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http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2014/02/06/brit-expats-in-spain-lose-all-bbc-channels/
Who is affected by this? It seems unclear as someone in Catalunya says they’ve lost BBC as well.
Also, does a larger satellite dish give you back reception or is it gone for good, and what are the alternatives/costs other than Spanish TV? 🙄
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Just googled Expatshield and you need to be cautious it seems according to this from EOS:
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According to this article dated 6th Feb 2014 so many people have lost BBC and some other channels even in Barcelona, South of France, Italy, Germany, Canaries, Balearics etc, amazed it has affected all these regions many of which were supposed to be unaffected, surprised more SPI posters haven’t posted other than Melosine, Baromi and Chopera 😮 Check all the posters on the link and it shows how widely distributed the problems are around Europe 🙄
http://www.a516digital.com/2014/02/bbc-moves-satellite-services-to-astra-2e.html
How straightforward is it to stream programmes via internet to your tv set, I mean, is it as easy as switching the set on as normal, then others say a big dish will work, or this box or that box will work, presumably at extra cost? Some have said you still can’t get BBC even on Sky now 🙄
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@Melosine wrote:
True, BBC 1,2 and radio disappeared for most of us today. Size of dish isn’t a factor .
Dish size does matter, you may get people losing BBC in Barcelona because they were receiving it on a 100cm dish, the person next door will keep it if he has a 190cm dish, same goes for Costa Del Sol, people were getting BBC on a 110 – 120cm dish but now you will need 240cm or a 310cm dish or maybe 400cm but you will receive it, of course the dish needs to be aligned correctly to make the most of its size and once dishes get this big they are expensive and need to be shielded from wind and can be an eyesore.
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@angie wrote:
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How straightforward is it to stream programmes via internet to your tv set, I mean, is it as easy as switching the set on as normal, then others say a big dish will work, or this box or that box will work, presumably at extra cost? Some have said you still can’t get BBC even on Sky now 🙄Personally I don’t watch that much UK TV (don’t have the time) and most of what I do watch is sport so I’m ok watching it on my laptop. I just connect my laptop to a VPN that redirects everything via a server in the UK and then I can access BBC iplayer, ITV and SKY Go (I know someone with an account in the UK). If I want to watch something on my TV then I connect my laptop to it with a USB cable. The picture isn’t great and it can break up occasionally but it’s good enough for me.
If you have a smart TV then you can tell it to connect to a VPN directly I believe, so no need for messing around with a laptop. Alternatively there are things called DD-WRT routers that can also connect to VPNs. If you set up one of those with a Smart TV then I imagine it would be just a case of switching on your TV and away you go.
You have to bear in mind that internet TV isn’t as high quality as satellite, and of course many (most?) parts of Spain don’t have fast internet available anyway. If you’ve spent thousands on a fancy telly and have got used to High Definition UK TV then you may be in for some disappointment. I’d be interested to know how this is affecting all those pubs on the resorts that show football all day long.
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Dish size does matter, you may get people losing BBC in Barcelona because they were receiving it on a 100cm dish, the person next door will keep it if he has a 190cm dish, same…….
Well, petej, not according the other forums.
Some folk with small dishes are okay in CDS and on Camposol ( Murcia) whilst those with large dishes in Mojacar , Albox or Mazarron are not.
Of course they could be telling porkies.
Some have retrieved the stations with via humax and android boxes whilst others have not.
Even the people selling the techno stuff are giving conflicting advice.
So at the moment am not doing anything until ITV and Ch4 have changed. -
@Melosine wrote:
Dish size does matter, you may get people losing BBC in Barcelona because they were receiving it on a 100cm dish, the person next door will keep it if he has a 190cm dish, same…….
Well, petej, not according the other forums.
Some folk with small dishes are okay in CDS and on Camposol ( Murcia) whilst those with large dishes in Mojacar , Albox or Mazarron are not.
Of course they could be telling porkies.
Some have retrieved the stations with via humax and android boxes whilst others have not.
Even the people selling the techno stuff are giving conflicting advice.
