Digital Terrestrial TV in France

[hymer]

Has anyone tried using a UK Freeview set top box to receive digital terrestrial TV in France? My caravan is equipped with a Status 530 directional aerial and my TV set is PAL analogue - I'm wondering if a Freeview box would allow me to pick up any French DTV channels (principally to see 'meteo' reports).

Mike.

 

[cooky1]

Don't know about digital TV in France, but I took my digital radio to Cherbourg last year and could not pick up anything at all!

Graeme.

 

[emmitdb]

Hi Mike B,

While we are all still on anologue TV we are all singing different songs BUT, it is my understanding that the roll out of Digital TV in the UK is not restricted to just this sceptic Isle.

Before my computer went t*ts up recently I had a site on favourites that stated that ALL the EU countries were rolling out digital and, just for a change they were all singing from the same hymn sheet.

So, in the future we will be able to take our TV sets abroad and watch the box.

Whether we will want to watch "Le Rue de Couronnemont" without subtitles is another matter!!!

 

[Lutz]

Analogue TV has already been switched off where we live.

 

[DenisD]

In May/June 2006 I took my Panasonic Digital Box using a fixed Status aerial. In Angers I recieved 6 Chaneels in St Emilion 12 Channels and in Biarritiz under the transmitter of La Rhune got 45 channels. Along the Pyrenees, Orange in Provence, Bourg de Oisans in the Alps and Macon in Burgundy I got nothing. Further north at Chalons en Champagne got 12 but none in Boulogne The roolout for digital in France only started in 2005 and will not cover all of France only about 85%. See www.tnt.net/couverture.php.The diggy box menus are displayed in English with program resume on the Info screen in French but I was unable to get Telex. With my limited French I found the only use was the BFM News Channel which gave a more localised weather forecast than that supplied on Euronews on SKY So it will depend on location the number of channels recievable. Next year will have a new van with a dirctional aerial fitted Some news channels I was able to get the gist of the infirmation from the rolling news headlines at the bottom of the screen.

 

[Guest]

Is there really any point in trying? Not trying to be picky but as far as I am aware if you wish to receive UK type tv abroad then SKY is probably your best bet using a dish. Even digital abroad is still only going to show the local channels if it comes through a national transmitter. For instance I stay regularly in Austria. The hotel offered 38 channels, all apart from CNN dubbed in German. Even looking at the pictures made me realise the quality was as dumb as ours, and as for an American movie in German??, well, so read a book instead. When I lived in Holland in the 80's you could get BBC through the local Dutch transmitter, but the BBC was not happy as nobody in Holland paid a licence fee. I suspect that has now been 'blocked'.

 

[Lutz]

BBC is still free-to-view anywhere where you can get Astra 2 reception, Scotch Lad. (Same applies to ITV for that matter, too)

 

[Guest]

But you need a dish to get Astra? or maybe through cable. Certainly not through a freeview box as far as I know as that uses signals from a local transmitter. But am willing to be corrected.

 

[Lutz]

Yes, you're right, although you can get BBC World via cable where we live and terrestrially in Berlin.

 

[hymer]

DenisD - thanks for the information, I will give it a try when we go on hols in June.

Regards,

Mike B.

 

[JTS]

DenisD - thanks for the information, I will give it a try when we go on hols in June.

Regards,

Mike B.

I travel France, most years for three months at a time and life would not be worth living if "her indoors" could not get her soaps. I have never been able to receive UK TV without a satellite digi box, the same applies to Spain and Italy. You will be lucky to pick up BBC/ITV once you get east of the Alps. There is no doubt the best guide is to read David Sullivan's website as advised earlier. Although I have been doing Sat TV abroad for years I takes a copy with me. It need not cost the earth. You can buy a tripod and dish on Ebay for about