Digital (DVB-T) TV in Munich since 2005

Hi
DVB-T is coming to Munich!
So what is it and what does it mean to you?
Well if you have a satellite dish, very little (and go to the specific satellite part of the forum to go about satellite installation etc, this thread is about DVB-T news only - if people want a sat dish or info go there so OG/Grinner/et al stop yer typing because if folk want one and can have one, they'll get one *without* the nagging, ta).
If you have cable, also no change.
But, if your TV reception is via antenna only, then this affects you.
Only about 11% of all TV reception is antenna-only in Munich, btw.
On May 30th digital programming via antenna will start in Munich, Oberbayern and the Nürnberg areas.
Normal antenna reception will continue until 31st August 2005 for the public broadcasters, private channels will cease to transmit analogue services in these areas from May 30th.
Test signals start on 23rd May at 9am.
After that, unless you either have a suitable TV or a "set-top box", your screen will go black. Yes, the analogue signal gets switched off.
So are you over a barrel? Sort of. Here's why.
Some very modern TVs already have the relevant equipment built-in, so if your telly is very new, check the manual. If it is DVB-T-fit, you might only have to retune (and your TV might do this automatically) and use your current antenna. Many new laptops (those new aldi ones for example) and computers also have the technology built in - only an antenna is required. Job's a good one.
Otherwise, you will need a "set-top box".
Priced from about 60€ upwards and available from all electrical retailers (and no doubt all the cheapy shops), a "set-top box" or "decoder" is required. And no it isn't the same as a Premiere decoder.
Each TV needs its' own decoder.
Video/DVD recorders will work normally but if you want to watch one channel and record another at the same time, two decoders (either a 2 separate or a double box) are required.
Now where your place is will determine the positioning of your antenna. In the central (palest green) area, a room or window antenna will do the job. In the middle (mid-green) area, a small stick antenna will do but it is better if this is outside.
On the outskirts (darker green) you need a roof antenna. DVB-T map

After buying your "set-top box", no monthly costs are charged (apart from your GEZ which you should be paying anyway *cough*). This is the real advantage over cable (if you don't care about not seeing CNN and don't want Premiere).
So what can you get to see?

Previous channels for central Munich were:
ARD, ZDF, Bayerischer Rundfunk, OF1 (and ORF if you're in the right area), SAT1, RTL, RTL2, Pro7, Tele5, DSF, TVMünchen
So the days of DSF "Sexy Clips" are numbered! But you get to see profundo's gal model hairbrushes instead - a fair deal if ever I saw one.
Hope this helps a few folk,
Katrina

[size=1]Crosslinks by admin: Digital TV is coming to Munich - Helicopters installing the transmitter on Olympiaturm

There are actually test transmissions at the moment.. They are transmitted at 5KW, they work well out in Kirchheim... when it starts the full service it will be just over 100KW...

Aluminium hats needed in Town... I think...

*starts rummaging for the famous picture*...

Hi Katrina, I recently read an article in infosat (a german sat/digital TV mag) where it slagged off the british DVB-T launch (which was about 2 years ago). It also slagged off the swedish launch... I can't help but hope the Munich launch goes wrong just to get them back for their (assumed) superiority...
More to the point is why anyone (in Toytown) would want to bother watching german telly in the first place...

Bummer. No more titty channels.

I watch German telly because my building is listed and I won't/can't get sat (my rent is cheap and want to give no excuse for raising it), cable only goes up to the second floor (I'm on the 4th) so German antenna telly it is.
Don't really watch that much but am pleased to be getting a news channel again. Vox is also a bonus, I don't really mind series being in German. Eurosport in time for the Tour de France is also good, their coverage is so much better than ZDF/ARD, less yakking more countryside. So for me, it isn't bad really.
But it isn't good for those of you who were getting ORF for the F1 without ad breaks.

[QUOTE]
I'm senidng the experts round to your place at once... if you cant get british telly then you're moving... otherwise severe electro shock treatment is in order.

I only watch german telly. Why? Because I understand the german. And some of it is pretty good. So nerr

Nowt up with German telly.
I like it. What's the point of moving over here to watch British telly? Might as well have stopped at home.

Come on there must be some of you who think german telly is as bad as I do...
Ok lets be reasonable about this...over half of the programs are american stuff which i'd rather watch unsynchronised (e.g. simpsons, futurerama, sex and the city, buffy, feature films etc). So that leaves the rest...ok a few co productions with BBC that I see before you do on BBC2 (horizon etc), and some guys playing in ompah bands... Ok now lets talk humour... little britain, coupling, a pint of lager and a packet of crisps...
I rest my case...
German telly sucks and thats it...

it is easy to get it right when you have been able to study two previous launches and learn by the mistakes.

I feel Digital was launched too soon in the UK before enough channels were ready and before the compression technology really offered decent bandwidth. Having said that, the UK was a bit of a chicken and egg situation. Without the platform, channels were never going to launch and without new channels the platform offered nothing special. Today things are different and DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television, which is what DVB-T is called over there) has a fairly good offering with new channels launching regularly.

Germany has the advantage of a number of existing private free-to-air channels that will launch will the platform to make DVB-T a real alternative to paying cable feesor having a bloody great dish sat on you balcony.

The real issue is that on May 30th some people will wake up on the morning and find that ARD, ZDF and BR3 are no longer there on their analogue TVs. They'll need to re-tune their TV to get them back, at least until the end of August:

If some house systems have not been tuned/amplified for RTL, ProSeiben or Tele5 (which will be removed to accomodate these 3 "major" channels in the interim) then they'll be stuffed, unless they move to DVB-T

YL6

Problems were encountered in the UK as there are many Dependant transmitters and not enough Independant ones..

Here we have Olympic Tower and Wendlestein... BOTH are Independant.

There in the UK the Power had wo be reduced to prevent co-channel interefernce on adjacent programmes..

G

This might be the wrong place for this post but .. the comment was made somewhere that you don’t get much benefit with Digital TV if you have Satellite ... What channels do you get with Satellite? And is there a mthly fee?

Quite simply, there are 16 channels, mostly German, planned for digital terrestrial TV, but there are over 60 free (German) ones on (Astra1) satellite, plus many more subscription (Premiere) services and a smattering of other languages. Many satellite channels are shopping channels, so quite how useful they are to you is another story. If you already have German satellite services there is unlikely to be any benefit. Both services are free. If you don't have satellite then DVB-T is a cheaper solution with little or no installation cost.

YL6

So I bought my DVB-T receiver from Quelle yesterday (the cheap one, for EUR60, but it seems okay).

1. Am I going to be able to receive the digital signal through the roof aerial living in north schwabing?

2. When should i see some signs of life - at the moment I can't find -any- channels?