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| Saorview (Freeview) |
| See www.goingdigital.ie |
Saorview is the national free-to-air digital terrestrial television (DTT) service in Republic of Ireland. The service began operation on 29 October 2010 on a trial basis with full launch on 26 May 2011. By legislation it was required to be available to approximately 90% of the population by end of October 2010 in a public testing capacity and nationwide by December 2011. The national public launch was preceded by a public information campaign, which began on 15 March 2011, with a television and radio advertising beginning 17 March 2011.Saorview was officially launched on 26 May 2011 by Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte TD.
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Saorview is the Ireland's Public broadcasting (PBS) DTT service. The Irish word Saor means free, thereby mirroring a common name of DTT service in many regions, Freeview, through a mix of the English and Irish languages. It is operational and available free-to-air (FTA) to approximately 90% of the population from 29 October 2010 on 24 sites.
Saorview will be available from perhaps 51 DTT transmitters covering 98% of the population by the end of Q3 2012. The existing analogue terrestrial television (ATT) network is available to 98% of the population from 150 ATT transmitters.
Initially one multiplex is available to the RTÉNL Saorview service with a second becoming available after Analogue Switchoff (ASO) probably 2013. A further four multiplexes are available for commercial pay DTT. |
The service is free-to-air and a DVB-T/MPEG-4 HD set top box (STB) receiver or iDTV and UHF aerial will be required. MHEG-5 has been selected as the middleware standard for digital teletext, Saorview branded EPG and interactive services. For non MHEG-5 compatible receivers regular analogue TV teletext will continue to be available and programme information will be displayed through the receiver's own inbuilt EPG. Either DVB or Teletext subtitling can be displayed when broadcast.
Saorview equipment does not receive "Freeview (UK). UK "Freeview HD" boxes are working in the South East of Ireland on Freeview and "Freeview HD" from Wales and with Saorview service. |
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| Initially RTÉ Two will be carried on what is known as "high definition light", selected live "pass through" programming will be carried in high definition, SD programmes will be upscaled to HD. Once the RTÉ playout facility has been upgraded for high definition this will enable the playout of HD recorded material. RTÉ propose that the high definition services should be offered on DTT only. The service is expected to provide significant coverage throughout Northern Ireland via overspil and after digital switchover with RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 being carried on Freeview. |
RTÉNL will provide commercial DTT capacity on its network for pay TV services that can agree terms with it and the BAI. However that is not likely until 2013 according to the BAI following on from a de-briefing exercise the BAI held with the three consortia involved in the 2008 failed licence process.
The BAI said "the Authority now considers that it will not be feasible to introduce commercial DTT as originally intended until after Analogue Switch Off (ASO) at the earliest. The position will be reviewed towards the end of 2011 and the Authority may seek expressions of interest in the provision of commercial DTT at that point. A competition could potentially be held during 2012 with a view to commercial DTT being operational in 2013".
It continued "it is the considered view of the Authority that as part of the preparation for the successful launch of commercial DTT in the future, legislative change will be necessary to enable the Authority to have formal relationships with the applicants, as obtains at present, and with RTÉNL".
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| This is to allow the PSB side to proceed to successful ASO transition to DSO, a stabilised economic backdrop by that time (3 years time) to emerge and changes in the Broadcasting Act 2009 to allow it have statutory mediation powers in dealing with RTÉNL that it currently has with the broadcasters and interested parties but not with RTÉNL. |
| Website: www.saorview.ie |
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EPG |
Channel |
Genre |
Information |
MUX |
1 |
RTÉ One |
Entertainment |
24 hours |
1 |
2 |
RTÉ Two (Upscaled to HD) |
Entertainment |
24 hours |
1 |
3 |
TV3 Ireland |
Entertainment |
24 hours |
1 |
4 |
TG4 |
Gaelic |
24 hours |
1 |
5 |
RTÉ News Now |
Entertainment |
24 hours |
1 |
6 |
3e |
Entertainment |
24 hours |
1 |
7 |
RTÉjr |
Childrens |
09.00 - 18.30 |
1 |
8 |
RTÉ One +1 |
Entertainment |
19.00 - 02.00 |
1 |
11 |
Future Service 1 |
Test |
Test |
2 |
12 |
Future Service 2 |
HD Pictures in a loop |
Test |
2 |
13 |
Future Service 3 |
Test |
Test |
2 |
14 |
Future Service 4 |
Test |
Test |
2 |
15 |
Future Service 5 |
RTÉ News Now simulcast |
Test |
2 |
16 |
Future Service 6 |
Test |
Test |
