Quick Sky Freesat query

To get the branded Freesat from Sky service you apparently need to cough £25
for a card.
According to Sky.

Now I have the chance of an old Sky box - is there an easy way to get
Freesat without giving Sky money?

Google is not initially being helpful.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

"David WE Roberts" wrote:
To get the branded Freesat from Sky service you apparently need to cough £25 for a card.
According to Sky.

Now I have the chance of an old Sky box - is there an easy way to get
Freesat without giving Sky money?

Google is not initially being helpful.

Cheers

Dave R

You won't need a card to view the channels that are also available on
non-Sky Freesat. I think there are some channels still only available free
to view (in other words, you need a Sky card), but nothing worth watching.
All the main BBC, ITV, C4 and C5 channels are now free to air (in other
words, you don't need a Sky card).

A proper Freesat box will give you a better EPG (you don't have to scroll
through endless channels that you can't watch).

"Silk" wrote in message
...
"David WE Roberts" wrote:
To get the branded Freesat from Sky service you apparently need to cough
£25 for a card.
According to Sky.

Now I have the chance of an old Sky box - is there an easy way to get
Freesat without giving Sky money?

Google is not initially being helpful.

Cheers

Dave R

You won't need a card to view the channels that are also available on
non-Sky Freesat. I think there are some channels still only available free
to view (in other words, you need a Sky card), but nothing worth watching.
All the main BBC, ITV, C4 and C5 channels are now free to air (in other
words, you don't need a Sky card).

A proper Freesat box will give you a better EPG (you don't have to scroll
through endless channels that you can't watch).

Thanks - have a 4 port LNB with two free so I might as well have a play.

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

"David WE Roberts" wrote in message
...
To get the branded Freesat from Sky service you apparently need
to cough £25 for a card.
According to Sky.

Now I have the chance of an old Sky box - is there an easy way
to get Freesat without giving Sky money?

Google is not initially being helpful.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")



A Sky box will work without a card but you will get BBC1 London
and ITV Central West as defaults. Channels 1-5 are all free to
air (FTA) but quite a few free-to-view (FTV) others including
Film4, I think E4 aand More4, and some of the siblings of the
main channels (such as 5* and 5USA) are still encrypted

If it works then lash out the £25 for a Freesat-from-Sky card
(once off payment) or use a Sky subscription card which is no
longer active for subscription channels - it will still work and
decode the FTV channels as well and give you the correct region
for the FTA channels.

One thing you cannot get with Sky without a subscription is HD.
If you decide not to pay the Murdoch empire and buy yourself a
Freesat (as like Freeview) box then you do have the option of the
free HD channels if you buy a HD box - that is BBCHD (soon to
become BBC2 HD,) BBC1HD, ITVHD and Ch4HD. I would say however
from personal experience that HD is not really worthwhile on
screens less than 32" or even most would say 37". Boxes from the
usual places - Curry's World, Comet, Argos, etc., but also look
at www.humax-direct.co.uk for manager's specials which are quite
a good reduction.


--
Woody

harrogate three at ntlworld dot com

"Woody" wrote:
"David WE Roberts" wrote in message
...
To get the branded Freesat from Sky service you apparently need
to cough £25 for a card.
According to Sky.

Now I have the chance of an old Sky box - is there an easy way
to get Freesat without giving Sky money?

Google is not initially being helpful.

Cheers

Dave R

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")



A Sky box will work without a card but you will get BBC1 London
and ITV Central West as defaults. Channels 1-5 are all free to
air (FTA) but quite a few free-to-view (FTV) others including
Film4, I think E4 aand More4, and some of the siblings of the
main channels (such as 5* and 5USA) are still encrypted

All of these channels are now FTA. You may need to faff about a bit with
adding them manually, but they are definitely free.

If it works then lash out the £25 for a Freesat-from-Sky card
(once off payment) or use a Sky subscription card which is no
longer active for subscription channels - it will still work and
decode the FTV channels as well and give you the correct region
for the FTA channels.

Only a few quid more will get you a Freesat box. With a Freesat box,
everything is taken care of for you, including your region.

On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:39:26 +0000 (UTC)
Silk wrote:
If it works then lash out the £25 for a Freesat-from-Sky card
(once off payment) or use a Sky subscription card which is no
longer active for subscription channels - it will still work and
decode the FTV channels as well and give you the correct region
for the FTA channels.

Only a few quid more will get you a Freesat box. With a Freesat box,
everything is taken care of for you, including your region.

And mounting a bloody ugly satellite dish on the side of your house/squat.
Funny how so many people in allegedly "poor" areas have enough money to donate
to murdochs pension fund. A lot of inner city areas look like Houston space
centre.

B2003

On 4/16/2012 8:46 AM, d wrote:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:39:26 +0000 (UTC)
wrote:
If it works then lash out the £25 for a Freesat-from-Sky card
(once off payment) or use a Sky subscription card which is no
longer active for subscription channels - it will still work and
decode the FTV channels as well and give you the correct region
for the FTA channels.

Only a few quid more will get you a Freesat box. With a Freesat box,
everything is taken care of for you, including your region.

And mounting a bloody ugly satellite dish on the side of your house/squat.
Funny how so many people in allegedly "poor" areas have enough money to donate
to murdochs pension fund. A lot of inner city areas look like Houston space
centre.

Some parts of the country get no more than 20 channels with Freeview,
and have no access to cable - so there are many homes with satellite dishes.

On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:50:04 -0400
S Viemeister wrote:
On 4/16/2012 8:46 AM, d wrote:
And mounting a bloody ugly satellite dish on the side of your house/squat.
Funny how so many people in allegedly "poor" areas have enough money to
donate
to murdochs pension fund. A lot of inner city areas look like Houston space
centre.

Some parts of the country get no more than 20 channels with Freeview,

Only 20 channels? Life must be tough. I hope they get free councilling.

and have no access to cable - so there are many homes with satellite dishes.

Why, can't they get the 80 odd channels on freeview?

B2003

On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:59:17 +0000 (UTC)
d wrote:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:50:04 -0400
S Viemeister wrote:
On 4/16/2012 8:46 AM, d wrote:
And mounting a bloody ugly satellite dish on the side of your house/squat.
Funny how so many people in allegedly "poor" areas have enough money to
donate
to murdochs pension fund. A lot of inner city areas look like Houston space
centre.

Some parts of the country get no more than 20 channels with Freeview,

Only 20 channels? Life must be tough. I hope they get free councilling.

and have no access to cable - so there are many homes with satellite dishes.

Why, can't they get the 80 odd channels on freeview?

Ignore the comma, it completely changes the meaning of the question!
It was a genuine question, not a sarcastic repost. I'd assumed freeview power
was being racked up and everyone should get all the channels by now.

B2003

In message , d
writes
On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:59:17 +0000 (UTC)
wrote:
On Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:50:04 -0400
S Viemeister wrote:
On 4/16/2012 8:46 AM, d wrote:
And mounting a bloody ugly satellite dish on the side of your house/squat.
Funny how so many people in allegedly "poor" areas have enough money to
donate
to murdochs pension fund. A lot of inner city areas look like Houston space
centre.

Some parts of the country get no more than 20 channels with Freeview,

Only 20 channels? Life must be tough. I hope they get free councilling.

and have no access to cable - so there are many homes with satellite dishes.

Why, can't they get the 80 odd channels on freeview?

Ignore the comma, it completely changes the meaning of the question!
It was a genuine question, not a sarcastic repost. I'd assumed freeview power
was being racked up and everyone should get all the channels by now.

B2003


Some relays don't provide all the muxes.
--
Ian