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Switching from Sky to FTA

  • 13-12-2019 7:49pm
    #1
    holyhead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,249 ✭✭✭


    Hello I have a sky box and satellite dish and want to switch to free to air. My TV is not a smart TV. What's involved in changing from Sky to Free to air.


Comments

  • #2
    holyhead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,249 ✭✭✭holyhead


    sugarman wrote: »
    Literally nothing. You can cancel your Sky and you will continue to recieve FTA channels through the Sky box.

    Although, for a better experience you'd be better off picking up a FTA box to be able to edit channel lists, enable recording, EPG etc..

    Thank you. What FTA box would you recommend and where can your purchase it?


  • #3
    icdg
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 11,504 Mod ✭✭✭✭icdg


    Depends if you have Sky Q or Sky+HD.

    Sky+HD - in principle there is nothing involved in switching to free to air satellite You can use all your existing equipment. If your TV has a satellite tuner (nothing in principle to do with if your tv is smart, though smart TVs often have them) you can also get rid of the Sky box and plug in the satellite output directly into your TV. If not you might want to investigate a satellite receiver - it will work better than your Sky box.

    Sky Q - you will have to return your box to Sky, so if your TV does not have a built in satellite tuner you will need to invest in a satellite receiver e. Also chances are you will have a Sky Q LNB on your dish so you will have to get a normal LNB and get someone to swap. (This is not necessary if you managed to get a hybrid LNB at installation - if you don’t know what this is, you probably don’t have one).


  • #4
    holyhead
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,249 ✭✭✭holyhead


    ICDG thank you for your detailed reply. I suspect I have Sky Q. How would I know if my TV had a satellite tuner?

    Sugarman I would consider paying for a top of the range box. Wouldn't say no to recording features either. Combo sounds like the plan for me if it could record.


  • #5
    The Cush
    Registered Users Posts: 15,476 ✭✭✭✭The Cush


    holyhead wrote: »
    ICDG thank you for your detailed reply. I suspect I have Sky Q. How would I know if my TV had a satellite tuner?

    A TV with a satellite receiver will have a screw-on connector at the rear of the TV, possibly labelled LNB IN, similar to the connectors on the Sky box. What is the make and model of the TV?

    Regarding the LNB, SkyQ comes with a two output wideband LNB as standard, this is not compatible with standard legacy satellite receivers. A hybrid LNB would have 6 outputs for both SkyQ and legacy satellite receivers. Older Sky+/SkyHD installations were fitted with a 4 output (quad) standard universal LNB.


  • #6
    Skippy along
    Registered Users Posts: 689 ✭✭✭Skippy along


    Get a someone to stick a saorview aerial up on your house plug that cable into the box and then plug the cable from your sky dish into the box.... job done all the Irish and UK channels no more bills
    The box
    https://www.freetv.ie/ferguson-ariva-154/


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  • #7
    NewClareman
    Registered Users Posts: 1,436 ✭✭✭NewClareman


    It really depends on how important the user experience is to you and whether you want to record.

    If you’re comfortable with technology, any of the options discussed will work fine. If ease of use is an issue, it’s a different ball game. I made multiple attempts to move from Sky, including using an Ariva 250. All failed because other family members wouldn’t/couldn’t use them. Some, including the Ariva, require manual updating, each time a channel changes - this happens regularly.

    I finally succeeded when I was able to create a user experience similar to Sky. (I created a thread to show what’s possible.) If you’re anyway comfortable working with technology, I’d suggest taking a similar approach. The Tiviar is now difficult to obtain so I’d suggest the Zgemma H7S. Some Boards members are already using this, and I’m sure they’d be happy to assist with setup.


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