Advice please on getting rid of sky

jimmyging

Any advice would be most appreciated
Looking to get rid of sky , have HD box
Have old Samsung smart TV not connected to broadband
Not saorview enabled I think
Can I just get one of those cards for sky box as only need basic stations and kids channels and not sports movies etc.
What's my best option
Any. Any advice most gratefully accepted

NIMAN

I bought a recording Freesat box, does a great job.

The fact you have the cables already in place simply means plugging them into your new box.

exaisle

Try taking the sky card out and putting it back in upside down.....then switch on and off again and you'll have a freesat box...(well,nearly!)

NIMAN

Only problem with using the old box is that all the channels will be there, and so many of them won't be accessible.

Sam Russell

NIMAN wrote: »

Only problem with using the old box is that all the channels will be there, and so many of them won't be accessible.

and you cannot record. Get a Freesat HD + box and you wont regret it. [You will need Saorview separately though].

Thurston?

jimmyging wrote: »

... Have old Samsung smart TV not connected to broadband
Not saorview enabled I think

Stick up the model no. if you want to find out more about Saorview capability. I'd imagine 'smart' & MPEG4 decoding abilities would have emerged around the same time in Samsung TVs.

mgbgt1978

exaisle wrote: »

Try taking the sky card out and putting it back in upside down.....then switch on and off again and you'll have a freesat box...(well,nearly!)

This won't work with a Sky HD box unfortunately.
The OP's best option is to buy an ex-UK card on adverts.ie (around €10). This will give him/her the Sky UK EPG which is pretty much the same as Freesat.

lertsnim

It is not like Freesat at all. The Sky EPG will still have all of the pay tv channels listed.

mgbgt1978

.....and then he can save 50 channels to 'favourites'. Very similar to freesat then.
He asked for the best option. This is the cheapest, and as close to freesat as you will get.

ronan45

Stupid Question........
Why do Sky actually make these Free channel UK cards available in the UK. like those available on adverts.....
Surely to god if they didnt make these free view cards for their Sky boxes , people would be more likely to pay for the Sky Service???? as their sky box would be redundant
Whats in it for SKy even to sell them to the UK market only ignoring the thousands that slip into ireland??

mgbgt1978

They're expired UK subscription cards.
After they expire (i.e. the UK customer cancels their Sky Sub) the cards keep the UK EPG. So when you put one into an Irish Sky Box it thinks it's a UK Box.
The reason you get so many of them for sale here is simply that if you are a UK Sky Subscriber and you cancel your Sub your Box will still have the UK EPG even without a Card, so there is no need for a UK ex-customer to keep their card.

ronan45

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

They're expired UK subscription cards.
After they expire (i.e. the UK customer cancels their Sky Sub) the cards keep the UK EPG. So when you put one into an Irish Sky Box it thinks it's a UK Box.
The reason you get so many of them for sale here is simply that if you are a UK Sky Subscriber and you cancel your Sub your Box will still have the UK EPG even without a Card, so there is no need for a UK ex-customer to keep their card.

Hmmm still doesnt make sense why sky would allow people to use their Sky boxes as free sat boxes ... Ok So then why would SKY uk allow their customers to use their SKy Boxes as Free-sat boxes.... if they dont mind why not do a Free Irish Card also for the irish why just UK

mgbgt1978

Because that's the law. Sky (or anybody else) can't sell a product that only works as long as you keep subscribing to the same company.
They have tried to make it as awkward as legally possible by forcing you to use 'other channels' to tune in the UK channels after cancellation......hence the demand for expired UK cards.

SCOOP 64

Do you have to have a uk sky card, i have a old sky box in kitchen with no card , but get BBC1 2, ITV. CH4, CH5 ?

mgbgt1978

If it's an older Sky box you don't need a UK card.
AFAIK it was an update on the SKY+ HD boxes only that did away with the 'no card' or 'card upside-down' workaround.

.G.

You buy the box off sky when you subscribe. Its your box not theirs anymore. They can't stop you using it as you please when you cancel. Its a satellite receiver and it can be used as such without their services.

ronan45

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

Because that's the law. Sky (or anybody else) can't sell a product that only works as long as you keep subscribing to the same company.
They have tried to make it as awkward as legally possible by forcing you to use 'other channels' to tune in the UK channels after cancellation......hence the demand for expired UK cards.

ahhh Ok ! Cheers Mate Interesting never knew that

SCOOP 64

mgbgt1978 wrote: »

If it's an older Sky box you don't need a UK card.
AFAIK it was an update on the SKY+ HD boxes only that did away with the 'no card' or 'card upside-down' workaround.

Yes its a old box in the kitchen, my subscription with sky will end soon as i have cancelled , but the living room has the new sky+hd box, so i wont get same channels as in the kitchen with out a uk card is this right ?

mgbgt1978

Sorry, I was tied up for a day or two. Yes you are correct. the Sky+ box will need a UK card to get the UK EPG.....other wise you will have to manually tune in the UK channels to 'other channels' and you won't have the 7-day EPG.