FREESAT: If you already have a SKY Dish

[admin_exported]

Is it just a case of swapping over your SKY Box for a FREESAT HUMAX HD box to instantly receive transmission?

Notice that COMET try to sell you the full installation but surely you can jusrt buy the HUMAX for £149.99 bring it home and plug and play

 

[bf1]

Will people who already have Sky not get the channels anyway?

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="Tallyho"]
Is it just a case of swapping over your SKY Box for a FREESAT HUMAX HD box to instantly receive transmission?

Notice that COMET try to sell you the full installation but surely you can jusrt buy the HUMAX for £149.99 bring it home and plug and play

[/quote]

...and if you have a quad LNB, can another pair of cables be run to the FREESAT box, keeping a Sky box on the existing pair without any further configuration?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes they will have the free SD channels but they will only have the HD channels if they have the HD receiver and are paying the subscription. I have regular Sky-Plus and the attraction of FREESAT for me is free access to HD channels. I may wish to retain Sky for Sports channels.

 

[Andy Clough]

[quote user="Tallyho"]

Is it just a case of swapping over your SKY Box for a FREESAT HUMAX HD box to instantly receive transmission?

[/quote]
Well, in theory yes, you can use your existing Sky satellite dish. We received our first Humax Freesat HD box this afternoon and plugged it into the Sky socket in our test rooms. Although we initially got a strong signal, we weren't able to lock on to and view any of the Freesat broadcasts. So we'll be making a call to Freesat/Humax tomorrow to find out what else we have to do to get the box working.

 

[Andy TW]

I'd be suprised if you could simply plug the cables from a Sky dish into the Freesat box and get the service, but I cant find any definite confirmation/denial at the moment.One potential problem is that if you already have a Sky dish, then you may need planning permission to install a second dish on the same property, assuming rules are the same as when I first had a Sky digital mini dish installed.If this is still the case then most people will be restricted to either Freesat or Sky.Edit: Andy beat me to it 🙂

 

[Anonymous]

I think Sky are holding back the progress of HD content, because as someone pointed out you have to subscribe to their service, to get HD from other channels.

This new service will allow people to enjoy HD without paying £10 per month for the privilege. Which is why Sky have been bleating about licence payers money being wasted on this service.

 

[Anonymous]

Sky and Freesat use different satellites. Though they are both parked over the indian Ocean in an orbit close enough to each other that you "should" ba able to get a signal from both with one dish. However there will always be a compromise over which one you are actualy pointing at and will never get a "full" signal from both.

I am watching this space ('scuse the pun) closely as a Sky+ subscriber who would love to add HD for free.

David.

 

[John Duncan]

The dish needs to be pointed at the right satellite ("You will [also] require a satellite dish positioned to receive the Astra 2/Eurobird1 group of satellites copositioned at 28ø East.").

To the poster saying that this is a waste of licence-payers money, they should note that this is an obligation of those broadcasters with a Public Service remit (BBC and ITV, funnily enough) to provide a signal to everybody in the country after the digital switchover, and this is the best way of doing it for those 20% who can't currently receive Freeview.

 

[Anonymous]

[quote user="JohnDuncan"]

To the poster saying that this is a waste of licence-payers money, they should note that this is an obligation of those broadcasters with a Public Service remit (BBC and ITV, funnily enough) to provide a signal to everybody in the country after the digital switchover, and this is the best way of doing it for those 20% who can't currently receive Freeview.

[/quote]

In fairness, I don't believe this was the posters point of view, they seem to quoting Sky rather than posting a personal opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

If you're already paying the £10/month for Sky+ then instead of getting a Freesat box without PVR doesn't it make more sense to buy the Sky HD box (which you can get independently for not more than £250) then re-pair your card to the nex box so you'll get FTV HD channels and Sky+ for the same £10/month?

 

[John Duncan]

[quote user="Ketch"][quote user="JohnDuncan"]

To the poster saying that this is a waste of licence-payers money, they should note that this is an obligation of those broadcasters with a Public Service remit (BBC and ITV, funnily enough) to provide a signal to everybody in the country after the digital switchover, and this is the best way of doing it for those 20% who can't currently receive Freeview.

[/quote]

In fairness, I don't believe this was the posters point of view, they seem to quoting Sky rather than posting a personal opinion.[/quote]

Agreed, on re-reading. Objection withdrawn and apology offered.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi I think alot of you are missing the point about the whole thing, you have been able to get BBC HD clear to air for years now, I have been viewing it via a sat card in my pc with no problems, and there have been other free to air boxes out there for you to plug into tv's.

But as was said above, the main aim for the freesat is to help enable the digital switch over, freeview has been around for many years now, however alot of us still cant get it such as my self. so being able to get all of these services via satellite is the only other alternative, and if you don't want to pay the sky tax then you didnt have much else, other than bbc / itv. now with Free sat you get a few more channels such as channel 4 E4 etc.. who have just started broadcasting clear transmissions via satellite.

As for the whole sky or free sat, thats not ture either, all you need is a Quad LNB so no need for extra dishes etc.. just more wires 😉 and then you will get the best of both.

if you wait another month or so then you will be able to buy TV's with integrated Free Sat Free View other Sat, and if your really flush you could plug in sky also and be spoilt for choice!

 

[Clare Newsome]

See here for tales of our Freesat test so far - full review to follow soon.

 

[John Duncan]

Just to be sure everything was working correctly, our Editor-in-Chief took the box home last night and plugged it into her Sky dish

It's good to be the King (or Queen).

 

[Clare Newsome]

I had to bring it back! Test-sample two being trialled this evening....that's another night I won't be in The Anglers beer garden

 

[John Duncan]

But it's full of kids, most of them wearing England shirts and skinheads.........