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Question of the Day: Have you had to buy RAM, SSDs, or a new PC since the prices skyrocketed?
SA's digital migration ‘on track’
- Thread starter rpm
- Start date
The_Unbeliever
Honorary Master
But is digital signals much better than analog signals? Won't it degrade once you get too many receptors in one area?
Tomasz-London
Senior Member
Signal in Cape Town - I have 2 receivers, a set top box (from UK) and a PCI PC card receiver. Both pick up a signal on Channel 35, it picks up some (10) channels but somehow they are not TV nor Radio but "other" which cannot be viewed. Perhaps encoded or different format?
Can someone shed some light on this matter?
Can someone shed some light on this matter?
I'll check again tonight, but I get zip. (maybe because like you say, they not TV channels). Where are you / which way your antenna pointing?
Tomasz-London
Senior Member
Athlone - pointing towards Constantia and the signal is definitely on channel 35.
McGuywer
Executive Member
What does one have to do to get the Digital Signal?
Depends on what you got and what you useing.
If you have a digital TV plug your arial into the other plug that says digital in, and run a scan for all channels.
If not you have to get some kind of set top box to decode the dvb signal (which is in mpeg format), or get digital tuner card for your pc etc.
I believe we are going the same route as the UK - so UK equipment should work here too.
McGuywer
Executive Member
Is this Set Top Box a piece of hardware that "sits" next to your TV?
yup, i just pondering how much this little box is going to cost and who is going to pay for it
McGuywer
Executive Member
My thought exactly.
DragonLogos
Expert Member
next to Telkom media this will go down as the biggest failure in SA mass media - which is (or will be) great news
ld13
Honorary Master
And you say so, why?
Nope, I still get nothing! - in Thornton which is not very far from Athlone.
You must be picking up those 10 unknown channels from some illigal transmission in the frequency band from some shady dude, but it's not a DVB video broadcast.
Tomasz-London
Senior Member
I never said the channels were unknown. They include MTV, SABC1 and others.
Can somebody else shed some light? Somebody from Sentech perhaps? PM me please.
I wonder if SABC are going to link TV licenses to a smartcard in the box
Yup, they are
sucky thing i am thinking is that one would need a box for every tv or share a box and even then u need 1 smart card per box i.e. only one channel for house at a time? hope they have a dual view type solution 
ahh, how do you know that if you can't see them?
I'm also pretty sure MTV is only available on satelite (choiceless) subscription. Maybe some dude is re-transmitting to a few buddies in the area? I definitly don't see anything tho, from where I am.
You are paying.. and I think the target price is R300
then they can keep it