Alternative to Sky Multiroom

hjr

Just a quick question:

We have Sky Multiroom, costing us €15 per month, so €180 per year. We did have it for half price for a while, but thats up now.

I'm just wondering about any good alternatives to this, without having to spend big money on dishes, etc.

Is it worth getting a Humax box? or Saorview Connect? I presume I'd need a dish for that?

Is there any full online option, through broadband, rather than a dish option.

Just looking for ideas I guess really!

Thanks in advance

decor58

hjr wrote:

Is it worth getting a Humax box? or Saorview Connect? I presume I'd need a dish for that?

The Humax with HDD is about 200e, a dish is needed and you won't get the Saorview channels on a Freesat box.

hjr

So realistically by adding on Saorview Connect, and including install costs for dish, etc I probably wouldn't have much change out of €500? (I think Saorview connect is about €199)

kooga

But if you have Sky multi room - I assume you have a dish / so just connect the humax box to the existing cables - thus all you need to install is an aerial - for Saorview- so your outlay is a humax box and an aerial - I'm assuming you have a new tv that can pick up Saorview via its built in tuner - and that's it no more €180 pa for infinity

Tigerandahalf

kooga wrote: »

But if you have Sky multi room - I assume you have a dish / so just connect the humax box to the existing cables - thus all you need to install is an aerial - for Saorview- so your outlay is a humax box and an aerial - I'm assuming you have a new tv that can pick up Saorview via its built in tuner - and that's it no more €180 pa for infinity

If he has Sky Q he may not have the cables going to another room.

hjr

I don't have Sky Q, but was thinking about getting it, without the mini boxes. So your saying I can connect the Humax box to my existing Sky dish, even though I'll still be using it for sky on my main tv?

The Cush

hjr wrote: »

So your saying I can connect the Humax box to my existing Sky dish, even though I'll still be using it for sky on my main tv?

Provided you have a standard universal LNB with spare ports, no problem.

Tigerandahalf

hjr wrote: »

I don't have Sky Q, but was thinking about getting it, without the mini boxes. So your saying I can connect the Humax box to my existing Sky dish, even though I'll still be using it for sky on my main tv?

You should have separate cable feeds going into each box. Thus the cable going into the 2nd room can just be connected into the humax box.

You won't have saorview channels though as they are not transmitted on free to air satellite.

Ten Pin

I don't have Sky Q, but was thinking about getting it, without the mini boxes. So your saying I can connect the Humax box to my existing Sky dish, even though I'll still be using it for sky on my main tv?

If you do get Sky Q then make sure they install a hybrid LNB to keep using any non-Sky Q boxes.

hjr

Ten Pin wrote: »

If you do get Sky Q then make sure they install a hybrid LNB to keep using any non-Sky Q boxes.

Would that be a normal request? I'm wondering how the engineer would take that request, but maybe its normal...

Ten Pin

Would that be a normal request? I'm wondering how the engineer would take that request, but maybe its normal...

It depends on the installer, some might say they only put in the standard Q LNB (which will render Freesat/FTA boxes unusable), and Sky will probably say they only support their own equipment.

But if you insist that they do not interfere with any other FTA reception, then they probably will put in the hybrid LNB. You would need to be there at install time to supervise.

Edit
Whichever Q LNB (standard 2 port or hybrid 6 port) they provide, keep the existing LNB as a spare.

The Cush

There was a post here last year, where during a SkyQ install a 2 port wideband LNB replaced a standard quad feeding a number of receivers. Contacted Sky via boards, installer returned and fitted a hybrid LNB on the dish.

onlyonpaper

As a non technical person I am assuming that this box will allow viewing the FTA channels only as without Sky card their channels cannot be viewed in that room. Is that correct ???