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It shouldn’t really come as any surprise but Panasonic have today announced they have dropped the Freesat+ recorders from their new range of products due to launch in March.
The reason being poor sales on the recorder side of their business, though it is expected they will continue to offer televisions with Freesat built-in (models tbc).
The existing range of Panasonic Freesat+ recorders (DMR-BS880, DMR-BS780) have always been solid units, but never really sold well with such high price tags and blu-ray built-in; which didn’t seem that popular a combination. In addition, many feared that Panasonics lack of support for previous models would mean customers would be left without important interactive/on-demand services.
As Freesat move towards the G2 spec, with a much tighter set of technical conditions, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that some manufacturers haven’t signed new contracts, but for those that have, they are sure to be offering some stunning receivers in the coming months with plenty of extras to encourage customers to Freesat as a forward-thinking platform. We’ll bring you some of those features as soon as we have approval!
In similar news, TechniSat have ceased distribution of the HDFS Freesat HD zapper, which we believe (unofficially) is part of their plan to leave the UK electronics market completely.
February 21st, 2012 at 5:38 pm
will never buy a Panasonic Product again. they did not come thru with the upgrade to support BBC Iplayer as they had promised and advertised.
Elo LaugesenQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Ditto.
I have been a staunch Panasonic buyer for many, many years but I will never buy again.
Two Pen’orthQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:08 pm
not surprised the recorder s not selling well to get a freesat recorder you need to get an engineer out to change lnb pluse put two cables not worth the money at present
martinQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:18 pm
Have any companies (besides Humax) confirmed they are producing G2 boxes?
Cheers
JonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Yes, Sagemcom and Manhattan.
adminQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:46 pm
Just the same as any other recorder service including Sky which also needs two cables in case you never noticed.
Also, never heard of DIY? Changing an LNB is two screws and surely you can run a length of cable.
Al (Original)Quote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:52 pm
Shame about Technisat, although, despite the great reviews for the HDFS, there was not enough brand awareness in the UK. Along with the lack of support within the UK and the fact that they are producing new receivers using their own standard for internet / on demand content, its no surprise really.
My HDFS has been great apart from the epg problem, still I’m on board with team ‘Manhattan’ from now on
Lee SQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 6:53 pm
Panasonic are in the doldrums like a lot of us, and I have bought Panasonic because of their goods products in the past; but if they haven’t got what I want, then I have to go to the next best. I feel I have no allegiance to them, but will not go out to boycott them. Criticise them all you want, they have to go where their markets are: that’s life these days.
Deek the GeekQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:02 pm
Al said,
“Also, never heard of DIY? Changing an LNB is two screws and surely you can run a length of cable.”
I’m getting an engineer out tomorrow to change my LNB to a quad as I don’t have a ladder to reach the dish also I don’t have a drill long enough to go through the house wall so it’s not as easy as you suggest. Price of LNB £4.75, price of ladder from B&Q £85.
The reason Panasonic recorders failed to sell is because they were £250-£300 overpriced for what they did.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:04 pm
You are a wise man indeed.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:10 pm
And don’t forget Samsung have said they will issue a software upgrade to G2 for the SMT-S7800.
Night WatchmanQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:16 pm
We have already established that it’s not possible for the SMT-S7800 to be upgraded to G2 with a software upgrade. Sorry to disappoint if you are the owner of one.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:25 pm
“We have already established that it’s not possible for the SMT-S7800 to be upgraded to G2 with a software upgrade. Sorry to disappoint if you are the owner of one.”
http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/dixons-retail-launch-own-brand-freesat-hd-receiver
See posts 42 to 50.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 7:39 pm
Sorry for being dim, but what is a G2 box please? How will they differ from the Humax Foxsat box I have now?
Martin PughQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 8:26 pm
I avoided buying a Panasonic TV – with Freesat (and FV) built in – because of their stupid decision to include adverts in their EPG, taking up 1/3 of the screen.
