What's the catch with FREESAT

Malcolm H wrote:
|| "Ivan" wrote in message
|| ...
||| Malcolm H wrote:
|||||
||||| As I posted elsewhere in this thread, a Sky digibox for about £40
||||| from ebay is probably the best answer. The FTV card for C4, Five
||||| and Sky3 is no problem, simply a one-off payment of £20. For a
||||| list of all FTA channels available with the Sky box see
||||| http://www.sdsdigital.co.uk/Freesky-...-List-p-2.html .
||||| Don't underestimate the importance of having all channels listed
||||| in the Sky EPG and full access to the interactive services etc.
|||
|||
||| The problem is how many ordinary members of the public would know
||| absolutely
||| anything about searching for second hand Sky receivers and ordering
||| viewing
||| cards?... the very mention of Sky and viewing cards is an immediate
||| turn-off
||| to many people.
|||
||| Several years ago I used to fit the original £100 no subscription
||| Sky offer
||| for a local ASA before they stopped it, but even that involved lots
||| of paperwork, waiting for viewing cards to arrive in the post and
||| then getting
||| them activated.
|||
||| I was under the impression that the original BBC idea of Freesat
||| was to get
||| all of the original Freeview broadcasters involved in creating a
||| similar FTA
||| type package on digital satellite, thus allowing people to use (and
||| even install themselves) cheap readily available satellite systems
||| as in the rest
||| of Europe, i.e. the German FTA offering by their national
||| broadcasters.
|||
||
|| If you are a DIY enthusiast:
|| 1. Go to
||
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sear...ub mit=Search
|| You will find a large selection of Panasonic DU-DSB30 digiboxes.
|| These are excellent and widely recommended digiboxes.
|| 2. Buy one!
|| 3. Go to:
||
http://search.ebay.co.uk/search/sear...rclo=&saprchi=
|| 4. Buy a dish and LNB
|| 5. Go to http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/freeview.htm where you will
|| find full details on how to install it and make it work.
|| 6. Total cost £100 and hours of fun!
||
|| If you are not a DIY enthusiast
|| 1. Go to http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/
|| 2. For £150 all equipment will be supplied and installed. No ongoing
|| costs or commitment
||

As already stated, a crippled Sky £150 receiver with a viewing card to many
many people = anathema!

If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside, as in
mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite systems for a Freesat
package, put together along the same lines as Freeview, would rocket.


|| Bueno! Job done!

"Mark Carver" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
Mark Carver wrote:
Mike D wrote:
"Gordon Hudson" wrote in message
...
If its like normal sky then when terrestrial BBC or ITV show a
football
match and you try and watch it on Sky you get a message telling you
to
switch to terrestrial TV as they are not allowed to show them.

what rubbish!

Happens on BBC 1/2 Scotland D-Sat from time, tied up with sports
rights, and geographical coverage.

Presumably you can just switch to a Sassenach (sp?) BBC region to get
round the "problem"?

No, it relates normally to Scottish football matches shown only on BBC
Scotland.
Because BBC Scotland D-Sat is receivable over the whole UK (actually
western Europe) then some matches cannot be shown on D-Sat. BBC
Scotland DTT and analogue are only permitted to show them.


I've often wondered how installers can offer Freesat for those people who
don't have a hope of getting Freeview and still make it worth their while
without going way over the £150 standard installation charge. I guess many
are using second hand boxes and not supplying a card?

Can someone confirm the channels you can't receive without the Freesat card.

Thanks

If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside, as in
mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite systems for a Freesat
package, put together along the same lines as Freeview, would rocket.

For the price of a £20 viewing card there is nothing special about C4 and
Five which affects the viewer. For all practical purposes the Freesat
package works exactly like Freeview - but offers much more!

Can someone confirm the channels you can't receive without the Freesat
card.

All except these:
http://www.sdsdigital.co.uk/Freesky-...-List-p-2.html

-GB-Carpy wrote:

I've often wondered how installers can offer Freesat for those people
who don't have a hope of getting Freeview and still make it worth
their while without going way over the £150 standard installation
charge. I guess many are using second hand boxes and not supplying a
card?

Can someone confirm the channels you can't receive without the
Freesat card.

Thanks

Channel 4, five and Sky 3
--
Adrian

In message , Malcolm H
writes
If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside, as in
mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite systems for a Freesat
package, put together along the same lines as Freeview, would rocket.

For the price of a £20 viewing card there is nothing special about C4 and
Five which affects the viewer. For all practical purposes the Freesat
package works exactly like Freeview - but offers much more!


From the website:

"FTV (Free To View) means that although the channel is classed as Free,
you will require a Freesat card to actually View the channel. Available
through Sky directly on 0870 606 1111 for a one-off payment of £20 for 3
years usage. Please note the card can only work in a Sky Digibox."

I am having great trouble in understanding this Murdoch definition of
'free'?

Bob

"Bob Adams" wrote in message
news
In message , Malcolm H
writes
If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside, as
in
mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite systems for
a Freesat
package, put together along the same lines as Freeview, would
rocket.

For the price of a £20 viewing card there is nothing special about
C4 and
Five which affects the viewer. For all practical purposes the
Freesat
package works exactly like Freeview - but offers much more!


From the website:

"FTV (Free To View) means that although the channel is classed as
Free,
you will require a Freesat card to actually View the channel.
Available
through Sky directly on 0870 606 1111 for a one-off payment of £20
for 3
years usage. Please note the card can only work in a Sky Digibox."

I am having great trouble in understanding this Murdoch definition
of
'free'?

