Setanta FTV white card ques & sky box / saorview box info

kim.85

Hi, I have 3 questions so if anyone could help with any Id be grateful.
The 1st is - Ive just ordered a FTV card from setanta and i know in order to receive uk freeview i dont have to activate it but i already have a uk ftv card in the other box so i actually want to receive the irish channels. If i do call setanta to activate it, what channels would i receive without subscription and would i be obliged then to actually pay for setanta?
2nd - Im looking to buy a cheap sky+ box - any ideas the best value place to buy one?
3rd - I need to buy a saorview box but everywhere ive searched online seems pretty dear - any ideas where i could get a cheap one?
4th - This ones a long shot - does anyone know of somewhere I can buy a recordable sky card for irish channels? I havent been able to locate one and seems the only option is to buy a recordable saorview box which isnt cheap.
Thanks and sorry to be a pain if these questions have already been asked elsewhere!

winston_1

1. Irish channels are subscription only on satellite.
2. A sky+ box is useless without a subscription. If you subscribe sky will give you one for "free".
3. How much is pretty dear? The going price is around €40 to €50.
4. You cant, see 1.

kim.85

Thanks. Thats disappointing about the setanta card. Id hoped if i activated it with them itd be a cheaper option of getting the irish channels for awhile. €40s is very good for a saorview box - do you happen to know anywhere that does them for this? any i found seemed to be much dearer.

swoofer

if you look here its a good site

http://satellite.ie/acatalog/Revez-terrestrial-Saorview-HD-receiver-Revez_HDT310.html

but please note this box does have a scart outlet. And here's a tip, to make it a PVR its often suggested you use an external hdd via the usb socket but you can also use a usb stick say 32gb or 64gb, a lot cheaper.

also look here for one for 31 euro but you will have to join to see prices

http://www.vanjak.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=33730&currency=EUR

Another option is to buy a combo box that will do satellite and saorview but more expensive.

kim.85

ok brill il take a look. thanks for your help

kim.85

they look really good thanks

Thurston?

swoofer wrote: »

http://satellite.ie/acatalog/Revez-terrestrial-Saorview-HD-receiver-Revez_HDT310.html

but please note this box does not have a scart outlet.

The Revez HDT310 most certainly has got a SCART socket.

kim.85

It does have a scart connection? Thatd be brilliant if it did cos my tv doesnt have the option to connect hdmi lead, just a scart. do you have one of these boxes then? what about the revez irish and uk combi? do u know if that has a scart connection by any chance?

Thurston?

All the Revez boxes I've seen for sale online have SCART sockets. I don't own a Revez box, or have any 'hands on' experience of them.

kim.85

okay thanks for your help

winston_1

Neither of those are Saorview boxes. They are generic DTT boxes and as such don't have MHEG text.

kim.85

oh, im so confused. just wana get a reasonably priced saoview box. do you know will i need to get an aerial installed to view saorview or will my satellite dish do?

muffler

You need an aerial to receive Saorview.

swoofer

Bit about text means these boxes wont display the new digital text but at such good prices who cares. DTT means its broadcast over the air ie like the old analogue system. You will need an outside aerial but if you currently have an aerial on roof and you were able to receive TV3 analogue then you can use that aerial for Saorview DTT.

And as has been pointed out that box does have a scart but I could have sworn when I clicked on it an image with no scart popped up.

Freeview is the UK version of Saorview ie needs an aerial and you need to be near the border to have a chance of picking up a signal. With a dish its satellite ala sky at 28east. The UK channels on satellite at 28east are called either FTV ie FREE TO VIEW but you must have a UK sky card in box, or FTA ie FREE TO AIR box will receive channels with no card ie BBC, ITV, C4, CH5 etc. And FREESAT. FREESAT uses dedicated boxes with Proprietary software like sky boxes but different. And you get a long list of channels free with no card and a lovely EPG and if you buy a box like a Humax Fressat HDR you can even record channels.
That card you got from setanta opens a few channels like sony movies etc. It alsos allows you to watch some setanta programmes but I have forgotten which ones. That UK card opens sony movies as well but its also usefull if you get a sky hd box and pop in card it will default to UK epg, which does not happen with newer irish sky hd boxes so keep it.
So you are probably more than confused than ever now but just post back say what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend and you will get an answer.

