Value for Our Money

In the event that the terrestrial Irish content may become available at an annual cost of €1,200,000. through a satellite dish then what is the logic other than full redundancy in designing/ commissioning and constructing a digital terrestrial network at €70,000,000. If its at 13 degrees then an additional dish but it would ensure RTE into the UK/ Europe and their content downlinked back to us on 28 degrees. I see no logical reason for any service provider to pay for access to the digital multiplexes available if a freeview via satellite option addresses the pocket of areas that currently cannot avail of terrestrial Irish .

Technology

RTE to use satellite in areas outside digital coverage

15.07.2010
As part of its digital switchover plans State broadcaster RTE plans to use a new satellite to reach the 2pc of the country that falls outside the reach of digital terrestrial coverage.

Following the appointment of Mary Curtis as director of Digital Switchover earlier this month, RTE has announced further plans for its Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) roll-out. It now says it expects to spend €70m on providing a free-to-air digital service to 1.6 million homes around Ireland.

The satellite component of this scheme will have an annual cost of €1.5m, said RTE executive Conor Hayes, but this will mean that the entire country will be able to receive national television services for the first time.

In April 2010, Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan TD signed an Order under the Broadcasting Act, 2009, ensuring that RTE will fulfill its obligations to complete Analogue Switch-Off (ASO) in the final quarter of 2012 and in doing so will have its free to air digital television service up and running and available to 90pc of the Irish population by 31 October 2010.

For some basic information on the digital switchover visit Digitaltelevision.ie, which is run by the Broadcasting Policy Division in the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.

Article courtesy of siliconrepublic.com

The purpose of this blog is to establish how many pockets throughout the country there are that cannot get terrestrial Irish television reception without the use of a SKY dish. I am annoyed by the fact that my understanding of the Irish television licence is that entitles the owner to receipt of radio/ television broadcasts and from my travels I already know of multiple sites, isolated or otherwise that cannot get terrestrial Irish content without the additional cost of SKY. SKY are servicing their requirement but at an additional cost to their licence and in light of the proposed cut backs in the proposed roll out of digital terrestrial to the west of the country this will not improve. In view of the current climate and the level of cost awareness all clients are assessing their monthly outgoings and the licence is still increasing marginally but increasing none the less. I would be interested in compiling an exact list of who can and cannot receive terrestrial Irish television, I am looking for geographic locations. Receipt of Irish terrestrial is an entitlement if you have a licence and I would be interested in hearing from private clients or aerial/ satellite installers out there.