So
you are thinking
about Digital Satellite Television?
A brief guide to Sky Digital outside
of the United Kingdom |
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List of
frequently asked questions:
What Is Digital Satellite Television?
Digital
Television is the new "revolution" in
television technology. Available in the UK and
Northern Ireland from both terrestrial (i.e.
normal antennae) and satellite (i.e. with a dish)
transmissions, digital television uses a complex
transmission standard sending picture and sound
information in digital, as opposed to analogue
form, similar to data transmission between
computers. Using advanced compression techniques
and the fact that with digital technology, data
transmission is very precise, more information
(i.e. more channels) and better quality
television pictures and sound can be received in
the home.
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Is Digital Satellite Television better than the
previous analogue system?
Without
question. Not only should picture and sound
quality be near-perfect with many more channels
being available, but most programme providers are
now sending wide-screen higher definition
pictures using this system. Most people report
richer colour definition and better contrast when
comparing the new digitally transmitted picture
to the previous analogue with sound also being
near-CD quality. It is important to remember
though, that the final result is as good as the
television and system used to view the
transmissions. As most televisions are still
based on analogue technology, especially with
older units, you may still not get as good a
picture as that to which you may be entitled.
An
additional feature of digital TV is the
electronic programme guide (EPG) provided with
the channels. This is like a very advanced text
based system which allows you to quickly see what
programmes any channel is carrying up to 4 days
prior to transmission with additional content
information on request.
Finally,
many new features will be ultimately be available
to digital TV viewers, including on-line
shopping, internet access, and
video-nearly-on-demand (Same movie starting every
15 minutes, say so you can turn on the TV at any
time and only have a short wait to the start of a
chosen movie).
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What Digital Television is available in the UK?
There
are currently 2 systems broadcasting in the UK:
ONDigital
- a terrestrial digital system sponsored by BBC
and the ITV companies which began broadcasting in
December 1998 using existing transmitters in the
UK. Can normally be received over an existing
aerial, which is subsequently connected to a
special digital receiver. Not available outside
of UK shores because of the limited range of the
terrestrial transmissions. ONDigital is
technically capable of supporting up to 60
channels simultaneously, but currently only
broadcasts 30.
Sky
Digital - a digital version of the existing Sky
group of television channels, broadcasting since
October 1998 from the Astra 2A and 2B satellites
at 28.2degrees east of south. Technically it is
possible to pick up signals from these satellites
outside of the UK, but all channels available are
on a subscription basis, and subscriptions are
limited to residents of the United Kingdom and
Ireland only. Technically the system can carry up
to 500 channels; 160 are currently available.
Because
of the geographical limitations on ONDigital,
this document will only refer to the Sky Digital
Satellite System.
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What equipment is available to receive Sky
Digital?
Sky
Television have designed reception equipment
(known as a "Digibox") for their
satellite transmissions which includes a
scrambling system, and have licensed their
manufacture to 3 manufacturers in the UK - Pace,
Grundig and Amstrad. (An additional supplier,
Panasonic will probably simply re-badge one of
the other 3) The heart of the receiver is a
computer system requiring software, provided
exclusively by Sky and actually downloaded or
updated directly into the receiver from the
satellite. This means that apart from aesthetic
issues, there is very little to choose between
the different receiver boxes on the market. In a
few years experience will tell who is the better
manufacturer for product reliability. In the
future additional equipment, and maybe even
digital satellite televisions may come onto the
market, but at the end of the day many of the
facilities provided will be limited to software
capabilities which will be identical in all
systems.
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How much does it cost?
Receiving
equipment is available in the UK from around
£200 ($320), including dish. However, this price
is artificial as it is highly subsidised by a
company called British interactive Broadcasting
(BiB) in collaboration with Sky to encourage
people to buy into the new technology. Current
estimates put the subsidy at around £250,
putting the actual street value of the system at
£450 ($720). The subsidy is only paid if 3
conditions are met:
The
system is installed by a Sky qualified installer
(the majority of these work for an installation
company owned by Sky), and certified to Sky as
being correctly installed at the given (UK!)
address Permanent connection of the equipment to
a telephone line in the home of the user (the
receiver contains a modem which can be used to
call Sky to book movies, make on-line shopping
orders, and maybe, in the future for internet
access. It is also understood that BiB (or Sky,
with their permission) may actually call up boxes
directly to interrogate their software status,
and initiate downloads, and of course, to check
they are still connected to the telephone).
Signing of an "Interactive Discount
Contract" - an agreement with BiB that
enforces the above conditions and is valid for
one year from signature. If any conditions are
found to de broken any subsidies allowed in the
sale of the equipment must be paid back.