Panasonic are, despite producing some good quality products, not incapable of making poor decisions.
Humax will love the decision, though.
EstonQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 8:59 pm
Pana are struggling lately, looking at their global financial warnings things are tough. So in that respect I feel for them.
On the other hand it isn’t bad news for some.
Bob HQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 9:29 pm
Only the freeview epg has the ads, the freesat epg is close to perfect.
————————————-
Agree Panny had overpriced the recorders. Pity they never brought out the BST versions in 2011, if you look at the BWT’s then you see the menu operations are much swifter and the prices more realistic. BST’s might have gotten them a decent market share. G2 seems to be a moving target still.
For me freesat was a solution for HD before dso came to our region this year and having invested in several products (Panny and Technisat) I hope these continue to serve well for several years yet. Thereafter would probably revert to freeview unless freesat has some genuine trumps to offer (like proper integration with other sat positions / services so you are not limited to 28.2E).
RozzoQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 10:11 pm
I have a Panasonic G20 and there are no adverts in my EPG!
Keith CobbyQuote
February 21st, 2012 at 11:09 pm
I agree with this entirely.
Potentially good boxes but given the restrictions on HD recording, Blu Ray recorders were kind of pointless and expensive add ons.
I think had the Panasonics been pure HD Freesat + boxes at a not dissimilar price to the Humax, they’d have flown off the shelves.
Al (Original)Quote
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:44 am
I am not surprised Panasonic had poor sales, for what are good products.
Well overpriced, total fiasco for Iplayer updates, and pathetic cut and paste customer support.
jezBQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:48 am
ronnie bakerQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 9:50 am
Can you not just use a ‘splitter’ cost £1.50 cost of LONG drill £3.00 cable £2.00 all then needed is common sense. !!
ronnie bakerQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:04 am
You can’t split a satellite signal as the signal is two way – the receiver sends power back up the cable to the LNB and you then overpower the LNB with 2 power feeds if you split it. You can only split terrestrial.
For satellite you need either a 2nd cable from another output on the LNB or a distribution switch.
What Richard needs to do is borrow a ladder or invest in one, given that installation costs will be recurring as things wear out and need changing over time. I’m assuming here here’ physically fit enough to use the ladder. Obviously for pensioners or most disabled, an installer is the only safe option.
The fact is there’s no alignment required for a simple LNB swop apart from a small twist to add the skew, makes it a very easy non technical thing to do. Running a cable is hardly technically challenging either provided you have some basic DIY skills.
Al (Original)Quote
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:13 am
I was an early adopter of the Panny 42PZ81 freesat plasma, I wasn’t fussed about the iplayer functionality. But they surely peeved off a lot of customers with empty promises and it’s now its come back to bite them. Even with the range of models 2010 onwards etc there is inconsistence in software for iplayer/itv player.
ZubQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:41 am
The dish has a dent on the top edge from a piece of concrete that fell on it during the 100mph plus wind storm we had (no jokes about beans please:-) )in January that caused extensive property damage in central Scotland so I am getting a used dish fitted (if required) and a realignment as well as a quad LNB. No problem running cables or anything else for that matter. I sold my ladder before I moved up here as I didn’t think I would need it but have been thinking of investing in another one lately.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 12:06 pm
“The fact is there’s no alignment required for a simple LNB swop apart from a small twist to add the skew, makes it a very easy non technical thing to do.”
The $ky Mk4L LNB (£4.95 on line) already has the skew set along with a small spirit level that makes installation a doddle for $ky installers who get less than 30 mins for a new dish install (I’ve head).
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 1:42 pm
Two years ago John Lewis advised me to buy a Humax Freesat recorder and I am most grateful!
Keith GQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:01 pm
Does anyone know where I can buy a Panasonic DMR-BS880? The cheaper the better.
JasonQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:11 pm
Does anyone have the answer please?