So at the moment am not doing anything until ITV and Ch4 have changed.If some has lost there BBC and others haven’t in the same area with the same dish size this will be down to setup, dish alignment , LNB quality , cable quality/run length, loss of signal strength due to a switching unit, quality of receiver or obstruction to the dishes line of site, the last one is something people often overlook as this will effectively make you disc act smaller than it is
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Agree petej, sometimes the obstruction isn’t obvious which is why I am waiting for other stations to change and then discuss with friends in my locale re access problems. We all have different size dishes and some have boxes, some don’t but the common issue is we all live in a valley and at this moment no BBC.
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Having looked at various forum comments on the subject of how to get UK programmes back, it all seems very mixed. Some say: get a larger dish, some say get various boxes, Humax and the like, some say stream it through Internet to TV with poorer picture, includes BBC Radio as well, and these programmes can’t be received on SKY now, plus break up of picture quality etc etc plus there appear to be all different costings with no definitive answer. I realise the size of Spain and terrain, by on average what is needed per property and how much will any addition cost, and are there annual running costs? 😕
Trying to find answers for friends but it seems a right old muddle and yet again potential for Cowboy’s ripping expats off 🙄
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Thanks Melosine, I understand what you say, however as this has been coming for months/years, it would seem not beyond the bounds of possibility that there is a definitive answer to this multitude of problems and differing opinions on this subject, I mean, if men can walk on the moon etc, just an honest website saying, ‘this is what you need to know in order to get UK tv within Europe’ 🙄 Is it rocket science? 😕
You can probably see why this could lead to more Cowboy territory in Spain and elsewhere. 🙄 Brits ripping off Brits again 🙄
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IF only life were that simple Angie.
Ever since it was known the satellites would change people have been questioning all and sundry. Most responses were positively guaranteeing it wouldn’t affect us ……..so much for the experts….
Many products and sat people promising the answer and looking for an easy buck.
One in my locale offering to plug in a gadget ( costing about 60e ) to connect via internet for only €200 !!
Meanwhile , we are prepared to wait it out.
Let’s face it the Brit channels were a bonus. -
@angie wrote:
Thanks Melosine, I understand what you say, however as this has been coming for months/years, it would seem not beyond the bounds of possibility that there is a definitive answer to this multitude of problems and differing opinions on this subject, I mean, if men can walk on the moon etc, just an honest website saying, ‘this is what you need to know in order to get UK tv within Europe’ 🙄 Is it rocket science? 😕
You can probably see why this could lead to more Cowboy territory in Spain and elsewhere. 🙄 Brits ripping off Brits again 🙄
Problem is that a website saying, ‘this is what you need to know in order to get UK tv within Europe’ wouldn’t be entirely honest, since the UK TV channels have no broadcasting rights outside the UK. Watching UK TV in Spain is akin to taking possession of goods that have fallen off the back of a lorry. If they’re not intended for you and you haven’t legally paid for them but you take possession of them then you have entered a black market, cowboys and all.
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I love the analogy chopera ‘akin to goods having fallen off the back of a lorry’. I can just see the shady truck drivers saying to Brits in Spain ‘I’ve got a luvverly edition of East Enders ‘ere’ or ‘a right ol dirty version of Question Time where Dimbleby shows orf is tattoo’, ‘ow’s abaht Tele Tubbies then?’, to you my love all 3 for 15 euros, cash’, all in a gruff voice as said driver’s eyes wander all over the place 😆
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A friend just pointed me to http://www.filmon.com/
Here you can watch UK and other TV channels FOC on your PC.
If you have an HDMI output you can connect it to your TV
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@Chopera wrote:
I use VPN UK – for a small fee each month. Also I think Chrome has an extension that does the job.
If can you get the TV you want on an ipad then you should be able to connect it to a TV via a USB cable (you might need an adapter)
No Chopera a USB will not work you need a VGA to connect an internet device or HDMI cable if you watch in HD. Minimum internet speed is 3mgs for analogue or 5 mgs for HD.
Netflix has worldwide rights and is legal anywhere. You don’t need a VPN.
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I’am not sure this is a complicated as may be suggested, if you can’t receive satellite signals any more then you will need a bigger disc, the problem here is of course knowing what size dish you will need, if you have a neighbour with a 2.4m dish and it’s working then you need to decide if you want can afford/site one, the problem only really becomes guesswork if no one is receiving any signal, then it’s an expensive game as you could fork out for a 3.1m dish and still need a larger one, there are sites on the web with reception reports from areas along with dish size, the will give you an idea of what you need.