The
prices shown do not include any installation
costs, nor costs for subscription to the channels
you may wish to watch.
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Can I receive anything else apart from Sky
Television?
Because
the terrestrial ONDigital system wanted to expand
its appeal and include Sky programming such as
movies and sport, Sky have been required by the
regulatory authorities to reciprocate and include
terrestrial broadcast programmes with their own.
UK-sourced BBC 1, BBC 2, Channel 4 and Channel 5
are included in the satellite transmissions, as
are some new UK channels, BBC Choice (a mix of
BBC repeats from the week before), BBC 24 (news)
and BBC Parliament (live feeds from the UK
Parliament!). Additional free channels supplement
these, including QVC; Travel Shop, The Travel
Channel (shopping channels!), CNN, Sky News, TNT,
The Cartoon Network and S4C. Because these are
actually non-subscription channels (known as
"free-to-air") Sky are required to make
them available to those that wish to view them,
without charge. ITV have not joined the channel
line up, because of confusion over the ability of
Sky to limit regional ITV stations to their own
regions. ITV regions depend heavily on
geographically targeted advertising revenue, and
may not want advertising intended and financed
from ITV Scotland to be available to viewers in
London for example. Rumours in the industry
suggest that ITV will eventually join the
free-to-air options later in 1999.
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Can I watch any of these digital Channels outside
of the UK?
Officially
- no. There are good reasons for this. Sky only
licences the material (movies, sports, etc.) they
buy for re-transmission into the UK and Northern
Ireland. If they were to permit viewing outside
of this territory, not only would they be in
conflict with the redistribution rights that they
have bought, but also programme providers in
other countries may get upset that their
territory is being infringed. The same is also
true for the free-to-air channels - the BBC for
example makes a healthy living out of selling
home-made material to other countries, and would
not want to lose this source of revenue by
allowing it to be freely available in other
countries. It has been suggested that additional
restrictions imposed by the BBC have caused Sky
to tighten up their own distribution system to
further enforce UK-only viewing.
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What is to stop me bringing equipment outside of
the UK to watch these channels?
Technically
- very little, legally - quite a lot.
Clearly
as you would not want the system installed by a
"qualified" installer (only in the UK)
and permanently attached to a UK phone line, you
would not qualify for the subsidy. This means you
would have to pay around £450 for a complete
system, then ship it abroad and install it (or
have it installed). You would be able to receive
one channel - Sky News (and a couple of others
advertising the wonders of Sky Digital 24 hours a
day).
If
you want to watch more channels you have 2
choices:
1.
The free-to-air channels (see above). Anybody can
call the BBC and request a (free) card for their
Digibox which when inserted would enable it for
these channels only. To get this card you need
to:
- Make a call
from a UK phone (in actual fact, although
it is a different number, the Sky
subscriber service organisation is acting
for the BBC in sending out cards). Note
that the card distribution centre can see
where a call is being made from, so don't
try calling from abroad!
- You must be
requesting a card for a bona-fide UK or
Northern Ireland resident at the address
you give, who also has a fully paid-up TV
licence. The name, address, postcode and
telephone number (if you give it) will be
cross-checked to confirm validity.
- You must
provide the unique hardware serial number
of the Digibox that will use the
card.
- You must
provide the unique software serial number
for the software installed in the Digibox
(you can find this out after the box is
correctly installed from one of the
on-screen set-up menus).
The last two
points imply that you need to be in
possession of an installed Digibox before
making the call.
Once you have
the card (delivered by recorded delivery 3-5
working days later) you need to enable the
card by inserting it into the Digibox and
calling the subscriber centre once more (from
the same number/address that called for the
card - if they see a different incoming
number they will ask additional questions).
You will be asked for further information
before a signal is sent to switch on the
free-to-air channels in your box. This can
take up to 6 hours after making the call -
not all channels are switched on at once.
Clearly, the box must be correctly installed
with the dish aligned on the satellite for
this process to be successful.
2.
The Sky channels of your choice (which all
include the aforementioned free-to-air channels).
Once again you must make a call to Sky from a UK
phone, and if you fulfil the conditions and
provide the information shown above you will be
supplied with a viewing card within the week.
Simultaneously, you should fill out a
subscription application form for the Sky
channels of your choice (broadly the same
packages as for the analogue system, and at the
same price). The form is available from most
satellite dealers or from Sky themselves. Once
Sky have received your application, and you have
received the card, a quick call to the Sky
subscriber centre, providing them with
information they request they will enable your
card for the channels you have chosen within a
few hours.
