing it as a primary service at the end of 2018 compared to at the end of 2011. More.
  
  19. Pace is to show IBC visitors a pre-integrated, open platform for the multiscreen, connected home. The ‘Whole Home’ solution enables service providers to distribute linear pay-TV services and on demand content to connected set-top boxes, tablets, smartphones, games consoles and connected TVs throughout the home. More.
  
  20. British Sky Broadcasting Limited has contracted Agama Technologies to provide its DTV Monitoring Solution for TV service quality assurance. “We wanted to provide deep content level monitoring on all streams leaving our broadcast centres. The initial demand was driven by the operational and support teams who requested a system that would provide the ability to have a very detailed technical view on the quality of our channels,” commented Vlad Korotkov, senior design engineer at Sky. More.
  
  21. A test broadcast in Ultra HD was conducted by UK pay-TV operator Sky at its West London facilities on Saturday 31st August. The broadcast consisted of the football match between Stoke City and West Ham with the entire match being transmitted live, while being produced and edited by Sky's in-house production and broadcast operations teams using four ultra-HD cameras and two ultra-HD WVS servers for replay and graphics More.
  22. Sky has added Wi-Fi as standard to its Sky+ HD boxes as it looks to further build the number of customers connected to its on demand services. Wi-Fi will now be built into Sky’s own-brand receivers on both standard and 2TB versions. More.
  
  23. Ofcom has published details of the parameters it will be setting for the introduction of White Space services adjacent to the UHF TV band. In a consultation document, the regulator says it will be taking an initially cautious approach, but believes it may later be able to relax the parameters as more experience is gained. More.
  

  * * *
  [highlight]Freeview changes to clear the way for 4G broadband in 2013, updated[/highlight]
  Click Here
  * * *
  [highlight]3D & 4k News Section [/highlight]
  * * *
  Ultra HD provides four times the resolution of today’s HD TV, providing more dramatic action for sporting events and a more compelling experience for premium movies and documentaries. Using the latest satellite solutions for Ultra HD creates exciting new opportunities for both broadcasters and industry partners. More
  * * *
  TV panel makers are betting on a high rate of growth for UltraHD (4K) LCD TVs during the next four years. These companies expect to ship nearly 943,000 UHD LCD panels this year, up from less than 33,000 units in 2012, according to the Display Materials & Systems Service at information and analytics provider IHS. The next two years will see shipments ramp up even more quickly to 7.1 million units in 2015, on their way to reaching 20.8 million units by 2017. The total rises much higher when including a type of lower-priced, lower-specification product called UHD Ready, panels, which mainly are targeted at the Chinese market. Suppliers collectively plan to ship as many as 4 million UHD Ready panels this year alone. More
  * * *
  SES has pioneered the first Ultra HD transmission in the new HEVC standard from an Astra satellite at 19.2 degrees East. Working with its partners Harmonic and Broadcom Corporation, it presented an end-to-end demonstration at the SES Industry Days in Luxembourg using Harmonic’s ProMedia Xpress and a HEVC decoder reference-design system based on Broadcom’s BCM7445 device for receiving HEVC encoded Ultra-HD television transmission. More
  * * *
  Dolby Laboratories and Royal Philips Electronics in association with CAMERON | PACE Group (CPG) announced at NAB in Las Vegas that they have signed an agreement to integrate the Dolby 3D format into CPG’s 3D video content production workflow and to collaborate on the use of the Dolby 3D format. All parties believe that glasses-free 3D presentation in the home can be improved by delivering premium-quality autostereoscopic 3D content using the Dolby 3D format. Dolby is showcasing CPG’s 3D content in its NAB Show booth as part of its demonstration of Dolby 3D technology from post-production through distribution to playback. More
  * * *
  MIPTV 2013 – Cannes. With Sony screens across the Palais and two conference sessions, there was no escaping 4K UltraHD. SES jumped at the opportunity to announce the launch of its SES Ultra HD Experience initiative, which invites content providers and broadcasters to work with SES to support the development of the Ultra HD value chain. “You’re not alone. We are here today to say to you: let’s work together,” said Norbert Hoelzle, SVP, commercial Europe, SES, during Wedensday’s 4K session. “Let’s be the catalyst for industry and get the Ultra HD train rolling. The same way we HD started ten years ago, in an industry-wide effort, let’s start Ultra HD today.” More * * *
  