Martin PughQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 2:13 pm
Do a search for G2 at the top right of this site; there have been a few posts about it.
In brief, it is so Freesat can tie down the contract agreement with the manufacturers so they can’t decide what they do and don’t want to support. It also includes a much better chipset and components allowing more features to be added that the existing receivers can’t; think mainly around interactive services.
Unfortunately cannot say much more because the official information hasn’t been released yet.
adminQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 3:08 pm
So is this going to mean existing boxes (Foxsat HDR 320) will cease to work after the G2 roll-out?
Bob KQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 3:22 pm
All existing Freesat receivers will continue to operate as normal as nothing will change to the existing setup. You may just not get as many new features as the G2 spec receivers, but no technology can keep up with additions forever.
adminQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 3:38 pm
multizoneav.com are still advertising them. I have three, BS880, BW880 and a BS885 CI+ from Germany, wouldn’t be without them!
tezza greenhillQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 5:07 pm
Shame. I actually fancied a Panasonic Recorder/BluRay. Had two (analogue TV) Pioneer combi DVD/HDD recorders which were brilliant. Could edit recordings (remove ads etc/select the best bits) and copy/archive to DVD at high speed. Expected the Panasonics to do similar. Alas am still waiting.
I need the space under the tellty, what with the Humax, External Hard Drive,Media Player, Wii, DVD Player, TV Transmitters etc I could do with the odd combination box to save some space.
TimKQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Any update on the Technisat EPG issue – its doing my head in at this stage – anyone in direct contact with them?
LiamQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 7:50 pm
Hi tezza and thank you for the tip.
Please can you tell me what the difference is between the BS880 and the BS885?
JasonQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 8:19 pm
Listen clever clogs I meant there nothing worth recording on it as well as the exspence
MartinQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Dont. Like heights I ment the cost as well as there is nothing worth recording on there at the moment I got a freeviwe recorder to record channels on at least I can record dave yesterday and quest on that
MartinQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:16 pm
A worrying sign when the only programmes someone wants to record are on Dave, Yesterday etc; but hey, everyones different
adminQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 10:37 pm
Purchased a new Panasonic 850 Freesat/Blu-Ray recorder 18 months ago for £399.Still very pleased with its performance.Copies of recordings onto Blu-Ray are exact replicas of the originals,although it takes a while to get to grips with the copying proceedures.Also have copied around 4000 CD tracks onto the hard disc plus hundreds of still pictures.Compared to my Humax Freesat recorder the programme guides come up instantly and deleting of recordings takes a few seconds.Since the machines will do so much more than what the majority of people require then the market for them has been small added to which a detailed read of the manual is essential.Personally I think that they are a superb piece of kit but unless you are going to use its many facilities then its purchase would be a waste of money.
CharlesQuote
February 22nd, 2012 at 11:02 pm
It’s sad that Panasonic have withdrawn these products but as others have commented they were overpriced, saying that I can’t talk as I shelled out £540 when I bought mine back in 2009. Saying that I am very happy with it, the BluRay and DVD archiving is great and used when the odd person wants a copy of a programme, in fact as I write this I’m burning DVD copies of CBeebies output this week for my Mum to take to sister’s abroad so my little nephew can watch all his favourite kids programmes.
I think overall Panasonic have got a bit greedy and with DSO around Europe and the Western World now maturing (completed in some territories) then those who’ve invested in new HD panels aren’t going to buy in to 3D or Super HiVision which is the next advancement.
Saying that Panasonic have supported the platform through it’s early development and lets hope with the G2 spec on it’s way they release a few new TV’s with Freesat G2 inclusive.
NeilQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 1:24 am
Hi Jason, the BS785/885 mainly for German/Austrian/Swiss markets but come with English/German/Italian manuals. These languages can also be set for the on-screen menu’s. It has a CI+ slot in the rear for HD+ CAM & card and DiSEqC1.0 for upto 4 LNB’s It will also record to DVD+R/+R DL/+RW, the BW & BS780/880 will not, only to the -R family of discs. No “Freesat” EPG, of course, otherwise identical. Hope that helps?
tezza greenhillQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 9:30 am
Martin said
“Dont. Like heights I ment the cost as well as there is nothing worth recording on there at the moment I got a freeviwe recorder to record channels on at least I can record dave yesterday and quest on that”
Yeah but you can’t record lots of other channels like CBS Reality, CBS Action, etc,etc.etc that are on Freesat but not on Freeview. There are 140 TV ch on Freesat and at most 55 lots of which are only on part time on Freeview. Not to mentionthe fact there is no room for ore HD channels on Freeview but any amount of room on Freesat.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 9:33 am
Didn’t think there was an issue anymore. The EPG loaded fine last time I looked.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 10:10 am
TechniSat never released updated software, last shows as February 2011! With them pulling out of the Freesat market, it seems very unlikely they’ll ever officially release it….however, if anyone needs the beta version with EPG fix, just let me know, I have a copy.
adminQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 10:39 am
I can’t argue with the height issue. I’m the same although I did mount mine on the side of the house for that very reason. If you’ve inherited a dish mounted somewhere you’re not comfortable going then an installer is the only option.
I’m kind of with Richard on the channel comment though. Each to their own, but there are far more interesting channels than Dave and Quest.
Al (Original)Quote
February 23rd, 2012 at 2:02 pm
Had 3 Panasonic sky boxes a few years ago,contantly going faulty in gaurantee and out,they were the absolute Pitts! cost me a fortune replacing them,have never baught anything since with a panasonic name. was always lead to believe this was a top company.never had one bit of a prob with my HUMAX boxes,both HD and HD+.
A J ClarkeQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Admin
Will the current Panny Freesat / Bluray Recorder range be continued in production?
Personally I use my BS750 fully for Bluray and Camcorder archiving and hope it can be replaced eventually by a later model with the same functionality.
jonpQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 2:34 pm
No, that is the point of this news story, that Panasonic are not continuing their range of Freesat receivers!
adminQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 7:50 pm
Davis TV Eastbourne have one but dont know how much.
Stevie bQuote
February 23rd, 2012 at 10:38 pm
I think I should add this for anyone thinking of buying a DMR-BS785/885 from Germany. German dealers seem very reluctant to export these, best buy if you are visiting Germany, or, get a friend to send you one, as my very good friend Alan did for me! You can also try buying from eBay.de
tezza greenhillQuote
February 24th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Hi Admin – Id love to get my hands on the beta Firmware! Can you email me a copy. i havew two questions about it – is it buggy? and is it possible to ‘Revert’ to an earlier edition, if i have any issues – at this stage the EPG fault is a complete head wreck, so im willing to take a risk!
Thanks
LiamQuote
February 24th, 2012 at 8:40 pm
yes i agree with you there as for recording cbs action and the rest of cbs output i like cbs i watched star trek missed a couple and caught up a few weeks later thier on a loop a never ending loop untill they change again and then thats all you ll see again
martinQuote
February 25th, 2012 at 10:02 am
I agree, the Technisat box was a lovely box and has served me well.
I was under the impression that Technisat’s primary market was Continental Europe, and Freesat was a foot-in-the-door to the UK market for them.
In Europe, I believe, Sky is received using retail boxes and CAM modules, and such boxes are not available in the UK due to Murdoch’s monopoly.
As for their receivers using Technisat’s own internet / on-demand, I doubt that very much. I think it’s more likely they are following European retail standards of HbbTV.
S.E.
S.E.Quote
February 25th, 2012 at 10:27 am
All the non premium channels are on a loop not just CBS.
Star Trek the Next Generation is coming out in high def for the very first time on Blu-ray soon. Got the sampler disc and it’s brilliant.