kim.85

thanks a mil for your help. at the moment im using the sky card to view freeview uk channels on my sky box without subscription (didnt activate the card so have london freeview). i wanted to set up saorview on 1 tv in the house just so have it there, if there was something we really wanted to view on it but € is very tight so wanted to do it as cheap as poss. seems mad to have to spend € just to get the irish channels when can get the uk ones for free without any expense lol. the house were in is just a rental for the time being so had hoped i wouldnt have to get aerial put up but seems i will? so with that and having to buy a saorview box to view them on, its seems we'd be payin a good bit for channels we dont watch very often. o well.

Oscarziggy

kim.85
The Sky box will give you the UK channels without the card in --- you say you didn't activate it.
What sort of TV are you using ? Is it an analogue only TV ?
If it is a digital TV then all you need to do is connect an aerial to the aerial socket --- well almost-- depending on the TV
I am across the water from you and use a Sony LCD TV for our Freeview and your Saorview service .
I had to rearrange the Saorview channels into some sort of order but that wasn't a problem.
If you are in a strong signal area a set top aerial could get you all you want but first things first --- is the TV a digital one?

Regards

readytosnap

if you have broadband,just use that to watch RTE when there is something you want to see.

kim.85

thanks for your suggestions. its a digital tv that i have. ye maybe just the rte player and 3 player would be the best option?

kim.85

thanks for your suggestions. its a digital tv that i have. thats reassuring that youve managed to get them across the water! ye maybe just the rte player and 3 player would be the best option?

Thurston?

kim.85 wrote: »

... its a digital tv that i have.

What's the make & model of the TV? Is this the one you referred to earlier as not having 'the option to connect HDMI lead'? Maybe you just meant there wasn't a spare HDMI input?

Just that I'd say it's a while since there's been a 'digital TV' without a HDMI input.

Oscarziggy

kim.85 wrote: »

thanks for your suggestions. its a digital tv that i have. thats reassuring that youve managed to get them across the water! ye maybe just the rte player and 3 player would be the best option?

Ok that's a good start that you have a digital TV
Beg or borrow a set top aerial,plug it in to the aerial socket and do a scan .
Ask around locally what other people are using or look to their chimneys to see what they have up there and in which direction they are pointing.
I receive Saorview from Mt Leinster which is about 130 miles away but I live on a hill with a clear take off towards Eire.
Good luck .
Regards

kim.85

Thanks, ill do that. I live on a hill so fingers crossed itll be easy enough for me then.

Oscarziggy

kim.85 wrote: »

Thanks, ill do that. I live on a hill so fingers crossed itll be easy enough for me then.

As long as the transmitter isn't on the other side of the hill !!!!
Good luck
Regards

kim.85

lol thatd be just my luck

winston_1

kim.85 wrote: »

thanks a mil for your help. at the moment im using the sky card to view freeview uk channels on my sky box without subscription (didnt activate the card so have london freeview).

No you are not. Freeview is a terrestrial service only receivable through an aerial, and London Freeview is only receiveable near London.

You are receiving free to air satellite channels and you don't even need the card for that.

Oscarziggy

winston_1 wrote: »

No you are not. Freeview is a terrestrial service only receivable through an aerial, and London Freeview is only receiveable near London.

You are receiving free to air satellite channels and you don't even need the card for that.

As I pointed out in post in post # 16 if you'd bothered to read it.
I think kim.85 knows exactly what he / she is watching.
Regards

winston_1

Oscarziggy wrote: »

As I pointed out in post in post # 16 if you'd bothered to read it.
I think kim.85 knows exactly what he / she is watching.
Regards

It was also pointed out in post 14, yet kim85 still got it wrong in the next post.

Oscarziggy

Call it what you like --- I am here to HELP kim.85 solve a problem not be a critic.
Oh yes correct your own post --- it's kim.85 not kim85. But we all know to whom you were referring--- so easy to make a mistake

Regards