OK No2 Daugther has moved into a house which has the following setup.

An terrestrial Aeriel socket in the wall with a cable up to the gable end BUT no Aeriel fitted ( prob an option when the house was built.

the previous owner had sky tv ( looks like multi room with sky+ in the main room.
( 3 cables from the dish. 2 to front room and 1 to bedroom)

The sky dish remains on the outside of the wall.

Times are hard ( ah she finally finds out how it is to be a homeowner)


So how to get the cheapest tv set up i.e no subscription etc so sky is out.

Can you connect a freeview box to the sky dish and get the free channels or will I need a freeview box and matching dish
etc etc
What's the options folks????
As usual thanks in advance.

Freesat

Can you elaborate please David what's required and how much cost. It's in aberdeenshire so maybe not available I'll need to check.

Its like freeview, but via the satellite dish

http://www.freesat.co.uk/

You'll need a freesat reciever though but they are about the same price as a good freeview one

Use the sat cable to a normal digibox (you'll only need one of them)with a freeview card, costs about £15 if I remember right. I have a spare normal digibox if you want it sending to you.

You sure there isn't a loft arial?

That's how I would do it anyway.

FreeSatFromSky

(June 2009: we have heard that Sky are no longer supplying these cards. Also the "Pay Once..." system is no loner available. Can anyone confirm?)

BskyB announced the launch of a new marketing campaign on 22nd October 2004 in which they will install a satellite dish and Sky Digibox with a card for a one-off payment of £150. This is identical to the FTV system (above). You can phone 08706 061111 to order the installation of a dish, Sky Digibox and FTV card which will get you all the Free To Air programmes available from the Sky platform, plus SKY3, CH4 and FIVE. The cost is £150 inclusive.

There is also an option to phone the number and buy for £20 inclusive just the Freesat card.

You may be read a legal notice telling you that you must not use the card outside the UK. (However, it will work outside the UK of course). Sky often quote a delivery time of "3 days" for the card but some people have received theirs next day. The card is guaranteed for 3 years. There is currently no official limit on the number of cards (I know someone who has ordered five) but you'd better be ready with a good excuse if you need more than one. You have to call Sky to get the card activated in your Digibox. (Just for the record, the number on the back of the card is 0870 8500033).

You can also phone the above number and get a free information pack posted to your UK address without speaking to a human being.

Channel Linky

Cheers

Rich

[Edited on 8/7/09 by RichardK]

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Originally posted by omega 24 v6
Can you elaborate please David what's required and how much cost. It's in aberdeenshire so maybe not available I'll need to check.

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Freesat is close enough to freeview on a satellite.
It's transmitted on the same satellite as sky.

You'll need a freesat digibox, and a sky dish but no subscription to pay.

See http://www.freesat.co.uk/

Humax make a decent freesat box with hard disk to record programmes.
http://www.humaxdigital.com/uk/products/product_stb_satellite_foxsathdr.asp

so the sky dish will plug into the freesat receiver and go?? Or will it need to have the dish moved/setup. Also the Aeriel connections will be the same i.e. sat type

Cheap Freesat box Here

Mike

Any old sat box will do with a £20 card, job done...

Rich

quote:

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Any old sat box will do with a £20 card, job done...

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quote:

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Originally posted by omega 24 v6
so the sky dish will plug into the freesat receiver and go?? Or will it need to have the dish moved/setup. Also the Aeriel connections will be the same i.e. sat type

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08706 061111 just take the card only option in the menu.

Let me know if you want that old box I have.

Cheers

Rich

Info from Freesat--- If you currently have a Sky dish, this can also be used for Freesat, you could have both services from the same dish by using a Twin dual output LNB

Mike

Cheers folks plenty of food for thought there.
Locostbuilders to the rescue again

Richard thanks for the offer I may be in touch by p/mail when i find out what she wants to do.

[Edited on 8/7/09 by omega 24 v6]

Def go down the freesat route. Cheap and v easy! Did it for my folks. For some reason you need to register the card with sky but after that no fees, no stress....

There's two "freesat" systems but they both use the same satalite dish pointing to the same location and you can use either by just plugging a box in to an existing dish.

The first is Freesatfromsky which is the one where you pay Sky £20 for a card and use an old Sky box, see http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk This is also what you get when you cancel your sky subscription.

The second is Freesat, see http://www.freesat.co.uk/. You can buy a Freesat box from most electrical retailers.

Both show pretty much exactly the same channels.

I'd recommend the non-Sky freesat, simply to keep well away from Sky.

Once you've bought the sat box there's nothing more to pay, ever (apart from the TV licence)

Don't have a TV..... controversial but a great and cheap option!

Chris

Cheapest option has to be a freeview box and new aerial. I got a 'digital' aerial (basically just a normal aerial but bigger and more 'fins' from B&Q, mate put it up, just pointed it in general direction as other people in street. Quick fine tune on pointing while i tuned the box in - job done.
I later fitted an amplifier in loft to connect aerial to the other sockets in house and it now works great in 3 rooms.

The one thing no one has mentioned about Freesat, is that it's HD!!!!!

If you have an HD ready telly, you can get BBC / ITV / CH4 etc in HD.....DO IT!!!

The Humax system from Argos etc also has twin HD tuners, so beats Sky hands down

quote:

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Cheapest option has to be a freeview box and new aerial. I got a 'digital' aerial (basically just a normal aerial but bigger and more 'fins' from B&Q, mate put it up, just pointed it in general direction as other people in street. Quick fine tune on pointing while i tuned the box in - job done. I later fitted an amplifier in loft to connect aerial to the other sockets in house and it now works great in 3 rooms.

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