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Instant guide to free digital TV channels
.. from april 2009’s issue.
Eastern Europe Want to see more?
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Eastern Europe This month Wotsat looks at free TV from Eastern Europe, and how to get it
Every country offers a free news channel
Toolkit What you need to view digital TV from Eastern Europe n Free-to-air DVB digital satellite receiver (with common interface if possible) n 80cm dish with monoblock universal LNB aimed at Astra 1 and Hot Bird. Refer to Channel Check (p58) for other satellites’ recommended dish sizes
Satellite TV is playing an increasingly important role for the people of Eastern Europe, who within 20 years have gone from being sequestered behind the Iron Curtain to highly mobile citizens of the European Union. Where once the only TV choice was one or two state-run TV channels over terrestrial TV, every country now has rapidly expanding commercial TV sectors. Many of the old state channels have been reborn and, like our own terrestrial broadcasters in the digital era, they have diversified into news, factual and other spinoff channels. With their viewers as likely to be working in a different country as their home, both the old and new channels have embraced satellite TV as a way to reach out. Almost all are also available worldwide via internet streaming, although at a much lower quality than the broadcast version.
Western-style TV Many of the new channels are keen to emulate the best of Western TV, such as rolling news on the model of CNN, along
Great drama, shame about the dubbing 2 What Satellite & Digital TV
Reality shows are a hit wherever you go
with modern methods of viewer interaction through the internet and mobile phones. The ambitions aren’t always so high – Polish TV often dubs daytime drama series from other countries using a single voice from a narrator who doesn’t make much effort to get into character. The exception to this month’s selection is Austria, which takes its lead from German TV, sharing many of the same channels. There is also a selection of Italian-style local TV channels, funded by infomercials. Probably the most useful channel on Austrian TV is TW1, the official tourist channel, which in the winter season features a rolling selection of cameras from the ski slopes, along with weather reports and predictions – which is ideal if you’re picking somewhere for a last-minute skiing holiday. Local TV is also getting more popular across Eastern Europe, with major cities like Budapest and Warsaw represented by their own channels. Pay-TV hasn’t really taken off outside Poland – where Cyfra+ and Cyrowy Polska are locked in combat for subscribers – but some of the newer offerings are taking advantage of new MPEG-4 and DVB-S2 technology to launch more channels in less space, and there’s something in HD for every country, although none of it is free-to-air n
Next on Euro Spotlight
Poland’s Big Brother comes with an age warning
Pieciu najlepszych Five of Eastern Europe TV’s most popular shows
Klan
TVP1 Poland’s longest-running TV series (since 1997) is a soap about the Lubiczów family of Warsaw.
Vecernícek
CT1 Kids’ cartoon Little Eveninger is aired each evening on Czech & Slovak TV before the main news. Almost every Czech and Slovak illustrator, animator, writer and director has contributed to these 5-minute fairy tales.
Barátok közt
RTL Klub Among Friends is a nightly Hungarian soap about four orphans from different families who grew up in a small town, still affected by the accident that united them.
Trautmann
ORF1 Long-running series following the titular detective, spun off from the police drama Kaisermühlen-Blues.
VyVoleni
Joj Chosen Ones is a Slovakian reality show that succeeded where the local version of Big Brother flopped.
