Digi TV

Even i had this problem with UPC wanting digitv wanting to see UEFA champions league. UPC does not provide DigiTV. This is what i found out in the hard way. I watched live matches in DigiTV website streaming by paying HUF 400 i guess.

I my area district 7, i have only UPC. No way out...

angol wrote:

Problem is, I will now need to purchase an affordable digital TV.

Don't they supply a "Set Top Box" when you sign up?
That should drive whatever old TV you have via SCART.

Don't they supply a "Set Top Box" when you sign up?
That should drive whatever old TV you have via SCART.

Hadn't thought of that. I'm no expert on TVs.
UPC have installed the HD box and 20-point scart cable, but I don't yet have any TV of my own so need to beg, borrow or BUY.

You're saying I could buy any old TV that has a scart socket and it will work for the English channels? I'm not so concerned about picture quality only that the language selection option for the channels will work.

angol wrote:

Don't they supply a "Set Top Box" when you sign up?
That should drive whatever old TV you have via SCART.

Hadn't thought of that. I'm no expert on TVs.
UPC have installed the HD box and 20-point scart cable, but I don't yet have any TV of my own so need to beg, borrow or BUY.

You're saying I could buy any old TV that has a scart socket and it will work for the English channels? I'm not so concerned about picture quality only that the language selection option for the channels will work.

I too received an expensive HD box from UPC, but the picture quality is amazing, well worth the money. HBO Max, Natgeo HD, Axn HD and ESPN hd. I did spend some money on buying a LED tv from Mediamarkt. I had to buy an HDMI cable to hookup the HD box and the TV.

If the STB (set top box) has SCART out, any old TV should work.

Switching channels and languages happens on the STB, with the STB remote.

You might pay more for the electricity (and suffer from the heat!) more than you are saving on the device itself though. (depending on how much it's on and how long you are staying)

If the STB has HDMI out, and you don't need a big size TV, consider buying a HDMI-capable computer monitor instead. Cheaper, lighter to take with you, more versatile, much higher resolution.
(assuming you already have audio equipment like powered speakers or a mini-hifi with audio-in compatible with the output of the STB.)

Teszvesz.hu and vatera.hu are the online places to look for 2nd hand anything

szocske, a desktop monitor - that's a good idea. Would that have a 4x1 cm socket to match the UPC scart plug? I notice the STB also has other ouput sockets, like a pc-friendly one marked HD TV.

I have a laptop here, but I'm not into hi-fi so don't now have any separate speakers, just headphones for use with portable HD videocam.


PD, thanks for the 2nd-hand site links.

The desktop monitor won't have SCART. Both the monitor and the STB needs to have HDMI:
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=hdmi
(much smaller than SCART, more similar to USB)
And it won't have speakers so this only lets you watch the picture and not hear the sound.

Well, there's an HDMI socket on the STB, UPCman left some HDMI cable - it's got small cylinder bulbs at each end just before each plug - and I've got a laptop with HDMI socket.

What's gonna happen if I connect up and switch on the UPC box?

I expect I'll have discovered for myself before I get a reply. Hopefully nothing overdramatic will occur. (Although my laptop did once go into long deep recovery mode when I tried to attach an external drive.)

That just means you can use the same monitor (should you decide to buy one) as a TV screen (again, screen only, no audio) and as a secondary monitor for your laptop.

I have no idea what happens when you cross-connect 2 HDMI sources, hopefully nothing permanent.

Unless too late: Don't do it!

UPCman left some HDMI cable - it's got small cylinder bulbs at each end just before each plug - and I've got a laptop with HDMI socket. it's got small cylinder bulbs at each end just before each plug - and I've got a laptop with HDMI socket.

Hmm. cylindrical like? it cannot be HDMI cable. HDMI cables used to like flat thin, like just like USB cable. It may not fit in. The HDMI socket in laptop is to output to TVs (only output).
If you want to receive TV signals, in your laptop then you will need TV tuner. Does your laptop has built in TV tuner with HDMI socket?

I have no idea what happens when you cross-connect 2 HDMI sources, hopefully nothing permanent.

The best picture quality can only be with HDMI cable. Just hook up like usb drive. You might want to visit mediamarkt or saturn to buy one, costs about 1000 Ft something. I believe UPC didnt give me know and i bought it. The picture quality of 1080p is just amazing only with HDMI cable.

OK, thanks for the further info.

The HDMI socket in laptop is to output to TVs (only output).
If you want to receive TV signals, in your laptop then you will need TV tuner.

Yes, when I plugged the cable into both STB and laptop nothing happened - it wasn't even recognised. (BTW I'm sure its HDMI cable, the cylinder bit is back on the cable, like on the laptop power cable.)

As you say, via Windows Media Center(!) I've discovered the need for a TV tuner to watch TV.

My laptop is Asus and Asus website offers a range of TV tuner products. http://www.asus.com/Search/?SearchKey=TV%20tuner
The "My Cinema-US2-400" seems like a smart product - looks like a flash drive. The site offers download for the driver, but somehow I think I'll need the physical product itself - as with all their options.

