now at the end of the TV antenna?

[Al ears]

In your opinion you mean? 🙂

Of course it's his opinion, it is impossible for it to be otherwise.

 

[daveh75]

radio and TV aerials are a problem on chimneys especially older ones ( new houses do not appear to have them for a good reason).

Because central heating has been commonplace since the late 20th century making fireplaces somewhat redundant

Weakest point in any house is the chimney Think about you rarely if ever go up there and check it Only you do is when something happens ( aerial pointing in the wrong direction/ Dishes should be put on any chimney ( why do they put them there. ) wind will catch a dish and it will weaken the bricks. why do you need any aerial up there or radio aerial.

Because sometimes it's the only option due to line of site issues or homes effectively becoming Faraday cages with tougher building regs with regard to insulation and increasing use of foil...

with internet TV and radio there is no need for such aerials and dishes

Aerials and dishes have been around for decades as you well know, TV over the internet has only really become viable and popular for the last 10 years or so.

Despite your insistence to the contrary, linear broadcast TV delivered OTA will be around for a long while yet....

 

[giggsy1977]

Of course it's his opinion, it is impossible for it to be otherwise.

Not impossible! 😂

 

[Gray]

I've seen several chimneys damaged and even brought down in strong winds due to tall and overloaded masts over the years.

Yes, as I was putting up my loaded mast, the wind caught it a couple of times - unbelievable leverage nearly took me off the roof.

(Neighbour's tall mast is on the same chimney 😱)

 

[flashgordon1952]

In your opinion you mean? 🙂

when it comes to aerials on chimneys ? for TV and radio . there is no reason why you need them for receiving purposes anymore where you do have to have them is for transmitting when it is normally the only way of getting a transmission out in the airwaves . Well not quite the only way using via a dummy load and OPENSPOT the transmission can go from transmitter /receiver ( 1 watt) through the internet . then on to a repeater anywhere in the world . It could be ;possible to transmit picture as well as sound through this way via digital . Not at all practical and very expensive process. So yes i stand by it. As we all know Scottish power tried a system of running all tv and radio and internet via 240 AC at 50 cycles it actually worked but for one thing "interference ". also the mains cables was a little dodgy as only heavy duty screened cables would work . But it is technically possible . Virgin is the nearest we have now to this. But there problem is cost of connection in rural areas . Virgin would be perfect cables taking everything underground ( if only)

 

[giggsy1977]

I guess a lot that are up on a roof/chimney/other building are there because people don't feel the need to remove them or are worried about doing it themselves or don't wish to pay someone to remove it.

With people looking to cut costs I wonder if people will start to go back to Freeview from the likes of BT/Sky/Virgin?

I suspect it will of course end up with streaming being the defacto method of receiving broadcasts, but not for a while yet.

 

[Edbostan]

I guess a lot that are up on a roof/chimney/other building are there because people don't feel the need to remove them or are worried about doing it themselves or don't wish to pay someone to remove it.

With people looking to cut costs I wonder if people will start to go back to Freeview from the likes of BT/Sky/Virgin?

I suspect it will of course end up with streaming being the defacto method of receiving broadcasts, but not for a while yet.

BT TV is largely Freeview with its non-Freeview channels streamed via the Internet. I also have a redundant Sky dish and sometimes whether to invest in Freesat but which service will survive longest: Freeview or Freesat?

 

[Gray]

which service will survive longest: Freeview or Freesat?

One of those TVs with both tuners and you're covered.....until they switch both off 🙂

 

[daveh75]

[/QUOTE]

but which service will survive longest: Freeview or Freesat?

Both part of Digital UK these days, which is in turn owned by BBC, ITV, C4 and C5...

 

[flashgordon1952]

there is no need for TV aerials anymore all new tvs have internet abilities . And it is easy to get an old 15 year old tv to work online by simply connecting the hdmi ( assuming it has one ) and use the Amazon stick and you get internet too . ( as long as have internet connection over 30 mps)

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

There's no need for a car now as we can all use Ubers, but that ain't happening any time soon either...

 

[Gray]

there is no need for TV aerials anymore all new tvs have internet abilities.
....( as long as have internet connection over 30 mps)

As long as you have the internet.
Not everyone does....bad luck to them eh?

