Possible to get BBC on FTA?

[mini1]

Hello all!
Is it possible to get BBC3/BBC THREE from the UK here in North America on FTA? I see all of the BBC channels listed on Europe's FTA list, but not on our list. Is it physically impossible to see the Astra 2D (28.2° E) satellite here in the USA (east coast)? I can't find any pay service that carries any of the real (meaning not stupid BBC America) BBC channels outside of the UK, so this is my only hope.

See the list here:
Free TV from United Kingdom - LyngSat

Thanks!

 

[qwert1515]

Unfortunately no part of the US can see that satellite because it is below the horizon also the beam is turned towards Europe. (On a better note, PBS said a while back that they were planning on broadcasting BBC World on their sub channel OTA, a step in the right direction but it has not happened yet.)

 

[mini1]

I just found a foot print of the satellite after some searching and you are correct. It's a no go. BBC America started running some of BBC3's older shows recently and I liked them so much that I want to see more!! I want to see BBC3 live without moving to the EU/UK. But how??

 

[dem0nlord]

Only BBC I get is BBC World on Galaxy 13 or Intelsat 805, both C band.

 

[mini1]

OK, answer me this:

I've got a lot of friends who live in the UK and pay licence fees to BBC. Would it be possible for me to set them up with a fixed position FTA set-up looking at 28.2°, connect a slingbox to the receiver, and then be able to watch/control live BBC 1/2/3/4/ here in the USA? Possible? I don't think it would cost that much to do.

 

[Pepper]

Absolutely that would be possible. There might be some debate on the legality of it though.

 

[mini1]

They are paying the fees to BBC and the channels are FTA (i.e free), so I can't see why that wouldn't be legal?

How much would it actually cost to do this? I'd have to buy a UK Slingbox, UK FTA set-up (PAL??), couple cables, and use their high speed internet connection. Would the feed that I'm getting look good? (no experience with slingbox). Would it be at least 480i?

 

[digiblur]

They are paying the fees to BBC and the channels are FTA (i.e free), so I can't see why that wouldn't be legal?

How much would it actually cost to do this? I'd have to buy a UK Slingbox, UK FTA set-up (PAL??), couple cables, and use their high speed internet connection. Would the feed that I'm getting look good? (no experience with slingbox). Would it be at least 480i?

If they have enough upload speed, yes, it will work.

 

[mini1]

OK, I've got another cheaper idea. Let me know if you think this will work or not.

There is a thing called "Freeview" in the UK. It's like broadcast TV here. All digital OTA broadcasts. All the BBC channels are available on Freeview (along with iTV, ect..). All you need is an antenna and a digital receiver/DVR and you get 40+ channels for free. Antenna+Freeview receiver+Slingbox= BBC in USA! It would be $100's cheaper and much easier.

 

[turbosat]

Freeview sounds like fta here. Except in US you won't get all your local tv stations from the satellites. The 2 countries systems just evolved differently.
The British system prob works better for reaching the rural places than the American 'over the air digital' system that is coming into play. I'm sure it's more expensive too.
On the other hand, you can get a lot more than 40 channels here with a free to air system.
I'd check on lyngsat, at some of the satellites in that direction, you may find a c-band sat that carries BBC's channels you want, that covers the east coast, or Atlantic region...

 

[mini1]

Freeview is not satellite based. That is the difference. That is why it is so much cheaper for the end user. It is over-the-air digital video broadcasts from 40+ networks. Think of it like ATSC ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX/PBS on steroids. Local broadcast towers distribute digital signals and end users receive them on freeview DVB tuners with an ATSC look-alike antenna (not a dish). The UK also has FTA satellite based free programming (200+ channels), which doubles some of freeview's channel selection (BBC, iTV, channel 4, Sky news, ect..). I can't find any satellites that repeat anything besides BBC America and BBC World over North America. Not a one. Not is C band, not in Ku band, nowhere. Freeview+Slingbox looks the only viable option.

 

[turbosat]

Very interesting. Not so unlike the USA systems after all.
Still, doesn't help you any on this side of the Atlantic. Maybe the internet will work for you.

 

[SatPhreak]

Freeview will not work in the US. It is satellite based and requires a card that unscrambles the channels. You can only get the card if you live in UK. That way the broadcasters make sure only people in the UK see the channels and they don't run into legal problems by broadcasting shows to areas they haven't paid the rights.

Your best bet mini1 would be the slingbox

 

[SatPhreak]

Sorrry, freeview is terrestrial based not satellite. That means you still can't get it in the US. The area that terrestrial broadcaster can broadcast to is about 100 miles.

You will still need a slingbox.

 

[mini1]

Has anybody out there ever done something along the lines of what I'd like to do? It would be fantastic if I could make this work. Am I the first one?

 

[osu1991]

I have some friends in London and have thought about it, but it is just as easy to have them send me a dvd or download what I want to see from UK.

 

[lumpkin666]

You might try these guys and see if they have anything that you'd be interested in watching.. their streaming samples seem pretty decent - if they supply the type of shows that you're looking for, it might be worth the price
Live UK Internet TV Web Streaming – BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five, E4, Sky Sports, Setanta and UKTV Gold

 

[Larry1]

For the slingbox you will need at the UK side a good upload speed and if you use it a lot, you could run into extra charges or a disconection due to the amount of data you are uploading. At this end you need a good download speed, and also you could run into extra charges or a disconection due to the amount of data you are downloading. The slingbox has a good, but not exceptional picture quality. (at least from my experiances from my slingbox, now my upload speed from the slingbox tops out at 600k) I use my slingbox for settings timers on my PVR and not for viewing. A 1500k upload speed would give me better picture quality. Due to the delays in buffering, transmitting and receiving, when using the virtual remote, you have to wait after each button press. You also need a good consistant traffic flow from end to end, this meens that probelms anywhere across the internet will effect your picture. If your provider monitors packet shapes and adjusts traffic accordingly, they may slow your connection down for certain types of packets. All thing to consider. Now slingbox has a high def version out, but it requires even higher connection speeds. Also, the slingbox does not have any software for recording your shows. There was The AtLarge Recorder, but they disabled its use with firware upgrades to the Slingbox. If you have a PVR in the UK end, then this would not be a problem, unless you want to archive the program at your end for viewing at other times. There are also other boxes that do simular functions, like the Hava box or even use a computer with a capture card at the UK end and set it up for streaming to your computer. I remember seeing freewhare software for doing this, but can't remember the name.

If you really want the channels, then it should provide adequate picture quality. With the time differences, I would recommend a PVR at the UK end.

 

[mini1]

That is what I was thinking. Putting a Slingbox controlled Freeview PVR on the UK end. Then I could record exactly what I wanted and use the free 7-14 day EPG to capture the good stuff!

 

[jegrant]

If you have a friend in the UK who's willing to set up a Slingbox with a Freeview DVR, it is probably your best bet. There is virtually no other option if you demand live reception.