Sky FTA options

nummus

Hi,

Would appreciate some advice, i've got a Sky satellite dish with 4 feeds. 2 of these feeds run to the main room with a standard Sky subscription. The other 2 feeds run to the kids playroom, what are my options for these 2 feeds i dont need any premium channels, preferably would be looking to get Cbeebies, bbc and rte channels ?

Thanks paul

Citizenpain

A Cheap satelite box or an old sky box will get you the free to air channels excl Irish ones - just need one feed from the dish

Would need a saorview aerial for rte etc... Costs only 10 to 15 eur ,, if your tv isn't saorview ready you would need a combi box

Peter Rhea

Citizenpain wrote: »

Would need a saorview aerial for rte etc... Costs only 10 to 15 eur ,,

There is no 'one size fits all' aerial installation. A basic DIY effort won't work for everyone.

Citizenpain

Peter Rhea wrote: »

There is no 'one size fits all' aerial installation. A basic DIY effort won't work for everyone.

Fair point

nummus

Thanks citizen, could you recommend a cheap box, i dont need any bells and whistles but something with a DVR would be handy.

I already have saorview setup on this TV with an indoor aerial.

Citizenpain

pretty new to this myself - only got an ariva 250 combi for FTA & Saorview a few months ago

but I found this post useful

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=79029691&postcount=2

FreeSat is more expensive but will have a 7 day epg and is more userfriendly

I just have now and next on the FTA box but its in a room that's used once in a blue moon so more than adequate for me

cheap as chips with record and no bells whistles would be something like the SD100 - but it doesnt do HD and you would need to connect an external drive for recording live pause etc

only aout €50 though

Edit - i see its €40 incl delivery on Adverts.ie (No Connection to seller and no experience with the box )

nummus

Ok if i got the HUMAX HDR-1000S, would that take the Sky feeds and display all FTA channels without the need for a Sky viewing card etc ?

nummus

actually i see there is a Bush one with HD and DVR for £99, would that take the sky feeds ?

Citizenpain

nummus wrote: »

Ok if i got the HUMAX HDR-1000S, would that take the Sky feeds and display all FTA channels without the need for a Sky viewing card etc ?

Yes - but its not €40

Do you need 2?

nummus

yes i see there is a cheaper Bush one that would do the job.

Citizenpain

i do remember reading here on boards that bush was not as reliable as Humax -- Someone else might be able to comment.

Peter Rhea

nummus wrote: »

actually i see there is a Bush one with HD and DVR for £99, would that take the sky feeds ?

Any satellite receiver will work with the feeds from your Sky dish.

Macy0161

Citizenpain wrote: »

i do remember reading here on boards that bush was not as reliable as Humax -- Someone else might be able to comment.

No idea on the pvr ones, but we've had bush freesat sd receivers running since freesat started (so years) without any issue. Only swapped them out for extra combos (ariva 150's (around €100 delivered)) just before Christmas just because of the extra hd channels and to have more recording options really.

murpho999

OK I've got Sky, is there no box I can get that will pick up FTA channels includng Irish ones and allow me to record?

Gerry Wicklow

The snag is that Irish channels on the 28°E satellite are encrypted so you must have a Sky sub for them. However there are "combo" boxes that combine terrestrial (using an aerial) and FTA satellite. These have basic recording facilities. There are several threads in the terrestrial forum about these and their pros and cons.

jpb14

Citizenpain wrote: »

A Cheap satelite box or an old sky box will get you the free to air channels excl Irish ones - just need one feed from the dish

Would need a saorview aerial for rte etc... Costs only 10 to 15 eur ,, if your tv isn't saorview ready you would need a combi box

You can get an LNB that has a built in uhf arieal feed for picking up saorview along with the FTA channels.
This eliminates the need for an outdoor arieal,as the dish and lnb picks it all up instead.

http://www.satworld.ie/inverto-pro-quad-terrestrial-lnb.html

White Heart Loon

jpb14 wrote: »

You can get an LNB that has a built in uhf arieal feed for picking up saorview along with the FTA channels.
This eliminates the need for an outdoor arieal,as the dish and lnb picks it all up instead.

http://www.satworld.ie/inverto-pro-quad-terrestrial-lnb.html

No it's not, it has a diplexer (combiner) built in, you still need an antenna

jpb14

White Heart Loon wrote: »

No it's not, it has a diplexer (combiner) built in, you still need an antenna

I was told by a chap in an electrical wholesalers shop whos selling them that they pick up saorview too. But maybe has his wires crossed,excuse the pun.
So you still need an outdoor aerial to get Saorview then?