There
is one important aspect to note when subscribing
to Sky channels. Your signature on the
subscription form contractually obliges you keep
the viewing card in the UK, at the address you
have given, in the Digibox you have described to
them (in fact, the card won't work in any other
box - as once enabled, it is married to that unit
alone). There is no signature required to obtain
a free-to-air card - the implication being that
you are not obliged to retain it in the UK -
however, should you be "discovered" (or
even suspected of) using the card outside the UK,
the card can be disabled over the satellite in
seconds. Disabling a card, will disable its host
Digibox meaning that Sky would not enable any
further cards in that equipment (they know the
serial number!), unless it could be proved to be
resident in the UK (i.e. seen by Sky approved
installer).
Once
a card is enabled Sky recommend that it should
always be left in the Digibox, the box should
always be connected to power (even in the
stand-by ("off") state the Digibox
continues to receive and understand satellite
signals) and your dish should always point at the
Astra 2 satellite. As it is certainly the case
that the Digibox regularly receives over-the-air
software updates, then this is not unreasonable -
not receiving an update for any reason may
temporarily disable your card. Sky will tell you
that even a few minutes with the card out of the
box or the receiver off-satellite can disable the
card, but this is unlikely to be the case.
However, longer periods (in excess of 24 hours,
say) should be avoided.
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Frequently asked
questions regarding Sky Digital
What are the main advantages/disadvantages of
Digital Satellite Television over analogue
satellite?
Advantages:
- Generally
better picture and sound quality, but
only on a decent television. Much better
quality if comparing to an old, or badly
installed analogue system.
- A few extra
Sky channels (e.g. Manchester United
Television!); some existing channels have
extended hours on digital.
- BBC
Channels including BBC1 and BBC2, Channel
4.
- Video
Nearly on Demand (VNOD). The chance to
order a movie and start to watch it,
usually within 30 minutes or less.
- Additional
services will become available, but only
if the Digibox is connected to a
telephone line (shopping, internet,
email).
- Additional
capacity for many more channels which may
become available.
Disadvantages:
- No radio
channels.
- Apart from
those indicated, no alternative channels
(e.g. foreign).
- Expensive
if not subsidised!
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Can I install it myself?
Although
not impossible, installation is not easy -
installing digital satellite is much more
complicated than analogue. You certainly can't
swing the dish around and look for a picture -
for a start the system needs around 20-30 seconds
following accurate alignment to recognise the
signal and synchronise to a picture at all. A
trial-and-error approach would require tremendous
patience. Accurate alignment not only of the
dish, but also of the LNB (receptor on the end of
the dish arm) in its holder is critical to
getting any picture. Unlike analogue satellite
systems, there is no such thing as a bad (e.g.
"sparkly") picture - you either get a
picture, or you do not! A competent installer
would use a wide-band spectrum analyser and
signal strength meter with 22KHz upper-band
switching to ensure optimal installation. Even
the cheap signal strength meters on the market
are not adequate - they block the 22KHz signal
required to obtain the upper band digital
signals.
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Can I
use any existing satellite equipment or
components?
Maybe
-
- A 60cm dish
(or even smaller) is adequate for signal
reception of Astra 2 in central Europe.
Note, however that it will need to point
in a different direction to that used for
Sky analogue, so you can no longer use
your analogue receiver and continue to
receive any existing channels!
- You will
need a universal LNB (also known as
"dual-band" or
"digital-ready") - many LNBs
provided in the last 12 months are of
this type.
- You should
ensure that the dish cabling is
high-quality, low-loss specification, and
not damaged or running near to other
signal cables or power cables.
- You cannot
currently use a Digibox with any existing
system that utilises 22KHz switching
(e.g. a multi-receiver distributed
system, or multi-satellite
(Astra/EutelSat)).
- You should
avoid using a Digibox on a motorised
multi-satellite system, primarily because
of the need for the Digibox/card to
always be "on-satellite".
- Because of
the alignment (or re-alignment) issues,
any non-fixed installation (e.g.
floor-stand) is not to be recommended.
- Your TV
must be designed for use in England
(PAL-I), be multi-standard, or have SCART
or A/V input (most European TVs newer
than 10 years have this).
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Can I use my Videorecorder?
Yes
- the Digibox has a SCART output for a
Videorecorder, but as with analogue satellite you
can only record or watch one programme at a time.
Note that here is currently no facility in the
Digibox for a VCR timer (automatic switch on to a
certain channel at a certain time).
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Can I attach multiple televisions?
You
can only do this using a TV antenna connection -
you would then be restricted to UK standard TVs
(Just like you cannot use a UK TV on a German
aerial or cable system the Digibox does not
support a German antenna connection and cannot be
easily adapted). You would not receive stereo
sound even if your TV supports it, and all TVs
would have to watch the same satellite channel at
the same time. You could of course use the
wireless relay systems currently on the market to
transmit the pictures to additional televisions
around your home.
