Best cheap FTA reciever

snaps

Just wondering looking around the web, especially some of the german websites, what are the best FTA recievers available. Some are priced between €35-€45. A few have caught my eye like the megasat 3100CI reciever. Seems to have 2 CI slots as well? It would be important to be able to upload channel lists etc into them via laptop.
Other makes ive seen are: Head, smart. Cant find to much on the internet abouth them all.

SPARTAN33

i am a novice with this type of technology, i dont want to buy something and get it for it not too work, cna i buy them in any outlets in ireland? and do i just plug them in? is there a website on freesat boxes

redout

Power city are selling freesat well sat4free boxes.

Fat_Fingers

SPARTAN33 wrote: »

i am a novice with this type of technology, i dont want to buy something and get it for it not too work, cna i buy them in any outlets in ireland? and do i just plug them in? is there a website on freesat boxes

you can find the list of shops in the sticky http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=155714

You will need satellite dish and receiver and if you buy official freesat receiver then you just plug it in and it updates itself.

When comes to Irish retailers one i can recommend on my past experience is www.satellite.ie. Excellent service, very helpful, very reliable . And he's regular contributor on this forum.

Sam Radford

snaps wrote: »

what are the best FTA recievers available.

You haven't said what features you need but the Dreambox would be hard to beat. But it's not cheap and it's not particularly easy to set up.

If that's not the sort of thing you want, please be specific.

(Since you mentioned CI slots, I assumed you didn't really mean "FTA".)

snaps

FTA for 28east.

Bloody hell......Dreambox for FTA? You a millionaire?

Just looking for something cheap and chearfull with a bit of potential for viewing Free channels on 28east with an exsisting sky dish. A few people have asked me as they still seem to think these sat4free systems are a bit dear.

Trevord

snaps wrote: »

FTA for 28east.

Bloody hell......Dreambox for FTA? You a millionaire?

Just looking for something cheap and chearfull with a bit of potential for viewing Free channels on 28east with an exsisting sky dish. A few people have asked me as they still seem to think these sat4free systems are a bit dear.

With Sterling continuing to slide (now 85p to the Euro) you will get a good deal buying on line from the UK. A real Freesat SD box is now less than 70 euro incl postage from the UK.

The Comag/Lidl box (much maligned on boards.ie) does a good job and has a reasonable level of funtionality for the money. They sell for around 50 euro new so you might pick one up for 20 or 30 euro second hand from somone upgrading.

watty

The B&Q is better value than Lidl. (€64 inc 60cm dish and it does diseqc, motor and Blind Scan OK)

The "best" FTA depends on:
* For UK FTA only? Then Freesat or sat4free is best. No tuning.
* Multiswitch/Diseqc/Motor: Channel list editing important.
* Feeds: 4:2:2 and Blind scan important
* Serious Motor and or C-Band: 36V drive and polariser control.
* Recording / PVR: Then Freesat only as EPG solution is best (Sky+ only records free channels with a sub)
* HD: Again Freesat unless you only want German etc.

CI only needed for PayTV, thus inherently not needed for FTA. Channel list editing is usually serial or occasionally ethernet.

If you don't want PVR or HD and don't want DIY install, but only want UK channels, then a Sky install and cancel sub after a year is still a good solution.

pjq

If you want cheap (€30-) then try here , http://blass-lemmen-gbr.plenty-market.de/_py_Empfangs-Technik-Receiver-Comag-Digital-M45-Comag-SL-45/a-170655-2-3-4-0-0/ , I bought boxes here a few years ago for friends and they are all working fine.
pjq

Greenman

watty wrote: »

* Feeds: 4:2:2 and Blind scan important

I wonder do you know if the Skystar 2 USB have 4:2:2 and Blind Scan?

Thanks JD

Zaphod

Greenman wrote: »

I wonder do you know if the Skystar 2 USB have 4:2:2 and Blind Scan?

No to both.

O7Pat

which ones have pvr?

I have sky + at minute so longing to slot different receiver in its place