Moving from analogue to Saoirview/Freesat

Count Hairyfoot

Apologies if this is a daft question. I'm completely clueless about all things TV - I haven't owned one in years.

My mams area (she's in Dublin 9) has moved to digital and she doesn't want to do it - the offers she's getting are way too expensive. She'd like to get a setup that just has the saoirview and freesat channels. I've seen a few companies that do it but the problem is she has multiple TVs - 4 at last count. With analogue there was no problem - we just ran loads of coax around to each room but anyone I speak to tells me that if she goes saoirview she'll need a box for every TV and it works out very expensive. Is there any Saoirview/Freesat box that we can connect up to this existing wiring. It doesn't matter if all TVs show the same program - she's the only one there. At least 2 of the TVs would be pretty old so we wouldn't be bothered if it wasn't HD.

And why 4 TVs if she lives alone you might ask - one in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in the room with the fire she only uses in the winter. Perfectly sound old lady logic.

emaherx

Count Hairyfoot wrote: »

Apologies if this is a daft question. I'm completely clueless about all things TV - I haven't owned one in years.

My mams area (she's in Dublin 9) has moved to digital and she doesn't want to do it - the offers she's getting are way too expensive. She'd like to get a setup that just has the saoirview and freesat channels. I've seen a few companies that do it but the problem is she has multiple TVs - 4 at last count. With analogue there was no problem - we just ran loads of coax around to each room but anyone I speak to tells me that if she goes saoirview she'll need a box for every TV and it works out very expensive. Is there any Saoirview/Freesat box that we can connect up to this existing wiring. It doesn't matter if all TVs show the same program - she's the only one there. At least 2 of the TVs would be pretty old so we wouldn't be bothered if it wasn't HD.

And why 4 TVs if she lives alone you might ask - one in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, one in the living room and one in the room with the fire she only uses in the winter. Perfectly sound old lady logic.

How old are TV's? They may require no box for saorview. Some might even have satellite tuners already.

Any box can be distributed to all TV's for the same channel, but this may become annoying.
There are many options from cheap to expensive, but maybe look at what current TV's are capable of first then decided how much you have to spend and what you can live with without.

Count Hairyfoot

emaherx wrote: »

How old are TV's? They may require no box for saorview. Some might even have satellite tuners already.

Any box can be distributed to all TV's for the same channel, but this may become annoying.
There are many options from cheap to expensive, but maybe look at what current TV's are capable of first then decided how much you have to spend and what you can live with without.

I'd say the newest 2 would be 2-3 years old, the next maybe 5 and the oldest is a crt that could easily be 10 if not more. As I say the same channel on all is fine. She's the only on there.

emaherx

Well 2-3 of them will probably work with Saorview with just a simple aerial. Check the backs for satellite connections and they could even work for freesat/FTA satellite.

Then a simple satellite receivers for any TV with Saorview and no Satellite tuner or a combo box for any TV which has neither.

dubrov

Post the tv models and if Sky was ever running in any room and we can suggest a cheap setup.

Also, Do you have an existing satellite dish?

Count Hairyfoot

dubrov wrote: »

Post the tv models and if Sky was ever running in any room and we can suggest a cheap setup.

Also, Do you have an existing satellite dish?

They've never had sky and there's no dish. I'll get the models when I'm over this weekend and update the thread.

dubrov

Sounds like you have a single coax feed split to each TV point.
The problem is that you need satellite to get the free UK channels.

Generally the satellite signal feed cannot be split like the analogue signal[It can be done but would need newer receiver boxes]. For this, you generally would need a cable direct from the dish to each TV point. So you may need new cabling to make it all work and that all adds to costs.

Gerry Wicklow

A quick and dirty solution is a basic combo box with an Rf feed to the other Tvs using existing wiring. She will still need a satellite dish for the UK channels. Presumably she does not want/need recording functions. She would set the channel on the box and then watch from whichever TV she wants.

Count Hairyfoot

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

A quick and dirty solution is a basic combo box with an Rf feed to the other Tvs using existing wiring. She will still need a satellite dish for the UK channels. Presumably she does not want/need recording functions. She would set the channel on the box and then watch from whichever TV she wants.

She doesn't mind paying to get the dish put up so that's ok. Is there a box you'd recommend?