Please BBC "Free" on Satellite is NOT "Freeview"

Paddy20

DMC,

Yep, I have only now found out in the past week about Free to Air or FTA!, me not being very technical.

When my local TV Dealer [I only have one local] installed my Sky systemabout two years ago, and my Sky Family package was activated. I was only receiving the 40 odd channels via my sat ever since then. No one ever told me about FTA?, before I started diiging after my local Dealer told me I could not get Freeview* when I told him I was fed up paying Skys monthly subs.

Now, I am aware that I am receiving 103 FTA channels which is not Freeview*, but I am more than happy.

Yes, people like me do exist. I am no techie, more of a tecnophobe, mention something technical to me and my brain shuts down.

Paddy.

bkehoe

Paddy20, those channels were always there - all you had to do was scroll down in your EPG!

Tony

Originally posted by watty
Tony
Using "Freeview" suggests that ITV, ITV2, C4 and Five are available. Only the BBC of UK terrestrials is FTA.

Watty, most people who phone me are surprised that itv/ch4 are not available on Sky digital, does that mean i should stop calling it sky digital? Whether I use the term freeview or not will not alter most peoples perception. I agree with all the factual points you made in your posts but the use of the term is customer driven, it was used in the media long before I even thought about building a section on my website. I give a channel list below each product and no one has complained yet that ITv/Ch4 is not available. Most people here have no idea what the DTT system is in the Uk in any case.I'm afraid that unless I receive a complaint from either a customer or the ASAI I will not be making any changes to the site. (unless somebody comes up with a better term) BTW a minor detail I use two words, free and view not one as the DTT system does.

Tony

Tony

Another point the use of the term "Free to View" caused more confusion than almost any other aspect of satellite Tv going by the calls I received over a long period.

Tony

Paddy20

bkehoe,

Now I know. The thing to realise is a week ago I had never heard of EPG!, not that I am any the wiser as to what EPG exactly means even now, but having followed the good advice that a non techie like could understand I am more than happy with the 103 Sat channels that I am now receiving after putting my skycard in upsidedown in to the digibox which apparently activated the digibox EPG.

Before I did this I had scrolled through all the channels on my digibox quite a few times, but I was obviously not receiving the EPG channels, I do not know why , but I will be asking my local TV Dealer some serious questions when I see him face to face!.

Many thanks.

Paddy.;)

DMC

Again, a missunderstanding of terms.

The EPG is the Electronic Programming Guide. It is the channel layout, i.e each channel number is part of the EPG. There are two (or four) varients of the EPG; one is the version you get with a Sky Sub, and other is the FTA EPG, which is what you have now,via the method of turning the card upside down on a reboot.

The EPG is not unique to the FTA layout you see before you. When you pressed 401 for Sky Sports 1, or used the TV Guide, you've always been using the EPG, just you've not known the techie term.

Paddy, you have always had the FTA channels, its just that the channels you PAID for were the ones which were promoted and looked at more.

And Paddy, I wouldn't ask the dealer, its not his issue, he'd just turn around and laff at you.

Paddy20

DMC,

Thanks for your info about EPG & FTA EPG. I now understand the term and the differance. However, when you say that I always had the FTA channels! it puzzles me. Many times I went in to system set - up and asked my digibox to find new channels it never produced anything other than my family package of about forty channels, and I manually flicked through all programmes on my digibox using the blue button and never saw the FTA programmes that I started to get firstly after I removed the Skycard completely rom the digibox. Without any card in the digibox I started to receive about 20 FTA channels a lot of them brand new and free.

Then when I re-inserted the Skycard [upsidedown] the number of programmes being received jumped to 103, this I now understand is because I had activated the FTA EPG.

As for the TV Dealer. He will I can assure you - not be laughing - when I am finished with him. As far as I am concerned he knew that I wanted to view Free Satellite channels. He simply told me that Freeview* was not available where I live. He could - AND SHOULD- have told me that I could still receive a selection of FTA channels after and if I canelled my Sky subscription. Nor did he inform me that the Sky digibox and Sat dish was my property after the first twelve months of the Sky contract had expired. This is a small community where locals look after each other. Our one and only TV Dealer is a blow in!that wehave looked after since he arrivedin this town after marrying a local girl. I will now be informing him that he has now let me down and as a result the fall off in his customer base will be swift and dramatic!.

All the best.

Paddy.

bkehoe

The blue button is just for going through the channels you added to your favourites list. The add new channels thing is only for adding channels not on your EPG, e.g. the BBC radio ones if you've an Irish sky sub and know the frequency. All you had to do was press tvguide and scroll down through the list, or not even that; just went through the channels by pressing the up/down or ch +/- buttons on your remote.

Paddy20

bkehoe,

Sorry, forget the blue button bit!. I often did as you say use the remote +/- to go through the channels, I also often looked at the TV Guide but the FTA channels were not listed i.e. BBC I N.I, etc, etc.

I had never been told anything about the frequency?, and I am not psychic. I spoke last night to a lot of my hometown friends and they are all now watching or listening to a variety of around 103 Free Satellite channels, and cancelling their Sky subscriptions as well as stating that they will never deal with our local TV Shop ever again for [Anything]!.

Many thanks again & all the best.

Paddy.

ShaneOC

You shoud find the BBC ONE NI is listed in the EPG on channel 214 (BBC TWO on 215).

Remeber the BBC channels only became FTA recently and were only added to the FTA EPG at the end of July.

Paddy20

ShaneOC,

Many thanks. Last night I went through all the channels that I am now receiving, and made a list of each programme that I will either be watching or listening to in future. Much easier to now just tap in the progamme number on my remote, than having to manually click through looking for a particular favourite and a hell of a lot quicker!.

Well, I never knew that the BBC channels only became FTA recently or that they were only added to the FTA EPG at the end of July!, nice piece of info.

Much appreciated.

All the best & keep out of the sun its a killer in Donegal.

Paddy.;)

bkehoe

BBC1 and 2 NI have been on 214 and 215 for Irish sub owners since spring 2002 approx - if you hadnt got these then there was a problem with your card or something, especially if you didnt have the channels you're now getting....strange..