[ebuygum]

Is there a definitive list, or tool, whereby you can determine which local version of BBC1, for example, you'd get on Freesat for a specific postcode. (Other than using a Freesat box itself. )

I suppose the same question would apply to account addresses registered with Sky.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Not as far as I know.

[grahamlthompson]

On a freesat box you get them all anyway and you can move any to 101 102 irrespective of postcode (customise channels) at least on a Humax box. I guess others will be the same.

950 BBC 1 London
951 BBC 1 CI
952 BBC 1 E Mids
953 BBC 1 East (E)
954 BBC 1 East (W)
955 BBC 1 N West
956 BBC 1 NE & C
957 BBC 1 NI
958 BBC 1 Oxford
959 BBC 1 S East
960 BBC 1 Scotland
961 BBC 1 South
962 BBC 1 S West
963 BBC 1 W Mids
964 BBC 1 Wales
965 BBC 1 West
966 BBC 1 Yorks
967 BBC 1 EYrks&L
968 BBC 2 England
969 BBC 2 NI
970 BBC 2 Scotland
971 BBC 2 Wales

Not the same for ITV though.

[ebuygum]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

On a freesat box you get them all anyway and you can move any to 101 102 irrespective of postcode (customise channels) at least on a Humax box. I guess others will be the same.

Yes, but that's not what I meant. When the postcode is entered the box selects what goes on 101, for example. How does it know which regional version to use? It must have access to some sort of list but can you or I access that list?

[soulboy77]

Originally Posted by ebuygum

Is there a definitive list, or tool, whereby you can determine which local version of BBC1, for example, you'd get on Freesat for a specific postcode. (Other than using a Freesat box itself. )

I suppose the same question would apply to account addresses registered with Sky.

What's behind you question?

Freesat allocates regions down to a resolution of post code sector level, which is basically the post code minus the last two characters. I suspect Sky is similiar but obviously the region you get is dictated by what's pre-written on the card.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by ebuygum

Yes, but that's not what I meant. When the postcode is entered the box selects what goes on 101, for example. How does it know which regional version to use? It must have access to some sort of list but can you or I access that list?

Nope not afaik, it's not on the box but on the satellite as is the list of satellite channels that you can customise.

The box channel list can be customised afterwards to add other ITV regions to the freesat list by tuning them using non freesat and then using the custom firmware channel editor (I have ITV1-HD London and ITV1-HD Granada on my freesat epg)

[ebuygum]

Originally Posted by soulboy77

What's behind you question?

It's mostly just out of curiosity and not specifically about what you can do with any of the boxes. It comes from wanting to know which BBC1 version someone is likely to watch when I know his postcode is XXX XXX.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by ebuygum

It's mostly just out of curiosity and not specifically about what you can do with any of the boxes. It comes from wanting to know which BBC1 version someone is likely to watch when I know his postcode is XXX XXX.

Generally the same he will get from Freeview which you can find from the dtg reception predictor which gives the most likely terrestrial transmitter.

[ebuygum]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

Generally the same he will get from Freeview which you can find from the dtg reception predictor which gives the most likely terrestrial transmitter.

With digital switchover the predictors seem to be starting to disappear and in some locations they got/get the actual transmitter wrong - as you say it's the "most likely". That's not to say that a Freesat postcode map would be any different.

[Night Watchman]

Originally Posted by ebuygum

Is there a definitive list, or tool, whereby you can determine which local version of BBC1, for example, you'd get on Freesat for a specific postcode. (Other than using a Freesat box itself. )

I suppose the same question would apply to account addresses registered with Sky.

There is an old thread on much the same question (unanswered) from 2008 - maybe it will shed some light on the subject:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=926216

[SWIZZ?]

Originally Posted by Night Watchman

There is an old thread on much the same question (unanswered) from 2008 - maybe it will shed some light on the subject:

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=926216

I looked through the older thread &
Machare said "People should just be left to choose what regional variations they watch."

This is a freesat thread, as was the older one, so if you don't have the region you want you can indeed change your postcode entry in set-up.
If that leaves you with the BBC 1 of your choice but not you preferred ITV1 then plunder the one you need from the 900s
I imagine the Sky choice is driven by the advertisers & if you can accept that you can accept anything.
Anyway as I said this is a freesat thread & Sky bots can always buy a freesat box!

David

[Winston_1]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

Nope not afaik, it's not on the box but on the satellite as is the list of satellite channels that you can customise.

