Best Way To Get Free To Air

Rocko

At the moment, I only have 8 channels on terrestrial & would like to update to free to air.

What is the best way to go?

Would it be best to get:
1. The Lidl Satellite System and install myself. €79.99 approx
2. A Free To Air box and get someone to install it. €200 approx
3. Sky+ & also get a 2nd box(Sky) for the kitchen, works out at free installation, €20.50 per month (€246 pa), €7.50 per months for multi-room (€90 pa). As I’m into sport, this also gives me the choice to subscribe to the sports package for a few months if I decide I want/need it. I think I can also get €75 through Introduce A Friend. €246 + €90 – €75 = €261


Also with the Sky option… Is it easy to re-arrange the Free To Air channels after the 12 month contract expires as I probably will not re-subscribe? I might subscribe for the Winter or Christmas tho. Is it the best quality dish & box?

My preferred option is Sky as don’t mind paying a bit of extra money for the installations.

Or should I just wait for Irish Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT)?

homer911

Coming from 4 channels only, I bought the Lidl system, installed myself. Had to replace the dish as the bracket was a piece of junk which broke and wrecked the dish. I then upgraded the box to a Humax HD Freesat

Do you have a HD TV? This will influence your choice of box

If you are half decent at DIY and see no issue with running cables through walls etc then DIY is fine, otherwise get a pro to do it

snaps

A free to air system is the only way to get Free to air programmes! I would not reccomend the lidl systems. Like homer said the brackets are useless. For a few quid more you can complete DIY systems that are quality made. If uve common sense and DIY knowledge than its easy enough to set up yourself, just patientce is needed, Oh and some good weather!!

mike65

I Picked up a non contract Sky box and bought a DIY 60cm oval dish & fitting kit from www.satworld.ie the total cost was about €150.

recycler1

You have a number of options, depending on your budget, confidence in your own self-install abilities and the functionality you want.
Some thoughts:

Self Installation

Pro's
Cheapest.
Can be fun, IF you like that sort of thing.

Con's

Is tricky and requires some technical expertise.
May require working at heights.
Poor installations, e.g. badly made off joints, give trouble later.
No one to call when it goes wrong.

Free to Air Services

Generic (Lidl, Maplin....)

Pro's
Can be cheapest. (Depending on the system used.)
Station listings readily modified.

Con's
Limited program guide (EPG), typically, limited to “Now & Next”
Limited, if any, recording capability – typically, limited to manual timer.

Sky Box:

Pro's
7 day Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)
Widest choice of mainstream, non-subscription, UK TV Channels.
(Requires Free To View Cards, from friendly UK contact.)
Readily upgraded to subscription satellite.
Second-hand Sky Boxes widely available @ €30-€50

Con's
Official “Freesat From Sky” service not available in Ireland.
No Irish radio stations on the non-subscription EPG
All recording options require a subscription.

Freesat

Pro's
Has two free HD Chnnlels, with more expected.
7 day Electronic Programme Guide (EPG)
Irish radio stations on the EPG
Widest choice of mainstream, free-to-air, UK TV Channels. (i.e. no viewing card required)
Self-install and professional installation options.
Non-subscription, EPG-based, recording options. (For TV and Radio including main Irish Radio Stations)

Con's
Service, and equipment, still has teething problems.
(Some recordings fail.)

Options (some)

Generic boxes widely available:
www.satellite.ie, http://www.powercity.ie/?par=10-23-989289, Maplin.....
Richer Sounds (popular with some Boardies).

Second-hand Sky Boxes (widely available @ €30-€50 ) + Cable + Dish.
Check www.adverts.ie, www.gumtree.ie

Full Installation
www.satellite.ie, http://www.powercity.ie/?par=10-23-989289, http://www.sat4free.ie/

cjt156

I got a 60cm dish on eBay and a Sat4Free box (Freesat with NI settings) in Powercity & self installed.
I'm lucky that my garage roof has a clear line of sight but if you can hang a shelf and wire a plug DIY is a doddle.

Rocko

Thanks for the many responses, much appreciated.

Yes I have a HD TV.

Wouldn’t it be a better option to subscribe to Sky for 12 months, getting 2 boxes (1 Sky+, 1 Sky Standard), satellite dish and free installation?