 

[podknocker]

I've not owned a TV for 3 years and do all my viewing online, using my PC monitor. I might buy a new TV, when the technology has settled down and there is something worth buying, that will give a few years of reliable use. There is 5G TV technology waiting in the wings, where the TV receives broadcasts directly over 5G, like a smartphone, rather than over WIFI, or LAN cable, from a normal internet service. Might be a few years though. I ran a speed test on my smartphone and got 433Mbps, which is overkill for a smartphone, but would be great to receive 4k TV with all the HDR and audio bells and whistles. I think cable, especially FTTP is a quicker and more robust option, but sadly not available in many areas, including mine.

 

[flashgordon1952]

using quality cable is a much safer security way of using the PC . wi fi has its problems ,that anyone with your password can use your internet connection. Hence why commercial companies do not use standard wi fi at all but cables . In regards to TVs the latest ones with built in wi fi ie the internet TVs are cheap and work well too ie TCL 50 inch £300 2023 model I also use a system (cabled) called OPENSPOT . it is a private network , for us licensed radio amateurs. This is voice only and no video . What i like about the system ,it does not require any form of antenna ,what so ever and gives you free chat ,as long as have a internet connection . However have a visual to see who can connect with , many of them with private networks (Nodes) . Many contacts into New Zealand and Aussie land.. They are called "rooms" but many contacts do not use rooms but use "Repeaters, similar to mobile phone ones

 

[Edbostan]

with tall tvs now on the market are SMART and do not need an aerial or even a dish , have we are now seeing the end of both the aerial and the dish ? I say yes Sky has already said they are considering about the future of the dish as TVs now are suitable for the internet. And only a matter of time they stop transmission. The BBC and ITV are also moving away from the terrestrial
ITV has ITV X and all new TVs have built in wif fi and blue tooth too .
To be honest i be glad to see the end of those 72 element TV aerial on top of chimneys here .

They are an eyesore and those dishes too Did you know legally you need to ask planning permission from the council , but nobody bothers these days to ask

Reason is simple health and safety , if one of these was to come down on the road or pavement it could actually kill someone and you be liable ,for it legally . Not many people know this fact .

Me i do have a dish or two the big one and the Sky are at ground level and cannot fall . strange why very few people do not put there dish in there garden

The disadvantage with streaming is that you cannot record the content.

 

[giggsy1977]

They're pushing the streaming for sure. I had Sky ring me with an offer for Sky Stream, but I like being able to record and watch when I like. I don't usually binge watch so happy to wait a week for the next installment. Once the UK is all fully fibre connected (FTTP rather than FTTC) I think we'll see a bigger push to streaming. The Internet speeds people receive are still too low in many places for it to be a viable option across the board.

 

[daveh75]

Once the UK is all fully fibre connected (FTTP rather than FTTC) I think we'll see a bigger push to streaming.

You don't need FTTP for reliable streaming.

The Internet speeds people receive are still too low in many places for it to be a viable option across the board.

"Superfast broadband" (30Mbps or above)is now available to 97.66% of UK premises which is more than adequate to reliably stream UHD, let alone HD.

 

[giggsy1977]

You don't need FTTP for reliable streaming.



"Superfast broadband" (30Mbps or above)is now available to 97.66% of UK premises which is more than adequate to reliably stream UHD, let alone HD.

FTTC isn't as reliable as FTTP. If the delivery method isn't reliable people will be reluctant to rely on streaming. You lose your connection, you lose your television.

30mbps is indeed enough to stream hd and on some services UHD. But with three or four (or more per household), multiple devices connected aside from smart streaming services, that's not a lot to go around.

