Steps involved in getting rid of Sky but keeping FTA channels

Pangea

Hi, my sister is getting rid of her sky subscription, just wondering what happens when its cancelled, does Sky leave the box and the dish where they are and just disconnect the premium channels?
She still wants to have the Free To air channels from the sky box.
Thanks

NIMAN

Yeah thats about it.

If you have had your receiver for 12 months+ you then own it and the dish, and you get to keep it.

Also, if its a Sky+ box i.e. a recorder, then the record or playback function will no longer work once your subscription is cancelled. You have to pay Sky for the ability to use this.

Pangea

Thanks, is a card needed or anything for the FTA channels?

NIMAN

Pangea wrote: »

Thanks, is a card needed or anything for the FTA channels?

No, pull your card out and thats the channels you will receive with FTA.

Carter P Fly

i really dont like the sky box as a fta reciever. better to pick up a freesat box in the north or fta box that does dvb-s2 in the south.

mike65

I use a Sky box and its perfectly fine for FTA and as the OP sister already has the STB she might as well stick with it.

JMSE

~I wasnt lying when I told the wife if we cancelled sky and kept the box for FTA that we'd still have most of the channels, but thats not how it is. We dont get Living (she loves), TV3, Sky1, Dave, Gold or any of those that I thought we'd still have.

tmcw

JMSE wrote: »

~I wasnt lying when I told the wife if we cancelled sky and kept the box for FTA that we'd still have most of the channels, but thats not how it is. We dont get Living (she loves), TV3, Sky1, Dave, Gold or any of those that I thought we'd still have.

What made you think you'd get those channels FTA?

If you google.ie "fta channels", the first page you get is this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28°E

I agree with Carter P Fly about the crippled Sky box being junk, but some people seem to enjoy wading through lists of unavailable channels, a good percentage of which are slapper-dross that can't be removed.

mike65

Favourites list is a jolly good way of lessening the scrolling (or just having a memory)

JMSE

tmcw wrote: »

What made you think you'd get those channels FTA?

If you google.ie "fta channels", the first page you get is this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28°E

I agree with Carter P Fly about the crippled Sky box being junk, but some people seem to enjoy wading through lists of unavailable channels, a good percentage of which are slapper-dross that can't be removed.

Had a ferguson FTA box before the skybox and we think we had a lot more with it than we can get with the skybox.

Carter P Fly

tmcw wrote: »

What made you think you'd get those channels FTA?

If you google.ie "fta channels", the first page you get is this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_at_28°E

I agree with Carter P Fly about the crippled Sky box being junk, but some people seem to enjoy wading through lists of unavailable channels, a good percentage of which are slapper-dross that can't be removed.

Indeed, I have all my channels I watch in order and have everything else on astra 28.8 disabled. I like to flick down through the channels and have them all work. You simply cannot do this with a sky box and the favourites method is a poor workaround. FWIW I use A media Center PC instead of a STB.

Yawns

It's not really a poor work around for the average joe tho is. Simply add the FTA channels to favourites, then press the favourites button on menu to have a look thru what's on.

*Or are you expecting the average joe to setup a media center pc instead?







*Joke

Mike 1972

tmcw wrote: »

I agree with Carter P Fly about the crippled Sky box being junk, but some people seem to enjoy wading through lists of unavailable channels, a good percentage of which are slapper-dross that can't be removed.

It may have made more sense a few years back when there were more channels only available on an UK FTV card.

However (at the risk of assuming and over generalising) given the economic times we live in many people looking to ditch Sky are probably looking for a way to save a few quid while still maintaining access to some channels. The advantages of a Freesat box are probably not compellig enough to justify replacing a still working piece of equipment in their current financial circumstances.

An old Sky box may not be the most elegent or convenient way to access FTA channels (in fact it can be a downright pain sometimes) however it still works and for many people thats the main thing.