As I above described Sky €261 – If I was to get a good Freesat box i.e. Humax Freesat HDR Box €259 (And this comes without a satellite dish??), I know I could get one for around €100.

The good thing about the Humax Freesat HDR Box is with 320GB of hard drive it allows me to record programmes.

Does Sky have a 7 day EPG and can the channel order be easily changed (i.e BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, C4 all together) after I cancel my contract?

How come some Free To Air non-subscription providers have more channels than others?
For example Freesat From Sky Pay Once Watch Forever Option (Recycler said above that we can’t get this in ROI) has British Eurosport, Sky 1, Sky News etc?
After I cancel my Sky contract, does Sky have any of the above channels?

Martin_F

I agree - if you enjoy and are capable @ diy, and are capable with basic electrical wiring then a self install is very doable - and very satisfying. As for unsupported... well you support it yourself - since you know exactly how it all works.

I did my own 3 room install - and now use the Foxsat HDR - very sweet piece of kit so far

The only FTA channel I wish was on the EPG is Sky News. And I'm sticking with Analouge RTE for the foreseable...

recycler1

Rocko wrote: »

The good thing about the Humax Freesat HDR Box is with 320GB of hard drive it allows me to record programmes.

Got it in one! You can record TV, and radio, on a full EPG - without paying Sky any subscription.
You cannot change the order of channels on the EPG, but, unlike Sky, you can delete channels you are not interested in.
Some free to air channels (e.g. CNN) are not on the Freesat EPG, but can be tuned in manually. They can also be recorded, but only manually. (This area is not the strongest feature on the Humax PVR.)

Rocko wrote: »

Does Sky have a 7 day EPG and can the channel order be easily changed (i.e BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, C4 all together) after I cancel my contract?

Sky has an excellent, intuitive, 7-day EPG. (I consider the new Sky HD EPG much better that the Freesat one.)
The channel order is fixed, depending on your region (e.g. Eire, Ulster, whatever) and cannot be changed. This means that you are stuck with a lot of subscription channels on the EPG, that you cannot delete or move.

Rocko wrote: »

How come some Free To Air non-subscription providers have more channels than others?
For example Freesat From Sky Pay Once Watch Forever Option (Recycler said above that we can’t get this in ROI) has British Eurosport, Sky 1, Sky News etc?
After I cancel my Sky contract, does Sky have any of the above channels?

Pretty much all satellite systems can receive all the regular unecrypted free-to-air standard definition channels available on the satellite that their dish is pointing to. Ditto for HDTV, if the system is HDTV capable. (There are different coding standards for HDTV on satellite. Some older equipment may receive, for example, BBC HD, but not channels using the newer DVB-S2 standard.)

Some UK channels are "Free To View" - i.e. encrypted. These need a UK Sky Card, or "Freesat from Sky" card in the Sky box. An expired "Irish" card will not allow these to be viewed. This is most likely because the broadcaster has only bought the broadcasting rights for the UK. To the best of my knowledge, such cards cannot be sold by retailers in the republic but it is legal to use them. (I am open to correction, on this.) If you can get a suitable card, this gives you the greatest choice of "free" UK channels.
Check here http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/freesat-tv-choice-all.aspx for the current list of "Free To View" channels.

evilivor

recycler1 wrote: »

Some free to air channels (e.g. CNN) are not on the Freesat EPG, but can be tuned in manually. They can also be recorded, but only manually. (This area is not the strongest feature on the Humax PVR.).

CNN is on the Freesat EPG. It was added in March.

cjt156

Rocko wrote: »

Wouldn’t it be a better option to subscribe to Sky for 12 months, getting 2 boxes (1 Sky+, 1 Sky Standard), satellite dish and free installation?

As I above described Sky €261 – If I was to get a good Freesat box i.e. Humax Freesat HDR Box €259 (And this comes without a satellite dish??), I know I could get one for around €100.

Do you lose some Sky+ functions after cancelling a Sky contract?

Cuchulain

AFAIK you use all Sky+ functions when you cancel your contract. It can no longer operate as a PVR and you will only be able to look at FTA channels through it.