TV in France (1 Viewer)

[Clickem]

Next week we are off to France for about a month, around Paris and the Loire valley area. One of our party has a love of tennis and the French Open is in progress. I assume that we will not receive UK TV that far down, but wonder about seeing some French stations

We have an Avtec 186DR TV connected to a Vision Plus Omni Directional aerial. So, in the UK we are watching HD Freeview

Will we get any French stations there?

If not is there a cheap "quick fix"? We have a Humax and Sky HD boxes around the house. So is a portable dish or an HD digital Freeview box an option?

TIA

 

[moulin 87]

Freeview no, Freesat yes or a FTA box... That far south a 65cm portable dish will be fine... That will do for UK TV.

 

[EX51SSS]

Next week we are off to France for about a month, around Paris and the Loire valley area. One of our party has a love of tennis and the French Open is in progress. I assume that we will not receive UK TV that far down, but wonder about seeing some French stations

We have an Avtec 186DR TV connected to a Vision Plus Omni Directional aerial. So, in the UK we are watching HD Freeview

Will we get any French stations there?

If not is there a cheap "quick fix"? We have a Humax and Sky HD boxes around the house. So is a portable dish or an HD digital Freeview box an option?

TIA

I can't answer the initial question but probably need to check if your TV is full HD or HD ready. We had the Avtex 186DR and because France changed over last year, we were not able to receive any channels in France. Was ok in Germany and Luxembourg though. Although only 2 years old, Avtex were less than helpful so I didn't get another Avtex.

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[Clickem]

I can't answer the initial question but probably need to check if your TV is full HD or HD ready. We had the Avtex 186DR and because France changed over last year, we were not able to receive any channels in France. Was ok in Germany and Luxembourg though. Although only 2 years old, Avtex were less than helpful so I didn't get another Avtex.

I'm a bit confused by this. Our TV is a 186DR and is 3 years old. The manual says HD Ready/Full HD. My understanding is that HD Ready means that it can display in HD but that the Tuner cannot receive HD. The 186DR model, that we both appear to have does not have a Digital tuner built in. It would need to be connected to a seperate HD Digital Tuner and dish, and then should work in France

Please can I ask what you connected your TV to when it failed to work?

 

[Cleve]

As EX51SSS says above it will depend on your tv. I used my Samsung smart tv last year in France and it has worked fine for French tv in the UK - where I am (when there) is ok for the Boulogne transmitter.

Because I wanted to play DVDs from time to time and could not be doing with the faff of yet more junk to carry, when I saw the Aldi 240/12v HDTV/DVD offer a couple of months ago I bought one, I have been over here since 28 April and it is working very well. Your location will determine the number of channels you will receive - it confused me a little initially as I thought there was a problem with my Status antenna and amplifier (both vintage kit) but consultation with a friend of mine over here confirmed that it depends on your location.

One of these sold for about 2/3rds of its retail price in the general ads on here recently but I have found it to be well worth it. That seller had bought 2 but decided to stick with a single tv instead of two in his motorhome.

Just had an alert saying someone else had posted on this thread while I have been waffling on so I hope I am not going to duplicate their posting.

Clive

23 digital TV channels at Les Hôpitaux-Neufs, Doubs, France

right, I'm off out on my bike!

 

[EX51SSS]

I'm a bit confused by this. Our TV is a 186DR and is 3 years old. The manual says HD Ready/Full HD. My understanding is that HD Ready means that it can display in HD but that the Tuner cannot receive HD. The 186DR model, that we both appear to have does not have a Digital tuner built in. It would need to be connected to a seperate HD Digital Tuner and dish, and then should work in France

Please can I ask what you connected your TV to when it failed to work?

It's to the aerial but easiest way is to phone Avtex. Tell them your model and they'll tell you it's one of the models affected by the change. Ours was bought in 2014 and was HD ready but couldn't pick up anything in France. Avtex know but aren't helpful. Apparently you can get a set top box as when we changed from analogue to digital but I decided to whizz the Avtex and buy a full HD tv.

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[Hymie]

We just returned home having spent 4 weeks travelling from LA Jonquera as far as Ypres, from Clermont to the Brittany coast, we got a great picture on our 2 year old 22" Cello TV almost everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere, between 25 and 40 channels.

Only place we never got a good signal was on an aire in the haute-vienne surrounded by trees in a thunderstorm.

We have one of the fixed "spaceship" aerials.

Retuned it every stopover even if we only moved a short distance.

Hymie

 

[bjandlin]

We use UK Freesat at our place near La Rochelle. Shouldn't be a problem for you further north.
BJ

 

[denisejoe]

We have watched French TV on the status aerial have to realign after every move but plenty of channels
Ps only watch when need the weather

Joe

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[Baileysbus]

We have watched French TV on the status aerial have to realign after every move but plenty of channels
Ps only watch when need the weather

Joe

Agreed ....... unless you're partial to never ending political chat programmes and badly dubbed episodes of American Pickers
And what's with the footy programmes where they have a live match running with still photos and two radio commentators doing the commentary and a bunch of "experts" in the studio chatting about the "match"

 

[Lenny HB]

Spent the last couple of nights in Nantes parked under trees so no sat reception. Out of interest tuned the Cello telly in to French channels, worked perfectly via Hymers little whip aerial. The French HD picture quality appeared exceptional shame I couldn't understand a word they were speaking.

 

[Xabia]

Just left Sainte Maure de Touraine nears Tours, perfect reception of all channels on 65cm dish /Sky box.

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[Clickem]

I have been offered a SKY 60cm (zone 2) mesh dish, rather than a solid 65cm circular, will that give an adequate cover as far down as Paris, Il de Re and perhaps across to the East of Holland?