DTT (TNT) in France
 

I noticed this week in Avignon that supermarkets are selling DTT receivers
for the new TNT service. One model I saw, a Strong (model number
forgotten), tuned from 50.5 -860MHz - that's Bands I -V! (Although Band I
here used to start at 45MHz). I wonder why?

In the message ...
"Geoff Pearson" wrote:

I noticed this week in Avignon that supermarkets are selling DTT receivers
for the new TNT service. One model I saw, a Strong (model number
forgotten), tuned from 50.5 -860MHz - that's Bands I -V! (Although Band I
here used to start at 45MHz). I wonder why?

Maybe the French cable networks distribute signals in channels that may be
anywhere between Band I and Band V (inclusive) - the Belgian ones certainly
do - so the DTT receiver makers are presumably prepared for the distant (?)
future when all currently active analogue channels are replaced by digital
ones.

Regards,

- Alan (in Brussels)

"Geoff Pearson" wrote in message
...
I noticed this week in Avignon that supermarkets are selling DTT receivers
for the new TNT service. One model I saw, a Strong (model number
forgotten), tuned from 50.5 -860MHz - that's Bands I -V! (Although Band I
here used to start at 45MHz). I wonder why?

People in France have Band 3 aerials for Canal Plus (Band 1 in Corsica), so
it would make sense to use these for DTT. We should make our DTT receivers
"VHF ready" like the French, and the sooner the better (even if we will need
new Band 3 aerials). Otherwise, as the pressure grows for more and more
channels in the future, we will be the only country in Europe not making use
of the 40 or so extra channels, worth several million pounds each, which we
could get with Single Frequency Networks on VHF.

I wonder if the box you saw uses the French 8 MHz channels for VHF DTT?
Germany already uses Band 3 for DTT, but they have 7 MHz DTT channels on VHF
(the standard European "E5, E6" etc.) with a slightly lower bitrate,
although it's 8 MHz on UHF.

Some of the Band 3 & Band 1 aerials in use in France will be the original
819 line ones dating back to the 1960's. These still work because Canal Plus
used the original 819 line TV network with a minimum of modification. Same
transmitter sites, same positive vision modulation, same AM sound, same
polarisation, same transmitting aerial, same transmitter, just a switch to
625 lines and a retune of the vision and sound transmitters to fit onto the
625 channel which was closest to the old 819 channel. It's a pity we didn't
do the same sort of thing here. Your old 405 line aerial could be fit for
dozens of extra DTT channels. Of course it already does DAB, and even has
the correct polariation for it, unlike many new DAB aerial installations!

"Stephen" wrote in message
...
"Geoff Pearson" wrote in message
...
I noticed this week in Avignon that supermarkets are selling DTT
receivers
for the new TNT service. One model I saw, a Strong (model number
forgotten), tuned from 50.5 -860MHz - that's Bands I -V! (Although Band
I
here used to start at 45MHz). I wonder why?

People in France have Band 3 aerials for Canal Plus (Band 1 in Corsica),
so
it would make sense to use these for DTT. We should make our DTT receivers
"VHF ready" like the French, and the sooner the better (even if we will
need
new Band 3 aerials). Otherwise, as the pressure grows for more and more
channels in the future, we will be the only country in Europe not making
use
of the 40 or so extra channels, worth several million pounds each, which
we
could get with Single Frequency Networks on VHF.

I wonder if the box you saw uses the French 8 MHz channels for VHF DTT?
Germany already uses Band 3 for DTT, but they have 7 MHz DTT channels on
VHF
(the standard European "E5, E6" etc.) with a slightly lower bitrate,
although it's 8 MHz on UHF.

Some of the Band 3 & Band 1 aerials in use in France will be the original
819 line ones dating back to the 1960's. These still work because Canal
Plus
used the original 819 line TV network with a minimum of modification. Same
transmitter sites, same positive vision modulation, same AM sound, same
polarisation, same transmitting aerial, same transmitter, just a switch to
625 lines and a retune of the vision and sound transmitters to fit onto
the
625 channel which was closest to the old 819 channel. It's a pity we
didn't
do the same sort of thing here. Your old 405 line aerial could be fit for
dozens of extra DTT channels. Of course it already does DAB, and even has
the correct polariation for it, unlike many new DAB aerial installations!




This is the sort of thing I saw - and Strong have many models.

http://www.strongsat.com/index.php?i...le&Product1=45