English TV in Hungary
 

Originally posted by Tarakay:

I am interested in the best way to get english tv and internet access. We have a house in Csicso and plan to spend more time there as we are planning to retire. We will be visiting for a couple of weeks very soon and would appreciate any info.re tv etc.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hello,

Regarding watching British TV, as long as you have a good internet access with downloading speed of at least 2 mb/s you can watch nearly all British Channel for free, via the internet, without the need to install huge and unsightly satellite dishes on your garden.

Send me a PM if you are interested.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I got a satelite dish from local shop, (with LNB) it was under 10 000ft its bob on to Astra 28.2 and I get loads of channels on a sky box, even ITV and channel five loads more, no BBcs though but we can live without that easily .

The dish is supposed to be a 120m but my mate reckons its only a 60?

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I have a suggestion about English TV coverage.

From the posts I assume High Speed Internet is available to most areas. Has anyone thought to pull your TV shows from the Usenet? I just watched Season 2 of "Being Human" from a download last week. They were a post in 'alt.binaries.british.drama'. I usually pull down the shows I am interested in (US and Brit) after the season ends. If you want your weekly fix most shows are posted a day or so after the showing.

Michael

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi Michael and welcome to the forum.
Are you living in Hungary?
Most villages have internet though not all are capable of high speeds. There are sites where you can stream programmes, instead of downloading them, not sure of the legality so I won't post the link here but they are free. There are also sites that work the same as usenet again free, if you are paying for your usenet let me know and I can PM you the details. :D

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Thanks for the post Rural. I was just trying to give other alternatives to a poor Dish reception. Since I am in the US our access to UK TV is very poor. It has been nice to be able, over the years, to download all the shows we have come to love.

BTW we are not in Hungary and I will do an new intro post for us.

Michael and Sandy

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi Gaflack, out of curiosity, do you have to pay for usenet in the USA or are there decent free providers?

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I'm really interested to know more about what can be received via satelite dish. The internet is great if you don't need subtitles (I'm deaf!!) and the only website to show programmes with subtitles is BBC.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

hi

with our sky box we get some of the freesat channels

ITV,C4,C4+1,C5,FIVER, US FIVE, SKY NEWS ALL THE USA NEWS CHANNELS. REALITY TV AND A COUPLE OF MOVIE CHANNELS. PLUS THE USUAL JUNK CHANNELS. might be more but cant remember what we get. we can get all these with a 1.2m dish and get sub titles as my hubby is 50%deaf.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Am I right in thinking that if you get a 2.4 dish you can all the channels ie, ITV;CH4,5 anad BBC channels as you can here in Spain?

Klarika

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Thanks Hotpot ... this is great news!

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

hi klarika

yes with a 2.4 dish you can get all the channels but you need a good dish and line it up perfectly.

if you call in while you are here you can see out set up and the cost of it.

with what we have got we have not got time to watch BBC

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hello I know this post is old, but you don't need a satellite dish to get the BBC and other english channels as long as you have an internet connection,and computer and something called a "sling box" which is hooked up to your sky box in the UK.
when you watch in hungary you have the remote controller on the screen just like the one you would have to control the sky box, so you can record programmes as well as watching what you have recorded you can watch programmes currently showing. Not all areas of Hungary have internet connection, we are lucky that a small factory in our village has a mast that beams out the internet, but you have to pay each month to be connected to it. This also works even when speed of transmission drops, but it slows down the transmission of course. Hope this helps.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Is anyone using the 2.4 dish and if so what channels are you getting?

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Do you know where we can buy one of these boxes?

Thanks

Klarika

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi we bought ours in england, i think it was PC world, but if you google sling box, you should find out which store or internet store sells them. You do realise it has to be connected to a sky box in the uk to get bbc.
will try and find more information for you, ours works really well and I'm looking forward to seeing all the xmas specials that they are adertising at the moment when we are in Hungary.
regards tapsony-hungary

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi again go to the following site it's really helpful and explains the sling box and gives reports back from people all over the world who have one. www.radioandtelly.co.uk you are looking to pay about £130 for a box on average, you can also watch your home TV on your phone or ipad as well.
regards tapsony-hungary

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi telly-addicts:)

We were in the same situation a few months ago having installed a 1m dish and not being able to watch the usual channels like ITV, channel 4 and 5 and of course the BBC channels. Apparently you'd need a 3m dish to be able to do just that.

Someone on another forum site gave me a link and now we can watch all our favourite uk and us shows on the internet for £6.50 a month. You don't need to pay out for a sling box and then having someone back home with a sky box and so on. All you need is internet access and you can run the shows through your telly if you prefer that.

If you want to know more, send me a message and I'll give you the link. It's very easy to install and you'll be up and running in no time.

Regards,


Ria

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi Ria, I'm guessing that's a VPN?

