FREESAT LAUNCHES THIS SPRING

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Apparently if you already own a satellite Dish & LNB then for a one off cost you can buy the Box and plug and play. Looks like a good deal given you also get FREE HD channels too and I'm even guessing SKY may bring down their prices to compete particularly too if the overall quality of picture is equal to or better than SKY.

Anyway what are you views on FREESAT as a viable alternative to SKYHD bearing in mind it won't cost a penny via subscription
 

Clare Newsome

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We're planning a feature on this for our issue out early-March - up to now (and even now) there's not been the greatest amount of detail on costs, content or logistics.

We'll obviously also bring you updates here in the meantime, and follow-up any previews with tests of the box and service - as well as revisiting the Sky and Virgin HD alternatives (which it's rumoured could come down in price as/when Freesat arrives.)
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"]
As an industry insider, I'd watch for progress of HD through your aerial as well........
[/quote]

This sounds interesting?

Any chance of twin tuner HD PVRs?
 
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Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="JohnDuncan"]
As an industry insider, I'd watch for progress of HD through your aerial as well........

[/quote]

Does Freeview have the bandwidth to do HD now though? There have been trials using the Humax Freeview HD box, but that's about it. It appears to be a l-o-n-g way away before HD will be on Freeview.

Freesat has oodles of bandwidth for HD, trouble is I bet all you'll get is the usual couple of hours per day of programming on the HD channels, they should be identical to the SD channels in content.
 

John Duncan

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I've said too much already
emotion-1.gif
But I'm coming from the transmission end, rather than the hardware end so can't speak for the availability of equipment able to decode any digital signal that may or may not be available at some point.
 

John Duncan

Well-known member
[quote user="Eddiewood"]

Does Freeview have the bandwidth to do HD now though?

[/quote]

Yes, though not at the very best quality available. Read into that what you will.

[quote user="Eddiewood"]

Freesat has oodles of bandwidth for HD, trouble is I bet all you'll get is the usual couple of hours per day of programming on the HD channels, they should be identical to the SD channels in content.

[/quote]

You may be surprised.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="JohnDuncan"][quote user="Eddiewood"]

Does Freeview have the bandwidth to do HD now though?

[/quote]

Yes, though not at the very best quality available. Read into that what you will.

[quote user="Eddiewood"]

Freesat has oodles of bandwidth for HD, trouble is I bet all you'll get is the usual couple of hours per day of programming on the HD channels, they should be identical to the SD channels in content.

[/quote]

You may be surprised.

[/quote]

Hmmm, I hope so. The only appeal of freesat for me is that the HD channels are worth watching, might as well stay on Freeview if they aren't! If the HD channels mirror the SD channels then that (with a PVR) is a potential Sky killer for many people (unless Sky open up freesatfromsky to HD and free recoding).
 

Matt_B

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have any release dates been indicated for freesat?

Can't put up with my freeview break up anymore, almost ready to turn to the darkside and get sky, but I don't watch that much and don't really fancying having to pay for what will be free from freesat.

regards Matt
 

Matt_B

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OK thanks Clare

I keep checking the site and as you mention it hasn't changed for a while.

Hopefully you'll able to report something soon.... I must resist Sky just to watch Teletubbies, Big cook little cook and Bob the Builder (my 20 month old son takes great delight in telling me that freeview is "no no rubbish" everytime it breaks up and then loses signal)
 
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Anonymous

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What happened to the freesat feature in this months what hifi, did I miss it ?
 

Matt_B

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No - i think you can take it as read that freesat didn't deliver any info in time which is a bit of a worry

read an article on the independant trade site that they are up in arms that Currys, think it was Dixons and John Lewis have the exclusive rights to sell freesat for the first six months and that Sagem, Alba, Humax and Panasonic have the initial exclusive equipment rights.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm assuming i'll be able to receive Freesat in Ireland (ebay), anyone know any different ?
 

Clare Newsome

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[quote user="Matt_B"]

No - i think you can take it as read that freesat didn't deliver any info in time which is a bit of a worry

read an article on the independant trade site that they are up in arms that Currys, think it was Dixons and John Lewis have the exclusive rights to sell freesat for the first six months and that Sagem, Alba, Humax and Panasonic have the initial exclusive equipment rights.

[/quote]

Yes, sadly Freesat still had no comment to make at the time we went to press on our supplement. And we're hearing all sorts of rumours re kit/timings etc, but nothing concrete as yet. Rest assured we'll bring you any solid news we have up here as soon as we hear it.
 
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Anonymous

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I have read elsewhere that the launch is end of May/June and the Freesat HD PVR will be a Humax 320Gb for £149. No news on Channel 4 or Channel 5 joining though.
 
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Anonymous

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The whole Freesat situation is getting very worrying in my
view, for what it is worth here are my observations and thoughts.

Today (At the time of writing this) is the 10th of
April 2008 and I understand that Freesat will be launched by the 1st
of May 2008, the 5th of May, or is it the end of May or even by the
end of June?? Even if we accept the end of June - by my calculations that is a
maximum of 80 DAYS away.

Now those of us that visit this blog, and other websites are
aware that Freesat is coming sometime soon. However we do not represent the
population at large and I suspect that most people are completely unaware of
this momentous event. The BBC get their
revenue from TV licence payers, but the other channels get their revenue from advertisers
and I would imagine that these advertisers will only pay when their adverts are
viewed by members of the public.

Still with me? Do you see what I am getting at?

When it comes to product launches this may go down in
history as the quietest ever.

For most consumers new to Satellite it will not just be a
question of popping down to Comets and getting a system off the shelf, these systems
will need to be installed by qualified installers, so I expect that when we
finally can get hold of the equipment there will be a long queue to get it
installed.

So I ask the following questions:

Can we realistically expect Freesat to be launched by the
end of June or earlier?

Will anyone be able to watch it - even if they want to?

Will the commercial TV advertisers initially pay anything
when there are few consumers able to watch their ads?

What the h*%% is going on?
 

professorhat

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Doubtful given Call Me Confused's comments. Got to agree, my friends, who are generally fairly clued up on latest technological stuff, hadn't even heard of Freesat till I mentioned it a few weeks back.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Mutterz"]
Hmm,

Whats sky's take on all this I wonder.

[/quote]

I think I can hear the sniggering from here
emotion-5.gif


Let's hope that Freesat manage to pull the rabbit out of the proverbial hat
(Soon) or we won't need a satellite dish to hear Sky laughing their heads off.
 

Clare Newsome

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In some ways, i'd think Sky would want Freesat to succeed - gives Sky a big base of potential subscribers who've already got a dish on their roof.

I can hear the sell now.. "Well you've got the dish, you like the small amount of HD you're getting... how would you like lots more and a high-capacity PVR (dangles tempting deal)..."
 
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Anonymous

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I agree, however Sky's 'tempting deals' tend to be expensive, which is why I'm holding out for Freesat HD.
 

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