snikpoh

Yes, but only if you can get a reasonable connection.

Speeds in the campo are generally VERY poor - so internet TV is useless for us.

pwwm

We dumped Sky way back and watch freesat, got quite used to the programmes we get and also of course freeview on Spanish TV, Sky peed us of hugely which was the reson to dump them.

BAT7311

try this it is telfonica speed test

http://www.testdevelocidad.es/

and the bbc one which tests

if you can get TV not just speed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/diagnostics#results

you can watch BBC with about 2mb


and at the other end is HD

http://vimeo.com/channels/hd/41499247

if this plays but is jerky your computer aint up to it
if it stops start thats your speed

Chiclanagir

They pee me off but so many good shows on Sky Atlantic.

The Guy

lyric050203 has said a bit of what is happening...

3 of the 4 UK TV satellites are scheduled to be replaced over the next year or so.
The first, Astra 2F, is scheduled for launch 14th September. Expect a few weeks of testing before it is delpoyed and starts to transmit - maybe by mid November (say some people - but nothing yet from Astra!)

The second, Astra 2E, is scheduled for launch Q1 2013.
The third , Astra 2G, is scheduled for launch Q1 2014.

As lyric050203 has said, these satellites have both pan european beams and "uk spot beams". The new uk spot beams are said to have a more steeper drop off at the edges than the previous satellite, Astra 2d, that requried the "bigger" dishes to receive. The Pan euopean beam looks to be ok on 80cm dishes (Astra have released signal maps for this beams coverage in Spain)

You will not lose ALL UK TV signals, as it depends which channels move onto which beam. However you can expect the main uk channels to move to the UK beam, and thus those currently receiveing them on 1m dishes may well lose them before xmas.....

What dish size you will requrie for the UK beam is not clear at all. There is no data from the satellite operators about the rach of the UK beam, so until it is up and testing, no one can say for sure what size dish you will need in which areas of spain to receive the channel on this uk beam.

They did say this about Astra 2d also, but apparently a flaw in its design mean south spain could get signal on smaller dishes than those in the alicante area. and the first footprint maps for 1N suggested bad news for most of Spain, which turned out to be a bit untrue, as 1N can be receive on 80cm and 1m dishes

it called frequency reuse, where the same frequencies can be used on a number of different beams, but yes this is also a possibility...maybe with the satellites middle east beams, which would affect the south east europe rather than spain.



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lyric030250

I have read in another place that normal policy would be to not move 1N back to where it is supposed to be until E,F, & G are in position and functioning so Q2 2013 or thereabouts.
Strikes me that there MUST be a difference in antenna performance otherwise there is no point in moving 1N. Time, fuel (a finite resource) etc. and they know 1N is saturating most of Europe, although reading reports the edges of the beam are quite sharply defined, much more than 2D.
I am an eternal optimist but have a bad feeling about this.

Chiclanagir

So does all this mean that we are all going to be watching Spanish tv from Christmas?

The Guy

1N's beams are designed for its deployment at 19 east.
The 3 new satellites beams will be designed specifically for their deployment at 28 east.
So although they are the same satellites, their beams will be different.

So 1Ns temporary placement was "urgent and requried" and trhe broadcasters probably has to accept the "bonus reception" in some areas of Europe, like Spain. But also recognised the huge loss of reception in soputh east med areas, where 4m dishes can not receive 1N.

There was a thought that 1N would not be moved until 2 new satellite were up...just in case. But as 1 new satellite has more than enough capacity, then as long as one is up and working then why not move 1N to where it is needed.

You will not lose all UK TV channels. Just some.

And Spanish TV does have a number of UK programmes on... you just have to find them.. Merlin, Dr Who, Top Gear, and many US imports that are on Pay TV (Sky) but on channels like La Sexta for free.

Chiclanagir

But again whether it will be worth paying Sky and not getting what you want to watch.......just tell me that him at home won´t get Sky Sports channels and I will be happy!

The Guy

Well it may be like it is today...if sky are more cunning.

Today, even some 2.4m dishes struggle to get some channels 24/7...like Sky Sports 4 and SS News.

But the HD versions of these channels - available with the £10 HD charge, are available 24/7 on a small 80cm dish.

So Sky could make (more of) a fortune from expats by sticking the SD versions of Sky channels on a hard to receive beam, and the HD version on a nice easy beam, making more expats upgrade to HD for an extra £10 per month....

Although using a sky card outside the UK and ROI is against the T&Cs of your Sky contract, it would make a significant drop in Sky profits if Sky made their premium and most popular channels hard to receive in expat areas...(even if they dont own the rights to broadcast the content in those areas). And think about all those Sku employees with houses in Spain (What will Ian Botham do if he cant watch his sky in marbella?)

Fred James

Although Sky may be the only alternative to a huge dish in future there will still be no easy way to get the main BBC/ITV/C4/C5 channels - or am I missing something?

lyric030250

I am missing something (not the brain yet) I was under the impression that there was no difference, let us say BBC1 comes down on 12345, is this not the same if I use my Humax or man B uses a Sky box BBC1 is on 12345 no matter what.

The Guy

Who knows until the new satellites are launched..

No.
New technology may mean multiple beams pointing in different directions but using the same frequencies.
So a beam pointing to the UK could have bbc on frequency 12345
And a second beam pointing to the middle east with al jazeera on frequency 12345

So if where you are the second beam is stronger than the first beam, you will receive the channels on that second beam (al jazeera) rather than the channels you may be expecting (bbc).

lyric030250

Can't beat a bit of news from Al !

BAT7311

sorry that makes no sense to me and ive been in satellite game 25 years
when 2F is up and running ,then will move all traffic on it and 1n will move to 19e where it was designed for (footprints/frequencies)
2F spot beams mean those people in tenerife with 3m dishs might overnight get ghana tv (africa beam) and not bbc1 (uk beam)