White Heart Loon

jpb14 wrote: »

I was told by a chap in an electrical wholesalers shop whos selling them that they pick up saorview too. But maybe has his wires crossed,excuse the pun.
So you still need an outdoor aerial to get Saorview then?

No, sometimes an indoor antenna works but that lnb is for an outdoor antenna. You got bad advise, I've used some of these before, I'd advise against using it as it needs to be professionally installed as there is a huge signal drop across it.

cerastes

Citizenpain wrote: »

A Cheap satelite box or an old sky box will get you the free to air channels excl Irish ones - just need one feed from the dish

Would need a saorview aerial for rte etc... Costs only 10 to 15 eur ,, if your tv isn't saorview ready you would need a combi box

Ive two feeds from my sky dish, can I use the second one for a soarview box?
when you say a combi box is needed if no soarview enabled tv, you mean a combo, if you dont want to have seperate UK FTA and Soarview

nummus wrote: »

actually i see there is a Bush one with HD and DVR for £99, would that take the sky feeds ?

any link to where you saw this,
I thought DVR's were a few hundred at least.

Peter Rhea

cerastes wrote: »

Ive two feeds from my sky dish, can I use the second one for a soarview box?

You could use the spare feed for the satellite tuner of a combi box, if that's what you mean.

Saorview is not a satellite service.

The Cush

cerastes wrote: »

Ive two feeds from my sky dish, can I use the second one for a soarview box?

No, aerial required for Saorview.

cerastes wrote: »

any link to where you saw this,
I thought DVR's were a few hundred at least.

It's listed here on the Freesat website at £100 from Argos UK but that's out of date, this Bush Freesat recorder is currently listed at £130 on Argos UK.

Also this Manhattan Plaza HDR-S comes in at £130 - http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/digital-boxes/manhattan-plaza-hdr-s/

cerastes

The Cush wrote: »

No, aerial required for Saorview.

No aerial, you mean if the tv is enabled? mine isnt a soarview enabled tv, so do I need an aerial? I thought I did? and a soarview receiver?

It's listed here on the Freesat website at £100 from Argos UK but that's out of date, this Bush Freesat recorder is currently listed at £130 on Argos UK.

Also this Manhattan Plaza HDR-S comes in at £130 - http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/digital-boxes/manhattan-plaza-hdr-s/

I was thinking of a combo(combi?) box, but I couldn't see one with DVR, although receivers that have DVR here seem to be pricey? on links Id located through boards. Im not sure if I will bother with the Irish channels. So one of the freesat boxes from your links would be good and they seem to be significantly cheaper than what I could find online for shops based here, even for the same boxes.
Based on the price down here, other than buying in Argos up north, can you buy them via the freesat site?

Id continue using the sky box, but getting the channels through the options menu is tedious, and its not the same not being able to pause, more so than not being able to record.
Is there a way to get the channel numbers so I can use the sky EPG, the numbers aren't on most of the channels when I go via options-> other channels, I'll probably hold onto the box for another room in the future.

Peter Rhea wrote: »

There is no 'one size fits all' aerial installation. A basic DIY effort won't work for everyone.

Im a bit confused as to whether I an aerial is needed for soarview or not, not sure if I want soarview yet, but from curiosity, do you just mount it as high as reasonably possible and can it be pointed in any direction? answered in another thread.
Aerial is needed.

Or is these questions still ok in this thread?

thanks for the advice this far, even if sky offered me to come back now, after looking into it, Id be uninclined, other half might not.

