Alternative to Sky Digital?

Jimmy Nookie

Unfortunately the lack of ITV and Ch4 is putting me off subscribing to Sky Digital so I was just wondering what (if any) the alternatives are? I'm situated in Co. Wexford so the obvious, NTL is out of the question. Ideally I'd like to retain all of the terrestrial channels and a few satellite ones I've currently got via Chorus.

RTE1/2, TG4, TV3, UTV, BBC1/2(NI) & CH4

SKY ONE/NEWS, MTV, EUROSPORT & E4

sceptre

Jimmy Nookie wrote:

RTE1/2, TG4, TV3

Only available on satellite via Sky

UTV

Only available on satellite via Sky and only by using a UK subscription card or UK FTV card (for UTV specifically as opposed to another ITV region, for "UK" read "northern ireland")

BBC1/2(NI)

Available via alternatives

CH4

As with UTV.

SKY ONE

Only available on satellite via Sky

NEWS

Available via alternatives, though without interactive options by using the red doodah (you may actually see this as a good thing)

MTV, EUROSPORT

IIRC the non-UK specific versions are available on satellite though not from the 28.2E direction you'd be pointing your Sky dish at (I could be wrong here so seeking correction)

E4

Only available on satellite via Sky

For "alternatives" you can read a free to air box and a regular dish.


I think the above is correct (it's certainly largely correct). Plenty of Wexford types picking up the UK terrestrial channels on a normal aerial from Wales if this is any good as an alternative alternative.

Jimmy Nookie

Thanks a lot sceptre. You've done your homework. However I have just noticed that Chorus offer a digital package. As well as keeping all of my existing channels I would also recieve the best (in my oppinion) of whay Sky's €28 pm package offers (National Geographic, History Channel, Discovery, Brit Eurosport, etc...)

Does anyone subscribe to Chorus Digital? How do you find it?

jaggiebunnet

As an ex chorus "digital" subscriber i can say only one thing. Don't get it. The worst service you will ever get.

smadger

jaggiebunnet wrote:

As an ex chorus "digital" subscriber i can say only one thing. Don't get it. The worst service you will ever get.

Have to agree with that. I live in a terrestrial blackspot and have no choice but to get either Chorus or Sky, even for RTE. Most of the people in my estate got Chorus at first. Now I see a lot of sky dishes going up.

Chorus was pretty bad. Lot of blocky images. Regular complete downtime.

I'm happy I moved to Sky. I'm especially happy I moved to Sky+. Well worth the extra money.

Macy

Well I've gone the FTV route, with analogue terrestrial for the irish channels. I've kinda experimented with checking out whats on sub channels when there's been nowt on the other channels, and I have to say that the majority of the time there's not much on them either that I'd spend the money. Of course that's just my (well our) opinion, but I would imagine that it'd be hard to go

Hope to get a set up for other sats in the not too distant future, but that's more as a hobby rather than anything else...

If UK Digital Terrestrial (freeview) was a possibility I'd probably have a look into that though. It's a long term project I have in mind myself to experiment with, especially with Wales being one of the first to switch (and turn up the power!).

Depending on where you are in co wexford, you may be able to get freeview through your aerial.
You would have ITV,4 and 5 with that as well as a number of other channels.

Have a look here for more information.

Kieran - Clon

I also subscribed to chorus and eventually told them that their box was in the garden and they had better collect it as it was raining quite heavily!!!

I currently have UK card and get all the UK terrestial channels via my Digibox - Find that this works really well, no sub and great choice

Kieran

watty

With Chorus / NTL when you canel there is NOTHING.

I cancelled SKy a couple of years ago, I still get all the free channels on the Sky box (which you own from day1). You never own the NTL/Chorus box.

I get RTE /TV3 / TG4 via aerial.

I get about 900 other TV and 800 other Radio also via a second receiver with motorised dish.

The Sky LNB was replaced with a dual and I get all the free channels also on PC with direct MPEG2 scheduled Digital Recording, nearly like Sky + except free.

I used to have 2 x analog sat boxes, but just one looped on the non-Sky motorised system. It gets all the French Analog on 5W (SECAM).


It isn't too hard to get a FTV card for a Sky box (ITV1 & ITV2, Ch4 and Ch5).

ITV2 may go Free To Air too.

As well as the BBC (over 6 main TV and over 7 main radio excluding regional variations), satellite gives ITV3, Performance, Musicians, Several old movie channels and nearly 70 UK radio channels.

BBC World, DW TV, Arriang TV, NIleTV, IBA Ch33 and many others gibve news, sport, documentaries, dram etc in English FREE on non-Sky satellite.

watty

In terms of Sport, Movies etc (often english) you can actually legally subscribe to Continental Pay TV. Not easily though. And A Sky Pay TV box and anyone elses PAy TV box are mutually exclusive. Complain to your MEP and TD about Skys restriictive trade practices which create a virtual monoploy.

MMDS is rubbish and only a tiny percentage of people have access to decent Digital Cable. We need easier access to other Pay TV sat operators.

Sky & Chorus & NTL are very similar price and twice as expensive as many Continental Pay TV packages.