Can I switch to freeview and how?

trixie11

Am a SKY customer but €46 a month is getting a bit tough on the wallet, so we would like to switch to freeview and have no more bills. so im totally new to all this and trying to understand how it all works here but not really grasping the concept and also seeing comments you need to have tv thats compatible etc..
We have 2 tvs (both CRT) & 2 boxes (Sky + and ordinary Sky box with multiroom subscription). If i want to switch us to freeview do i need to buy new tvs and new boxes? or will what we have suffice? Will the sky dish we have up already do (its less than year old) or will I have to get another? Would like to keep the + functionality of recording channels while watching other..can you have this?
btw location is co. galway

Sponge Bob

Nope, just take out the cards and unplug the phone lines. The boxes will work as freeSAT boxes ....but with fewer channels. You can get rid of your phone line as well if thats saves more cash, €26 a month . Multiroom subs require you have a working phone line.

watty

You need Freesat. Not Freeview.
The sky box will receive most of the Free sat channels. You own it. But the Sky+ will not record/play in free mode.

Sponge Bob means fewer channels than Sky. They will get all the actual Freesat channels and a couple more. Such as Sky News

Try both these...

Take out card and unplug box, count about ten slowly and plug in Sky box.
Ignore error messages, do not put in card.
press 101 or Guide. See is BBC & ITV on it

OR
Go Sky News (501)
Press interactive
Wait till it loads
pull out card
press backup
Ignore error messages... wait..
press 101 or Guide. See is BBC & ITV on it

In both cases
Put in card and it will revert to Irish Guide and re-enable pay programs.


See http://www.techtir.ie/saortv and "freesat" sub page

See http://saortv.info also

You may get 6 TV and 10 Radio on Irish Digital (Saorview) and 45+ Decent TV and 20+ Radio out of over 200 free satellite channels (Freesat HD).

You don't need any new TVs.

The Sky+ (no recording/playback) and ordinary Sky box will both work very like Freesat boxes with no subscription. You can add two coax to the spare two connections on your dish and have a Freesat HD PVR (like Sky+, but no sub), the HD channels are downconverted for SCART if you have no HDMI input on HD or HD ready TV.

Sponge Bob

then she loses RTE too, in parts of Galway you can get digital but only with that box you found Watty , one off cost. In other parts you cannot. In yet other parts Freeview will possibly come in by 2012 with an aerial pointing north and using that box.

It is a big county , I couldn't say exactly without knowing more.

Randyleprechaun

As said above, just take out the cards from the boxes(afetr your subscription runs out, you have to give 30 days notice)you'll have all the free satellite channels.

You will however need an aerial(if you dont have one already) to receive the Irish channels