2 |
17 |
Future Service 7 |
Test |
Test |
2 |
800 |
RTÉ Radio 1 |
Music |
Radio station |
1 |
801 |
RTÉ 1 Xtra |
Mixed (opt out) |
Radio station |
1 |
802 |
RTÉ 2FM |
Music |
Radio station |
1 |
803 |
RTÉ Lyric FM |
Classical Music |
Radio station |
1 |
804 |
RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta |
Gaelic |
Radio station |
1 |
805 |
RTÉ Pulse |
Music |
Radio station |
1 |
806 |
RTÉ 2XM |
Music |
Radio station |
1 |
807 |
RTÉ Choice |
Speach |
Radio station |
1 |
808 |
RTÉ Gold |
Oldies |
Radio station |
1 |
809 |
RTÉ Junior/RTÉ Chill |
Kids/Chill |
Radio station |
1 |
810 |
Future Service 1 |
RTÉ Radio 1 Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
811 |
Future Service 2 |
RTÉ 2fm Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
812 |
Future Service 3 |
RTÉ Lyric FM Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
813 |
Future Service 4 |
RTÉ RnaG Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
814 |
Future Service 5 |
RTÉ Radio 1 Extra Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
815 |
Future Service 6 |
RTÉ Pulse Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
816 |
Future Service 7 |
RTÉ 2XM Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
817 |
Future Service 8 |
RTÉ Choice Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
818 |
Future Service 9 |
RTÉ Gold Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
819 |
Future Service 10 |
RTÉ Junior/RTÉ Chill Simulcast |
Radio station |
2 |
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| Cross-border Partnership |
On 1 February 2010 the Republic of Ireland's Minister for Communications Eamon Ryan signed an agreement with the UK's Ben Bradshaw.
This agreement will enable viewers within Northern Ireland to watch RTE One, RTE Two and TG4 on a free-to-air basis as of 2012.
The agreement between both jurisdictions will also guarantee that viewers within the Republic of Ireland will be able to view BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Two Northern Ireland on the Republic of Ireland's free-to-air service. It has not been confirmed if BBC One and BBC Two will be available on Saorview. |
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| Soarview Reception Map |
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| Proposed TV Channels |
TV3 HD
TV3 +1 (A timeshift service for TV3)
3 Kids (A children's service from TV3, timeshared with 3Classics)
3 Classics (A classic Irish documentary and film service from TV3, timeshared with 3Kids)[27]
TG4 HD (as outline in the Broadcasting Act 2009)
TG4 +1 (A timeshift service for TG4, timeshared with as yet unnamed Irish Language Youth channel from TG4).
Unnamed Irish Language Youth channel, more than likely Cúla4, from TG4 (Timeshared with TG4 +1)
Irish TV (working title) 24 hour music channel launch is proposed for late autumn 2011.[31]
Chilli Hits (working title) 24 hour music channel expected to launch late 2012.
Euronews. This currently airs on RTE News Now from 00:00 to 06:00 daily.
Irish Film Channel
Houses of the Oireachtas Channel |
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| Proposed Radio Stations |
Easy FM (Country Music)
Digital Radio Ltd. (80s hits)
Raidió Rí-Rá (Irish Language Popular Music service) |
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| Saorsat |
RTÉ publicly announced at an Oireachtas Joint Committee on Communications discussion in mid July 2010 that a free-to-air satellite service, called Saorsat, would be offered to complement the terrestrial DTT service. Saorsat will enable Irish public service channels to be made available free-to-air and unencrypted, for the first time, as a means of covering the last 2% of the population who will be unable to receive the Saorview terrestrial service.
RTÉ said the combined offering was designed to be the most cost-effective solution for viewers and broadcasters; to offer for the first time 100% coverage of free-to-air public service television services in the Republic of Ireland; and to provide full national back-up coverage on satellite in the event of an emergency or catastrophic failure of the DTT system.
Approval for the revised National DTT plan and the new Saorsat satellite service was announced by the Minister for Communications at the end of July 2010. |
Saorsat is going to use KA-Sat at 9° East and not Astra 2D at 28.2° East, which most Irish channels currently use. This will mean that viewers will probably need two systems, one for Saorsat and one for Sky or the UK's Freesat.
KA-SAT is a narrow-band satellite operating in the Ka band as opposed to the normal DTH Ku band (which Sky and Freesat use), with a spot beam being dedicated exclusively to Ireland which will also provide coverage throughout Northern Ireland.
It is claimed that the spot beam with frequency reuse means reception in Britain and continental Europe is not possible. However even the tightest spotbeams have overspill. It is almost certain that some reception will be possible in the UK using larger dishes. RTÉ states that the chosen satellite option will cost approximately €1.5 million per year. |
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