Astra 1N is a satellite on a temporary deployment providing “additional capacity” for UK TV. It joins the existing 4 satellites, Astra 2a, Astra 2b, Astra 2d and Eurobird 1, in providing more frequencies for more channels. With more and more HD channels coming on line, and the amount of bandwidth these channels use, and with less capacity on the existing satellite, a solution was required, and so Astra 1N has been deployed for the next few years, and will move to its proper location, 19 east, when no longer needed at 28 east.

You should not have to realign your dish. Astra 1N will be in the same “box” in space used by the 4 UK TV satellites. It will be close enough to those existing satellites so your dish should be able to receive it without any realignment.

Any new frequencies and channels that move or appear on Astra 1n, then Sky boxes and Freesat boxes will / should automatically update themselves to those new frequencies. Non Sky and Non freesat boxes will, as usual, have to be manually updated for any new frequencies.

And, on those Non Sky and Non freesat boxes Astra 1N will probably not be on the satellite list. This is not an issue. Just scan the existing satellites, using your “network search” option and when channels start to appear on that new satellite, then your receiver should automatically update and include any new channels.

This new satellite will not provide any issues with UK TV reception in the UK, however, reception of UK TV channels in some “fringe” areas, like south east Europe may experience some loss of channels, as it appears that Astra 1Ns signal reception in those areas is not as good.

Channel Five has said that they will soon be launching a “+1″ timeshift version of their main channel. It is expected the channel will launch in the first week in December 2011, but no date has actually been confirmed as yet. They join other main UK TV channels ITV1 and C4 by having a “+1″ service.

This leaves the BBC the only main UK TV channel not having a “+1″ service. But it is really necessary. These days many people have access to personal video recorders, like Sky+ or Freesat+ or Freeview+, making recording any shows you may miss easier. Also, many people in the UK can access missed programmes via internet and internet connected set top boxes via the BBC IPlayer.

And then , if the BBC do decide to have a “+1″ service for their channels, then you can probably expect the “anti BBC” brigade, led by the Daily Mail, in complaining about there being too many repeats on BBC channels and not getting the idea of a “+1″ catchup channel!

A SkyHD+ digibox offers a lot more than just watching TV channels “live”.

The Anytime service downloads a selection of programmes available across the Sky channels. These are stored on the hard drive and are available for you to view via the Anytime option in your planner. The programmes are made available for a short time,, and replaced with others that are automatically downloaded.

One of the problems with Sky Anytime, is that it downloads programmes on channels that you have not subscribed to. So it may download and show in the Anytime menu programmes on Sky Sports, even though you do not subscribe to Sky Sports. Well that is not so much of an issue, as after all I suppose it is just a marketing option to try and get you to see what you are missing on their other channels.

However, the main issue was that the Anytime service downloaded many of the programmes for the Sky HD channels. This was an issue if you are not a subscriber to the Sky HD channel options, as you could not view the Anytime programmes. One week recently I saw that ALL downloaded Anytime programmes were only in HD.

However, Sky has listened and a recent software update has corrected this issue. So now, if you do not subscribe to the Sky HD package, then Anytime will not download any HD material, and you will only be offered the SD (standard definition) programmes.

Click here for details about Sky HD packages and Free Sky HD boxes.

Sky Movies and Sky Box office have recently expanded their “pay per view” service, with the chance to watch hundreds more movies at home.

A whole host of classic back-catalogue titles have been added to the existing Box Office service, which already offers Sky customers the opportunity to rent the very latest releases at the same time as they become available on DVD.

Sky Movies Box Office now offers a comprehensive pay per view service that allows customers to download, at the touch of a button, a movie to suit their mood. The new movies – which include such all-time favourites as the Back to the Future trilogy, Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Billy Elliot – will be available to rent from this week through Sky’s video-on-demand service Sky Anytime+.

Sky Anytime+ is available to customers with a Sky+ HD box who take Sky Broadband. Sky Anytime+ allows Sky customers to access thousands of hours of great content to their TVs via their broadband connection.
Sky Anytime+ differs from the Sky Anytime services, as the former is a “video on demand” service, which downloads the movies via the Sky Broadband network when requencted, whereas Sky Anytime is available to all customers (with a Sky+ and SkyHD+ digibox), where the programmes are downloaded via the satellite and stored on the digiboxes hard drive ready to be viewed.

To reward their loyalty, Sky Movies subscribers will be able to rent the additional movies at a reduced rate, although the movies will also be available to any Sky customer who has Sky Anytime+.

Click here for details about Sky HD packages and Free Sky HD boxes and Sky Movies and Sky Box Office.

First Humax had an issue with their Freesat Programem guide (http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/2011/08/25/epg-please-wait%e2%80%9d-issue-on-freesat-humax-foxsat-hdr/ ) and now Technisat have an issue with their Electronic Programme Guide.

A fault on the TechniSat HDFS Freesat receivers meant that users could not view programme information more than 12 hours ahead. Normally you should be able to view programme information for the next 7 or 8 days ahead.