Bob

Er, not quite. I have Freesat and AFAIK there is no time limit - it is
a once off payment.

Curiously when I got mine it was also a freephone number - something
like 0800 500 003.

FTA means the channel is available free to anyone anywhe FTV means
there is no cost to watch but because the broadcaster (note - NOT
Murdoch) choose to encrypt their programs then you have to pay for the
card to make give your box the necessary information to be able to
decode it. This is largely because UK Sky cards are only supplied to
UK addresses so theoretically channels 4 and 5 cannot be viewed
outside the UK.....


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

harrogate3 wrote:
|| "Bob Adams" wrote in message
|| news ||| In message , Malcolm H
||| writes
||||| If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside, as
||||| in mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite systems
||||| for a Freesat package, put together along the same lines as
||||| Freeview, would rocket.
||||
|||| For the price of a £20 viewing card there is nothing special about
|||| C4 and Five which affects the viewer. For all practical purposes
|||| the Freesat package works exactly like Freeview - but offers much
|||| more!
||||
||||
||| From the website:
|||
||| "FTV (Free To View) means that although the channel is classed as
||| Free, you will require a Freesat card to actually View the channel.
||| Available through Sky directly on 0870 606 1111 for a one-off
||| payment of £20 for 3 years usage. Please note the card can only
||| work in a Sky Digibox."
|||
||| I am having great trouble in understanding this Murdoch definition
||| of 'free'?
|||
||| Bob
||
|| Er, not quite. I have Freesat and AFAIK there is no time limit - it
|| is a once off payment.
||
|| Curiously when I got mine it was also a freephone number - something
|| like 0800 500 003.
||
|| FTA means the channel is available free to anyone anywhe FTV means
|| there is no cost to watch but because the broadcaster (note - NOT
|| Murdoch) choose to encrypt their programs then you have to pay for
|| the card to make give your box the necessary information to be able
|| to decode it. This is largely because UK Sky cards are only supplied
|| to UK addresses so theoretically channels 4 and 5 cannot be viewed
|| outside the UK.....
||
||

Yet the seven BBC channels and ITV, like all of the German national channels
have absolutely no problems with broadcasting FTA via digital satellite ...
so what's so special about Channel 4 and 5 that makes them feel that they
must remain encrypted?





|| --
|| Woody
||
|| harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

"Ivan" wrote in message
...
harrogate3 wrote:
|| "Bob Adams" wrote in message
|| news ||| In message , Malcolm
H
||| writes
||||| If Channel 4 and 5 weren't so welded to Mr Murdoch's backside,
as
||||| in mainland Europe the sales of budget-priced satellite
systems
||||| for a Freesat package, put together along the same lines as
||||| Freeview, would rocket.
||||
|||| For the price of a £20 viewing card there is nothing special
about
|||| C4 and Five which affects the viewer. For all practical
purposes
|||| the Freesat package works exactly like Freeview - but offers
much
|||| more!
||||
||||
||| From the website:
|||
||| "FTV (Free To View) means that although the channel is classed
as
||| Free, you will require a Freesat card to actually View the
channel.
||| Available through Sky directly on 0870 606 1111 for a one-off
||| payment of £20 for 3 years usage. Please note the card can only
||| work in a Sky Digibox."
|||
||| I am having great trouble in understanding this Murdoch
definition
||| of 'free'?
|||
||| Bob
||
|| Er, not quite. I have Freesat and AFAIK there is no time limit -
it
|| is a once off payment.
||
|| Curiously when I got mine it was also a freephone number -
something
|| like 0800 500 003.
||
|| FTA means the channel is available free to anyone anywhe FTV
means
|| there is no cost to watch but because the broadcaster (note - NOT
|| Murdoch) choose to encrypt their programs then you have to pay
for
|| the card to make give your box the necessary information to be
able
|| to decode it. This is largely because UK Sky cards are only
supplied
|| to UK addresses so theoretically channels 4 and 5 cannot be
viewed
|| outside the UK.....
||
||

Yet the seven BBC channels and ITV, like all of the German national
channels
have absolutely no problems with broadcasting FTA via digital
satellite ...
so what's so special about Channel 4 and 5 that makes them feel that
they
must remain encrypted?




Often to do with contract terms assocaited with licencing of the
considerable number of US made shows that these two channels show, the
likes of The Simpsons and the various versions of CSI and Law and
Order are examples that spring to mind. As many people in Europe can
speak English they could watch UK FTA versions which would then
detract from the potential advertising revenue when their home
channels try to show them.

For the same reason, cable TV in Belgium for instance shows BBC1 and
BBC2 24/7, but no ITV channels at all, although I have noticed that
they sometimes take ITV feeds of sports events with their own
commentators (usually in the studio.)


--
Woody

harrogate3 at ntlworld dot com

Mario [email protected]
Apologies if this is the wrong group, but on the face of it, Sky's
freesat looks like a good deal...? [...]

It's not a good deal because:
1. the dish is custom-made and awkward to upgrade;
2. the receiver is custom-made and awkward to upgrade;
3. many of their installers seem to bodge it (dish not quite aligned,
insecure mounting, or just unnecessarily inaccessible most often);
4. you're buying from Murdoch, who dominates UK satellite broadcasts;
5. and standard sets are cheaper - can you drill 5 holes and connect
two wires? If so, don't buy Sky, unless you really can't wait for C4 and
five to become proper broadcasters and go free-to-air like BBC and itv.

--
MJR/slef
Sat FAQ: http://mjr.towers.org.uk/comp/astefaq.txt