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Watching the London 2012 Olympics - a guide (part 1)

The BBC have in place a rather extensive television service for the Olympic games - here is a guide to make sure you are watching it in the best possible way.

The BBC have in place a rather extensive television service for
Published on by on UK Free TV

For the duration of the Olympic Games, the BBC will be dedicating the majority of their output to the games.

In the first instance, BBC One (and BBC One HD) will carry coverage all day and night, and BBC three will also broadcast all day and night.

In addition, the BBC will provide 24 interactive channels. However, most of these channels will be for satellite and online viewers.

For those watching on Freeview, the service will be limited to two interactive streams (301 and 302), of which the third will run only from 7pm.

Freeview HD will also provide the "first" stream in HD on 301.



BBC Parliament will stop broadcasting on Freeview for the duration of the games, but will continue on satellite (and cable). In the regions that have not yet switched-over to digital-only (Northern Ireland and North East England), the CBBC channel will move from channel 70 to 73. See also www.ukfree.tv link icon Changes to BBC services for the Olympic Games

BBC Two, BBC Four and BBC HD (mostly) will provide a non-Olympic games service.

For those watching on Freesat or Freesat-from-Sky, the streams will be accessed by pressing the "red button" on any BBC channel.

List of interactive transponders

If you have a "generic" satellite receiver, you will find the 24 SD streams on transponders 52, 55 and D1S, and the 24 HD streams on transponders 11, 22, 31, 36, 37 and 38.

  • transponder 11 is 11914MHz Horizontal at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 22 is 12129 MHz Vertical at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 31 is 12304 MHz Horizontal at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 36 is 12402 MHz Vertical at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 37 is 12422 MHz Horizontal at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 38 is 12441 MHz Vertical at 29500-3/4
  • transponder 52 is 10876 MHz Vertical at 22000-5/6
  • transponder 55 is 10921 MHz Horizontal at 22000-5/6
  • transponder D1S is 11469 MHz Horizontal at 27500-2/3


List of interactive channels

Here is a full list of the locations on satellite and Freeview of the transponders:

  • Stream 1: SD Freeview 301,
    SID 7800 on transponder 52, HD Freeview 304, SID 7801 on transponder 11
  • Stream 2: SD Freeview 302 (from 7pm),
    SID 7802 on transponder 55, HD SID 7803 on transponder 22
  • Stream 3: SID 7804 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7805 on transponder 31
  • Stream 4: SD SID 7806 on transponder 52, HD SID 7807 on transponder 36
  • Stream 5: SD SID 7808 on transponder 55, HD SID 7809 on transponder 37
  • Stream 6: SD SID 7810 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7811 on transponder 38
  • Stream 7: SD SID 7812 on transponder 52, HD SID 7813 on transponder 11
  • Stream 8: SD SID 7814 on transponder 55, HD SID 7815 on transponder 22
  • Stream 9: SD SID 7816 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7805 on transponder 31
  • Stream 10: SD SID 7818 on transponder 52, HD SID 7819 on transponder 36
  • Stream 11: SD SID 7820 on transponder 55, HD SID 7821 on transponder 37
  • Stream 12: SD SID 7822 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7823 on transponder 38
  • Stream 13: SD SID 7824 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7825 on transponder 38
  • Stream 14: SD SID 7826 on transponder 55, HD SID 7827 on transponder 37
  • Stream 15: SD SID 7828 on transponder 52, HD SID 7829 on transponder 36
  • Stream 16: SD SID 7830 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7805 on transponder 31
  • Stream 17: SD SID 7832 on transponder 55, HD SID 7833 on transponder 22
  • Stream 18: SD SID 7834 on transponder 52, HD SID 7835 on transponder 11
  • Stream 19: SD SID 7836 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7837 on transponder 38
  • Stream 20: SD SID 7838 on transponder 55, HD SID 7839 on transponder 37
  • Stream 21: SD SID 7840 on transponder 52, HD SID 7841 on transponder 36
  • Stream 22: SD SID 7842 on transponder D1S, HD SID 7805 on transponder 31
  • Stream 23: SD SID 7844 on transponder 55, HD SID 7845 on transponder 22
  • Stream 24: SD SID 7846 on transponder 52, HD SID 7847 on transponder 11






Your comments: most recent posts are at the bottom


Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Big Mart
Monday 16 July 2012 9:38PM
Okay, this is the BIG question - what is happening with EastEnders over the Olympics?!! (BBC2 ?).

