FTV Sky hardware requirements

Turlock

Hi,
I'm just trying to figure out exactly what I need to watch the free to view Sky Digital channels. I'll need a digibox alright but will a standard lnb and dish do me?

I've bought a cheapo dish,lnb and reciever from maplin which picks up all the free european channels (great stuff :rolleyes: ) is any of this stuff interchangeable or what's the cheapest way to get up and running?

Cheers!

TheDriver

A dish is a dish and an lnb is same (as long as its universal digital etc). If you have a digibox you just turn it on and get all the channels that are free FTA or insert english FTV card to pick up sky one and C5. Or get yourself a FTA receiver which can get all the free chennels and easier to use (i.e. not have to go through channels that say scrambled!)

Ulsterman 1690

I've bought a cheapo dish,lnb and reciever from maplin which picks up all the free european channels (great stuff ) is

By the sound of it the dish is pointed at either Astra 1 (19 deg East) or Hotbird (13 deg East)

Most of the English language stuff is on Astra 2 (28 deg East)

The same dish (provided its pointed at Astra 2) should work with your Maplin box or your $kybox

insert english FTV card to pick up sky one and C5

Sky One isint on English FTV cards (or Scottish/Welsh/NI for that matter)

Turlock

Cheers lads!

Yeah it's a Universal LNB so do you reckon it's digital? For the price I fear it might be an analogue one or are they completely gone now?

Tony

Turlock wrote:

Cheers lads!

Yeah it's a Universal LNB so do you reckon it's digital? For the price I fear it might be an analogue one or are they completely gone now?

Universal is fine, this relates to frequency coverage, really no such thing as digital lnb its just a useful term to let you know its compatible with all frequency bands/polarizations and is stable frequency wise.

TheDriver

Apologies I meant sky 3.

Ian Delahunty

To get sky 3 you need an english freeview card. If you know anyone over there you will get sky3, c4 and c5 on top of free to air stations here. A Tip to get EPG working here to use free to air if you have a switched off irish card is 1. put card in, 2. turn on sky news, 3. press red button, 4. turn card upside down, 5. press back up. You are now looking at english set up so you have epg for all free to air channels

wil

I read recently Sky plans a UK DTT (dig terestial) pay package pulling freeview Sky 3, Sky News and Sky Sports News to make use of the bandwidth.
It didnt say if this would in any way affect FTV satellite as well
http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=104016&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=960773&highlight=

byte

Unlikely to affect channels on Sky, as space for channels isn't an issue compared to the small space available on DTT/Freeview