The Cush

cerastes wrote: »

Based on the price down here, other than buying in Argos up north, can you buy them via the freesat site?

No.

cerastes wrote: »

Is there a way to get the channel numbers so I can use the sky EPG, the numbers aren't on most of the channels when I go via options-> other channels,

No. There is no way to allocate Sky epg numbers to these channels.

Kristopherus

Have a look a www.satsklep.pl. The have a good range of both combi and dvb-t receivers at very reasonable prices. If you stick a usb key into the usb socket of the combi units it gives you the rewind option/record option. This is enabled by turning the Timer function on.

For Saorview you will definitely need an aerial. How old is your gaff? Has it got tv sockets built-in in the rooms? If so, this cabling must end up somewhere in the attic. That would give you the option of connect up the aerial there and pointing it in the direction of your nearest transmitter. The cheaper option would be to borrow an aerial and try it out in the attic before deciding on which way to go.

cerastes

The Cush wrote: »

No.



No. There is no way to allocate Sky epg numbers to these channels.

Ok, so how do you get one of these freesat receivers?? the Irish sites that sell DVRs are a big difference in price to whats quoted on the freesat site?
The smart and smart+ options I assume are built into the receiver? and I didnt see these offered on the Irish sites,
I may have missed this, its a lot of information to absorb and new to me.

Kristopherus

Try amazon.co.uk. The Manhatten mentioned above is currently £139.00 with free delivery to Ireland.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009EO8CW6/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE.

And a list of Freesat PVRs here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=freesat%20hd%20recorder&sprefix=Freesat%2Caps%2C148

cerastes

Kristopherus wrote: »

Have a look a www.satsklep.pl. The have a good range of both combi and dvb-t receivers at very reasonable prices. If you stick a usb key into the usb socket of the combi units it gives you the rewind option/record option. This is enabled by turning the Timer function on.

For Saorview you will definitely need an aerial. How old is your gaff? Has it got tv sockets built-in in the rooms? If so, this cabling must end up somewhere in the attic. That would give you the option of connect up the aerial there and pointing it in the direction of your nearest transmitter. The cheaper option would be to borrow an aerial and try it out in the attic before deciding on which way to go.

My tv connection goes to the box thats just outside where the tv is, almost on opposite sides of the same wall, newer house, 15yrs. Only the living room has a proper tv point, there were other tv points and co-axial surface mounted with to upstairs but I removed it as it looked messy, as when analogue went it served no purpose. Borrowing an aerial might be an option, I know someone that has one but its not used, but for the cost it might be less hassle to just buy and fit one.
The one I know not in use is mounted with the sat dish, I assume the dish cant be blocked and the aerial picks up regardless of blocked by the dish.

Just confused over the array of STB's
terrestrial digital boxes, soarview receivers (assume these are both the same thing?)
FTA (free to air) ?
and Freesat (UK free to air)

I'll have a look at the link, cheers.

nummus

Just to clarify one point, if i get a freesat box and connect it to my spare sky feeds will i get the sky epg or will i be adding bbc1 etc manually via the other channels menu ?

kooga

if you are looking for a cheap freesat box non pvr the manhattan plaza hd s2 for £50 will do fine. As its non pvr just needs one cable feed.

http://www.trustedreviews.com/manhattan-plaza-hd-s2_TV-recorder---set-top-box_review

cerastes

nummus wrote: »

Just to clarify one point, if i get a freesat box and connect it to my spare sky feeds will i get the sky epg or will i be adding bbc1 etc manually via the other channels menu ?

Id wondered about this myself, but I guessed the freesat box would use its own EPG, can anyone confirm that?
going through the Sky box-options-other channels is tedious, any other way I can do that in the interim of getting some kind of Freesat receiver?

looking into it more can anyone confirm

no difference between DVB-T receivers AND soarview receivers, which are both terrestrial receivers, right? just soarview are in some way soarview approved? and maybe the epg is different?
Is there a difference of the EPG's?
AND
FTA (Free to air?) and Freesat, freesat's the UK free to air, with its own EPG? and FTA? Im getting these labels for receivers available from
http://www.satworld.ie/saorview/irish-digital-tv.html

wondering why receivers are available in different types, in particular the FTA under the satellite receiver section?

