Does anyone actually use free to air satellite?

towel401

It seems like everyone and their dog has a subscription to Sky and i'm one of the few stingy ***** with a free to air box. I just want to get an idea of how popular the free to air things really are. they seem to pick up a bad reputation as the only people really pushing them are Lidl. and people seem to use them in addition to some other paid service

Firetrap

I have one and I know about a dozen people who have them as well. Only a couple of these got the dish/box from Lidl.

I know someone who installs dishes - he's very busy at the moment putting in the free to air ones around the place.

mjsmyth

2 friends have Sky, 5 have FTA / Freesat. Of those 5, one has 1 FTA and 1 Freesat HD. I also have 1 FTA and 1 Freesat HD.

FTA 6 - 2 Sky

mj

Liam Byrne

Having originally had the FTA, I temporarily signed up with Sky so that I could get the Sky Eye yoke to work and add the distributor around the house. The Sky box was €199, whereas the year's sub was €270. So I looked at it as getting the Sky channels for €70 for the year.

Given the amount of crap and the amount of repeats, though, it's probably getting the heave-ho once the year's contract is up.

Unfortunately, what I didn't expect was the crap EPG that doesn't let you delete unwanted & unsubscribed crap, so even the Sky box might be ditched as long as I can get an equivalent setup to distribute it around the house.

towel401

w0w i wasn't expecting this. most people i talk to either think its illegal or vastly inferior to Sky or Chorus or not interested cause you can't get RTE on it

jackbauer

been using fta / ftv since i gave up sky in '03. Found sky utterly pointless to be honest. 45 minute tv programs taking an hour , repeats then repeats of repeats and this on a subscription system!! ffs.

Most people i know are going or gone to fta / dtt. Like the op said its not sold properly in this country. Stupid displays in woodies , outrages prices uneducated sales staff don't help.

slegs

towel401 wrote: »

w0w i wasn't expecting this. most people i talk to either think its illegal or vastly inferior to Sky or Chorus or not interested cause you can't get RTE on it

With DTT rolling out you can get RTE FTA via and aerial and merge it with Satellite FTA on a combo box

Pal

the poll choices are too limited. lots of other options out there.

towel401

Pal wrote: »

the poll choices are too limited. lots of other options out there.

like what then?

watty

FTA only =
Sky box with no subscription
Generic FTA
PC with Satellite card
Sat4free
Freesat

That only leaves
Sky PayTV via Skybox
Sky PayTV via non-Sky CAM (legal) or People filching PayTV via special CAM (illegal)
Other PayTV subscription.

Atari Jaguar = Don't care.

If you have PayTV and FTA on other receivers is the only missing configuration. In this case you have a subscription, not relying on PayTV so one of the three PayTV options applies.

vsat

I have 1.2 channel master, 18" actuator, pace 500 analogue rx, a number of digital receivers, covers most satellites, no C band yet.:)

Mossy Monk

I use FTA/FTV

Frisian

I'm currently using FTA/FTV, also have a Premiere sub. On various dishes, one motorized.
Never subscribed to Sky.

m8

Yep...have a quad LNB with some cheap receivers in kids rooms that I bought for €17 each in germany a while back. I also have a TM9100 super in the sitting room.

Martin_F

1 x Freesat HD + analoge RTE etc
2 x Freesat SD + analoge RTE etc

Stan 10

I have a Lidl FTA box watching Astra 1 & Astra 2

Stan

kuro_man

freesat HD pvr + Terrestrial
Will buy DTT PVR for Irish Stations if/when available

TheDriver

have freesat and rte analog but to be honest, never watch rte anymore except news etc as freesat has all the same programmes on it in digital and with a guide. Freesat makes it a credible alternative to sky with epg, fta alone was a pain to use with no guide and constantly having to retune.
When dtt goes widespread, think people will realise the merits some more. And indeed, people think its still illegal to "pick" up british tv from deflectors in this country!!

alastair

We've a mixed bag:
Sky+ - mostly for RTE and the movie channels these days tbh - would consider ditching it for FreeSat and DTT when it's up and running properly, but tempted by the HD channels too.
FreeSat HD
DTT cam card for the trials - dodgy reception/aerial/card - can't tell

8kvscdpglqnyr4

I have FTA setup on a HTPC.