Just a note of advise, for those who aren't too Internet savvy. If using a VPN, research the company thoroughly as in doing so you are opening up your system and data to possible abuse. There are cases of VPN selling sites being established solely for the purpose of capturing security data. So check out the company you intend purchasing through, how long have they been in business, where is the domain name registered, check for "genuine" reviews.

Apart from that, it is (so long as you have a reasonable connection speed) one of the easiest ways of watching UK TV here.

That said, you don't need a 2.5m or 3m dish for the other sky channels do you? Isn't it only the BBC channels or ITV - one or the other.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Yes, Rural it's through a VPN. I was advised this company by an IT guy and all the reviews I read about them were excellent. Touch wood, haven't had any problems so far and hope I won't in the future either.:)

We have a sky box with a card and also a freesat box. With our 1m dish, we haven't been able to watch any of the usual channels, no channel 4, 5 or itv. We knew we wouldn't be able to get BBC, but was hoping for itv at least. We've tried everything, setting it up manually as well but still didn't happen.

We have got a lot of channels but I don't particularly care for them nor does my partner. The only channel we sometimes watch is bbc news. We've got a few movie channels like movies4men and a few cbs channels and that's about it, the rest is rubbish.

Saying that, my mother-in-law and father-in-law are perfectly happy with the choice, we are just too fussy.:)

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Someone told me that BBC iPlayer only works in UK, is this correct? I'm not sure how it can tell you are outside UK, perhaps it traces the IP address? Otherwise it would be a useful service for expats.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hello Fidobsa, Rural Hungary and Riahun
just to say after spending £6.50 a month on top of the monthly cost of the normal internet subscription you are about half the cost of the sling box for one year,and with the sling box you can watch the bbc at the same time the programmes are being broadcast in the uk, or you can record them, and watch later if you prefer. We had a scare recently with someone trying to take over our computer and wanted money to solve the problem they created, so always be cautious, wise words Rural Hungary.
A ssatellitedish is not good for getting the normal bbc (bbc news channel is different) whatever size it is as their ssatellite beam area does not cover hungary, if you remember sky altered it's beam from the uk several years ago which stopped hungary from getting the sky premier games as they were being broadcast in the uk.
Fidobsa you are correct you cannot access bbc iplayer outside the uk they know by your providers address, we like to listen to five live radio and when they are doing commentary on premier games or the gran prix access is denied via the internet radio but we can listen via the slingbox and connect to five live that way, so winners all round. Hope this info is useful to some if not all, just go with what ever works for you and makes you happy.
regards Tapsony-Hungary

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hello Tapsony:)

You might be right about the cost but you don't have to pay £130 in one go and if youdon't live in the uk any more, whose sky box will you hook up to? We have friends back there and we have gone through all the options but with the sling box, you will inconvenience someone one way or another. You will have to have your own box for a start. Otherwise you can only watch what they are watching. I was also told that every once in a while the sky box will need a restart and you can't do that in Hungary.

A VPN does everything we wanted and it doesn't cost us an arm and a leg either. We can watch live telly as well as the players, so you won't miss any programs.

Anyway, I only wrote on here because I know I would have been happy if someone had suggested this when we first had these problems. I don't know how much of my time I wasted on the internet trying to find a solution when it was so easy.

Obviously I am not here to advertise any companies, I am not getting anything out of it, evryone can do whatever they like. It's an option though and the more options you have the easier to choose - or is it the harder?:)

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi Riahun :)
you're right the more information people have the better and it's good there are forums to share things. The internet is a wonderful concept, what would we all do without it :confused:
we are lucky as we have our own sky box in the uk, but as you say could be a problem if you don't.
Have a Happy Christmas and enjoy your viewing
regards Tapsony :D

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hmmmm, I'm sure VPN's were mentioned about a year ago on another thread as we use one for various things - obviously not to access TV, as that is illegal:thumbdown:

For those who choose to watch TV using a VPN, it is one of the easiest options, so long as they research the company they plan on using.

Out of curiosity, can you watch tvcatchup on yours?

****************
Just checked and I think John mentioned VPN's but removed it, perhaps when the UK TV monitoring service was having a crack down earlier this year, then when I mentioned it, I said streaming and to PM me ; hence why it wouldn't have come up on the search.
To reiterate, using a VPN to watch UK TV does work, however, it is illegal; should you decide to do so, please choose the company you use carefully.

TV Reception in HUngary
 

I have been doing a lot of research on how to get UK TV without the use of a computer when I actually move to Hungary. I contacted various company's here in the UK, and many forwarded the following:
The UK TV channels and other free to air programs are transmitted on the 'spot beam of the Astra 2' satellite at 28.2 degrees East of South which is tightly focused over the UK. These can be received on any digital satellite receiver providing the signal is strong enough. It looks like according to the satellite footprint data you will require a dish of 2.2m to 2.5m receive them in the Keszthely area.
A Sky box is possible theoretically, providing your subscription is paid in the UK and the same card is used in the same box. This is a matter of trial and error.

