Printed Programme Guide for Digital TV

Hello from Sydney.

I have a question for UK digital cable/satellite TV subscribers.

The major subscription TV provider in Australia (Foxtel - 25% owned by News
Corp) has recently introduced its digital service and is changing over
subscribers from the old analogue service. The analogue subscribers
received each month a detailed printed programme guide with all programs on
all channels for the full month. Those of us who have changed over to the
new digital service are no longer able to get the printed detailed guide.
In its place we get a glossy document full of pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing "highlights" during the month - but
nothing like the detail in the old programme guide. Foxtel have refused to
send us a copy of the old guide or even let us buy copies. This has created
a real furore with Foxtel being inundated with complaints - but at this
stage they are holding firm and have told us to use the electronic programme
guide which is clumsy use (to say the least), and often wrong.

Question: What's the situation in the UK - do subscribers to the digital
service get a full printed listing of programmes from the TV provider or do
you have to depend on the electronic programme guide, or get programme
information from other sources?

Thanks in advance.

Jock

Jock wrote:

Question: What's the situation in the UK - do subscribers to the digital
service get a full printed listing of programmes from the TV provider

No.


or do
you have to depend on the electronic programme guide, or get programme
information from other sources?

Yes.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/yvnsy
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.co.uk/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Jock wrote:
|| Hello from Sydney.
||
|| I have a question for UK digital cable/satellite TV subscribers.
||
|| The major subscription TV provider in Australia (Foxtel - 25% owned by
News
|| Corp) has recently introduced its digital service and is changing over
|| subscribers from the old analogue service. The analogue subscribers
|| received each month a detailed printed programme guide with all programs
on
|| all channels for the full month. Those of us who have changed over to
the
|| new digital service are no longer able to get the printed detailed guide.
|| In its place we get a glossy document full of pretty pictures and a bit
of
|| information on some of the viewing "highlights" during the month - but
|| nothing like the detail in the old programme guide. Foxtel have refused
to
|| send us a copy of the old guide or even let us buy copies. This has
created
|| a real furore with Foxtel being inundated with complaints - but at this
|| stage they are holding firm and have told us to use the electronic
programme
|| guide which is clumsy use (to say the least), and often wrong.
||
|| Question: What's the situation in the UK - do subscribers to the digital
|| service get a full printed listing of programmes from the TV provider or
do
|| you have to depend on the electronic programme guide, or get programme
|| information from other sources?
||
|| Thanks in advance.
||
|| Jock

Exactly the same for us. And guess what, It's all part of Ruperts empire.

We get a rag mag exactly like yours, with pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing highlights.

They do this cus they say we have an EPG to find all the info needed, yet,
they insist on platering all over the screen massive logos telling us what
channel we are watching, what is coming next, and the fact that it is "all
new".

Sky were inundated with complaints when they first did it to us, and guess
what....Sky didn't give two hoots. The stuck two fingers upto everyone.

Welcome to the digital tv world.

On Wed, 05 May 2004 06:55:52 GMT, "^^artnada^^" wrote:

Exactly the same for us. And guess what, It's all part of Ruperts empire.

We get a rag mag exactly like yours, with pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing highlights.

They do this cus they say we have an EPG to find all the info needed, yet,
they insist on platering all over the screen massive logos telling us what
channel we are watching, what is coming next, and the fact that it is "all
new".

Sky were inundated with complaints when they first did it to us, and guess
what....Sky didn't give two hoots. The stuck two fingers upto everyone.

Welcome to the digital tv world.


However we in the UK do have Digiguide (www.digiguide.co.uk) which is a
wonderful piece of software well worth the few quid a year subscription & much
cheaper than a paper magazine, you can always print it out too.

--
Nigel Barker
Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur

Exactly the same in the UK Jock.

Sky send subscribers their magazine - which contains a few alleged
'highlights' and articles but it mostly advertising.

To be fair, the sheer number of channels on what we all just call 'Sky' (see
http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html) is a problem with printed programme
schedules. With not many of the numerous channels on the Sky system
actually being run by Sky anyway (the rest just pay to be on the EPG and/or
use the same encryption) so Sky would want to charge the other channels for
carrying their schedules.

Generally, we've got used to the electronic (7 day) EPG (the series link
function is helpful for serials and weekly series) but there are websites
for those who want the virtual printed version.

G'day!




"Jock" wrote in message
...
Hello from Sydney.

I have a question for UK digital cable/satellite TV subscribers.