Personally I’m not bothered about recording anything especially not the low resolution channels. I was just pointing out that Freesat has lots more to record than Freeview even when you subtract all the BBC1&2 variations there are around 50 channels that are on Freesat that aren’t on Freeview. Then there are the Freeview relay transmitters which have even less channels.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 25th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Hi Stevie. Thank you for the Davis TV tip. I phoned them and they no longer stock the DMR-BS880. They checked on ‘the system’ and confirmed that the DMR-BS880 is discontinued.
JasonQuote
February 25th, 2012 at 3:02 pm
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/panasonic-42-plasma-built-in-freesat-hd-and-freeview-tuners/96971459
Seems a bit too good to be true but someone on Gumtree is selling the above for silly money.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 25th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Bargain!! If that was a 32″ Panny for sale with the same discounted price reduction I’d shoot over to Leeds and buy it as my parents are after a new TV for their conservatory.
NeilQuote
February 25th, 2012 at 11:45 pm
Hi Jason. All the following are advertising them on the web, how up-to-date the sites are, your guess is as good as mine?
http://www.royjowetthomecinema.co.uk
http://www.hcsdirect.co.uk
http://www.saverstore.com
http://www.techu.co.uk
tezza greenhillQuote
February 26th, 2012 at 12:31 am
I have read an article on the thinkbroadband web site about the 4G network will cause interference with Freeview TV. Apparently £180m is being set aside from the 4G auction to provide a fix for the interference. Freesat is mentioned as one of the solutions.
I wonder if manufacturers will rue the day they turn their back on Freesat?
Kevin Ver1Quote
February 27th, 2012 at 10:01 am
Yeah I saw that, ROFL.
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2012/02/4g-mobile-transmissions-will-cause-tv-interference-280016/
Al (Original)Quote
February 27th, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Freesat is not really a fix for freeview and the interference its a cop out with freeview viewers can’t they develope a interference shield or something
steve 1Quote
February 27th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
Is it freeview sd and freeview hd going to have problems with 4G?
steve 1Quote
February 27th, 2012 at 6:40 pm
Freeview full stop I think Kevin.
Its fairly safe to assume that the 4G signal will interfere with the television carrier signal so reception of all Freeview in affected areas will affected. HD or SD should make no difference as its the signal that will be compromised not the signal type.
Al (Original)Quote
February 28th, 2012 at 12:02 am
Hi Al it was Steve asking the question!
My experience of Freeview is not good. My aerial is pointed at a local transmitter and it only broadcasts one Mux and it is on very low power. The analogue channels are now very poor. I did attempt to improve the picture quality by running satellite grade cable from the TV to the aerial but having the aerial in the loft means I only got a small improvement. Watching programs on Freeview is so frustrating due to the cliff face reception.
It will be interesting to see if there is an improvement at the end of May as that is the 1st stage of the switch over and I should benefit from full power Freeview transmissions. However as my TV is nearly 4 years old I will only get SD on Freeview. Another thing I have notice with Freesat it that it is very sensitive to interference such as mopeds and food mixers!
Kevin Ver1Quote
February 28th, 2012 at 2:11 am
Next gen free sat will likely be portable dishes of some kind that can pick up a signal from indoors. Heck it just needs to be a cheap as chips device that can pick up a sat signal from indoors perfectly. Someone will eventually invent this.
MatthewQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 7:31 am
You must live in the last area to have freeview switchover
steve 1Quote
February 28th, 2012 at 7:41 am
Satellite only works if there is a direct line of sight to the LNB.
Lee SQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 7:45 am
Special filters will be provided for people in these areas to eliminate interference from 4G signals at the cost of the mobile phone operator. It is only going to affect around 1m homes (Freeview has 17m viewers). Think of it like a broadband filter that you plug into your phone line.
Lee SQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 8:16 am
hehe, I think you’ll be waiting a very long time given satellite signals require a direct line of sight.
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 9:51 am
Worldspace satellite radio signals could be received through a brick wall, but it did use L- Band ,as I found to my surprise.