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Can I attach more than one receiver to a dish so
I can have digital TV around the house?
At
the moment - no. The Digibox does not support the
required switching to achieve this. Future models
may permit this (in fact, it maybe that only a
software upgrade is required, but this is
presently not certain).
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Can I attach the Digibox to my stereo system?
Yes
- as with most analogue systems there are
(analogue) stereo audio outputs on the Digibox to
connect to your hi-fi.
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Can the Digibox receive radio channels?
Technically,
yes, but there are currently none of the
"usual" radio channels available on
Astra 2. This may change. There are more than 30
sound (music!)-only channels "in CD
quality" but most of these are simply
back-to-back music tracks in the style of your
choice. BBC Radios 1/2/3/4/5/etc seem to have no
plans to come onto this satellite.
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Can the Digibox receive other "free to
air" digital channels from other satellites?
Theoretically,
yes, but the choice is limited. The Digibox can
only receive a subset of all the digital signals
available from other satellites. Of course you
would need to be able to move your dish
accurately onto other satellite positions.
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Can the Digibox de-scramble other encrypted
digital satellite signals?
No
- the Digibox is designed to de-scramble signals
using the "Videoguard" encryption
system which is exclusive to Sky and not used by
any other programme provider. Unlike other
digital receivers, there is no "Common
Interface" to permit additional scrambling
systems to be supported.
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Can I use any other digital Receiver to receive
Sky's programmes?
No
- no other receiver supports the Videoguard
encryption system, which is proprietary to Sky.
Furthermore, Sky licences the manufacturers of
Digiboxes who build to Sky's own design.
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Can the Digibox receive analogue satellite
channels?
No.
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Can I view normal teletext over Digital
Satellite?
Yes
- if this information is being transmitted (it is
on most channels). Page updates are also much
quicker. This is a good source of programme
schedule detail. Note that the remote control for
the Pace Digibox can (uniquely) also control the
functions of most TVs so you only need to have
the one remote in your hand.
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Will Digital TV get any cheaper?
Maybe
- but not very much. The non-subsidised prices
are comparable to other systems on the market,
the prices of which have not changed much over 2
years. The systems are really quite
technologically advanced and very complicated -
technology has a price. Best case is that there
maybe additional features included at the same
price (a VCR timer for example).
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If I try to subscribe (even to the free channels)
without taking the subsidy won't Sky suspect and
start to ask awkward questions?
They
might - but experience shows they do not. If they
do then the following answers may help your case:
- "I am
rich and money doesn't matter" (!)
- "I
don't have a telephone, so can't commit
to the required telephone
connection".
- "I
don't trust Sky to attach to my phone
line - how do I now that the Digibox
won't run up a big telephone bill?"
- "I
don't trust Sky to attach to my telephone
line - how do I know they are not
monitoring my calls, or my TV viewing
habits?"
- "I
have an expensive, wide-screen, high
definition, 100Hz Television. The main
source for quality wide-screen programme
material is over digital satellite"
(see also "I am rich…"
above).
- "My
analogue TV reception is very poor
because of the area I live in or the
old/badly installed antenna equipment I
have. Digital satellite solves all these
problems at once."
(The
two last points are probably the better
argument!)
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Can I receive pay-per-view movies even if the
Digibox is not connected to a telephone line?
Yes
- you simply need to make a phone call to Sky to
send the signal over the air to the card to
enable it for the movies of your choice. Needless
to say, this call should come from the house
where the Digibox is registered. The same is also
true for card upgrades to receive additional
channels. This may be a risk you can do without.
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Can I upgrade from a free-to-air card to a Sky
channels card?
The
card itself is not upgraded - you basically need
to begin the enrolment sequence for Sky as
described above, and you will receive a second
card. Note that your first card could not be
given/loaned/sold to anyone else, as it will only
work in the Digibox that it was registered for.
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How much longer will analogue satellite TV be
around?
Difficult
to say, but Sky won't persuade 6 million existing
subscribers to convert to Digital satellite with
all it entails overnight. Sky hasn't made a
formal statement on this, but pessimistic
estimates say at least 5 years, but it will more
probably be in excess of 10. It will most
probably be that newer channels will begin on
digital, leaving the existing analogue offerings
fairly stagnant.
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IMPORTANT
NOTE
Bavaria
Satellite cannot be held responsible for
any actions you take as result of reading
this guide. It is not intended to
encourage or assist you to break any
laws. If you enter into any contracts for
digital satellite television, be sure you
understand the terms and conditions you
are subscribing to and their geographical
limitations!
Further
Questions? - we'll be happy to
help…. send mail to info@bavaria-satellite.de
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