UK Freesat and Saorview built into TV

Riesen_Meal

Hey guys,

I'm hoping for a bit of advice from the sat experts here on my options for tv out my way...

Moved into a new house last week in north co Dublin, Upc is available in the area but I don't want a monthly subscription, went and got the new telly and it has Saorview built into it, after a bit of googling I now realise that we are going to need an install an aerial to get it working, as it ain't picking up the channels..

Since I'm gonna have to get someone out to put this aerial in I'm thinking I may go the whole hog and get the UK freesat, ideally I would want a HiDef box with a recorder built in or an option to put a harddrive of my own into it and use that...

When the UK freesat and Irish saorview channel's are combined it looks like a relatively decent package, but I'm wondering that if I were to record something on rte would it save on the box or is that possible?

I think in a roundabout way I'm asking do your saorview channel's "come through" the UK freesat box when its installed?

How much will it cost roughly? More than my tv at 480? The missus will strangle me if that's the case! :P

And if anyone here could recommend a good installer around Balrothery-Naul area that would be great!

Badgermonkey

Fieldog wrote: »

it has Saorview built into it, after a bit of googling I now realise that we are going to need an install an aerial to get it working, as it ain't picking up the channels..

Try a cheap indoor aerial and you'll be surprised how robust the Saorview signal is.

Fieldog wrote: »

UK freesat, ideally I would want a HiDef box with a recorder built in or an option to put a harddrive of my own into it and use that...

Humax is the most highly regarded Freesat recorder, 500GB HDD, functionality similar to Sky+

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Humax-500GB-Satellite-Receiver-Recorder/dp/B0039J42LM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312712223&sr=8-1

Fieldog wrote: »

I think in a roundabout way I'm asking do your saorview channel's "come through" the UK freesat box when its installed?

Can't be done Freesat = Satellite / Saorview= Aerial

www.freesat.co.uk / www.saorview.ie

You can get a 'combo' box which will give you both

http://www.satellite.ie/cgi-bin/sh000001.pl?REFPAGE=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2esatellite%2eie%2f&WD=ferguson&PN=Terrestrial_and_Satellite__Free_to_Air_Combo_Receivers_2%2ehtml%23a3_21Ferguson120Combo#a3_21Ferguson120Combo

Fieldog wrote: »

How much will it cost roughly? More than my tv at 480? The missus will strangle me if that's the case!

Install it yourself and you'll come in under that figure, box included.
DIY is very do-able and there's some great folks online here to offer advice.

Riesen_Meal

Thanks a lot for the quick reply Badgermonkey!

I think I may take up on your advice as you are saying, and try to do it myself, im not exactly confident though, my DIY is not the best, ha ha

I had one of the aldi fta boxes I purchased years ago and it is still at home in my parents house in the shed, never could manage to set it up and if my hazy memory serves correct it was round the time of the infamous dodgybox and I somehow ended up with one of them as I lived in a cabled area...

I am definitely thinking of going out today and getting some rabbit ears and giving it a go in the back of the TV, need stuff to watch and we are running out of series' to watch on the hard drive....

May take the combo box option you explained above, sounds like it could be a good option, would I be able to connect a portable HD to that to record onto it? (I have a few old ones around the house!)

:pac:

Badgermonkey

Cheapo indoor should do it as a stop-gap solution but its undoubtedly preferable to use a rooftop or loft aerial.

Thread on the 'combo' box here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056284276

Blurb says

With an external hard drive you can;
Record Satellite , watch Terrestrial
Record Terrestrial, watch Satellite

This receiver box will allow you to watch free to air High definition satellite TV via a dish and Irish MPEG 4 terrestrial digital TV via an aerial .

Receiver has PVR function (manual recording, recording from timer, recording from EPG, time shift when you connect an external hard drive via USB port.

Cantona's Collars

Most of the combo boxes have recording via external hard drive so having some spare will save you a few bob.Just check the specs on the box before purchasing to make sure you can connect external hard drive to it.

Riesen_Meal

zerks wrote: »

Most of the combo boxes have recording via external hard drive so having some spare will save you a few bob.Just check the specs on the box before purchasing to make sure you can connect external hard drive to it.

Thanks again for the advice lads, rabbit's ears didn't work so I think we are going to get all the bits we need and try get my sparks uncle to give me a hand!

It's all about keeping costs down in these recession filled times...