Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Yes, but only "sort of".
Freeview is the name of the (BBC-backed) digital TV system that uses hilltop transmitters to rooftop aerials. It is run separately from the "Sky" satellite-to-dish service.
free-to-VIEW is a term for satellite channels that need a viewing card to watch, but not to collect a subscription. free-to-AIR channels are ones that can be received without needing a viewing card or subscription.
The free-to-AIR satelite service backed by the BBC and ITV is called Freesat. The free-to-VIEW service operated by Sky is called fSfS or Freesat from Sky.
As long as you have finished your first year, you can leave Sky when you want.
To do this just give Sky a call and tell them you don't want to subscribe any more.
If you stop subscribing you will be able to watch the hundred or so free-to-air channels listed on free channels list. This service is called Freesat from Sky (fSfS).
Some of the channels on the Freeview service are subscription only on satellite, specifically: 4Music, Challenge, Dave, Dave ja vu, Quest, VIVA and Yesterday . See these links to compare the TV channels on Freesat-from-Sky and Freeview, and to compare radio stations on Freeview and fSfS. Many homes have free satellite and Freeview to get the full range of channels.
You will still need to keep your Sky viewing card. If you stop subscribing on a Sky contract, you can keep using that card to watch 5USA, 5* and PICK TV, the so-called "free-to-view" channels. (All ITV channels are free-to-air).
It is not possible to plug an aerial into a Sky Digibox to receive Freeview channels because the boxes have not been designed this way.
You will continue to get the full Sky EPG listings; you just will not be able to watch subscription channels.
If you want to go for High Definition, HD, you can swap out your Sky box for a Freesat one very easily.
A card is not needed to watch BBC services, but it is needed to get the correct BBC ONE and BBC TWO regions on 101 and 102.
Another option is to disconnect your Sky Digibox altogether and Upgrade from Sky to Freesat - ukfree.tv. If you have an HD-Ready TV and a standard Sky box, this is a good option.
7:52 AM
I have just moved into a home that has a sky+ dish on the wall. If I connect this to a sky box will I be able to receive free channels,(I.e. bbc1, itv etc) without subscribing or obtaining a sky card?
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7:37 PM
I have a Samsung smart TV with sky tuners built in, i have fitted a dish and pointed it to astra. I can only get foreign TV stations. Do I need a card to get any English channels.
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7:56 PM
les rigby: A Samsung 6-8 series does have a sat. tuner, but its Freesat, not Sky. You'd best ask someone else about whether it needs retuning, etc. Other brands, such as Sony and LG also have generic sat tuners, which might explain only picking up foreign language stations. There is a thread here about last years F models, so it might be a help: Advice Needed - Expert help needed. Totally stumped! | Satellite & Digital TV Support forums
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8:15 PM
les rigby: What model of Samsung are you referring to? as the TV's tuning menu accessible when you select and click on "aerial" usually offering a choice of either Terrestrial, Freesat, Cable or Satellite (not necessarily in that order), the latter able to receive transponders covering Europe as well as the UK.
Unless you specifically wish to receive a foreign channel? always carry out an auto tune with Freesat selected, if though nothing is received, then your dish might be pointing at 19.2 degrees instead of 28.2, the difference in physical terms being fractional.
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9:26 PM
Les Rigby
I suggest reading the article at http://gonedigital.net/20…sh/, and then using the links to find out your azimuth and elevation plus the skew angle for you location. The dish must not be aimed at 28.2 degrees East of South - it will look at the wrong satellite! (BA147HQ)
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12:14 AM
les rigby : Just to clarify, when I referred to 19.2 and 28.2, this was referring to the satellite positions and not the compass bearing that your dish should be set to, although your dish cant be that terribly far out in the horizontal (left / right) plane or you would not be able to receive anything.
Have a look at the guide shown in the link, choosing the setting most appropriate to wherever you are located.
Aiming a dish at Astra 2.
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7:22 AM
I think there is some confusion because of the mis-use of the term 'Freeview'.
You cannot get freeview channels on a satellite receiver as freeview channels are terrestrial channels. To get freeview channels, you need a freeview receiver.
To get free-to-air channels, which is what people often mean when they refer to freeview channels, you can use either a freeview receiver, or a satellite receiver which could be a freesat box, or a Sky box. However, you will need to subscribe to get HD free-to-air channels on a Sky box.
You do not need to pay anything to get HD free-to-air channels on a freeview or a freesat box.
I hope this helps any confused people out there.
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8:51 PM
Hiya, first timer here, trying to get some help for my girlfriend. Ok, after deciding that she doesn't watch a lot of TV at home, she has stopped her subscription to SKY.
She still has all of the equipment and was under the impression that she would have freeview channels etc.
Is there any way to determine exactly what channels she should be getting as she seems to have pitifully few?
Thanks in advance.
John
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9:14 PM
John Guy: One of the easiest ways of determining what she will be able to view, or not as the case may be, is for her to remove the viewing card and run through the channel list, as a message will pop up on anything that requires a card to view it.
The only thing that may be noticed is that the local news channels will have reverted to London, but this will be rectified when the card is re-inserted even although Sky has been cancelled.
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9:26 PM
John Guy: Another point to note being, if the Sky box referred to is of the Sky+ / Sky+HD variety she will lose the recording / play back facilities, as when Sky is cancelled the box reverts back into being a standard version, as Sky cancels access to that side of the box.
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