(broadcasts were in the 1467–1492 MHz L sub-band.)
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 9:55 am
BTW the dish was the size of a saucer and could be mounted on a small radio that also had the FM band. You only needed to point the dish in a southerly direction to get a signal. It even worked in cars.
Richard CrichtonQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Ant new channels coming up admin?
SaltydawgQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
None that I’m currently aware of sorry.
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I didn’t know if you already knew this admin, but http://www.goodmans.co.uk/ has a new updated website with the current and latest Freeview / Freesat models on. It also has a link to the new View21 brand as you posted – that they are developing a G2 Freesat receiver, but the site isn’t live yet.
It says ‘coming soon’ for the new Goodmans Freesat PVR which looks very similar to the latest Bush offering from Argos with the channel number and power light in the centre of the front panel. I’m not sure how the latest Bush PVR performs as a budget model.
Lee SQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 1:48 pm
Goodmans keep changing their models yet no where ever seems to sell them, so I haven’t made a big deal of promoting. Their View21 models due for launched aren’t G2 spec, but their own interactive brand for accessing iPlayer, Twitter, Youtube and the usual stuff more electronics brands are now focusing on. I don’t believe Goodmans (or Harvard group) have an agreed G2 contract yet.
Not sure either on how the Bush PVR fairs, I can’t seem to get free samples from them for review. However, the Manhattan PVR should be along in a month or two so hopefully that will be priced well and a better option.
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
This is their new PVR, the Goodmans GD11FSRHD50.
Also already published the product on our pages here, http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/digital-boxes/goodmans-gd11fsrhd50, but still no sign of it since the launch last year!!!
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Thanks for that. Didn’t realise they were developing their own interactive features. Should be interesting. The only link I could find to a brief review and summary for the latest Bush PVR is from this site:
http://www.ricability-digitaltv.org.uk/pages/products/digital_tvs/index.asp?Product=Bush%20BU11FSRHD32
Looks like somebody managed to test the box and post the review before the end of 2011 as the site says no new products will be tested after 31st Dec 2011.
Lee SQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Bloody ugly though isn’t it, the Goodmans at least looks better.
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
This is even uglier if the freesat equivalent is going to be the same as the freeview:
http://www.harvardplc.com/view21
Lee SQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
Looks like a casserole dish!
adminQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
Look’s like something you would roast your Sunday lunch in, don’t forget the sprouts.Oh! And cover with plenty of foil, we don’t wan’t to burn this great creation.
monkeymagicQuote
February 28th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Looks like Globecast have signed a multiple transponder deal with SES for forthcoming capacity. This is interesting as until now all their services have been on Eurobird1 so one assumes broadcasters want spotbeam capacity as Freesat is specifically mentioned in the press release.
http://www.ses.com/4233325/news/2012/10324855
NeilQuote
February 29th, 2012 at 2:41 am
Speaking of channels, Sony Tv should be a priority for those wanting new channels, its free to view and just needs lots of free to air requests to tip the tide to freesat. Pretty much every non sky free to view channel should be asked.
MatthewQuote
February 29th, 2012 at 7:39 am
Struggling to find contact details for Sony TV, otherwise I’d have put them in the FTA/FTV post and encouraged more readers to contact them.
adminQuote
February 29th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Do you know what happened to the other 4′s that were supposed to be joining?
Al (Original)Quote
February 29th, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Looks like SONY tv plan to launch a movies channel http://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2012/02/29/sony-planning-uk-film-channel/
Keywords “Sky’s basic package” – Highly unlikely then that they are interested in a move to freesat and looks very likely, this new channel and it’s plus one will replace at least 2 of the movies for men channels, and probably reduce freesat’s lineup – Thanks Sony TV!
