LATEST NEWS

Posted in ROOT

The latest news from TV Brittany...

June 2020.

Satellite Receiver update!

As the Corona Virus restrictions lift slightly, we are happy to update you on the new Satellite receivers which have just become available.

We can now offer SkyQ or the new range of FREESAT 4K receivers, and VPN's for both systems allowing you to get all of the catch-up and Box sets.

Go to our Digibox page for much more information

August 2019.

Great news for FREESAT HD users

If you have a “High Definition Freesat receiver" for watching UK television in your French home, you may have encountered a problem with the volume control.

I have been asked by customers many times, “I don't seem to be able to control the volume of HD channels using the satellite receiver's remote”.

This is a really niggling problem as it means you have to use the satellite remote for some channels and the TV remote for others.

Here’s a fix for the issue

It seems that the default settings on many satellite receivers, including Manhattan and Humax receivers, are set to a default setting that means any High Definition channels being broadcast have the volume set to a different format to that of Standard definition.

It is quite easy to change this setting so that your Satellite remote will operate the volume on your TV for both HD and SD channels.

For the current HUMAX receivers, On the HUMAX REMOTE CONTROL press the HOME key, select SETTINGS, Then select PICTURE AND SOUND. Now change Digital Audio Out from "Multichannel" to "Stereo". Press the exit button and all should work okay now.

For the current MANHATTAN Receivers, on the MANHATTAN REMOTE CONTROL press MENU then SETTINGS then PICTURE & SOUND then AUDIO OUTPUT. Change it to "STEREO PCM" not AUTO

Press the back button until you get back to the TV picture.

January 2019

Chris Evans leaves BBC Radio2 and moves to VIRGIN Radio

But don’t worry, you will still be able to listen to him, as Sky and Freesat have now got VIRGIN Radio in their radio listings. You can listen to BBC Radio 2 on channel 0102 (Sky) or 702 (Freesat) and Virgin Radio is on 0215 (Sky) or 736 (Freesat)

There's a brand new TV channel coming to Freesat and it sounds like it will be right up our street.

BLAZE will be popping up in September and will offer us shows like Pawn Stars, Mountain Men and American Restoration which have only been available on Sky before.

BLAZE - which comes from the company that owns Lifetime - is also going to bring us lots of true crime stuff, so could viewers hoping to stumble across the next Making a Murderer find it there?  The First 48 follows murder detectives in the first two days of cases, while Unusual Suspects features some of the weirdest investigations in history.

All to be found on channel 162

April 5th 2016

Changes to French TNT broadcasting system – via an aerial

We have had many enquiries about these changes as many people have lost their French TV channels (including us!).  At this point in time we are uncertain as to the complete solution but this is the official line, which is available in French at http://www.csa.fr/Les-reponses-du-Conseil-aux-questions-frequemment-posees-FAQ/Television/La-reception.  These are the highlights as we understand them…

On 5th April 2016 the French channels received by a TV aerial changed from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 format resulting in many people no longer being able to receive their programmes.

It is now essential that you have either a full HD television or a TNTHD MPEG-4 adapter, connected to a correctly aligned TV aerial.  These adapters can be purchased quite cheaply at your local supermarket or DIY store, it seems though that most supermarkets are now out of stock.  I am guessing that the French were aware of this, in advance, from their local media.

All televisions purchased in France since 1st December 2012 are full HD and compatible with the new broadcasts.  Televisions labelled ‘HD’ purchased in France after 1st December 2008 should be compatible.  Most older sets can use the MPEG-4 adaptor, so there is no need to buy a new television.

If you have lost your channels, you will need to rescan your TV for the new frequencies.  This may need to be done several times over a few days as not all transmitters were completed at the same time.

So, at this time we are unsure to the resolution.  We are happy to continue to supply French TV by satellite but are unable to offer work on aerials until everything has settled.

November 2015

The next generation from SKY is coming in 2016

This is going to be the most exciting thing in Home entertainment from Sky for many years, but it won't be cheap

As of November 2016, this system is not available in France.... Sorry

You can have a preview of this on Skys website by clicking here

2013

Satellite Change Rumours 

There has been a lot of talk this year about new satellites, Astra2 changes and even mis-informed well wishers on various websites spreading doom and gloom about the ability to receive UK television abroad after the changes. Even today (14 August 2013) on Radio 2, the afternoon DJ Steve Wright commented how he thinks all of the viewers in France and Spain would lose their TV stations when the changes take place (he thinks!). 

Don’t panic!

The situation is as follows…

Currently there are 4 satellites, from the Astra 2 group of satellites, broadcasting the Sky and Freesat programs to the UK.  Because of the satellite footprint it has meant that all over Europe, as far down as Portugal, users have been able to watch the channels broadcast from them. 

The current satellites are coming to the end of their useful life and indeed one has already been replaced (the satellite that broadcasts the FIVE group of channels eg. Channel 5, 5USA, 5* etc).  The new satellites have a much tighter beam, which means its footprint is smaller and more focussed on the UK.  In the Northern half of France, this will make NO difference to our capability of picking up the English channels.  The new satellite already broadcasting Channel 5 proves this.  The new satellites will come on-line seamlessly and you should not notice any difference to your reception (assuming that your equipment is set-up properly). 

Please note that the satellites are being “replaced” and not “moved” as this would entail everyone of Sky & Freesat’s customers (several million households) requiring an engineer visit to realign their dish! 

It has been commented that in the South of France, where in some cases users have lost the group of Channel 5 programmes, installing a larger dish can easily rectify the problem.  But the truth is, until the changes are complete, no one actually knows.  We do know though that here in the North we are close enough to the UK and would not have a problem. 

Don’t panic! 

For any further information or questions please click here to contact us

On-screen Sky message

Some Sky subscription customers may be getting an on-screen message asking them to visit a Sky website to update their viewing details.  We strongly advise that you do not do this from a French computer link as they may detect that you are accessing their system from outside the UK and subsequently switch off your viewing.  If your viewing card has been supplied by us, The info below will advise you on what to do.

If your viewing card has NOT been supplied by us, please click here to contact us and we will let you know what to do next.  If you host your own card in the UK then it would be an idea to ask someone in the UK to complete the online form on your behalf.

2012

If your Humax box keeps going into standby, it is probably because  a new “eco” setting has been added,

To switch the setting off,

• Press MENU on your remote control
• Select OTHER
• Select "Auto Standby"
• Use the Right/Left key on your remote to change the setting to "DISABLED "
• Press the EXIT Button to go back to the channels

My Sky box keeps switching off

If your Sky box keeps going into standby, it is probably because Sky have added a new “eco” setting,

To switch the setting off,

• Press SERVICES on your remote control
• Select option 5 AUTO STANDBY
• Change the “ON” to “OFF”.
• Highlight “SAVE SETTINGS” and press SELECT
• Press the SKY button to go back to the channels