  The BBC has told London’s ‘Future TV’ summit that viewers are less and less enthusiastic about watching programming in 3D. The BBC’s technology guru Andy Quested, said the BBC had been an excited supporter of 3D broadcasting but that each time a new 3D show was televised, the audience ‘spike’ got lower. Quested’s comments come at the end of a two-year test of 3D at the BBC and include top-rated output such as the BBC’s flagship Strictly Come Dancing, natural history blockbuster Walking with Dinosaurs and comedy show Mr Stink, as well as last year’s London Olympic Games which transmitted dozens of events in 3D. The news is all the more disappointing given that the potential audience for 3D in the UK has expanded considerably, to around 1.5 million homes, over the past two years. More
  * * *
  Broadcasters have further work to complete on Ultra High Definition Television before it can enter the broadcast mainstream, according to the EBU’s head of media fundamentals & production. Speaking at the SMPTE Annual Technical Conference in Hollywood Hans Hoffmann said the interfaces needed for programme production and for connections in domestic equipment both needed attention. The new family of compression technologies, HEVC will be published shortly, but much testing remains to be done. More.
  * * *
  -:~~~~~~~:-
  [highlight] The Other Stuff [/highlight]
  -:~~~~~~~:-
  [highlight] The last day of analogue television in the UK -
  [/highlight]Goodbye PAL
  * *
  This story caught my interest UK's oldest working TV ready for digital
  **
  75 years of Television.
  Celebrating the world's first ever television service
  **
  Also a list of all UHF Stations
  * *
  Checkout if your BBC Only Terrestrial TV or Radio service
  is affected by Transmitter Maintenance etc; *Updated site*
  **
  To Contact SKY
  **
  For those of you who are interested in,
  Regional TV for your area?
  Here is a map.
  **
  ~~~~~~~~~~
  Some sites of further interest
  FreeSat site
  SES /Astra website.
  Eutelsat website
  Everything analogue
  Get Free Digital TV Here.
  If you want to know more about WideScreen,
  then this site is a must.
  ~~~~~~~~~~
  [highlight] And now......
  the credits;[/highlight]
  Many thanks go to the regular contributors
  of this thread.
  They are, in no particular order,
  Analoguesat , DigiMan, Skyisthebest, Sky Fan, James Vertigan,
  swine1, Paddy C, Clacton Crew, lynam, plymouthbloke1974, astra19E, D.Sky D
  Anthony Haines, Classics TV, Ian Cleverly, Digitalsatman, bendolino,.
  Craigsteele2001, 2fabiola, Lunar, TV Duniya, matwood,
  TV Ideas, i am not here, djrich, Disco, robcole2004, milktrolley,
  Maccy, SKYtvFREAK, John Murray, tomvoxx, daniel99, IWantSky, & obrienmichael 05
  Want to be added?......... then P.M. or Email me
  ***
  Rules on credits;
  The person that posts an item gets the credit in (brackets),
  unless two or whatever post at the same time, (Like / This)
  If further info is added, the posters get the credit. . (Like/this/and/this)
  ***
  We’ve been doing this since 19th September 2003
  ***
  And Finally....
  Forget your high definition pictures, plasma and LCD panels,
  3D capabilities and Internet links that modern televisions come with.
  A real TV doesn’t need all this fancy nonsense.
  A real piece of TV history, anyway, such as the Marconi Type 702 which was made in 1936,
  just three weeks after the BBC began broadcasting.
  New Link
  * **
  The ME bit!
  I do not have a website for you to look at of my own, so I thought I would use this bit to thank everyone for their kind words given that I have taken over the thread. I will continue to update this but will probably need some help as we go along, and where necessary. The kind words are most appreciated. Thanks again.
  ***
  So if any of the links etc; don’t work,
  [EMAIL="jamesrobinson120@yahoo.co.uk "]E-Mail Me direct.[/EMAIL]
  ***
  _____________________________________________________________________________________
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  ___________All material within is ©copyright by the originating sources which are quoted and/or credited. ___________

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  Marti S Posts: 5,794

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  14/09/14 - 12:01 #3

  Is there any chance the "T.V. Newsie Bits Headlines" can be pruned back, some of the stories are over a year old now.
  
  Best regards Martin

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  14/09/14 - 13:05 #4

  Marti S wrote: »

  Is there any chance the "T.V. Newsie Bits Headlines" can be pruned back, some of the stories are over a year old now.
  
  Best regards Martin

  
  OK. Will see what I can do. Apologies for that. The thread has been changed gradually but yes - will sort this somehow for next update.
  
  Sorry for any inconvenience.