Absolute rubbish. The satellite contains transponders, receiving and transmitting dishes etc. It is also a long way away .

The postcode regional lookup information must be downloaded to box as the box does not talk back to get this information. I imagine it is downloaded by Freesat on the home transponder.

[ebuygum]

Originally Posted by Winston_1

The postcode regional lookup information must be downloaded to box as the box does not talk back to get this information. I imagine it is downloaded by Freesat on the home transponder.

I can't find it again but yesterday I found the release notes for an old Humax firmware version that mentioned something about improved automatic download of postcode to channel map so, as you say, the box downloads it.

Just to re-enforce what I was asking in my original post, I'm not asking how can I watch a different regional version of a channel, I'm asking if anyone knows where the box gets this mapping information from and if it is available to us mere humans.

[technologist]

Not that it answers the question - but this FOI makes interesting reading ... http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reques...ull_post_codes

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by Winston_1

Absolute rubbish. The satellite contains transponders, receiving and transmitting dishes etc. It is also a long way away .

The postcode regional lookup information must be downloaded to box as the box does not talk back to get this information. I imagine it is downloaded by Freesat on the home transponder.

If that's the case why won't the box validate a postcode without access to the home transponder, if the data is already in the box ? It may have a full epg obtained from data transmitted along with the channels. If for some reason you have lost contact with the home transponder you can't change your postcode. Neither can you use customised channels, the box has to download the current list every time you use the option.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by technologist

Not that it answers the question - but this FOI makes interesting reading ... http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/reques...ull_post_codes

Why would a central London postcode liberate many more channels. You lose one ITV Region and gain one Radio Station

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

If that's the case why won't the box validate a postcode without access to the home transponder, if the data is already in the box ?

The post you quoted actually said that, so what's your point?.

The postcode regional lookup information must be downloaded to box as the box does not talk back to get this information. I imagine it is downloaded by Freesat on the home transponder.

Presumably you have read his post one way, and I'm reading it another - you appear to be assuming that he meant that the box PERMANENTLY stores the information, where as I'm assuming he meant it downloads it, uses it, then deletes it (which is how I understand it to be).

[tedjrr]

There is a degree of sensitivity over postcode mapping to service area, both for FreeSat and Sky.

I wonder if the root cause of this sensitivity is ITV's hand in developing the schema, and hence its commercial interest in the data. Does ITV sell the data to advertising agencies, or is this made available vie third parties. Is this the reason why there is care taken to ensure that the complete set of data does not appear in the public domain?

[grahamlthompson]

[quote=Nigel Goodwin;61259472Presumably you have read his post one way, and I'm reading it another - you appear to be assuming that he meant that the box PERMANENTLY stores the information, where as I'm assuming he meant it downloads it, uses it, then deletes it (which is how I understand it to be).[/QUOTE]

If the data is only there during the retune process how could the data be accessed afterwards (the whole point of this thread ) if it's not there. Which brings us back to my first post so elegantly rubbished.

Nope not afaik, it's not on the box but on the satellite as is the list of satellite channels that you can customise.

[tedjrr]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

If the data is only there during the retune process how could the data be accessed afterwards (the whole point of this thread ) if it's not there. Which brings us back to my first post so elegantly rubbished.

Does a FreeSat box only grab the data from the carousel when the user invokes the setup function? Is the data then discarded afterwards? This would seem sensible.

With Sky each card is addressed separately,with channel mappings based on your location postcode in their accounts record.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by tedjrr

Does a FreeSat box only grab the data from the carousel when the user invokes the setup function? Is the data then discarded afterwards? This would seem sensible.

With Sky each card is addressed separately,with channel mappings based on your location postcode in their accounts record.

Apparently but not just during setup. A Freesat tune will let you change the postcode if you wish. Invoking custom channels downloads a list of the alternate channels recognising what your current 101 and 102 are using.

The link to the thread about complaints about postcodes is interesting, shows the paranoia of some people.

I used a West Country postcode for months because the ITV1 Region there had a much better picture (used as a source for terrestrial TV during the DSO process) Then a Manchester one (The Town Hall ) to get ITV1-HD in 1920 x 1080. Back now to using my own West Midlands one as London ITV1-HD is now 1920 x 1080.

Changes to ITV regional allocations are also honoured automatically. After 1N allowed former ftv channels to go fta when they got added to the freesat epg it happened without user intervention.