Can a sky+ box be used for saorview?

Coriolanus

Just wondering, seeing as I was able to get British freeview channels on the box for my mother, wondering if I can't get the irish ones too. She's thinking of getting rid of the monthly sub, and the freeview works without that, so it'd be great if she could get the irish channels too.

Apogee

No, it can't. However, in some cases Sky will offer subscribers a deal for €5 per month where they keep the FTA UK channels and the Irish channels.

Sponge Bob wrote:

Sky have an unpublished customer retention offer. When a full sub €22 a month or higher threatens to cancel they are offering a €5 a month RTE TG4 only sub in certain cases. It may also include tv3/c6/setanta ireland for all I know

This would mean the box continues to pick up the Irish and the Free channels only but with the Irish channels in EPG positions 1-4 ...OTOH you only pay €5 a month and for many with marginal reception a decent aerial would cost many years of the Sky sub.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055771919

Coriolanus

Yeah, that marginal reception is the thing. We were never able to get a decent reception with a roof top aerial before we got the sky.

Thanks for the help!

Mr McBoatface

Nevore wrote: »

Just wondering, seeing as I was able to get British freeview channels on the box for my mother, wondering if I can't get the irish ones too. She's thinking of getting rid of the monthly sub, and the freeview works without that, so it'd be great if she could get the irish channels too.

No but if your TV is new enough there is a decent chance it's got an MPEG4 tuner that will work with Saorview, assuming you can get a signal via an Aerial. Post you TV make and model number .... you never know.

Sponge Bob

Maybe in other channels with a new dish and LNB and losing astra...possibly

Apogee

She will have the option of Freesat + Saorsat in time, but the Saorsat service probably won't be fully operational for a few months yet.

Mr McBoatface

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Maybe in other channels with a new dish and LNB and losing astra...possibly

That might work for Saorsat not Saorview

Sponge Bob

Seeing as a Sky+ box is only capable of tuning sat frequencies I thought that was implicit It will not do Disecq so it must be connected to a single dedicated dish or possibly multiswitched to two dishes. And it won't record from other channels even if you can see them.

Can we revisit this if RTE ever get around to commissioning Saorsat on Ka Sat ??

The Cush

Apogee wrote: »

No, it can't. However, in some cases Sky will offer subscribers a deal for €5 per month where they keep the FTA UK channels and the Irish channels.

Yes, my brother was offered this option when he was cancelling Sky, about a year or two ago - he declined.

I think this is not legal according to the broadcasting act (I'll post the section later). The Irish PSB channels cannot be offered as a standalone subscription package, probably the reason they don't advertise it.

Apogee

The Cush wrote: »

Yes, my brother was offered this option when he was cancelling Sky, about a year or two ago - he declined.

I think this is not legal according to the broadcasting act (I'll post the section later). The Irish PSB channels cannot be offered as a standalone subscription package, probably the reason they don't advertise it.

On Planet Sky, they would probably consider the UK FTA channels 'part of the package'. Even if not, they are charging for the use of the Sky+ features.

Sponge Bob

SKY are totally unregulated in Ireland Cush , unless Ofcom stop them they can do what they want.

The Cush

Apogee wrote: »

Even if not, they are charging for the use of the Sky+ features.

On a non-Sky+ box?

The Cush

Sponge Bob wrote: »

SKY are totally unregulated in Ireland Cush , unless Ofcom stop them they can do what they want.

So RTÉ turning are turning a blind eye to it?

Sponge Bob

RTE provide them with 2 free RTE channels, they could always ask Sky for a revenue share. Saorsat is already live as you can see in that link and as confirmed on Lyngsat 3 days ago ( but minus 'foreign' channels like TV3 and E3 ) .

I dunno which Sky boxes will do DVB-S2 save that they are all probably SKY+HD units not SKY+ bog standard.

Apogee

The Cush wrote: »

On a non-Sky+ box?

Is that question rhetorical?

The Cush

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Saorsat is already live as you can see in that link and as confirmed on Lyngsat 3 days ago ( but minus 'foreign' channels like TV3 and E3 ) .

Yes, I posted there that night - http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72422710#post72422710

The Cush

Apogee wrote: »

Is that question rhetorical?

My brother was offered the Irish channels for €5 pm on a non Sky+ receiver so the charge wasn't for Sky+ functionality in that case.

Apogee

The Cush wrote: »

My brother was offered the Irish channels for €5 pm on a non Sky+ receiver so the charge wasn't for Sky+ functionality in that case.

That doesn't mean the Sky+ features weren't activated/included. In much the same way as Sky+ features are included in all subs now at no additional cost, even if you don't have a Sky+ box.

In any case, he's still getting the UK channels on the package as well, so as far as Sky are concerned, the Irish channels are not standalone. In exactly the same way as they sell the full cost subs - the FTA UK channels are considered part of the package from Sky's perspective.

Sponge Bob

The best 'box' would seem to be the Humax "Freesat HD" units which have a hidden menu that enables Disecq ( switching from one LNB to another) and as Sky dishes are too small and flimsy to support 2 LNBs a new dish and LNB will be required.

Watty reckons maybe a 65cm dish pending some readings around the country over the next while and possibly as little as 45cm. The beam is focused on Ireland.

But RTE coming in off Saorsat will never appear in the EPG, only in other channels. Therefore the SKY+ box will never record it. Nor will sky support Disecq so you will need a manual Disecq switch to toggle between the RTE sat and the Astra.

In short a Sky+ box is not fit for purpose, get the Humax and you get free HD channels for starters off your existing dish