Replace skybox with freebox?

osarusan

Hi all,

In the place I live, I'm connected to a skybox that somebody gave me. There is no contract, so I just get the free channels and that's fine. There is no satellite dish on the house either, but I still get the channels.

The dish box itself is dying, and I was planning to just get another skybox to replace it, but then wondered about the possibility of replacing it with a freesat/freeview box that would have more channels.

But I don't know if it is that simple or not, so I'm asking here. Apologies if this should be in another forum-perhaps a mod would move it for me if so.

The Cush

osarusan wrote: »

There is no satellite dish on the house either, but I still get the channels.

The dish itself is dying,

There is or there isn't a satellite dish?

How do you get the satellite channels without a dish?

Johnboy1951

There is no satellite dish on the house either, but I still get the channels.

The dish itself is dying

explain!

Cushie Butterfield

It’s a typo. Poster meant box itself is dying. That’s why he considered another skybox to replace it, but then wondered about the possibility of replacing it with a freesat/freeview box that would have more channels.

The Cush

Still confused

osarusan wrote: »

There is no satellite dish on the house either, but I still get the channels.

osarusan

The Cush wrote: »

There is or there isn't a satellite dish?

How do you get the satellite channels without a dish?

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

explain!

Oops, sorry, a typo.

The box itself is dying. There's no dish.

Other houses have dishes attached, mine doesn't. Despite this, I still get a number of free channels: BBC, ITV C4, 5, other stuff like cooking channels, some kids channels, and more. Part of the problem is that the menu doesn't work any more so I can't see what channels I have, but there are lots of them, and I get the impression it's everything that is free on sky.

The skybox which is connected to the wall by a cable that is part of the same fitting that the coaxial cable fits into. The skybox cable slips into the fitting labelled Sat1. Skybox connected to tv by scart cable. Coaxial cable goes straight from wall to tv.

Johnboy1951

wondering now if this is not an actual Sky satellite receiver box but some other device call skybox?

osarusan

It is just the same as this one:



No cards in it, no contract of any kind.

Johnboy1951

osarusan wrote: »

It is just the same as this one:



No cards in it, no contract of any kind.

You must be connected to some satellite dish then ...... even if there is not one on your house.

Is there a shared dish?
One being shared with a neighbour perhaps?

osarusan

There may be some satellite connection that as centrally set up, I don't know about that. I asked a neighbour and he didn't think so. He has his own dish, as does his neighbour on the other side, and there are other dishes dotted round the place.

I've lived in other places where, for a few quid, I could get about an extra 10/15 channels to go with the Irish ones - it was obviously something that was centrally set up. That was an apartment complex, whereas this is a more typical estate, but maybe the same applies.

By the sounds of it I should consider myself lucky to be getting these channels.

Gerry Wicklow

osarusan wrote: »

Oops, sorry, a typo.

The box itself is dying. There's no dish.

Other houses have dishes attached, mine doesn't. Despite this, I still get a number of free channels: BBC, ITV C4, 5, other stuff like cooking channels, some kids channels, and more. Part of the problem is that the menu doesn't work any more so I can't see what channels I have, but there are lots of them, and I get the impression it's everything that is free on sky.

The skybox which is connected to the wall by a cable that is part of the same fitting that the coaxial cable fits into. The skybox cable slips into the fitting labelled Sat1. Skybox connected to tv by scart cable. Coaxial cable goes straight from wall to tv.

I'm wondering if perhaps you are getting the analogue cable channels and the sat box is doing nothing. Is it your Tv remote or Sky remote that changes the channels?

Johnboy1951

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

I'm wondering if perhaps you are getting the analogue cable channels and the sat box is doing nothing. Is it your Tv remote or Sky remote that changes the channels?

That does seem likely now that you have drawn our attention to it

theoneeyedman

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

I'm wondering if perhaps you are getting the analogue cable channels and the sat box is doing nothing. Is it your Tv remote or Sky remote that changes the channels?

Are there still analog channels?? Have you got RTE/TV3 etc?

Turn off the box and you'll be able to see if.the pictures are coming from the box. I'd assume this is the case. If it is, I would recommend getting a fta satellite of combo box. Different ones are available depending on what you want, different prices depending on what you want.

The reason is opt for a FTA box over a non subscription sky box is that the menus can be set as you want them, and many free channels are available in HD, whereas they typically are not through a sky box.

Establish for sure how your signal is coming in first.

osarusan

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

I'm wondering if perhaps you are getting the analogue cable channels and the sat box is doing nothing. Is it your Tv remote or Sky remote that changes the channels?

When I moved in I bought a tv with saorview and tuned that and just got the Irish channels. Couldn't tune in anything else.

Then I was given the skybox and remote, and it's on that remote that I can access the non-Irish channels I've mentioned above. I can see the red light flashing on the box every time I press a button on that remote. (I could also use the sky remote to control the tv too if I wanted, by first pressing the 'tv' button on it.)

If the tv is on, but not the skybox, I use the tv remote. If I turn on the skybox, the tv automatically switches to it, and I use the sky remote.

If I turn off the skybox, the tv automatically switches back to whatever channel it was on before I turned the skybox on.

jelutong

Freeview box maybe?

GFish

This is simple - (assuming you're in Limerick and not Tokyo)

If you have a Sky box which gets channels (other than Saorview) but you don't pay Sky anything at all, any satellite box will get the same channels and possibly more. Don't worry about where the dish is or what the box is called.

If a Sky box can get the signal so will your Lidl, ALDI, donedeal or any other box. If you box is dying, replace it with any other satellite box, learn how to work the remote and you're good to go.

PS. if you can get BBC1 or Channel4 on your SKY box in Limerick you can be pretty sure you have a satellite signal. Don't worry about where the dish is.

osarusan

GFish wrote: »

This is simple - (assuming you're in Limerick and not Tokyo)

If you have a Sky box which gets channels (other than Saorview) but you don't pay Sky anything at all, any satellite box will get the same channels and possibly more. Don't worry about where the dish is or what the box is called.

If a Sky box can get the signal so will your Lidl, ALDI, donedeal or any other box. If you box is dying, replace it with any other satellite box, learn how to work the remote and you're good to go.

PS. if you can get BBC1 or Channel4 on your SKY box in Limerick you can be pretty sure you have a satellite signal. Don't worry about where the dish is.

Thanks, this is what I thought was probably the case (and wanted to hear). I mostly wasn't sure whether another box would automatically connect to whatever satellite signal there is, or whether it might be limited to another sky box.