UK TV - much cheaper than 400€

Hi

have sent you pm with my email address for details of the cheaper telly

thanks

Viv

Hi All,

Unless you are resident and desparate for TV, my advice would be to hang on and see what happens.

This raises an interesting question.  The 2009 budget has > €1.4M for "Maintenance of digital TV, analog and satellite" !!!!!

How can this possible be true?  Annual maintenace, never.  the entire cost of installation maybe.

So.

If we are paying this, I assume that we, the community, not PW own the equipment?  So perhaps we should be deciding what satellite feeds are to be provided, when and how the cost should be funded.

At the mo PW are taking the pi**.  they are charging us for the satellite equipment and then over charging for boxes.  If you look at the price list they want €150 for a TDT receiver when you can get one in any electrical shop for <€50, the same for the cable box €400 for a €100 box, me thinks they jest............

Phil

My problem on top of your comments which are so true, even when you pay the 400 E the bloody thing still does not work and its 45E for them to come and look at it.

Terry

Hi,

Have sent you pm requesting cheaper tv details.

Thanks,

Wicklow & Jardin 9

The whole issue about TV is not restricted to just Condado.

Take a look at the La Torre forum their debate rages on with PW threatening to cut off services etc.

We are over in 2 weeks and, following discussions with ptan, have purchased a auto scanning freesat box which will automatically scan for satellite signals. If this works, and I will report back on the forum, the cost is £40 from Maplins.

For us, if we just get a few UK channels, with ITV and BBC we will be happy as we are not renting and don't want to be tied to the "box" when on holiday.

If you live on Condado, especially with kids, then I can see that the whole issue about TV is more important.

I too have got the Maplins box, ready to take over in April. It's far more flexible in it's tuning than a 'Sky' branded box and will hunt down anything and everything that is available.

I'm not convinced that the English channels normally picked up by a Sky receiver in the UK are available at Condado just yet, but I think Mick's (Sonatigh) cable installer hinted they will eventually be.

Chris

Hi Guys,

Anyone got any update regards if the Maplin Sat Box works over at Condado?

Iain

Several people have tried various freeview type boxes and can pick up sky news and a few italian channels etc but no english and nothing like the quality and quantity we get on the PW box.

As i stated on previous threads the boxes are coded signal from Sat dishes to houses is encrypted (from TV engineer) I expect someone will crack the code and find a cheaper solution but then PW may change the code, not sure how we get round that one?

Hi folks,

I have heard rumblings that there is another digi-box that may receive Sky TV in Spain.

I will risk all the incomming banter off the usual suspects, but has anyone heard of a digial decoding box called a 'darkbox'?

Before Shampers and the rest of the old guard fall off their chairs laughing, this gaget really does exist, I just don't know if anyone has tried one yet.

WW 

Hi WW,

Yes have heard of a darkbox, it's a SAT reciever.  Don't think it would work at CdA - unless you know better?

Phil

Hello,

     I tried the Maplin box a few weeks ago, I got hopeful as the Astra 1 satellite had a signal and  found channels but this only seemed fthe EPG for other channels on satellites that there was no signal or <5% so no programs.

Tried various options but no improvement.

However did find that with Spanish Digital telly, SonyTV channel is all English speaking and on the Spanish channels some US films/programs are also broadcast in the original English language, you then just need to change audio setting to change from Spanish to English.

For those with top floor apartments what is wrong with a dish on the solarium, surely it's out of sight so not an issue. 

Hi All,

I tried a maplin box last week also with much the same results. The Astra 2 satelite which transmits all the UK channels was found and a good signal strength of around 78% but the signal quality was poor so could not display any channels.

I suspect PW have deliberately done something to stop us receiving UK channels so they can sell their high priced boxes which for one I don't want to buy or subscribe to.

I think we should all put pressure on PW / RPM to enable the sat feed properly especially since we are being told to contribute towards a 267,000 E maint budget for 2009 for Digital Tv & satelite

www.thespainforum.com/f286/diy-satellite-dish-instillation-guide-expats-142963/  - a nice 2.4m dish stuck on my flagpole will do nicely

and the Dark Box does exist although you need to be a member of The Strathclyde Constabulary to get access to it news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8003067.stm

I knew it wouldn't take long Dave..............

May the force be with you.

WW

Think a 2.4m dish is a bit overkill unless you plan to sunbathe in it or wish your apartment will look like a 007 baddies lair. 

Have read some channels are available on a 80cm in Southern Spain and some claiming to get BBC from Canaries. At 80 euros for a dish from Campsola Brico it seems worth a try.  An 80cm dish would also sit nicely out of view in the corner of the solarium.

Hi everyone,

 just a suggestion for people with small kids, when mine were younger I used to record programs off the kids channels at home with my dvd recorder and then brought them with me on hols, its cheap (money saved can be used to subsidise the clinic) and if you bring 4 or 5 dvds worth of toons at 6 or 8 hours worth on each disc you should be sorted.

It will not help with programming for adults but it will provide quiet time for supping vino on the patio .

   ken

Seems Blofeld has already got his dish fitted ,

Pic courtesy of Agent RayHeslop

Perfect size & so discreet....but will it pick up S4C?

Just Checked with PW and apparently you need the next dish size up to get S4C and Channel 5. Offering upgrade for a very reasonable 5M euro. LOL