Freesat cards..are they worth it?

enrique66_35 · 06-10-2005 5:30pm #1

Hi, I recently installed a free to air system and am contemplating buying a free to view card from ebay since sky wont supply them over here. Is there any point since the only channels I can see I'd gain are the ITV's which will go free to air in a few months anyway.. does anyone know if there are other good free to view channels or should i just wait? Thanks.

L1011 · 06-10-2005 5:54pm

enrique66_35 wrote:

Hi, I recently installed a free to air system and am contemplating buying a free to view card from ebay since sky wont supply them over here. Is there any point since the only channels I can see I'd gain are the ITV's which will go free to air in a few months anyway.. does anyone know if there are other good free to view channels or should i just wait? Thanks.

ITV1, ITV2, Channel 4, Five, Sky Customer Channel

They're the only FTV channels at the moment. Sky Three is meant to be going FTV soon

The rest you get 'with' the FTV card are FTA and don't need a FreesatFromSky card

Sparky · 06-10-2005 7:15pm

it will only really be for CH4 and five, in a few months.

enrique66_35 · 06-10-2005 9:18pm

Crud! I was a little impulsive and bought one off ebay anyway. Oh well maybe my fifty euro will pay off in the future if some other channels go FTV...I can dream..Thanks for the advice nonetheless. I suppose I can always use it as an expensive coaster..for a tiny glass!

byte · 06-10-2005 10:30pm

What about Channel 4's new channel, More4? Will it be FTA or FTV?

As we don't know how long it'll be before ITV1 and ITV2 will be FTA, the card will still have its uses. And not forgetting Channel 4, and I suppose five, for Fifth Gear if nothing else

L1011 · 06-10-2005 10:40pm

Might be neither, the tests are encrypted...

Five still show the, erm, Ladies late at night? That might be a reason for some people to keep it (assuming they can't find Hotbird...)

watty · 07-10-2005 8:15am

Most Satellites apart from Sky's platform I have to delete lots of channels after an all transponder scan. Anyone trying to align a Dish at night is more likely to find ladies with no knickers than 28.2E

Can't remember last time I ever watched Ch4 or Five.

What do they measure Sky1 watching against? Where does that mad claim on its "multichannel" popularity come from?

In total viewing figures (the only sensible way) I thought it had consistantly less than 5%

We like Detective Series, though not all of them so ITV3 is popular in our house at the minute, followed by BBC World, UTV, BBC1 & BBC2.

I'd say we watch Arraiang, Nile TV International, Ch33 IBA added together more than RTE

After Katrina & Rita we watched a bit more of MSNBC (US NTSC feed) and CNN.

Macy · 07-10-2005 9:05am

I actually watch 5 most out of the FTV channels, certainly more than ITV anyway... And to be fair, there seems to more cheap smut of Channel 4 in the guise of documentaries than I've noticed on 5 (certainly compared to it's early days).

Tuesday nights CSI night with 2 from CSI, CSI:Miami, CSI:NY. Followed by Law and Order. Saturday it's the Best of CSI, SVU, and then The Sheild (with the series that is just starting on TV3 afaik). Basically not too bad a couple of nights a week.

Having said that the BBC channels still píss all over the rest put together imo.

imo, for the sake of €50 an alright investment, certainly if Sky3 and More4 are FTV as well.

Mayo Exile · 07-10-2005 11:47am

I wonder does anybody have a firm date when ITV is going FTA? I suppose they will be part of this new BBC/ITV freesat sytem. Also will BBC/ITV Freesat broadcast from Astra 2D as do the current BBC FTA channels?

Heinz · 07-10-2005 3:02pm

Sparky_S wrote:

it will only really be for CH4 and five, in a few months.

And, by all accounts, Sky Three.

DMC · 07-10-2005 6:11pm

Mayo Exile wrote:

I wonder does anybody have a firm date when ITV is going FTA? I suppose they will be part of this new BBC/ITV freesat sytem. Also will BBC/ITV Freesat broadcast from Astra 2D as do the current BBC FTA channels?

No date yet. No one knows. Keep watching here, as it will be here when it happens.

ITV currently broadcast from 2D anyway. Moving to 2D was a condition of the BBC going FTA two years ago, but not for ITV, as they have been on the 2D satellite since day 1 (Nov 2001).

WicklowRover · 15-10-2005 2:25pm

Hi

I am currently living in Wicklow - I had SKY but stopped subscribing to it a few years ago due to the cost of it. Anyway, I'm back on terrestrial TV now with Chorus (chronically bad reception).

Rather than paying monthly to SKY, I would like to get a FTV system installed (at a resonable cost).

I have my original SKY dish, box and remote control.

2 questions:

1) Advice on where to get a system cheaply (and locally?)
2) What channels will this provide me with now (and in the future)?

Thanks in advance.

I'm a bit of a knob jockey when it comes to FTV/FTA stuff!!

watty · 15-10-2005 8:42pm

If you convince your box it isn't in ireland it gets all the channels of a FTA box and UK EPG*

The extra FTV channels are C4, Five and possibley soon Sky3. ITV1 & ITV2 are currently FTV but soon FTA.

FTA= No card
FTV - "Free sat" or cancelled UK/NI sub card.

*To change Digibox to UK EPG and get ALL BBC TV and Radio, also in a few months all ITV:
1) Select a channel with Interactive. i.e. Sky NEws.
2) Press Red button.
3) AFTER interactive has replaced ordinary picture put card in upside down or any old card face down.

4) DO not remove card at all. Press Sky.

5) Press backup on any error messages.

6) A delay while UK epg loads first time.

Chorus is same price as Sky for a comparable package of choice, but lower quality. Sky starts at €21 approx per month.

Renew at begining of Nov and give 1 month notic to quit on 1st Jan = 3 months min sub for ex-subscribers.

Get a good aerial system for Irish TV and just watch the FTA Satellite channels. Saves 21 Euro a month.

Freesat cards..are they worth it?

Comments