Hope the link is allowed not too sure lol
ArchieQuote
February 29th, 2012 at 10:34 pm
The View21 description at http://www.harvardplc.com/view21 says:
“Developed in partnership with ANT, the innovative View21 range unites the ANT Galileo TV connected services platform with free-to-air terrestrial and satellite, DTR functionality and a new EPG designed by Harvard’s development team.”
Too hopeful to take literally with terrestrial and satellite on the one box?
RozzoQuote
March 1st, 2012 at 3:24 am
Sony license details/email to contact person here:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/tvlicensing/cs/1291.htm
SonnyQuote
March 1st, 2012 at 8:29 pm
It’s just a case of the site not being specific. All FTA and FTV channels are carried on Sky, should be no different with these rebranded channels. Focus should be on Sony TV, with enough demand it’l attract attention and a positive outcome.
MatthewQuote
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:20 am
This is bad news for Freesat loosing manufacturers and channel’s!
I expected Panasonic thought more HD channels would have been in place by now, but now realise that Blu-ray recording is not that much of an advantage.
KateQuote
March 2nd, 2012 at 5:12 pm
How about More4+2?
Its launching at the end of March!
RoscoQuote
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 pm
Well as someone else mentioned on movies 2 men they only have themselves to blame for poor viewing figures. When you put in on at allegedly low resolution and low bit rate, can you really blame people if they don’t want to watch the channel?
The quality was so bad it was the sole reason I never watched it, even when there was a decent film on.
Al (Original)Quote
March 2nd, 2012 at 11:16 pm
Quality comment is in my opinion.
Al (Original)Quote
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:40 am
Ok, the bitrate is a bit low but I believe the content could be improved which would up the viewing figures too, I can honestly say I’ve never watched anything on those channels. I wonder if they do disappear from the platform whether CSC may capitalise on it and launch another film channel? Depends on whether they’ve got any content to put on it I suppose??
NeilQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:42 am
I’ve never seen anything decent on the Movies4Men channels though. Ok, the bitrate is poor but with a bit of investment and marketing they could up their viewing share.
NeilQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 1:14 am
More 4 + 2 is launching March 26th 2012. Pretty sure this is 100 percent coming to freesat.
MatthewQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 8:46 am
Is this for real +2 channel how sad
steve 1Quote
March 3rd, 2012 at 12:43 pm
It’s a placeholder for Sky as they’ve purchased Current TV’s EPG slot. I thought this might be the ‘shuffle’ channels working name but possibly not, just a +2 of More4 for placeholding. Maybe they could call it ’4rePlay’ but it should be coming to Freesat.
NeilQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 4:32 pm
Source for More 4+2 launching here
http://www.overnights.tv/public/content/News.aspx
MatthewQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 5:46 pm
What are the chances of Freesat getting Film 4 HD?
Richard CrichtonQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 5:49 pm
Greene King has taken Sky out of their pubs. Probably old news but just heard about it on Radio 4. Well done Greene king.
Richard CrichtonQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 7:47 pm
Film 4 HD has an exclusivity period with Virgin Media, when this runs out, it’l come to Freesat for sure.
Film 4 HD launched on July 20th 2010 on Virgin Media, and they didn’t sign a long contract so I would say anytime in the next couple of years it’l come.
So really, best to start expecting it anytime after July 20th 2012 really, if I were a guessing person I would say 2013.
MatthewQuote
March 3rd, 2012 at 7:49 pm
I think it’l come alongside E4 HD if it does arrive in the future.
MatthewQuote
March 4th, 2012 at 10:13 am
Matthew said:
Film 4 HD has an exclusivity period with Virgin Media, when this runs out, it’l come to Freesat for sure.
Film 4 HD launched on July 20th 2010 on Virgin Media, and they didn’t sign a long contract so I would say anytime in the next couple of years it’l come.
So really, best to start expecting it anytime after July 20th 2012 really, if I were a guessing person I would say 2013.
Reason I asked is because they started BARB reporting on Feb 27th 2012.