IPTV will need around 3mb speeds to start working with often more than 10mb for HD so unless you have unlimited date or a good allowance and these speeds it’s not for you, if all the you have the speeds and the data then as has been said a VPN etc with your ipad, PC, smartphone connected to your tv will work fine, filmon will work without a VPN in the same way as will a IPTV box, this is just replacing the iPad, PC etc, these can be picked up on eBay form under £50, radio is easy, there are loads of radio apps for these devices and they are not blocked , only live sport sometimes
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pete, this stills sounds pretty complicated to me, every forum on this subject keeps talking of dish sizes, mb’s, boxes, direction of signal, what can bought and where, costs for this or that, streaming, playing from laptop to tv, picture break-up etc.
Not like just switching on your tv and there it all is for annual licence fee.
Already heard of people going to extremes by saying ‘if we can’t get our British tv programmes properly, or charged outrageous fees, we’re going back’. Can’t believe British tv is so important once people make the decision to move abroad, I’d be quite happy without it, quite happy never to see the faces of Cameron, Osborne, Milliband, Cable, Clegg etc on the news again causing their mayhem, I reckon it was them that caused the rain and storms in the UK, not forgetting Carney’s reneging face 😆
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@angie wrote:
Not like just switching on your tv and there it all is for annual licence fee.
Agreed Angie, things will be more difficult than before , if access to internet is limited and you are in the far south of Spain then you are snookered without spending a lot of money on silly size dishes, I must admit I would really miss UK tv, we don’t watch loads but it’s nice to have it there, ironically round here we are in a better position than a few years ago, the northern Costa Blanca was a bit of a black hole for signal, we needed 2.4m dishes, would lose ITV/BBC after 8.30pm and get it back around 2.00am and could never get BBC2, now it’s possible to get UK tv on a 1.1mt dish with 1.4 giving a rain margin
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I see a business opportunity for communal systems in southern Spain. One massive dish and signal transmitted by wi-fi to residents properties. The potential for growth exists. However I’m sure most well managed urbanisations have anticipated the change and have already done something about it.
It’s never been a good idea to have an independent villa in Spain. So much hassle unless you live there.
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@logan wrote:
@Chopera wrote:
I use VPN UK – for a small fee each month. Also I think Chrome has an extension that does the job.
If can you get the TV you want on an ipad then you should be able to connect it to a TV via a USB cable (you might need an adapter)
No Chopera a USB will not work you need a VGA to connect an internet device or HDMI cable if you watch in HD. Minimum internet speed is 3mgs for analogue or 5 mgs for HD.
Netflix has worldwide rights and is legal anywhere. You don’t need a VPN.
Sorry I meant HDMI. There’s also something called smart DNS that is meant to be faster at streaming than VPN since it doesn’t reroute the streams via a proxy.
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@Tinnat wrote:
Am I the only one who more than slightly annoyed but downright indignated? Seeing that so many British people live OUTSIDE the UK, what on earth was the BBC thinking?
I love this comment!
Is indignated even a word? 😕
What makes you think you have a right to watch BBC programming outside of the UK when you don’t even pay or contribute to the BBC License Fee? A strange concept I know but the BBC License fee enables the BBC to exist. Not that I personally agree with that, I think they should go subscription service but I don’t ever see that happening in my lifetime.
I can well see why the BBC might look to restrict access to its programming to those who contribute to the running of the Corporation.
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British TV licence fee payers go on holiday to Spain. They even spend the winter months there. Why should they not watch the BBC if they wish when away? :They could not care less if expats watch without paying.
All these EU rights laws are stupid. Free movement of capital and labour does not extend to the air waves. My phone provider in France charges me €52 a month for international roaming. If you travel in Europe now you need a pocket full of SIM cards. The EU screwed up capping phone rate charges. Same with TV rights issues. That is why the beeb and free to air channels have moved to a new footprint. The EU rights costs are enormous and they are looking to avoid any potential legal costs…
There is no such thing as a free market in media in Europe and the EU Commission should stop meddling with more regulation. Let the market decide.