Technisat have confirmed that there is an issue with their HDFS receivers, and that a fix for this problem will be released, which should hopefully be available soon.

As part of its cost saving / cost cutting review, the BBC will be closing down the BBC HD channel, and replacing it with BBC2 HD, a simulcast of BBC2.

In addition, BBC2s output during the day will change – dramatically.

According to reports most of the daily BBC 2 output will be repeats, with new programming commencing from 6pm, with some coming from BBC3 and BBC4.

Many popular BBC2 programme will move to BBC1, or just no longer be made.

And to make way for these BBC2 programmes on BBC!, it has been suggested that the “kids strand” on BBC1 will be no more, and will just move to the two BBC Childrens channels – CbbC and Cbeebies. Common sense, as in a few years time everyone will have access to the BBC digital channels, so if every once can receive Cbbc and Cbeebies, why have a kids strand on BBC1.

And there are also budget cuts for BBC News. Which I am not surprised about – when you see press conferences, there are always about 5 BBC journalists from various departments (BBC News TV, BBC Radio 4, BBC Webteam, Newsround!) ,asking question, when surely just one needs to be there to ask questions and to report the answers.

As part of the recent BBC satellite frequency changes (as mentioned here : http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/2011/10/01/lost-bbc-news-bbc-alba-and-bbc-parliament-help-and-advice-here/ ) there have also been changes to the BBC Red Button Sports service.

Sky box and Freesat box users should not be affected, but if you are using any other type of satellite receiver, then you will have lost access to these channels. You may have them listed in your channel guide as “Stream”.

These channels have now been removed from their previous frequency (12441 v) to the old BBC News frequency of 11954 h.

So if you are using a non Sky or non Freesat box, then you need perform a scan (see your user manual for how to perform this) on frequency 11954 H. The “stream” channels are now (currently) listed as and look for the channel marked 6711 6712 6713 6714 6715.

Currently no channels are being shown on the OLD BBC Sports streams frequency of 12441 v. This will be an issue for some motor home users, especially if they have an automatic self seeking satellite dish system. Many of these systems have been programmed to use this frequency to “lock” onto the UK TV satellites. As this frequency is no longer carrying any channels, then these systems will not be able to lock onto the satellites.

In the past week or so the BBC have been moving some of their channels around their frequencies as part of a cost cutting / expediture saving programme, as mentioned in a previous blog http://www.uksatellitehelp.co.uk/2011/08/27/bbc-to-reduced-satellite-transponders-from-seven-to-six/

As part of these changes BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament have moved to other BBC frequencies.

This should not have affected Sky box or Freesat box users, as the channel information on their Electronic programme guide (EPG) should have automatically updated to the new frequencies.

However, if you are using another type of digital satellite receiver, then you wil have to manually add the channels to your channel list. If you do not do this then the receivers will still be looking at the old frequency and will be unable to receive those three BBC channels.

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A new satellite, Astra 1N, will soon be located with the other Astra 2 satellites to provide UK satellite TV.
Astra 1N was launched earlier this year, and has completed testing and is slowly moving into its required location, and, according to SES Astra, is expected to be operational from mid October.

It will join the existing Astra 2 satellites (Astra 2a, Astra 2b, Astra 2D) and Eurobird 1 at the 28 degrees east location.

SES Astra say that Astra 1N will be providing “additional” and “temporary” capacity at that location – presumably as the current satellites are close to capacity, and with more and more High Definition channels coming online, there is a need for more satellite capacity. It may also mrean that some UK satellite TV channels that are currently “free to view”, may become “free to air”, meaning chanels like Five* and Five USA may join Freesat shortly.

Astra 1N will also be there to assist with frequency changes when the three Astra satellites are due for replacement – from late 2012 to 2114.

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Every once in a while Sky throw a “free weekend” for either its Sky Sports or Sky Movie channels.

These “Sky Sports Free Weekend Passes” and “Sky Movie Free Weekend Passes” allow Sky subscribers to view some of the channels that they would not normally receive.

So, from 6am on Saturday 24 September 2011 to 6am on Monday 26 September 2011, you can watch all the sporting action on all five Sky Sports channels including Sky Sports News even if you don’t have a Sky Sports subscription.

During this period, Sky will make all of its Sky Sports channels available to its subscribers that do not currently subscribe to the Sports channels. And if you subscribe to the HD package, then you will also have access to the Sky Sports HD channels to the weekend.

There are a number of Live sporting events during this Sky Sports Free Weekend, including live Football League – Cardiff City v Leicester City – LIVE Barclays Premier League – QPR v Aston Villa – Clydesdale Bank Premier League – Dunfermline v Rangers – LIVE Solheim Cup golf and LIVE NFL.

This Sky Sports Free Weekend is only available to Sky subscribers only. It will NOT be available to or “freesatfromsky” / “free to view” card users, and will not be available on “Freesat”.

Click here for details about how to join Sky TV, Sky HD packages and Free Sky HD boxes