 

[podknocker]

I have FTTC and then the final 500m is copper and weirdly, aluminium. I gave up on ADSL as the remaining copper was such bad quality the service failed and I cancelled the contract. I'm on 5G now and getting up to 370Mb, depending on atmospherics and the number of leaves on the trees, outside my window blocking the signal. FTTP to every household will never happen as it would cost a fortune and companies like BT would never invest in this, as their shareholders would object to the outlay and their potentially reduced dividend. Digging up thousands of miles of pavement and installing state of the art fibre from the exchange to all these premises would be a ridiculous cost. They won't do it. I think the future is 5G and then 6G and having a quick wireless connection, like the one your mobile uses. Cell coverage and network improvements have already given us the same speeds as fibre and you can take it anywhere, like my own 5G box, with no need to dig up the pavements and install miles of expensive fibre. The latest device from my internet provider is the Zyxel NR5103E and the chip supports download speeds of up to 4.7Gbps and upload speeds of up to 2.5Gbps, so plenty of potential if and when these ISPs increase their capacity.

Three 5G Broadband Review - How good is Three's 5G Hub?

Three 5G Broadband is proof that 5G is useful for more than just phones. In fact, it's a true alternative to fibre broadband.

3g.co.uk

 

[abacus]

I have FTTC and then the final 500m is copper and weirdly, aluminium. I gave up on ADSL as the remaining copper was such bad quality the service failed and I cancelled the contract. I'm on 5G now and getting up to 370Mb, depending on atmospherics and the number of leaves on the trees, outside my window blocking the signal. FTTP to every household will never happen as it would cost a fortune and companies like BT would never invest in this, as their shareholders would object to the outlay and their potentially reduced dividend. Digging up thousands of miles of pavement and installing state of the art fibre from the exchange to all these premises would be a ridiculous cost. They won't do it. I think the future is 5G and then 6G and having a quick wireless connection, like the one your mobile uses. Cell coverage and network improvements have already given us the same speeds as fibre and you can take it anywhere, like my own 5G box, with no need to dig up the pavements and install miles of expensive fibre. The latest device from my internet provider is the Zyxel NR5103E and the chip supports download speeds of up to 4.7Gbps and upload speeds of up to 2.5Gbps, so plenty of potential if and when these ISPs increase their capacity.

Three 5G Broadband Review - How good is Three's 5G Hub?

Three 5G Broadband is proof that 5G is useful for more than just phones. In fact, it's a true alternative to fibre broadband.

3g.co.uk

Unfortunately there are a lot of places in the country without mobile reception, also 5G coverage is still very limited in the UK, which means in reality it is no better then a cable connected to the premises.
BTW: Where mobile reception is poor or none existent is also usually where cable connections are poor.

Bill

 

[giggsy1977]

I have FTTC and then the final 500m is copper and weirdly, aluminium. I gave up on ADSL as the remaining copper was such bad quality the service failed and I cancelled the contract. I'm on 5G now and getting up to 370Mb, depending on atmospherics and the number of leaves on the trees, outside my window blocking the signal. FTTP to every household will never happen as it would cost a fortune and companies like BT would never invest in this, as their shareholders would object to the outlay and their potentially reduced dividend. Digging up thousands of miles of pavement and installing state of the art fibre from the exchange to all these premises would be a ridiculous cost. They won't do it. I think the future is 5G and then 6G and having a quick wireless connection, like the one your mobile uses. Cell coverage and network improvements have already given us the same speeds as fibre and you can take it anywhere, like my own 5G box, with no need to dig up the pavements and install miles of expensive fibre. The latest device from my internet provider is the Zyxel NR5103E and the chip supports download speeds of up to 4.7Gbps and upload speeds of up to 2.5Gbps, so plenty of potential if and when these ISPs increase their capacity.

Three 5G Broadband Review - How good is Three's 5G Hub?

Three 5G Broadband is proof that 5G is useful for more than just phones. In fact, it's a true alternative to fibre broadband.

3g.co.uk

You might be right about mobile being an option for consumers going forward. I prefer a wired connection myself! Openreach for their part in the fibre rollout will utilise existing ducting and deliver fibre that way, minimising the need for intrusive works where possible. My FTTP is delivered by the telegraph pole as opposed to entering the property via ducting like Virgin Media for example. The altnets are the ones doing digging where they can't share Openreach infrastructure. IX Wireless are popping up across the country at the moment with poles everywhere advertising it as '6G' on the pole which is naughty. On a street near me there are poles every 40 metres or so. Looks a right mess! Your 5G is much faster than my 145mbps FTTP!