If anyone gives this a go, or has any other solutions, I would be very interested. Until I have any more information I will be aiming to comply with the above. Also I am interested to know if anyone could recomend any shops to buy the dish.

Hope this is of some help.

Re: TV Reception in HUngary
 

Hi Bronty,

I'm a little higher up than you maybe 70kms, near Sarvar. I use two satellite systems one for my portable Tv which is the satellite in a suitcase that is used by travelers in camper vans, I get a lot of English channels on this and the dish is plastic and tiny, I use Astra 28.2 or 19.2.

In my lounge I have a normal Sky box. I didn't want to fork out for a 2mtr dish as they are quite expensive, I went into a local hardware shop and purchased a 1.20 m dish for about 6000ft and an lnb for 3000ft, it works a treat, I cant get BBc's But I get ITV 1 but no other ITV's all the channel Fives, true movies and that sort of thing, for the cost of about 30 quid I am very happy, I am confident that if I had a larger dish I would get BBc's as well.

One thing to note though, My friend who lives close by (about 20kms towards you) has the same dish and can not get the Channel Fives or ITV's on his box but he can when I put my box on, so it would seem that some boxes are better than others at receiving the signals too.

Hope you get some luck, life improved so much for us when we had decent TV to watch.

Re: TV Reception in HUngary
 

I think it really is a case of trying and seeing as some have had success and others failed, though I don't of anyone who has successfully managed to obtain all of the channels.

I did look out a couple of sites for Klarika last month, though neither advertise the larger dishes for sale and I'm not aware as to whether she had any success. You might find some further information the other thread, which I will merge with this one. :)

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

For iplayer you might need a vpn tunnel over a proxy, this, http://www.gettvabroad.com/, site might help. As for it being illegal? Bit of a grey area I'd say, breech of eula/contract perhaps, but that's a civil not a criminal matter n'est-ce pas?

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I think Vpn's have already been discussed and they are illegal when used to watch UK TV. There is a realm of information on it, if you google it. Nothing to do with breach of eula, I'm sure many VPN suppliers don't care what you do with the service so long as you pay for it. However, it is a breach of the TV company's licensing laws.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hi Rural

Surely it is illegal to have a 3m dish in your back garden as well then if it's used for watching BBC? I doubt anyone would be paying for a UK TV licence in Hungary? Just a thought....


Ria

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I think there is more chance of them catching you using a VPN than a dish in Hungary. Regardless of the likelihood of being caught (very unlikely), the fact is that it is illegal and they do take it seriously, hence few vpn services now offering access to tvcatchup. As it is illegal, it is the responsibility of BE to point this out to those reading the thread. What people then decide to do is entirely their decision, however, the forum can not be seen to encourage it.:)

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

A bit of a run down on SKY

When we moved abroad be already had a SKY account. So we simply bought a new dish here (1,8m) and it worked fine.

Since then we have had a new card sent to us which we placed in the box and it worked. Just before Christmas we bought a new box on ebay. We called SKY on Skype and got them to pair the card with the new box over the phone. No problem.

The subscription comes out of our UK bank account
The account is registered to our UK address

It's all quite possible, all you need is a UK address and bank account.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

I think in Hungary it's the reception that proves to be the problem. A 2.4-3m dish is recommended and even then, reception is not guaranteed. There are Brits here with a card registered to a UK address but they have said they can not receive all the stations. Hope that makes sense, we don't have Sky so only know what I have heard from other Brits.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Its the same in Spain. The further South you go the bigger the dish you need. Even then, some of the channels go at certain times, for instance BBC2 doesnt last past 5 or 6 pm. Channel 4 is pretty intermittent

If you have HD, you get better reception as it is on different channels. BBC2 lasts all night when you have HD and theres no problem with Channel 4

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

We have an 80cm dish and UK skybox and get all the UK channels apart from BBC1 which I believe we could get via the interent and IP address.
We also have another dish and Hungarian Box which we can also get UK channels apart from ITV, Channel 4 5 and BBC it has true movies and quite a few other film channels. Does any body know how I go about getting an IP address?

Regards

carol

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Do you mean a VPN service Klarika?

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Not sure I just know that friends of mine have an IP address in Spain and watch TV via interent

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Yes, that will be VPN. There is a link to an information page further up this thread and I have sent you a PM. As mentioned before, just be careful that you use a company which is reputable as you are basically giving them access to your data.

Re: English TV in Hungary
 

Hello,

New poster here.

I'll soon be moving from France to Hungary with my family (my wife is Hungarian), and were very much looking forward to our move.

However one minor (?) concern and is that out small children have grown to love CBeebies and we are looking into the best way for them to continue watching it. Astra 2d is easy to pick up in France, but it seems that you need some monster-sized dish to pick up reception in Hungary, which may turn out to be impractical.

I was intrigued by posts above saying that British TV could be picket via the internet. However, since this involves VPN, I would have some concerns around security. If I had 1 PC devoted purely to intenet TV, and one other for general use, would this get around this problem?

Thanks for any advice
John