Question on changing Sky HD to Freesat

[Dan Turner]

Hi - I've seen a lot of talk about upgrading LNBs etc when changing to Freesat - is this purely to get the twin feeds needed for the Humax Freesat PVR?

I currently have Sky HD and am considering ditching it for the Humax - as I already have a twin feed coming off my dish does that mean I'll be able to swap the Humax in and job done?

Appreciate any advice.

 

[daveh75]

yeah, as you already have dual feeds for your sky hd its just a case of swapping the boxes out

 

[Anonymous]

Hi

is this the same for sky+ ? I have sky+ & was thinking of getting the humax HD box, is sky+ dual feed?

 

[daveh75]

seanie:

Hi

is this the same for sky+ ? I have sky+ & was thinking of getting the humax HD box, is sky+ dual feed?
Yes sky+ is dual feed,so yes you can just swap the boxes out also

 

[Dan.m]

I have sky+ (dual feed) and two spare feeds in my LNB (in case i wanted mutliroom). Can i run sky+ and freesat from a single dish? If i can the problem i have is one spare run of cable running down my wall from the attic and into my potential freesat box. How can i get the 'sky+' features of a fresat box working i.e. watching one channel and recording another?

 

[daveh75]

Yeah you can run both from a single dish. As you only have one cable spare you have got three options really

(1) the freesat box will work from one feed with limited functionality

(2) run another cable

(3) get a stacker/de-stacker, this allows you to send two feeds on one cable see here for info.although never used one so don't know how good they are

 

[Cofnchtr]

Dan.m:I have sky+ (dual feed) and two spare feeds in my LNB (in case i wanted mutliroom). Can i run sky+ and freesat from a single dish? If i can the problem i have is one spare run of cable running down my wall from the attic and into my potential freesat box. How can i get the 'sky+' features of a fresat box working i.e. watching one channel and recording another?

Hi,

Don't understand where the third cable is coming from? You said you have a dual feed into the Sky+ from the dish and 2 spare - if you have 2 spare where'd the third cable come from? Is that from a roof aerial?

If there's 2 spare connections on the LNB then you should connect two runs of coax to the freesat box (note this is not the same as a freeview box).

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[daveh75]

Cofnchtr:Dan.m:I have sky+ (dual feed) and two spare feeds in my LNB (in case i wanted mutliroom). Can i run sky+ and freesat from a single dish? If i can the problem i have is one spare run of cable running down my wall from the attic and into my potential freesat box. How can i get the 'sky+' features of a fresat box working i.e. watching one channel and recording another? Hi, Don't understand where the third cable is coming from? I assumed it as meaning it's a unused cable thats unterminated in the loft and runs to a faceplate in whatever room he wants the freesat box!

 

[Dan.m]

The spare cable run in the wall is my current rooftop aerial which is of digital quality (RG6) but about to become redundant because of the digital switch over. I was going to install a a digital aerial to pick up freeview but there is confusion if i can get it.One installer says yes another no. I undertand that the signal strength has been 'turned up' to ensure that a greater % of the population can get a decent signal - I am on that boundary.

To summarise my set up: Dish outside the house with 2 feeds travelling through the house into my sky+box. A return from the sky + box going up the wall and into the attic and connected to a 6 way digital amplifier. From the amp there are single runs of cable going to each each room in the house (ending with an RF face plate at present). This means i currently get terrestrial and sky (even though its the same picture in each room) in each room. Each room has an 'eye' to switch chanels.

I was hoping to run freesat (humax PVR) off the same dish as i have 2 spare feeds in my LNB but as dave said one cable (rooftop aerial) running into a freesat box would have limited capability. The stacker sounds interesting though. What would maybe be better is a device that sits near the freesat box and splits the single feed into a double feed before entering the freesat box.

DAVE - when you said limited capability would i lose the 1) the ability to record and watch a programme 2) pause and rewind live TV 3) Both.

Hopefully i will be able to pick up freeview with a new rooftop aerial. I will then run sky and freeview which should satisfy the punters in the house. I assume i will be able to get freeview and sky throughout the house - will the amp be able to handle this. However, it would me nice to get HD for free. Would also love to ditch sky when LOST has finished!!

You rewire your house with 4 runs of cable in the main living room and along comes a new technology!! Not digging out the walls again. Could run cable around the outside of the house i suppose.

Cheers guys

DAN

 

[daveh75]

Dan.m:

The spare cable run in the wall is my current rooftop aerial which is of digital quality (RG6) but about to become redundant because of the digital switch over. I was going to install a a digital aerial to pick up freeview but there is confusion if i can get it.One installer says yes another no. I undertand that the signal strength has been 'turned up' to ensure that a greater % of the population can get a decent signal - I am on that boundary.

To summarise my set up: Dish outside the house with 2 feeds travelling through the house into my sky+box. A return from the sky + box going up the wall and into the attic and connected to a 6 way digital amplifier. From the amp there are single runs of cable going to each each room in the house (ending with an RF face plate at present). This means i currently get terrestrial and sky (even though its the same picture in each room) in each room. Each room has an 'eye' to switch chanels.

DAVE - when you said limited capability would i lose the 1) the ability to record and watch a programme 2) pause and rewind live TV 3) Both.

Cheers guys

DAN

Well because of the way channels are broadcast on satellite....i.e on horizontal and vertical polarities and also in groups(muxes).

It means you can still record 1 channel and watch another (with limitations), as long as the two channels are a)on the same polarity and b) the same mux.So for instance you could watch one of the bbc channels and record another bbc channel as there on same polarity/mux.But you couldn't say... watch a bbc channel then record a itv channel as there on different polarities/mux's.

As for pause/rewind of live tv that shouldnt be affected.

 

[Anonymous]

Dumb question if you alrady have a sky hd box, why would you want to buy another?

 

[Cofnchtr]

Dan.m:
I was hoping to run freesat (humax PVR) off the same dish as i have 2 spare feeds in my LNB but as dave said one cable (rooftop aerial) running into a freesat box would have limited capability. The stacker sounds interesting though. What would maybe be better is a device that sits near the freesat box and splits the single feed into a double feed before entering the freesat box.

Hi,

You would use the 2 spare feeds from the LNB on your dish to operate the Humax PVR - the Humax will not operate from a rooftop aerial. Freesat and Freeview are two different systems - one operates via a satellite dish (freesat) and the other via a rooftop aerial (freeview).

Freesat is also the name of Sky's free to air channels where you buy a standard SKY digibox (not a PVR). You can also get this service if you currently pay to have SKY services at your home via subscription - and you cancel your subscription. If you currently have a SKY+ or SKY+HD box, you will need to pay £10/month to continue to use the PVR function of the digibox if you do not subscribe to SKY.

If you are going to install a Humax you could use this to feed half of the house and the SKY digibox could do the other half of the house? All you would need to do is get a smaller amp in the attic to feed from the Humax (if it has RF out).

Or you could get additional Sky boxes for each room? Budget and layout permitting.

The cable from the attic would be redundant anyway because you've already stated you can't get freeview...

Cheers,

Cofnchtr.

 

[Dan.m]

I don't have sky HD box -it is sky+. As my post said i would like free HD - not possible with sky at this time. therefore not a dumb question