 

[podknocker]

Unfortunately there are a lot of places in the country without mobile reception, also 5G coverage is still very limited in the UK, which means in reality it is no better then a cable connected to the premises.
BTW: Where mobile reception is poor or none existent is also usually where cable connections are poor.

Bill

True. Lack of cell coverage and lack of cables, usually means you're out in the middle of nowhere. In the long haul, it's going to be cheaper and easier to get mobile coverage, rather than a 5 mile length of fibre to your door, if you live in a remote location. Let's see what satellite broadband can offer.

 

[busb]

with tall tvs now on the market are SMART and do not need an aerial or even a dish , have we are now seeing the end of both the aerial and the dish ? I say yes Sky has already said they are considering about the future of the dish as TVs now are suitable for the internet. And only a matter of time they stop transmission. The BBC and ITV are also moving away from the terrestrial
ITV has ITV X and all new TVs have built in wif fi and blue tooth too .
To be honest i be glad to see the end of those 72 element TV aerial on top of chimneys here .

They are an eyesore and those dishes too Did you know legally you need to ask planning permission from the council , but nobody bothers these days to ask

Reason is simple health and safety , if one of these was to come down on the road or pavement it could actually kill someone and you be liable ,for it legally . Not many people know this fact .

Me i do have a dish or two the big one and the Sky are at ground level and cannot fall . strange why very few people do not put there dish in there garden

We have our dish mounted with explosive bolts - to fall on unruly neighbours if & when! Sky are hedging their bets with their (cheaper) streaming service, IMO. The Smithsonian channel is no longer available & some HD channels still remain unavailable.

 

[spl84]

I have FTTC and then the final 500m is copper and weirdly, aluminium. I gave up on ADSL as the remaining copper was such bad quality the service failed and I cancelled the contract. I'm on 5G now and getting up to 370Mb, depending on atmospherics and the number of leaves on the trees, outside my window blocking the signal. FTTP to every household will never happen as it would cost a fortune and companies like BT would never invest in this, as their shareholders would object to the outlay and their potentially reduced dividend. Digging up thousands of miles of pavement and installing state of the art fibre from the exchange to all these premises would be a ridiculous cost. They won't do it. I think the future is 5G and then 6G and having a quick wireless connection, like the one your mobile uses. Cell coverage and network improvements have already given us the same speeds as fibre and you can take it anywhere, like my own 5G box, with no need to dig up the pavements and install miles of expensive fibre. The latest device from my internet provider is the Zyxel NR5103E and the chip supports download speeds of up to 4.7Gbps and upload speeds of up to 2.5Gbps, so plenty of potential if and when these ISPs increase their capacity.

Three 5G Broadband Review - How good is Three's 5G Hub?

Three 5G Broadband is proof that 5G is useful for more than just phones. In fact, it's a true alternative to fibre broadband.

3g.co.uk

They're actually trying to do that here in the states. The federal govt is doling out hundreds of billions to try and get every single household fttp access even in remote areas where there may be only 2-3 houses in a ten mile span. I work for an ISP and it's crazy to see what's happening. This would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Over here all of the rural electrical co-ops are also now in the broadband business because of these grants and they are competing with us in a big way since they already own an existing infrastructure with which they can easily string up fiber. Of course the big difference is that this govt just prints money out of thin air regardless of how far in debt we go. Then they just keep raising the debt "ceiling" and round and round we go.

 

[podknocker]

Been too much thinking and not enough doing here in the UK. We've had a very short sighted view of the internet and technology, until very recently and it's now far too expensive to dig up the pavements and get everyone on FTTP. I've worked for ISPs and there was massive inertia many years ago and if the ISPs and BT had got their heads together about 20 years ago, we could now have world class, high speed internet to most of the country. I think they've realised it's now a case of getting the most out of fibre, where it exists and then increasing 5G bandwidth elsewhere. I'll never get FTTP and as I mentioned, the copper network is shocking where I live. The GPO pits are 50 years old and full of water and corrosion. Apart from new builds, there will be no replacement of the copper lines, here in the UK. All the PSTN/ISDN is being phased out. All the copper will be replaced by fibre eventually, but it will need some help from the government and taxation, to really improve things.