Writing this one Sunday morning in mid December, it is the first really cold and wet day of the winter. Think maybe the first fire tonight! You will be reading this in 2023 – where did 2022 go? Do you remember how excited we were when 2000 was approaching – well 22 years have gone by and teenagers will not have a clue what I am talking about! Anyway Rainbow Satellites wish you all a very happy 2023 and may it bring whatever you want.
Friends of Mazarrón Animals, the small local charity we support, continues with some great work in the area. We are always looking for foster homes and volunteers. We will eventually find an animal a permanent home, but the time between rescuing that animal and finding that home is always difficult. We can and do use some excellent kennels, but it is a home environment many of them require. Most are to some degree traumatized, be it through cruelty or just their owner passing away – most just need a bed, some food and a bit of love. We hear so often; “I could not foster because I could not give them up.” Without any doubt giving them up is really difficult, but it has to be with the attitude “I have got you on your way – go live a happy life and let me start with another needing the first step in normal living.” Contact us for any FMA information.
TV NEWS
Any of you with a genuine FREESAT box will have had an automatic update which amongst other things will have converted ITV 2, 3 & 4 from SD to HD transmissions on new frequencies which are weaker and, depending on location, are generally not available in southern Spain, so these channels to most FREESAT viewers will now be unavailable. This is another ‘nail in the coffin’ of UK satellite TV in southern Spain. As we have done for some years, we believe there is about 2-3 years left as more and more channels become unavailable along with all the operators pushing towards Internet TV only. At the time of writing, the +1 versions have remained in SD and are viewable.
There were several other changes in the software update, one of which seems to have been to set the automatic standby mode to a few hours after any remote control inactivity. I can see both arguments for and against this feature, but it does seem to ignore the situation of just staying on one channel for the evening. I have disabled my FREESAT boxes of this feature and feel I am able to turn them off myself when I have finished with them (you will find the setting somewhere in the box menu – or ask us to call in when we are passing).
All of you satellite TV viewers – be it FREESAT, SKY or just universal satellite boxes – will have to change to Internet TV in the not too distant future. We hear from many people who have had bad experiences in the early days of Internet TV as it was new technology in its infancy. Some of you are still having bad experiences with it! Good solid stable Internet TV viewing is dependent on two services to your house – both have to be excellent:
The Internet itself must be capable of IPTV viewing and some are still not, particularly in rural locations. If you do have internet issues, ask us about trying our 4g units. With a good mobile signal these can be excellent. Starlink is up and running (satellite internet), but is expensive at some 100€ per month. However if there were a group of houses close together, they could share if the capacity is enough.
Secondly you need a good professional IPTV service supplier. Rainbow consider we are just that, so if you are having trouble with the TV service and are sure it is not an internet issue, give us a call to try our system for a free demonstration and 7 day trial – absolutely no obligation. Often we can use the TV box you have (not Android or similar).
If you are just moving to Spain, or buying a holiday home, give us a call for a chat about TV options. We have a system to suit most needs.
That’s it for January – another edition in February 2023.
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