Non-Sky receiver

tomsav

Hi,

I hope someone can help me. I want to get a satellite dish + receiver but don't want to pay a sky subscription. I'm only interested at the moment in the free stuff - bbc, sky news etc. My questions are:

1. Can anyone recommend a good receiver with a card slot in case I do go with sky later?

2. On non-sky receivers are the "other channels" handled better? i.e. can assign them actual channel numbers.

3. I have a pre-wired house i.e. the tv cable goes from my tv point to the attic. Can I use it to bring my satellite signal down to the receiver or do I need special coaxal?

Thanks.

L1011

1. You can't go to Sky without a Sky box. Propreitary encryption.

2. Yes, they all let you assign proper channel numbes

3. Possibly, but I'd advise not, the cable is unlikely to be of high enough quality.

watty

Non Sky boxes you can number, delete and rename channels all day if you like.

jonnygee

In my opinion (this is not advice) a sky digibox is the best option for a first time installation. These are available new or used. I find the programme information on the sky epg to be vastly superior and more convenient to use than anything I have seen on FTA box. You can easily upgrade later to an Irish subscription or a free to view card (via a british address) if you wish. Also the sky remote control will operate your television which is very handy.

Tony

jonnygee wrote:

In my opinion (this is not advice) a sky digibox is the best option for a first time installation. These are available new or used. I find the programme information on the sky epg to be vastly superior and more convenient to use than anything I have seen on FTA box. You can easily upgrade later to an Irish subscription or a free to view card (via a british address) if you wish. Also the sky remote control will operate your television which is very handy.

Good points but has ITV not been removed from the sky program guide, using"other channels" on a sky box is awkward to say the least.

watty

The original reason for Cable, MMDS and deflectors was not "multichannel pay TV" or even C4. It was for ITV and BBC.

Now there are about 5 times as many ITV and BBC channels. I would say a FTA system at once off price under 200 Euro for DIY or maybe arround 300 Euro for installed is great value. If Pay TV is wanted later the dish can have a Quad LNB and then when a Digibox is watching Sky sport or what ever pay TV there are still about 30 decent TV channels and 30 decent Radio (out of 200+ FTA TV and 70+ FTA radio) in another room or same room fed to other TVS.

GaryMc

I use a Technomate 1500CI + Has a built in multicrypt CAM with Card Slot. I am very happy with it.
I have connected my sat cable to pre wired Chorus Cable in the house and it works ok, for a dish that is pinned between a wall and outdoor furniture. (must hang it up soon). Currently pointing at Astra 19E and getting between 78%-82% quality on the signal.

watty

But you have no test gear...
You have no idea how much interference your LNB might be radiating nor how susceptible to interference you might be, not how much the signals of the higher channels are reduced compared with lower channels.

Digital is not like analog. At medium error levels the picture may have more artifacts or be blockier on movement.

Because something seems to work is not a reason to recommend it, if in fact it is substandard.

You should use low loss double screened coax. CT100 or similar, at least.

Aquos76

Almost all of the new houses been built here in Waterford city estates are all pre-wired using RG6 cable which is fine for using it for satellite.

Some of the more expensive houses claim to use (High Quality digital satellite cable) ct100 cable but some of the ones I have seen are also using RG6.

watty

RG6 is a very similar American standard. It may cover aluminium screen as well as copper, I'm not sure.

But pre-wired to where? Cable TV, Satellite Dish and TV aerial all come from different places. Or just a load of downleads to several rooms from attic?

Aquos76

watty wrote:

But pre-wired to where? Cable TV, Satellite Dish and TV aerial all come from different places. Or just a load of downleads to several rooms from attic?

Generally pre-wired back to the attic with some of the cables and also to a cableTV outlet at the side of the house.

Tony

Aquos76 wrote:

Almost all of the new houses been built here in Waterford city estates are all pre-wired using RG6 cable which is fine for using it for satellite.

