Replacing a distributed sky setup with just Freesat?

Macaonbhuit

I currently have sky + hd with one box in the attic and distributed to three rooms . I've been threatening to dump sky for years but the lack of an easy maintenance saorview/FTA solution with a decent EPG etc. Has held me back. I'm now just going to settle for Freesat channels and use rte player and now TV entertainment.

Couple of questions.

Can I just swap a Freesat box for the sky + hd box (bearing in mind that the output is distributed to 3 rooms)

Can anyone recommend a box that will get me as close as possible to a decent EPG, recording on one channel and watching another, and maybe even the usual Netflix, prime apps etc.?

Any issues with picture quality with these boxes related to upscaling or anything like that? It's all coax cabling around the house.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058206814/replacing-a-distributed-sky-setup-with-just-freesat

slightly off topic but most of the rte player tv apps dont let you stream live fyi

Macaonbhuit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117831513#Comment_117831513

I'd hardly watch rte recorded, let alone live. 😁

dubrov

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058206814/replacing-a-distributed-sky-setup-with-just-freesat

Yes, you can just swap out a Sky HD+ box for any FreeSat box. (If you have Sky Q only certain boxes will work unless you change the LB).

[I assume when you say the output is distributed to 3 rooms, you mean there are 3 feeds from the Sat dish to each room]

There are a range of boxes available depending on what you need (recording, storage, apps etc.). Just go onto Amazon, check the reviews and pick something that suits your budget. Just don't expect to spend 50 Euro on a box and get as good an experience as Sky.

The satellite signal used by Sky will be exactly the same as that used by the FreeSat box. So if you have a good quality signal now, it will be the same with FreeSat. I wouldn't worry about upscaling.

sprucemoose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117831893#Comment_117831893

ah well you mentioned rte player and now tv in the original post. anyway, live on rte player (or virgin media too for that matter) would be handy for sport and a few other things much as i agree with the overall sentiment

Gerry Wicklow

Can you just clarify when you say "one box in the attic and distributed to three rooms" are you using RF from the one box so that it is tuned into each TV as a channel and all rooms can only see whatever the sky box is watching?

Macaonbhuit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117831983#Comment_117831983

Box in attic distributed using:

And a sky eye on each TV. And all rooms showing the same thing

Gerry Wicklow

As I feared you are using the RF output of the Sky box to feed the other rooms. I am not aware of any contemporary FreeSat or FTA boxes that have RF out. Others may know of some. It is possible to get HDMI to RF converters but they are almost as dear as the new box. As an aside, by my understanding of your setup, you would never have had a HD picture on the remote TVs even if watching a HD channel. Again I'm open to correction on that.

Macaonbhuit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117832427#Comment_117832427

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117831924#Comment_117831924

Box in attic distributed using:

Macaonbhuit

@Gerry Wicklow not sure if it's relevant but the current output from sky hd box is from I/O port

Through a

I/O to RF converter.

And yes, I've never had hd even with a hd box, due to the coaxial in the house and the box in attic

dubrov

If I understand correctly you are taking the output of the Sky box and sending it to 4 different TV points.

If you can find a FreeSat box with RF out, you could just replace the Sky HD box but it sounds like they may not exist.

You'd be better off just piping the satellite feeds to each TV point separately and then using FreeSat on your TV or box to play it. That way you can have different channels on each TV.

Check the LNB on you satellite dish to see how many cables are coming out of it. Based on your photos, at least 2 feeds are going into the SKy HD+ box Just connect each of these directly to the four cables coming out of the booster box. Most TVs come with a satellite tuner these days so you could connect the other end direct to the TV to check it works.

jspuds

Slightly different approach would be to invest in something like this,

https://vboxcomm.com/product/vbox-android-tv-gateway-for-satellite/

I bought one nearly two years ago and works quite well, it is slowly getting less buggy with software releases.

It integrates with Plex Pass/Premium but as a Andriod box itself not great

Macaonbhuit

Thanks for the replies on this folks. Having a rethink now. Wondering if I should just install a Freesat box in each room and use saorview onboard tuner for terrestrial. One more question though. I have 2 coaxial aerial points in one room. I assume this was originally done to cater for for sky+ (watching/recording on multiple channels). My other rooms have just a single aerial point each. So..... If I have have an aerial installed as well as my existing sky +hd satellite, can I pipe both of these signals down a single cable and then split them to a Freesat box and to the saorview TV tuner ? I just don't want to be adding more cables. House just painted, and wife would have my head

The Cush

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118032866#Comment_118032866

Whyte™ 5x8 Satellite & Terrestrial MultiSwitch | Best Sale Prices (freetv.ie)

A multiswitch will combine both Saorview and satellite down a single cable for splitting at the TV point, 4 feeds from a quad or quattro LNB on the dish will be required with the multiswitch I linked above. Diplexer wallplate or splitter at the TV point to split the single feed.

For the 2 cable TV point, for 2x Sat & 1 Saorview feeds, any of these -

• V33-23PLUS Satellite/Terrestrial Wall Socket - Vision | CPC UK (farnell.com)
• TV, FM/DAB & 2x Satellite (1x Return) Quad Wall Plate White - Global Communications | CPC UK (farnell.com)
• Quad SAT1 SAT2 TV FM DAB Wall Plate - Antiference | CPC UK (farnell.com)