A few questions - (I'm living in UK)

r3nu4l

Background
Okay I live in England so please bear this in mind. So I have just moved house and want to get a satellite system. Freeview is not available at my postcode yet!

I'm thinking of going with Sky or freesat from Sky.

Freesat costs £150 for installation and equipment but nothing after that.

Sky is free installation and equipment and minimum £15 (two pack mix) a month after that + I have to sign a 12 month contract.

Question
If I go with a 12 month Sky contract I pay about £180 for the year. What happens if I decide to cancel after that? What channels will I be able to receive with my dish and box? Will I be able to use the dish and box to pickup BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Ch4 and Five? What other channels?

I'm basically trying to decide if I can get a free installation, a year of good enough TV and then downgrade to receiving just a few channels from my freely installed dish and equipment. Will that work. I'm a complete novice at the whole Sat TV thing having only had Sky in Ireland for a few months before moving to the UK and having to get NTL cable.

Thanks in advance for any help

Trevord

It seems that some people are already doing as you suggest and they get to keep the sky equipment and a limited amount of channels after 12 months.

One other option is to buy a non sky decoder and a dish which will cost you about the same as the sky installation (or less if you are prepared to compromise on quality brand names and install the thing yourself). You don't get to view the additional channels you pay the 12 months sky sub for but equally the cost of the 12 month sub stays in your bank account!

In the long run if you plan to get Sky and then ditch them after 12 months, you are as well off learning how these systems are installed from day one because you won't have their support when you are no longer a customer. (that might become an issue of your dish gets misaligned down the line)

r3nu4l

Trevord wrote:

One other option is to buy a non sky decoder and a dish which will cost you about the same as the sky installation (or less if you are prepared to compromise on quality brand names and install the thing yourself)...

In the long run if you plan to get Sky and then ditch them after 12 months, you are as well off learning how these systems are installed from day one because you won't have their support when you are no longer a customer. (that might become an issue of your dish gets misaligned down the line)

Thanks for the reply I'm thinking of Sky because in the future (when I've more cash) I will have the option of re-subscribing and won't need to get a new dish.

I've done a little bit of reading already on dish alignment and plan to learn more in the future, really I'm looking for a short-term solution (with tech support) at the moment until I'm up and running

givecredit

Subscribing to sky is the best way.. Subscribe online to sky at sky.com and save an extra STG£10.00. Thats STG£170.00 for system and 2 mix pack for year.( and you get to spread payment out over 12 months, handy when you are tight for cash) Remember to call sky to cancel subscription on the 11th month, You have to give 1 months notice.

The channels you are left with are the same channels as with the Sky Freesatfromsky card.

Checkout this link for list of channels that will be available on Skys Freesat service.
http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/?pID=3

The Only catch is that Sky hope that after one year of Sky 2 mix, you will like the 2 mix package so much that you will not cancel... The choice is yours.

byte

Yeah, get Sky subscription for the 12 months. THen after you cancel, as said, you'll still get BBC1-4, ITV1-4, C4, five, five US, five Life, SkyNews, Sky Three, CNN, Movies4Men, Film4 etc. Plus a sky system, unlike a FTA system, will allow for interactive services and digital text services.

lawhec

Just on the point of Freeview, are you sure that you can't receive it? Looking at coverage maps the Sandy Heath transmitter seems to cover Cambridge quite well, also the DTT postcode checker in the UK is known for being rather conservative. You can get STBs now from £20 new if you can't get a loan of one to test.

If it turns out that it isn't possible or the potential expense is too much, the FTV satellite route or a minimum subscription for 12 months, the choice is yours. Bear in mind though that FTA (non-Sky Digital) satellite setups in Britain are much more uncommon compared to Ireland.

r3nu4l

I give credit to givecredit...bet you've not heard that one before...I'm so witty :rolleyes:

Anyway, thanks guys, that's pretty much what I was expecting to hear Oh, Northern Correspondant...I should have mentioned that I still work in Cambridge but have recently moved to Bury St. Edmunds, about 25 miles East of Cambridge...couldn't afford a nice house in Cambridge

Hagar

If you're going to get Sky get a current subscriber friend to recommend you. I don't have the details but there is some deal that benefits the person who recommends a new customer. Check their site.

If you're going to milk Sky, do it properly.;)

r3nu4l

Hagar wrote:

If you're going to get Sky get a current subscriber friend to recommend you.

Good point Hagar I remember a few years ago each person got £50 vouchers or something. I'll check it out.

EDIT:

SkyTV wrote:

If you know someone who'd love Sky TV, we'd like to say hello to them. If you introduce a friend to Sky TV by 31 December 2006 (offer extended) we'll thank you by giving you a Sky+ box and standard installation free* (worth £159).

If you've already got Sky+, we'll give you £50 of M&S vouchers instead.

And your friend can get Sky TV from just £15 a month and can also choose to get a Sky+ box for £49* (normally £99).

I probably won't be doing this until the New Year so I guess the offer will have changed by then...we'll wait and see

watty

It's a Sky+ installed free or cheque for €75, seeing as few places have M&S.