n Free TV from The Balkans and southern Europe
For Polish pop try Viva Polska
Duna 1 is Hungary’s main TV channel
Euro spotlight Footprint
K-TV is dedicated to Catholicism EADS Astrium
Austria has its own version of Germany’s 3sat
See Channel Check page 58 for frequencies
Free TV channels Austria Channel
Genre
3sat Eurotic TV✪✦ GoTV Hitradio O3 Innsat K-TV Fernsehen✶ Kabel Eins Osterreich MTV Octerreich Nick Osterreich ORF2 Europe Ringtone TV RTL2 Osterreich RTL Osterriech Salzburg TV Sat.1 Osterreich Super RTL Osterreich Tirol TV Top Music Channel● TW1 Viva Osterreich Vox Osterreich
General entertainment Adult chat Pop music Pop music Local – Innviertel Religion – Catholic General entertainment Pop music Children’s General entertainment Ringtone ads General entertainment General entertainment Local – Salzburg General entertainment Children’s Local – Tirol Pop music Tourist info Pop music General entertainment
Note: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, except: ✶ also on Astra 3, 23.5°E ● only on Eutelsat W2, 16°E ✪ also on Hot Bird, 13°E ✦ also on Eutelsat W3, 10°E
Czechia CHANNEL
GENRE
CT24 ✶❍ Public TV TV Noe ✶ Z1 Ocko
News Tourist info Religion – Christian News Pop music
Note: All channels on Astra 1, 19.2°E, except: ✶ also on Astra 3, 23.5°E ❍ only on Thor, 1°W
Hungary GENRE Local – Budapest General entertainment History & culture
General entertainment General entertainment
Note: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, except: ❖ only on Astra 1, 19.2°E ■ only on Amos 4, 4°W
Poland Channel
Genre
4 Fun TV Edusat ITV Mango 24 Patio TV Polonia 1 Polsat News Tele 5 TV Biznes TV Puls TV Silesia✱ TV TRWAM❖ TVN Warszawa TVP Historia❖ TVP Info❖ TVP Kultura✦ TVP Polonia✦✦ Viva Polska
Interactive entertainment Education Interactive entertainment Shopping Youth TV General entertainment News General entertainment Finance news General entertainment Local – Silesia Religion – Catholic Local – Warsaw History News Arts & culture General entertainment Pop music
Note: All channels on Hot Bird, 13°E, except: ✱ also on Sesat, 36°E ✦ also on Astra 1, 19.2°E ❖ only on Astra 1, 19.2°E ✦ also on Eutelsat W3, 10°E
Slovakia CHANNEL
GENRE
Bebe TV CE TV Music Box Slovakia Musiq 1 Ring TV ✶ TA 3 ✶ Televizo TV Lux TV Patriot
Parenting News Pop music Pop music Quizzes/adult News General entertainment Religion – Catholic General entertainment
26°E Along with 30.5°E, 26°E is one of two orbital locations operated by Arabsat, which was founded in 1976 by the 21 member states of the Arab League. The BADR satellites are named after a key battle in the early years of Islam, and are designed to serve the Middle East and North Africa, but have considerable overspill into Northern Europe. BADR-6 was ordered as a replacement for BADR-1 (aka Arabsat-4A), which failed to reach orbit at launch. BADR-5 is scheduled to launch in 2009, and BADR-7 has been ordered for 2010. n Operator: Arabsat, www.arabsat.com
Satellites
n BADR-3 (formerly Arabsat 3A)
Launched: Ariane 4, Kourou, February 26, 1999 Launch mass: 2,708kg Manufacturer: Alcatel Space Spacebus-3000B2 Transponders: 28 Ku-band at launch; 20 since 2001 EIRP: 51.3dBW Beams: In-orbit back-up for BADR-4 n BADR-4 (formerly Arabsat 4B)
Launched: Proton M, Baikonur, November 8, 2006 Launch mass: 3,3008kg Manufacturer: EADS Astrium Eurostar E-2000+ Transponders: 28 Ku-band EIRP: 51.3dBW Beams: Middle East and North Africa n BADR-6 (formerly Arabsat 4AR)
Launched: Ariane 5 ECA, Kourou, July 7, 2008 Launch mass: 3,400kg Manufacturer: EADS Astrium Eurostar E-2000+ Transponders: 20 Ku-band EIRP: 52.1dBW Beams: Middle East and North Africa
Note: All channels on Thor, 1°W, except: ✶ only on Astra 3, 23.5°E
Arabsat
CHANNEL Budapest TV✦❖ Duna I Duna Autonomia TV
Halozat TV■ M2
The BADR satellites mainly serve Arab countries Classical music gets more screen time
24.cz aspires to be Czechia’s answer to CNN What Satellite & Digital TV 3