FTA: Idiots guide needed

belurani

Keep hearing all this stuff about getting freeview and the list of channels seems really great.. I have a satellite dish and sky box which I own.. what do I need to do to get the freeview channels? Do I need a freeview box or can I simply (as one article said) remove the sky card, cancel my sub and get the channels? Seems far too easy...
I'm a techno phobe so please give idiot proof instructions
Thanks

steveon

Yes if you cancel your sub....and remove the card you will receive all the FTA channels but you wont receive CH4 or Ch5. If you wish to view these you will require a UK FTA card.

The only difference between a SKY box used for FTA channels compared to a Freeview Sat box is that you cannot rearrange the channels on a SKY Box so you will have channels for free on various channels but scrambled ones in between.

On a freeview box u can manually tune in the stations, and rearranged them in any order you wish. Freeview boxes are relatively cheap starting from as low as €60 ....all you'd need to do is switch the box..

byte

Please let's stop the confusion between Freeview, which is the UK's DTT service, and Free-To-Air satellite. There is a distinct difference.

Thread in wrong category too, so moved to Satellite, and title changed.

watty

steveon wrote:

Yes if you cancel your sub....and remove the card you will receive all the FTA channels but you wont receive CH4 or Ch5. If you wish to view these you will require a UK FTA card.

Freesat From Sky Card AKA FTV card. Only sent to UK postcode addresses fro £21. NOT a FTA card. FTA NEVER needs a card
(FTA = Free To Air, no encryption,
FTV = Free To View, Encrypted, needs card but not subscription)

steveon wrote:

The only difference between a SKY box used for FTA channels compared to a Freeview Sat box is that you cannot rearrange the channels on a SKY Box so you will have channels for free on various channels but scrambled ones in between.

Rubbish.
You can define up to 50 favourites and then via blue/purple button on Guide these are the only channels displayed on Sky Digibox. It is true the order can't be chnaged. There are other differences which may be more important.

As Byte says Freeview is Digital Terrestrial from UK via an aerial. It's a FTA satellite Receiver, not Freeview.

Lots of important differences between Sky Box and FTA satellite box
Sky
* Sky does not need retuned or scan to get channels. Frequencies need manually entered on a FTA box and manually re-scanned.
* BBC & Sky Interactive and Interactive text work, FTA box only teletext which is mostly gone from most UK channels now
* Sky box has extended program guide, FTA only has now & Next.
* Sky box has EPG linked planner with Series link. FTA box usually only VHS style timer without even videoplus codes.


* A FTA receiver can switch between four satellite LNBs or control a motor for up to 22 satellites approx in Ireland.
* A FTA receiver has a larger menu of languages, depending on languages transmitted
* Typically the display language of FTA box can be changed.
* You can get FTA PVR. Sky+ PVR only works with a subscription to record.

There are a lot of differences! I haven't mentioned them all.

Mayo Exile

Originally posted by Watty: You can define up to 50 favourites and then via blue/purple button on Guide these are the only channels displayed on Sky Digibox.

Watty, any chance you could do a step by step guide for this? Mate was trying to do this on a Digibox, but he couldn't figure it out! Thanks!

Tony

Mayo Exile wrote:

Watty, any chance you could do a step by step guide for this? Mate was trying to do this on a Digibox, but he couldn't figure it out! Thanks!

Hit the interactive button on your sky box, lots of info there.