The major subscription TV provider in Australia (Foxtel - 25% owned by
News
Corp) has recently introduced its digital service and is changing over
subscribers from the old analogue service. The analogue subscribers
received each month a detailed printed programme guide with all programs
on
all channels for the full month. Those of us who have changed over to the
new digital service are no longer able to get the printed detailed guide.
In its place we get a glossy document full of pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing "highlights" during the month - but
nothing like the detail in the old programme guide. Foxtel have refused
to
send us a copy of the old guide or even let us buy copies. This has
created
a real furore with Foxtel being inundated with complaints - but at this
stage they are holding firm and have told us to use the electronic
programme
guide which is clumsy use (to say the least), and often wrong.

Question: What's the situation in the UK - do subscribers to the digital
service get a full printed listing of programmes from the TV provider or
do
you have to depend on the electronic programme guide, or get programme
information from other sources?

Thanks in advance.

Jock

"^^artnada^^" wrote in message
...
We get a rag mag exactly like yours, with pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing highlights.

They do this cus they say we have an EPG to find all the info needed, yet,
they insist on platering all over the screen massive logos telling us what
channel we are watching, what is coming next, and the fact that it is "all
new".

Sky were inundated with complaints when they first did it to us, and guess
what....Sky didn't give two hoots. The stuck two fingers upto everyone.

Welcome to the digital tv world.

Well the good thing is that a printed guide to what is on digital TV should be
easy to print. It only needs one entry

Channels 101 to 999 - Repeats

Loz

On Wed, 05 May 2004 08:21:29 GMT, Nigel Barker wrote:

On Wed, 05 May 2004 06:55:52 GMT, "^^artnada^^" wrote:

Exactly the same for us. And guess what, It's all part of Ruperts empire.

We get a rag mag exactly like yours, with pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing highlights.

They do this cus they say we have an EPG to find all the info needed, yet,
they insist on platering all over the screen massive logos telling us what
channel we are watching, what is coming next, and the fact that it is "all
new".

Sky were inundated with complaints when they first did it to us, and guess
what....Sky didn't give two hoots. The stuck two fingers upto everyone.

Welcome to the digital tv world.


However we in the UK do have Digiguide (www.digiguide.co.uk) which is a
wonderful piece of software well worth the few quid a year subscription & much
cheaper than a paper magazine, you can always print it out too.

You might be able to get digiguide to work for Australian TV. Check
out the digiguide site, and check in the forums. Plenty of people
there who can help you out, including digiguide staff

"Pedant" wrote in message
...
Exactly the same in the UK Jock.

Sky send subscribers their magazine - which contains a few alleged
'highlights' and articles but it mostly advertising.

To be fair, the sheer number of channels on what we all just call 'Sky'
(see
http://www.lyngsat.com/28east.html) is a problem with printed programme
schedules. With not many of the numerous channels on the Sky system
actually being run by Sky anyway (the rest just pay to be on the EPG
and/or
use the same encryption) so Sky would want to charge the other channels
for
carrying their schedules.

Generally, we've got used to the electronic (7 day) EPG (the series link
function is helpful for serials and weekly series) but there are websites
for those who want the virtual printed version.

G'day!


G'day, Pedant and thanks for your comments.

I think you have pointed the way that we are heading here, also. At present
there is only one major subscription TV provider offering around 60 channels
but the government has opened up the cable/satellite to third parties so in
time there will be, as you describe the UK situation, many more channels
offered by a multiplicity of broadcasters. In that context a printed guide
is really not feasible.

All the best from Oz.

Jock

"Andrew Gill" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 05 May 2004 08:21:29 GMT, Nigel Barker wrote:


However we in the UK do have Digiguide (www.digiguide.co.uk) which is a
wonderful piece of software well worth the few quid a year subscription &
much
cheaper than a paper magazine, you can always print it out too.

You might be able to get digiguide to work for Australian TV. Check
out the digiguide site, and check in the forums. Plenty of people
there who can help you out, including digiguide staff.

Thanks for that Andrew. I'll check it out.

Cheers.

Jock

"^^artnada^^" wrote in message
...

Exactly the same for us. And guess what, It's all part of Ruperts empire.

We get a rag mag exactly like yours, with pretty pictures and a bit of
information on some of the viewing highlights.

They do this cus they say we have an EPG to find all the info needed, yet,
they insist on platering all over the screen massive logos telling us what
channel we are watching, what is coming next, and the fact that it is "all
new".

Sky were inundated with complaints when they first did it to us, and guess
what....Sky didn't give two hoots. The stuck two fingers upto everyone.

Welcome to the digital tv world.



Thanks for that - guess we'll just have to get used to it (:

Jock