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@logan wrote:
British TV licence fee payers go on holiday to Spain. They even spend the winter months there. Why should they not watch the BBC if they wish when away?
Because the UK BBC Licence fee only covers the receiving of television signals in the UK. It doesn’t cover it for receiving television signals outside the UK.
That’s the way the law is. I don’t make the laws—they do. And like all laws we all have to abide by them whether we like and agree with them or not.
Vis a vis, no-one, licence fee payer or not has a legal right to receive BBC television signals outside of the UK.
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@Melosine wrote:
EU rights apart. People are getting BBC and ITV back again.
Some by just tweaking their dish ( irrespective of size) if in a location with an unobstructed signal others via humax/android boxes.They may be receiving them now, but the real switch-over takes place in June/July. That’s when the BBC, ITV and C4 channels will disappear for good. Large dish or not!
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@angie wrote:
ZK when the real switch-over starts in June/July will people still be able to receive on computer/laptop/ipad etc and link to their tv’s or, is it really gone for good? 😕
If the signal feed is coming via the internet to the laptop/computer/ipad then that should continue without being affected. Any signal feed coming via a satellite dish to a set top box receiver and into the television is likely to go.
As far as I understand it due to the decline of the original satellite the UK channels were broadcast on they were moved to a Satellite called Astra 1N which was originally intended to broadcast signals to Spain and Germany. This was adjusted to broadcast signals to the UK and because of its positioning the channels were also able to be received in Spain. However, Astra 1N is going to moved back to its original position to broadcast signals to Spain and Germany and all the UK channels will be moved to new satellites called Astra 2E and 2F. Astra 2E was launched in December 2012 and Astra 2F will be launched in May. These two new satellites have a very narrow beam that includes all of the UK and some of Northern France but the beam does not cover Spain.
Channel 5 was moved to Astra 2E when it launched in December 2012 so that’s the reason everyone lost access to Channel 5 in Spain. If people in Spain cannot get access to Channel 5 – they will not be able to access BBC, ITV and Channel 4 services either because they will be moved to either Astra 2E or 2F when it launches.
So whilst people may still be able to receive some of those channels now still being broadcast via Astra 1N, they won’t receive any when they move to Astra 2E and 2F.
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@Melosine wrote:
It was to us a few years ago but since the launch in 2012 it is brilliant now.
So you’re saying you can access Channel 5 via your satellite dish but not BBC? Or are you saying reception of Channel 5 on your ipad via the internet is ‘brilliant’?
Which is it?
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Have received, and still are receiving, an excellent signal for ch5 via tv for last couple of years. Before that if weather was inclement it would break up.
All BBC/ ITV channels now unavailable ,at the moment, except via ipad/PC . However IF a clear sky BBC appears about 9pm via NI or Oxford. Reception not brilliant but watchable. -
@Melosine wrote:
Have received, and still are receiving, an excellent signal for ch5 via tv for last couple of years. Before that if weather was inclement it would break up.
All BBC/ ITV channels now unavailable ,at the moment, except via ipad/PC . However IF a clear sky BBC appears about 9pm via NI or Oxford. Reception not brilliant but watchable.Then I don’t understand this.
BBC and ITV have just been moved to the same satellite Channel 5 is on. Yet you say you can receive Channel 5 but not BBC or ITV? They’re broadcasting from the same Satellite!
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@Melosine wrote:
Have received, and still are receiving, an excellent signal for ch5 via tv for last couple of years. Before that if weather was inclement it would break up.
All BBC/ ITV channels now unavailable ,at the moment, except via ipad/PC . However IF a clear sky BBC appears about 9pm via NI or Oxford. Reception not brilliant but watchable.Then I don’t understand this.
BBC and ITV have just been moved to the same satellite Channel 5 is on. Yet you say you can receive Channel 5 but not BBC or ITV? They’re broadcasting from the same Satellite!
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@zenkarma wrote:
@angie wrote:
ZK when the real switch-over starts in June/July will people still be able to receive on computer/laptop/ipad etc and link to their tv’s or, is it really gone for good? 😕
If the signal feed is coming via the internet to the laptop/computer/ipad then that should continue without being affected. Any signal feed coming via a satellite dish to a set top box receiver and into the television is likely to go.