The PC has a dual Satellite and dual Analogue receivers. I can record one channel and watch another (a la Sky+). Flicking between Analogue/Satellite channel is seamless. All controlled via a single remote. EPG is downloaded from the web amd is much more detailed/advanced compared to Sky.

Also get BBC HD!

Running Vista Home Premium with TV PAck 2008.

pbirney

Sky HD & motorised ftv sat.

medja

I know a good few people that are waiting for RTE on DTT. As soon as that happens sky will be discontinued. They'll keep the dish as Free to air caters for 95 percent of their needs.

Almost everyone I know who's got decent RTE reception ditched the sky subscription ages ago. The exceptions to that rule would be those into their sport.

marknoonan1974

I got a freesat as a pressie for my folks, but the wanted to go with ntl so they could get broadband, the freesat is forsale over an adverts if anybody wants it.

shovel

We have fta/ftv plus analog rte.

Some people I know moan all the time about paying for sky & chorus.
I am sick to death of telling them about fta.

They were mad to hear about it at first, but when it involved them actually doing something such as getting someone to put up an aerial for R.T.E ( -the expense!! nothing about paying the subscription!!)

Before that it was that channel 4 was encrypted.

Seems to me that the day of actually going and sorting something like this yourself and saving money over the short to medium term is gone.

That is why i think SKY etc do well, pick up the phone, sit on your behind and then moan about paying for it. pure apathy.

Drives me mad

Rant over

now if only they brought up the bitrate on the ITV channels

Apogee

Sky have stopped publishing specific subscriber numbers for Ireland, but the last figures released in 2007 showed 484,000 customers. I seriously doubt the number of FTA users comes any way close to that - more's the pity.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2007/0503/1178025880320.html

watty

At least 600,000 I think

watty

marknoonan1974 wrote: »

I got a freesat as a pressie for my folks, but the wanted to go with ntl so they could get broadband, the freesat is forsale over an adverts if anybody wants it.

Don't they realise they can save a bundle by having the Broadband without TV? They dropped the TV subscription requirement ages ago.

von Smallhausen

Have Sky+ downstairs for sports and FTA/FTV upstairs need to get an aerial next for terrestials upstairs.

zagmund

I tried the Lidl box and it worked pretty well. Unfortunately the only places I could fix it to weren't really suitable for long term fixture, but it worked as a proof of concept. And I didn't have enough cable to reach the telly.

So, I waited a year and then finally gave in and ordered Sky. I had considered getting freesat only, but when we looked at the price of the Sky package over a year (with multi-room and Sky+ and installation) the freesat installers couldn't come near the price. That, plus the refer a friend bribes helped convince me to go go with Sky.

The cunning plan is to cancel Sky when the 12 months are up, buy a freesat PVR yokie and get rid of the subscription . . . if I can get the kids weaned off Discovery & Nat Geo.

z

sesswhat

towel401 wrote: »

like what then?

Shouldn't every poll should have a 'None' option?

jackbauer

National geo and national geo music are free to air on eutelsat w2 at 16E if thats any help!

towel401

sesswhat wrote: »

Shouldn't every poll should have a 'None' option?

they can vote atari jaguar

CHW

I'd prefer to play the Jaguar than send my money off to Murdock. But I voted FTA.

One of those combo (DVB-T and DVB-S) boxes talked about in the Terrestrial forum will be my next purchase; I couldn't care less about EPG, but to be able to use a memory stick as a PVR sounds like a good idea to me.

IrishHomer

I have been paying to sky since 1987 all for football and still waiting for Liverpool to win Premiership.

I think i am finally growing up and thinking of going Feesat as i recently fitted a freesat HD box in the conservatory and i am very impressed.

I think i would be very content with a Humax PVR for recording match of the day and listening ot BBC 5 live radio.

I think i am squandering too much money recently on Sky as all i wathc is the odd match and the Channel 4, BBC which are free anyway.

Kids love Disney but even that is all repeats.