Richard CrichtonQuote
March 4th, 2012 at 11:12 am
I’d swap E4HD and Film 4 HD for Movies 4 Men any day.
Sad to see any channels leave if that’s what’s happening but the picture quality killed any chance of me viewing the Movies 4 Men channels.
Al (Original)Quote
March 4th, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Good news there, perhaps they should replace it with a subscription to Nova Sports or Viasat, just don’t show the EPL copyrighted graphics. Viasat/Nova video combined with the commentry from BBC R5Live would be a great combo, that’s what I’d do if I owned a pub!
I’d expect it’s a 2yr deal so we may expect Film4HD later this year, it could run for 3yrs but we’ll only know that closer to the time.
NeilQuote
March 4th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I agree. Exclusivity deals are the only thing keeping some channels away, once all the money that can be made on them has been made, they’l come to Freesat.
On the brightside, freesat is an infinitely superior system to freeview. Never an issue with signal break up or pixelation
MatthewQuote
March 4th, 2012 at 7:19 pm
I still don’t think we’l end up with nothing if movies4men leaves freesat, if anything we’l get something, not sure what but we’l get something in the near future.
MatthewQuote
March 4th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Indeed, your right there. Remember when the iPhone was an exclusive O2 product? Now look at it, any network and any price plan. All exclusive deals come to an end eventually and HD is now becoming more and more accepted.
I have every faith there will be more HD to come to the platform this year and not only C5HD.
NeilQuote
March 5th, 2012 at 5:04 pm
What is everyone’s opinion on the best FreeSAT recorder to buy these days? Humax / Samsung / Other. I heard a rumour of a Manhattan recorder product, but it seems not to have appeared yet? Over the weekend I swapped our Quad LNB for an Octo LNB as a precursor to buying a recorder (we have SAT in multiple locations in the house). Should I buy the Humax FoxSAT now or wait to see what appears on the horizon? Can’t see anything appearing soon!? I have a Sony FreeSAT TV that I have been very happy with, but they have bowed out too, which is a shame…
DaveQuote
March 5th, 2012 at 5:13 pm
The safest bet is the Humax FOXSAT-HDR as it is well supporting on mainly well received. Manhattan launch their HDR-S hopefully in April after months of delays because of hard drive supply problems etc; the Manhattan will be much cheaper but still to be proven on how good it is. Alternatively wait for G2 spec receivers to arrive mid to late this year from Manhattan (a different model) and Sagecom (Humax are still a long way off their G2 receiver).
adminQuote
March 5th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
You CAN split a satellite signal. With a dedicated Satellite splitter the voltage from the second receiver is ‘Blocked’ so as not to damage the LNB.
The only problem with the splitter is you will get the same polarity channels on BOTH receivers.
bigalQuote
March 6th, 2012 at 11:04 am
@ 23 Al (Original)
You CAN split a satellite signal. With a dedicated Satellite splitter the voltage from the second receiver is ‘Blocked’ so as not to damage the LNB.
The only problem with the splitter is you will get the same polarity channels on BOTH receivers.
bigalQuote
March 9th, 2012 at 1:36 am
Are there any Freesat boxes now that have HDD + DVD recording? Was going to go for one of the Panasonic line, and they stop selling them days beforehand. Mind you, people seem to have enough issues with them – though I’ve had Panasonic freeview equivalents for years and not had any issues. Need to switch to Freesat by the start of next month though, due to signal issues.
OrblingQuote
March 11th, 2012 at 6:09 pm
No I’m afraid not but there is a refurbished one on Amazon as I write this. Good luck.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003H9N7J2/ref=nosim?tag=joinfreesat-21
Richard CrichtonQuote
March 11th, 2012 at 6:21 pm
There is also a refurbished Panny DMR- XS380EBK on Play Trade.
http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/13613658/Panasonic-DMR-XS380-EBK-250GB-HDD-Freesat-DVD-Recorder/Product.html?ptsl=1&ob=Price&fb=4
Richard CrichtonQuote