•Written by John Sidwell• ••Saturday•, 12 •June• 2010 11:00•
A lot of expats with satellite TV in Switzerland and France still don't realise that they can receive most of the main British statioins, such as BBC, ITV, Channel Four and select movie and music channels, for free. You don't need Sky, Canal Plus or other fee-paying services. Satellite TV specialist John Sidwell of Bigdishsat.com has been writing about this on the Essential Edge, so it is worth checking his older pieces in the archives for further information. Here some of his latest suggestions.
Pace Digiboxes get fixed
You may remember from a previous column that some Sky Digiboxes made by Pace were accidently crippled during a software download. It was the Pace DS430N that had all the problems. A certain number of them would suddenly switch themselves off thus ruining recordings and causing great irritation all around. Sky eventually fixed the problem and we flagged that fix
Just in case you have a problematic Pace and you are not aware of the fix, have a look at our website News section here.
BBC1 to go High Definition in the autumn
BBC1 will start transmitting in High Definition in autumn this year with the vast majority of the evening schedule being filmed in HD. That includes EastEnders, Holby City, QI and The Apprentice. The BBC HD channel will extend its transmission hours from 9 to 12 and will continue to show programmes from the BBC's other channels like BBC2, BBC3, BBC4 and the children's channels. Meanwhile, over on ITV1 HD, Coronation Street started transmitting in High Definition this month.
Freesat Standard Definition receivers finished?
Our UK wholesalers are saying that there are no new freesat standard definition receivers available. The SD freesat boxes are all made by the same group that owns Argos and are badged under the brands Grundig, Goodmans and Alba. There have been quality problems and many boxes were withdrawn from the market. Coincidently, Argos are selling off freesat boxes at considerably less than the official trade price.
There will still be freesat standard definition boxes on the shelves but all ours have gone and, at this stage, no one is exactly sure if they will re-appear again.
Cordless Speakers
At last, some good news concerning the cordless speakers that have been missing from our catalogue for far too long. They are available once again and will be arriving here towards the end of this month ... once they are in stock, they will be added to the on-line shop. For those who don't know, cordless speakers are an effective way to get the UK radio stations in the garden and all rooms of the house.
If you would like to reserve a pair, just send me an email and I'll put you on the waiting list.
John Sidwell is a satellite TV specialists living in southwestern France. He offers a variety of products at reasonable prices to customers in France and Switzerland and with excellent advice on his website: www.bigdishsat.com
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