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  Marti S Posts: 5,794

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  14/09/14 - 13:43 #5

  No need to apologise jimbo, I and most others appreciate the time you put in on this thread

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  14/09/14 - 17:11 #6

  UPDATE
  
  10.803 H
  
  The second "BBC Alba" channel - SID 6424 is today carrying English sound for the Pro 12 rugby.
  
  Go to 143, press red and select Press Select for BBC Alba
  
  Then you get a choice menu on blue of:
  
  BBC Alba (English)
  BBC Alba (Gaelic)
  Red Button 1
  Exit
  
  Thought it was starting next week. There should soon be an equivalent one for BBC2 Scotland during their Pro 12 coverage in English, which will carry Gaelic audio but not seen tests for this yet.
  
  You can store the English audio channel storing the 2nd "BBC ALBA" label.
  
  Hope that helps.

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  DWA9IS Posts: 10,557

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  14/09/14 - 17:19 #7

  jimbo wrote: »

  UPDATE
  
  10.803 H
  
  The second "BBC Alba" channel - SID 6424 is today carrying English sound for the Pro 12 rugby.
  
  Go to 143, press red and select Press Select for BBC Alba
  
  Then you get a choice menu on blue of:
  
  BBC Alba (English)
  BBC Alba (Gaelic)
  Red Button 1
  Exit
  
  Thought it was starting next week. There should soon be an equivalent one for BBC2 Scotland during their Pro 12 coverage in English, which will carry Gaelic audio but not seen tests for this yet.
  
  You can store the English audio channel storing the 2nd "BBC ALBA" label.
  
  Hope that helps.

  
  Its a shame that the BBC didn't see fit to put the duplicate BBC Alba in the 900s like they did with the temporary red button feeds in the summer. They could have had BBC Alba English audio on EPG for none Scottish areas and the Scottish audio version in Scotland at 143.

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  popeye13 Posts: 8,573

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  14/09/14 - 17:33 #8

  lotrjw wrote: »

  Its a shame that the BBC didn't see fit to put the duplicate BBC Alba in the 900s like they did with the temporary red button feeds in the summer. They could have had BBC Alba English audio on EPG for none Scottish areas and the Scottish audio version in Scotland at 143.

  
  It comes down to if they can get an EPG slot off Sky, if they'd have to pay for it and if its worth it.

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  M60 Posts: 5,597

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  14/09/14 - 17:35 #9

  On Freesat with a English postcode the English audio is the default, a RB prompt gives different audio options.

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  popeye13 Posts: 8,573

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  14/09/14 - 17:37 #10

  M60 wrote: »

  On Freesat with a English postcode the English audio is the default, a RB prompt gives different audio options.

  
  Or Sky could do this and use the viewing card to give the 'English' version like you get with your BBC & ITV regions.

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  DWA9IS Posts: 10,557

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  14/09/14 - 18:40 #11

  popeye13 wrote: »

  Or Sky could do this and use the viewing card to give the 'English' version like you get with your BBC & ITV regions.

  
  That's a good point

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  djrich Posts: 582

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  15/09/14 - 06:02 #12

  Here some updates/corrections for the master list:
  ADD:
  *NEW in NIT: 11.953 H, DVB-S2 QPSK, SR 29500 FEC 3/4 No services listed yet
  *10.803 H: Label 'BBC ALBA'SID 6424, same stream VPID 5200, APID 5206 for "BBC Alba Eng"
  *10.964 H 5* +1 FSAT
  *11.681 V 55314 - Word Network
  *55314 Showing ARQIVA MCR test card with no epg info (SID 55395)
  
  CHANGE:
  *Txp# D8S, 11.680 V, 29.500, 2/3 DVB-S2. This is 11604V, not 11680V!
  *12515H: "50332"...2323/2324 no signal "50333"...2325/2326 no signal
  "50334"...2327/2328 no signal
  "50335"...2329/2330 no signal
  "50336"...2331/2332 no signal
  "50337"...2333/2334 no signal
  *10.744 H:"9607"color bars&tone w/moving square,black line in middle w/arrow, EPG 'Oireachtas TV', Videoguard
  
  REMOVE:
  *11.643V, 27500 2/3. ARQIVA UKI 458 ENC1 Arqiva Colour Bars
  *12.520 V 50225 2328/2329 showing Sikh Channel with no epg info

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  M60 Posts: 5,597

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  15/09/14 - 09:34 #13

  popeye13 wrote: »

  Or Sky could do this and use the viewing card to give the 'English' version like you get with your BBC & ITV regions.