Only on short runs though and its much more prone to outside interference, I honestly dont know why builders etc dont use CT100 only slightly more expensive and so much better quality.

byte

Tony wrote:

I honestly dont know why builders etc dont use CT100 only slightly more expensive and so much better quality.

Yeah, I wish they would! Sadly, this is not always the case.

watty

Tony wrote:

Only on short runs though and its much more prone to outside interference, I honestly dont know why builders etc dont use CT100 only slightly more expensive and so much better quality.

Because most of the wholesalers that sell switch boxes, cooker cable etc you lucky if it is even RG6. Anonymous brown, white or black with aluminium screen and SATELLITE COAX on a label on side of drum.

jonnygee

Tony wrote:

Good points but has ITV not been removed from the sky program guide, using"other channels" on a sky box is awkward to say the least.

Sorry if I am going backwards here and I stand to be corrected (I usually am) but doesnt the upside down card sort the itv problem on a fta digibox. Also before everyone goes ripping out their coax cable and rewiring with ct100 I believe that only the cable from lnb to digibox has to be ct100. From the digibox connect to main tv by scart and then distribute the digibox signal via rf2 by ordinary coax preferably through a bypass amp. so you can connect a magic eye after trashing the insulated aerial wall socket.

L1011

Yes, if you get the UK EPG layout all the ITVs are still there

And yes, we only meant the satellite downlead needing to be CT100 - which is what the OP was asking about. Everything else can be cheap ****e 35c/metre-to-customers crap, as long as its not carrying satellite signals.

jonnygee

Tony wrote:

Only on short runs though and its much more prone to outside interference, I honestly dont know why builders etc dont use CT100 only slightly more expensive and so much better quality.

Pennies make pounds (or used to) now cents make euros.

Blaster99

tomsav wrote:

1. Can anyone recommend a good receiver with a card slot in case I do go with sky later?

I bought a Digibox with UK FTV card on eBay for £35 + shipping. I think that was an usually good deal, but it can be done.

jonnygee

Blaster99 wrote:

I bought a Digibox with UK FTV card on eBay for £35 + shipping. I think that was an usually good deal, but it can be done.

So you got the box for £15 quid, an excellent buy, can you get any more, what make was it.

Pal

MYOB wrote:

1. You can't go to Sky without a Sky box. Propreitary encryption.

not correct.

L1011

Pal wrote:

not correct.

CAM's and Dreambox NDS support are a: very, very, very dodgy legally, b: don't always work, c: still require a Sky box to get the serial number from and d: are likely to break at any time.

So its not "correct", but its fairly accurate. Its like saying "no, you can't" when someone asks can they turn their house around 270 degrees - with the right kit, they can but its not going to be something a DIYer can do.

watty

Pal wrote:

not correct.

You're nit picking.

It is effectively correct as no other method works "out of the box", nor is reliable, nor continues to work without a Digibox too, nor can be g'teed to work tomorrow.

Don't mislead people into thinking there is a realistic alternative to a Sky Digibox
for Sky pay TV when there isn't.

Also if you want Sky pay TV you MUST subscribe. A new subscriber only signing for a year effectively gets a Sky Digibox and Install nearly free. That is worth around 300 Euro. Good value, even if you have to subscribe to Premiuam package to get free install, downgrade to 2 x mix packs after a month and cancel after a year.

You then have a FTA Sky box that does interactive and unlike a non-Sky box never needs tuned. At any time the flipped card trick on Sky news Interactive gives all the BBC & ITV channels and UK program guide.

After cancelling the card gives Sky3.

Pal

watty wrote:

You're nit picking.
Don't mislead people into thinking there is a realistic alternative to a Sky Digibox
for Sky pay TV when there isn't.

nit picking perhaps but
I didn't mislead anybody.

L1011

Neither did I - there is no non-Sky box that lets you get Sky without already owning a Sky box, simple as that.

watty

Well I glad all that is settled.