What is happening on ITV1 ?
Briantist
Monday 16 July 2012 10:34PM
Big Mart: See BBC One - EastEnders - Next on - double episodes on Wednesday next week. Dunno after that.

ITV broadcasts as normal. They don't have any rights to Olympics.
John
Tuesday 17 July 2012 9:39AM
Do we have to retune to get HD on channel 301?
(I have a Freeview HD receiver).
Briantist
Tuesday 17 July 2012 10:07AM
John: If you don't have it showing (304 that is), then yes.
MCMLXII
Tuesday 17 July 2012 7:32PM
After the Olympics what will happen to the bandwidth used by the BBC HD stream?
Will it be used for a HD channel, Channel 5 HD or some SD channels?
As the HD stream is on the Freeview light network as well as the main transmitters,
I hope for some more choice and not a +1 channel or a HD channel the same as the SD one.
Trevor Harris
Wednesday 18 July 2012 9:21AM
I believe the 24 channels are also avalable on virgin but I am not sure about HD.
Sky is using 6 transponders for 24 HD channels which is a good sign that we will get a higher bitrate than the low bitrate BBC satellite pictures. I suspect they will also be 1920x1080 as opposed to the BBC's substandard 1440x1920 pixels.
Nicholas Willmott
Thursday 19 July 2012 10:48AM
Why is CBBC Channel changing to 73 on Freeview in Tyne Tees and Ulster regions? Even in those two unswitched regions, it shouldn't be necessary to change the logical channel number of CBBC Channel temporarily from 70 to 73.
Briantist
Thursday 19 July 2012 12:26PM
Nicholas Willmott: It is being done because CBBC is normally on Mux 1 and the two-weeks service will be on Mux B.

Some Freeview boxes would move the channel to 870 unless a 'full retune' was done twice...
Chris Miller
Friday 20 July 2012 9:16PM
I've noticed that the 'Red Button' doesn't appear on BBC1HD, will it be there now that there's an HD stream? (I'm using FreeviewHD if that's relevant.).
Una
Friday 20 July 2012 9:38PM
I wish I had the lingo and could understand all of this!
Greg
Tuesday 24 July 2012 7:46PM
Do you know if an official Sky box, plugged into a Sky minidish, but without a current subscription would be able to receive the 24 streams (preferably HD!) - even if they had to be manually tuned on the box? Thanks!
Ross
Wednesday 25 July 2012 1:04AM Pontypridd
All my BBC channels just vanished. I have retuned a couple of times but they are just not there! Is this due to Olympics? Any idea what I do?
Ross
Wednesday 25 July 2012 1:10AM Pontypridd
There's going to be a riot with my 3 boys in the morning with no CeeBeebies to watch!
Briantist
Wednesday 25 July 2012 12:56PM

Chris Miller: I would follow the channel numbers:


Briantist
Wednesday 25 July 2012 1:01PM
MCMLXII: I don't think Channel 5 think that the cost of paying to distribute their channel in HD on Freeview is worth the money at the moment.