As far as I understand it due to the decline of the original satellite the UK channels were broadcast on they were moved to a Satellite called Astra 1N which was originally intended to broadcast signals to Spain and Germany. This was adjusted to broadcast signals to the UK and because of its positioning the channels were also able to be received in Spain. However, Astra 1N is going to moved back to its original position to broadcast signals to Spain and Germany and all the UK channels will be moved to new satellites called Astra 2E and 2F. Astra 2E was launched in December 2012 and Astra 2F will be launched in May. These two new satellites have a very narrow beam that includes all of the UK and some of Northern France but the beam does not cover Spain.
Channel 5 was moved to Astra 2E when it launched in December 2012 so that’s the reason everyone lost access to Channel 5 in Spain. If people in Spain cannot get access to Channel 5 – they will not be able to access BBC, ITV and Channel 4 services either because they will be moved to either Astra 2E or 2F when it launches.
So whilst people may still be able to receive some of those channels now still being broadcast via Astra 1N, they won’t receive any when they move to Astra 2E and 2F.
Most of the above is not correct, the demise of the original Astra 2D did lead to services being shifted to 1N, as has been said this gave a big footprint so most found Uk tv easy to pick up in Spain, of the new satellites Astra 2F was the first to go into service and this is where the “5” channels reside, the big switch over was the one some weeks ago from 1N to 2E, this is the new permanent home for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and some SKY channels, the next one and last to launch is 2G this summer, it’s is said some SKY channels will switch to this but not other Uk broadcasters, so if you are receiving Channel 5 and not BBC Etc this is because you can pickup 2F but not 2E, you must be a bit unlucky with this as 2E, 2F and 2G were designed to have the same footprint but of course they will vary slightly, so the big “change” has happened and will not be happening again this summer.
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Curious because zenkarma was insistent that being able to receive ch5 then new changes wouldn’t affect us…I inquired further.
This was the replyA Handful of ITV1 regions (in SD and HD) are on the same satellite beam as Five SD. So in theory if you can get C5 SD then you should also be able to get those ITV1 regions also.
And it is only some BBC HD channels (BBC News HD, BBC4HD, BBC One HD Scotland, BBC One HD Wales) on the same satellite as C5 (SD)…not any others..
BUT the majority of BBC and ITV channes are NOT onthe same satellite as C5 (SD)…which is why you will not be able to receive them.
So, sorry zenkarma, seems you were totally incorrect.
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@Melosine wrote:
So, sorry zenkarma, seems you were totally incorrect.
So it would seem.
I gave the best information I had at the time—the source it came from was incorrect.
It would appear most of the freeview terrestrial channels are moving to one of three new satellites – Astra 2E, 2F or 2G which all have a similar directional footprint.
It’s not rational or logical than you should be able to receive a channel broadcasting from one of those satellites but not from another one if they’re all broadcasting a similar footprint.
It’s nice to see some of the nerds among us are AR’d enough to know precisely which satellite broadcast’s what channel—thanks petej for that information.
Melosine—but you still can’t receive BBC, ITV or C4 but can receive C5? Despite all those channels coming from one of the two new Astra satellites both with a similar footprint?
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@zenkarma wrote:
It’s not rational or logical than you should be able to receive a channel broadcasting from one of those satellites but not from another one if they’re all broadcasting a similar footprint.
The footprint may have been designed to be the same for both satellites but operational characteristics may mean that one has an unintended larger footprint than the other.
The other factor that dictates reach is power output, again they are designed to be the same but once in operation it is not uncommon for there to be a difference. IIRC back in the day when the Astra 1 set up was where the channels came from, there was an unintended discrepancy where one of them (I think it was 1d) was about 5% more powerful than the others which meant that people on the fringes could receive channels broadcast from that one but not the others.
Incidentally, those who get their TV via internet should not assume they will forever be safe. The TV companies already stop access to i-player from non-UK IP addresses. Although this restriction can be circumvented today (using proxy servers) it doesn’t mean that the companies won’t come up with a way to defeat that and they have made it clear that they have no intention of allowing free access abroad if they can stop it.
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