  
  I'm surprised they haven't done that on Sky's platform too.

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  Digi Man Posts: 18,796

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  15/09/14 - 12:27 #14

  Update
  
  12.515 H, 22.000, 5/6.
  
  "50306" has now been relabelled as 'BnanzaBnanza'.
  
  Edit: Now added to Sky EPG 266.

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  Digi Man Posts: 18,796

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  15/09/14 - 15:29 #15

  Update
  
  12.515 H, 22.000, 5/6.
  
  "50330" has now been relabelled as 'BT Sport Mosaic'.
  
  "50331" has now been relabelled as 'BT Sport Extra 1'.

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  15/09/14 - 18:34 #16

  UPDATE
  
  For those who are now aware, this message has appeared on the Sky webiste in respect of changes being made to STV on satellite from 17 September.
  
  http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Live-TV-programming/STV-Changes-for-Tayside-Scotland-17th-24th-Sep/m-p/2143853
  
  Changes are beibg made between 17-24 September.

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  DWA9IS Posts: 10,557

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  15/09/14 - 18:55 #17

  jimbo wrote: »

  UPDATE
  
  For those who are now aware, this message has appeared on the Sky webiste in respect of changes being made to STV on satellite from 17 September.
  
  http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Live-TV-programming/STV-Changes-for-Tayside-Scotland-17th-24th-Sep/m-p/2143853
  
  Changes are beibg made between 17-24 September.

  
  Does that basically mean that STV are creating some extra temporary regions for the duration of the referendum and the results?
  
  If so it looks like they will be having 39 regions temporarily!

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  15/09/14 - 19:23 #18

  lotrjw wrote: »

  Does that basically mean that STV are creating some extra temporary regions for the duration of the referendum and the results?
  
  If so it looks like they will be having 39 regions temporarily!

  
  No. It is a permanent change to STV in the Tayside area. The STV Tayside (Dundee) service will replace STV North (Aberdeen) on 103 in Tayside.

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  DWA9IS Posts: 10,557

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  15/09/14 - 19:38 #19

  jimbo wrote: »

  No. It is a permanent change to STV in the Tayside area. The STV Tayside (Dundee) service will replace STV North (Aberdeen) on 103 in Tayside.

  
  Well it did look like a regional change of some kind but it wasn't explained well enough on there, I guess its the simplified explanation on there?

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  Radiomike Posts: 7,952

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  15/09/14 - 20:34 #20

  lotrjw wrote: »

  Well it did look like a regional change of some kind but it wasn't explained well enough on there, I guess its the simplified explanation on there?

  
  I understood it. If you live in the post code areas listed, you're getting more localised content and you need to delete any existing STV recordings in your planner and re-select them. The heading to the post "STV changes for Tayside" followed by a list of Tayside post codes is about as straightforward as they could make it.

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  16/09/14 - 00:08 #21

  The changes do not take place until Wednesday. You will not be able to store any recordings until the changes have taken place.

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  Radiomike Posts: 7,952

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  16/09/14 - 12:55 #22

  Ofcom has today rejected London Live's proposals to radically reduce its commitments to local content - all of them.
  
  http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/sep/16/london-live-licence-change-rejected-ofcom

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  Nowso Posts: 78

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  16/09/14 - 13:11 #23

  Oireachtas tv testing on 10.744 22.000 5/6 ahead of resumption of Oireachtas Calendar Wednesday 17th at 2.30pm

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  obrienmichael05 Posts: 3,854

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  16/09/14 - 13:14 #24

  9607 now showing Oireachtas TV. It was showing a channel upgrade screen. On the top of tne screen it says Test Path UPC Dublin with a phone number for the outside broadcasting unit.

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  jimbo Posts: 16,292

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  16/09/14 - 14:22 #25

  obrienmichael05 wrote: »

  9607 now showing Oireachtas TV. It was showing a channel upgrade screen. On the top of tne screen it says Test Path UPC Dublin with a phone number for the outside broadcasting unit.

  
  Not available outside Ireland. As a result, this is a breach of EU law as it is a public service being deliberately blocked

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  omar comerford Posts: 1,443

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  16/09/14 - 15:10 #26

  jimbo wrote: »

  Not available outside Ireland. As a result, this is a breach of EU law as it is a public service being deliberately blocked

  
  Ok jimbo thats gd to know, But then if we can receive BBC parliament in ireland why is that not a breach of eu law? BBC parliament is psb in the UK why is that not block for viewers in ireland??
  
  Oireachtas TV is the irish version of bbc parliament..

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