Once BBC HD is removed and replaced with BBC TWO HD (later this year) the fifth place could be used by Channel 4 (as it is a public service broadcaster) for one if it's already-HD channels.
Briantist
Wednesday 25 July 2012 1:02PM
Big Mart: EastEnders and other such programmes will be on BBC TWO for the next couple of weeks.
M
Wednesday 25 July 2012 11:54PM
I am currently not getting a picture on BBC H D Channel 54 on Freeview. The sound comes through and I can use red button to get 301 Olympic stuff but he main channel theicture comes on and then disappears after about 30 seconds
jb38
Thursday 26 July 2012 12:11AM
M: With queries of this nature its essential for a person to provide a post code (or one from nearby) for purposes of being able to assess the signal strength expected at the location, as the problem you have mentioned is sometimes an indication of an over powerful signal.
M
Thursday 26 July 2012 8:47AM
Thanks jb38 the postcode is OX 28. West Oxfordshire.
The other HD channels seem fine. maybe it is due to the Olympic changes on BBC
Simon
Thursday 26 July 2012 1:06PM Selby
I got a message on my TV to retune in order to get red button coverage of the Olympics. I retuned, and now have no BBC1, 2, 3, 4 or BBC news channels. I normally get good reception. Nearest transmitter is Emley Moor. Any advice much appreciated. Many thanks
Simon
Thursday 26 July 2012 1:33PM Selby
Seem to have resolved my problem. Switched off PVR, removed aerial, rescanned all channels, switched off again for a while, reconnected aerials and rescanned and BBC is back (so is the message asking me to retune to get Olympic coverage, but I won;t be falling for that one again!)
Finlay
Thursday 26 July 2012 3:25PM
I bought my HD box specifically to watch the Olympics in HD; everything been fine for last couple weeks but since yesterday the BBC HD picture reception is lost as soon as the "Olympics Extra" red button appears;sound is there as are the other HD channels; have tried rescanning lots of times but problem persists! any advice?
M
Thursday 26 July 2012 5:09PM
Sounds exactly the same as my situation Finlay, whereabouts in the country are you? I am in west Oxfordshire
Finlay
Thursday 26 July 2012 5:17PM
Finlay: pretty near you M--in Cheltenham
M
Thursday 26 July 2012 8:25PM
I have found a partial fix Finlay, I am using a Technisat Hd box which works as a recorder with a portable hard drive plugged into the USB slot. It seems if I record channel 54 as soon as it comes on before the red dot comes on then it seems to override the red dot coming up and records the programme or I can watch the programme on Bbc hd as normal.while recording it.

It seems we are pretty near to each other and might be using the same transmitter so it may be a transmitter issue.

I do hope to get to see the 3d Olympic and proms coverage on bbc had
Finlay
Thursday 26 July 2012 9:38PM
thanks M--I'll give that a go!
Sylvia
Friday 27 July 2012 11:21AM
I have set up to record the opening ceremony this evening, and 'S' has appeared in red on the selected programme. Can anyone tell me what this means, please?
Finlay
Friday 27 July 2012 5:13PM
thanks 'M'--you're partial fix has worked; I also have a technisat box & by starting a recording before the Olympics Extra red button appears I can watch on HD; I suspect the problem IS transmitter related [technisat helpdesk say it's not related to their product] & probably we'll be back to 'normal' HD viewing after the games?
Simon Bell
Saturday 28 July 2012 9:55AM
Picture on all the Olympic feeds freezes on my Bush HD box. Impossible to watch. Furious!!
I have managed to add the SD feeds as non Freesat channels & they are perfect, but cannot add the HD feeds other than on the EPG
jabez
Saturday 28 July 2012 3:04PM
cannot get Olympic BBC channels 8 or 9, for football any ideas?
Jackie
Sunday 29 July 2012 11:25AM
On my red button there are only 2 options. Is that right?
Al
Sunday 29 July 2012 4:12PM
I have the same situation, which is very limited options, usually only two channels. I don't have sky or virgin or anything like that, just a digital signal and a free view tv, plus a digital recorder with free view . Can anyone tell me, is this all I can get, or should I do anything to get more channels. Thanks
Sarah
Sunday 29 July 2012 5:11PM
Despite the crystal palace transmitter saying its ok
And re tuning my tv all channels say poor
Can't watch Olympics properly
What is going on postcode cm21
amy
Sunday 29 July 2012 10:37PM
I can see a list of Olympic channels but i can only view some of them others say no signal. Any ideas
Its on a grundig freesat box
Emma McManus
Thursday 2 August 2012 7:37AM
Hi, I'm in SE 8 and followed your turn off/ retune instructions to get my BBC channels back, but this morning I am receiving such a poor signal I keep losing picture/sound. This is driving me nuts! I have a freeview tv and all the other channels are normal- what can I do? Thanks emma
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