Perhaps going to MediaMart would be the quickest solution.
I must say, compared to my original thought of buying a TV, the options are getting ever cheaper!

BTW I'm sure its HDMI cable, the cylinder bit is back on the cable, like on the laptop power cable.

You may be right. The round cylindrical shape you mean is nothing but magnetic core to filter noise out. I understand now and yes its HDMI.

You must get tv tuner card (external) if you want to watch TV. Try on ebay for cheaper ones. They will ship you to budapest, i guess. If not go have a look on Euronics/Saturn/Mediamarkt and they have several TV tuners available. Last time i went to mediamarkt and i got a sharp LED tv from them. i did have language problems with them. They put me in powerservice and shipped to my apartment. I had to assemble TV myself and the UPC guys came and connected everything. Thats my experience with UPC.

P.S: szocske and Angol, i would like to meet you in Budapest, sometime at the end of this month. I usually organize friends meetings often.

According to the Asus website there seems to be the option of card or stick as tuner. Unless both are required.
http://www.asus.com/Search/?SearchKey=TV%20tuner
The sticks look simpler and claim, for example:

Just plug the ASUS Express TV Stick into your computer's USB 2.0 port, and it will automatically install software to let you watch and record high-quality digital and analog TV programs.

I found an English-speaking assistant at MediaMarkt once - I'll see what they have in stock.

angol wrote:

According to the Asus website there seems to be the option of card or stick as tuner. Unless both are required.
http://www.asus.com/Search/?SearchKey=TV%20tuner
The sticks look simpler and claim, for example:

Just plug the ASUS Express TV Stick into your computer's USB 2.0 port, and it will automatically install software to let you watch and record high-quality digital and analog TV programs.

I found an English-speaking assistant at MediaMarkt once - I'll see what they have in stock.

USB sticks are ok as long as they have HDMI port to plug, since you already have set top box. If they say USB stick, it means  streaming channels through 3G/HSPA mobile network (just like usb internet stick). No HDMI port is possible with that. Just be careful.

You might want to buy "external TV tuner for laptop".
see like this

I do know the guy who speaks English at Westend Mediamarkt. I missed him last time when i went.  Good luck! PM me if you want any help

Well, my visit to MediaMarkt revealed they don't have anything to help me apart from individual HD monitors with integrated TV tuner or HD TV sets with integrated tuner. Strangely, the cheapest price for either was the same - about 40000 Ft.

Re: These external sticks that Asus offer for the laptop - I can't figure if they're an answer or not. My understanding is that they provide free access to TV channels. Nothing to do with UPC cable channels, of course, so I wouldn't need the UPC TV package if I could get English language programmes another way on the laptop. But I've no idea what channels I'd be able to get.

Hi,

So you are planning to watch TV on your Laptop?
Do you have (unlimited) Internet? That's another way to watch TV.

Then there are USB sticks to watch "DVB-T" free-to-air channels, might need an amplified in-doors antenna. (aka mindigTV, 6 Hungarian channels)

This is slightly different from what you need to watch the cable programming from DigiTV, as that's DVB-C and needs the decoder card.

For computer equipment you don't need to stick with "ASUS" (albeit it is a respectable and affordable brand). Anything "PC" compatible will do. I suppose you run MS Windows on it, look for MS Windows compatibility icons on products, anything that plugs into USB should be OK.

angol wrote:

Well, my visit to MediaMarkt revealed they don't have anything to help me apart from individual HD monitors with integrated TV tuner or HD TV sets with integrated tuner. Strangely, the cheapest price for either was the same - about 40000 Ft.

Re: These external sticks that Asus offer for the laptop - I can't figure if they're an answer or not. My understanding is that they provide free access to TV channels. Nothing to do with UPC cable channels, of course, so I wouldn't need the UPC TV package if I could get English language programmes another way on the laptop. But I've no idea what channels I'd be able to get.

i would suggest if you have high speed UPC internet, go for online streaming channels in internet. There are plenty of websites offer you against monthly payment or so. This way you dont need usb stick or a tuner or a upc set top box.

Thanks for all the really helpful replies. Tho' it's a techie subject it's had plenty of reader hits.

After all my enquiries, visits to MMrkt etc, I have arrived at a solution.

A Hungarian friend is gifting/lending me a spare TV! It's an oldish set but seems to work perfectly with the UPC channels - tho' just occasionally the Angol drops out and switches to Magyar (probably interference or bad plugs).

What would we do without them - friends not TVs!

TV channels rarely live up to their billing so will probably still be interested in the future in the internet options suggested.

Whats your story? found a solution still. I am back to Budapest and if you need any help still, i would love to help you with technical stuff. Thanks!

LOOK ON OLX (APROD) ITS A  LOCAL WEB SITE IN BUDAPEST HUNGARY U CAN FIND A LOTS OF GOOD DEALS.ALSO GO TO  MEDIA MART ELECTRONIC STORE U CAN FIND A 82 CMS TV (VORTEX)FOR 54000FT.NEW THAT IS A GOOD DEAL TOO.

Hi ali baba2467,

Could you please avoid using caps lock when posting on the forum?

Thanks
Armand
Expat.com Team