Why do Dublin flats have no communal TV aerial?

[ringledman]

Hi could anyone please tell me why new build flats in Dublin have no communal tv aerial in the wall?

Is NTL my only option for receiving TV?

All I wan't is regular terrestial channels but the quality off a portable aerial is rubbish.

What are the options?

Cheers.

 

[schmile]

As far as I know aerial channels are no longer available / will no longer be available in a short time. The only option is to use some sort of cable service to get channels like rte/tv3 etc.
I believe this is in operation in some parts of the city and not all just yet.

 

[Aldini98]

Because Ireland is a banana republic.

 

[markpb]

As far as I know aerial channels are no longer available / will no longer be available in a short time. The only option is to use some sort of cable service to get channels like rte/tv3 etc.
I believe this is in operation in some parts of the city and not all just yet.

Analog transmissions are due to be phased out in the near future but they will be replaced by digital transmissions. You'll still pick them up with the same antenna but you'll need a decoder to convert the signal so it works with your TV.

Apartment blocks don't have aerials because builders are lazy and can usually ask NTL, Magnet, etc to pay for the cost of the cabling.

 

[lff12]

As far as I know aerial channels are no longer available / will no longer be available in a short time. The only option is to use some sort of cable service to get channels like rte/tv3 etc.
I believe this is in operation in some parts of the city and not all just yet.

Not true, Ireland is about 20 years behind the rest of Europe and particularly the UK in terms of terrestrial digital TV. As far as RTE is concerned "92%" of the population have aerial coverage however I suspect the real figure is a lot lower when you consider the locations of a lot of building over the last few years.

I suspect the reason aerials have gone out is because its probably been cheaper to connect to cable providers and let them cover the cost of the connection than it is to hire an aerial installer who will put a suitable roof areial up, quite possibly needing amplification and the right amount of rewiring, not to mention ongoing maintenance.

That said I recall a horrible situation 10 years ago when a nasty little rip who my then landlord evicted due to some of the worst antisocial behaviour I've seen and owing tons of backrent/bills also decided to cut and remove lots of TV cable in the house . . . what a charmer!