DMC

byte wrote:

Yeah, get Sky subscription for the 12 months. THen after you cancel, as said, you'll still get BBC1-4, ITV1-4, C4, five, five US, five Life, SkyNews, Sky Three, CNN, Movies4Men, Film4 etc. Plus a sky system, unlike a FTA system, will allow for interactive services and digital text services.

That list of Byte's is almost all the Freeview channels anyway.

Mind you, after you cancel Sky after 12 months, a Sky+ box loses its record capability, it returns to being like a normal Sky box.

r3nu4l

Well, I don't want to record so that's okay, also the person who introduces me to Sky is the one getting the free Sky+ box, I don't think they'll stop him recording if I cancel my subscription

@watty...the thread title says I live in the UK...almost every town has an M&S and I doubt they will be giving people living in the UK vouchers for € currency!

watty

Ooops. Not enough Coffee..

Though presume if some lucky soul here "introduced" you to sky, what I erronously said would be true.

One of my eBay addresses is indeed the UK and I'm familar with its shops.

muffinhead

As you are in the UK you might find this page useful:

http://www.hotukdeals.com/?merchant_filter=232&category_filter=All&type_filter=All&availability_filter=All&status_filter=Active&order_by=Newest

It lists various offers from Sky (hopefully they still work). I notice one guy got regular Sky digital with equipment, installation and 12 months subscription for £115.

Trevord

byte wrote:

Plus a sky system, unlike a FTA system, will allow for interactive services and digital text services.

Byte ... not entirely the case ..... some of the interactive content is accessible on FTA

eg. much of the BBC interactive content is streamed.

byte

Yes, that is true for some of their video streams. Does the same apply to Sky News?

Also, I was more referring to the text services, and the menu system on the skybox would be more convenient than looking for the stream.

Is the BBC Score stream watchable via an FTA box? It might be handy, and allow herself to watch something else.

watty

Many of the video streams are multiple smaller images per screen and the Digibox rescales them or adds text.

It's only at major sports events like wimbleton that the alternate video streams are any use.

Sky News/Weather Interactive is six images on one screen. It's cack without a Sky Digibox.

Anyone that thinks a FTA box is any use for interactive content hasn't used the Sky Digibox much.


Personally I think all the "interactive" is too slow, text especially compared with Teletext. It is true that if you had a FTA box where you could easily create & edit menus and pick an area of screen to zoom, you could with some effort have the interactive video. But you would have to re-edit it all everytime they changed something. An amusing toy.

givecredit

watty wrote:

Many of the video streams are multiple smaller images per screen and the Digibox rescales them or adds text.

It's only at major sports events like wimbleton that the alternate video streams are any use.]

All BBC red button programs are full screen video. Its like having 6 other BBC Channels, albeit with very little on except Blue countdown screen. Every week there is
something on one or two of the interactive streams full screen, including score on bbc on sat. afternoons.

watty wrote:

Sky News/Weather Interactive is six images on one screen. It's cack without a Sky Digibox.]
Sky News interactive screens are 2 images on one screen. split 50/50, you can secect audio with fta receiver.

watty wrote:

Anyone that thinks a FTA box is any use for interactive content hasn't used the Sky Digibox much.]
Sky News Interactive is better on Sky digibox, but BBC AND ITV Interactive screens are much better on fta box, As i said before they are like seperate channels.

watty

There are multi -image BBC video used in interactive. Only major specialist program items are full image.

givecredit

watty wrote:

There are multi -image BBC video used in interactive. Only major specialist program items are full image.

Yes there are multi image BBC video screens. ONLY used for BBC News Multiscreens and BBC entertainment News sections.

ALL BBC red dot programs are broadcast on full screen video channels. Not SOME, ALL BBC red dot programs are on Full Screen Video, These would include the Weekly BBC Score program on Saturdays,BBC Concerts, usually one every month, which can be left streaming in repeat mode for up to 2 weeks. BBC Three comedies, The Ashes Cricket every night at 10.00, All BBC screened Snooker live usually showing 2 matches live, Live Rugby every Friday Night at 7.00.(Simulcast with BBC 2W)

Trevord

byte wrote:

Is the BBC Score stream watchable via an FTA box? It might be handy, and allow herself to watch something else.

Yes - the "Score Interactive" is broadcast on one of the streams (So it is FTA viewable), as is other content (on other streams) that Grandstand dips in and out of on Saturday and Sunday.

There is almost always other BBC content on as well playing in a loop.

When nothing is being broadcast you'll still find these streams as they run a blue screen testcard with rolling audio saying "3 zero audio...1, 2, 3," etc.. I think there are about 6 of these streams in all.

Sky's stuff is split screen (not FTA box friendly) as Watty has indicated as is the BBC news interactive stuff.

givecredit

The Following are all the Sports events that are available Full Screen on BBCi in January 07. (Available on all fta receivers)

Enjoy....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/tv_and_radio/5345480.stm