Gerry Wicklow

Free-To-Air (FTA) satellite boxes are generic boxes intended for use in many different countries with many different satellite systems. To suit such a wide market they generally only have basic functions.
FreeSat is an EPG signal specifically for the UK. FreeSat branded boxes have their own EPG (similar to sky), have advanced MHEG5 text/red button facilities, can automatically update tuning and some models have advanced recording/series linking functions.
The same concept applies to terrestrial boxes. Basic boxes work in several countries but have limited functions. A Saorview approved box has been specifically tested for use in Ireland and should include advanced teletext (MHEG5) etc.
Combo boxes tend to be a combination of generic terrestrial and satellite receivers.

nummus

Thanks for your help but I'm still unsure what EPG i will see when plugging a freesat box into Sky feeds ?

kooga

nummus wrote: »

Thanks for your help but I'm still unsure what EPG i will see when plugging a freesat box into Sky feeds ?

you will see the epg of the freesat box you plug in!

Attached EPG of my freesat box

Gerry Wicklow

If you take a look at the TV guide on the FreeSat website it will give you a rough idea. Each box/TV will have it's own variations of colour scheme etc but the basics are the same.

nummus

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

If you take a look at the TV guide on the FreeSat website it will give you a rough idea. Each box/TV will have it's own variations of colour scheme etc but the basics are the same.

Thanks.

nummus

OK, final question, if i got hold of an old sky box could i plug that into my two spare sky feeds and get all the free channels etc with the sky epg ?

Citizenpain

take the sky card out of your box -- that's the epg you will get .

you will not be able to record pause / rewind

cerastes

Citizenpain wrote: »

take the sky card out of your box -- that's the epg you will get .

you will not be able to record pause / rewind

Im using my sky+ box now as my FTA receiver, when I took the card out, it would not work, the reason I tried without was I read somewhere about turning the card upside down (for some reason, not sure what purpose it served).
Im not inclined to take it out now as I dont want to have to go re-tuning in the channels.

Its functional now, should it work without the sky card?
Any ideas if the channels will need to be re-tuned if I take out the card? I can re-tune, but if I dont have to at the moment, its handier.
I know turning off the power (ie plugging it out, not standby) will delete the added channels, is the EPG not the same as the existing sky epg when you take out the sky card?
At the moment. going via the options menu is a bit tedious.

Citizenpain

without the card in ; did you plug it out and power it back up?

cerastes

Citizenpain wrote: »

without the card in ; did you plug it out and power it back up?

I was sure the card was out and powered down then back up, but I could be mistaken now as I was just trying stuff out, didnt really know what was available.

I'll do it again when I have a bit of time to re-tune the channels,

So is the EPG different or more user friendly, without the card in place??
Will I still have o go to the options menu-other channels to access channels??

Gerry Wicklow

The EPG will still look the same however any encrypted channels will be listed but wont work. You will have to skip and jump to get the FTA channels. The other channels option should work although you may have to re-enter them. Many people set up a favourites list using the blue button so they don't have to skip the locked channels.
As mentioned, recording, pausing and viewing existing recordings stops working.
By removing the card now and powering off the box you will see what happens without a sub.

nummus

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

The EPG will still look the same however any encrypted channels will be listed but wont work. You will have to skip and jump to get the FTA channels. The other channels option should work although you may have to re-enter them. Many people set up a favourites list using the blue button so they don't have to skip the locked channels.
As mentioned, recording, pausing and viewing existing recordings stops working.
By removing the card now and powering off the box you will see what happens without a sub.

Thanks for this highly informative post.

Whilst having a DVR would be nice I've no real need for one in this room, so the simplest and cheapest option seems to be an old Sky box, I also find the SKY EPG to be very fast, efficient and easy to use so this is an extra factor in its favour.