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FTA vs. Free sky

  • 11-12-2010 4:37pm
    #1
    tc2010
    Closed Accounts Posts: 264 ✭✭


    Parents have an old sky box and dish with no subscription so they just get a handful of stations.

    Is it worth buying a freeview box or whats the best option to plug into the dish?

    Just want as many free stations as possible for them really


Comments

  • #2
    Trevord
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 955 ✭✭✭Trevord


    You mean a freesat box. (Need to be in UK really for feeview)

    They would get more or less the same stations they have on the sky box now.

    If their TV is HD then they might be interested in HD freesat box.

    One other advantage would be that the channels are better organised on the freesat box. You don't have to skip past scrambled channels because they don't appear on the list like they do on sky.


  • #3
    Mr McBoatface
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,579 ✭✭✭Mr McBoatface


    They should be getting more than a handful of channels ... have they got an expired viewing card in the box ?

    If the have they should power off the box, remove the card and power it back up. The EPG should default to the UK one.


  • #4
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    There should be 200+ TV and 70ish Radio.

    About 40+ useful TV.
    List of Freesat Channels on Freesat.co.uk

    Some channels can be added manually to Freesat receivers that are not automatically listed. None of the channels that require a Sky viewing card or pay TV work.

    Wikipedia's list of Freesat and Free channels from 28.2E & 28.5E
    An out of Subscription Sky Box can get all the Free channels. If any are "exclusive" to Freesat, (Any?) they can be added manually.


  • #5
    gtg60
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,759 ✭✭✭gtg60


    Best thing about a Freesat box is the channels are all together and you don't have to cycle through Sky scrambled rubbish to find what you want, a big plus for a lot of people!


  • #6
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    There is the custom Favorites of up to 50 channels. Cycle blue/violet button or Guide then Blue button on Sky.
    Sadly you can't add "other channels" to it.


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  • #7
    Macy0161
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,556 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    We have all 3 options (FTA, Freesat and old sky box). When our freesatfromsky card expired, we switched to the Freesat SD receiver up until TV3 came on the DTT (we've gone to the combo now).

    Unless you're close/ easy access, I wouldn't get someone not savvy enough to do scans, and then reorder channels a straight FTA receiver. General use is fine, but I wouldn't like to be talking someone who wasn't that up on it through the process if a channel moved!

    Using the sky receiver with the favourites is fine imo, but we always found the lack of five on the epg a pain. The in laws always got to grips with using the blue button when baby sitting anyway, if that's any help.

    When we upgrade to a (saorview compliant) HD TV, I'll probably go with the Freesat HD PVR option.


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