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.
All questions
In this section
Sunday, 3 May 2015
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jb386:27 PM
John Dunmall: When you cancel your Sky subscription your viewing card automatically reverts to being a normal viewing card of the type referred to, as all Sky does is to disable (via OA download) the access code which enables you to view the channels associated with the package you happen to be subscribed to.
You can of course view a range of channels on a Sky box without the card even being inserted into the box, as all the card really does (when no subscription is involved) is to allocate the news services etc appropriate to the area you reside in, otherwise the box defaults to London.
However, you will lose the recording and playback side of your box by cancelling your subscription, plus you will be restriced as far as viewing HD channels are concerned, as you will be limited to BBC HD channels / ITV1HD / Ch4 HD but not anything of a +1 nature.
But though on the subject of recording, Sky was offering ex-subscription customers the chance of retaining the recording / playback side of their box if they took out a new subscription "purely for this purpose" at the time of cancelling their package, the cost being around £10.00 or so per month, although to my knowledge, most viewers decided against going down this route and opted to purchase a Freesat twin tuner recorder which is 100% compatible with Sky dish systems.
By the way, you can easily find out what you will, or will not be able to view once you cancel your subscription by removing your card then running through the channels normally viewed.
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Tuesday, 5 May 2015
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John Dunmall3:40 PM
This is very helpful JB38 and it tends to confirm my view that Sky probably have more power than they deserve in being able to charge outlandish amounts of money for not very much. Freesat seems the best bet.
However, could you just confirm for me that I would need a Freesat box for both TV's and that in doing so I can watch different channels at the same time on each TV.
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jb387:47 PM
John Dunmall: On the latter mentioned, the answer is yes, as both boxes would be operating completely independent of each other.
However, if your Sky HD multiroom box is of the Sky + (recording) variety and not just an HD Sky receiver, then the twin feeds from the dish would enable you to purchase a Freesat HD twin tuner recorder (PVR) to replace it, as this would allow you to view one channel whilst recording another, or indeed record two channels at the same time in exactly the same way as on a Sky+ box.
If though your multiroom box is only a receiver? then you will only have one feed from the dish, which although being perfect for a Freesat HD receiver, e.g: A Manhattan HD-S2 @ £44.00 (J/Lewis) being an excellent lower cost device, you could possibly have a second coax feed run from the dishes LNB "if", as is likely to be the case, its fitted with a 4 port quad block, although if its not, quad block kits are available from e-bay outlets for only around £10.00 or so.
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MikeB9:49 PM
John Dunmall: In addition to JB38's excellent advice, you could see if your TV's actually have a sat. receiver. About six years ago, a fair number of Panasonics and the occasional LG had Freesat tuners. Although these pretty much disappeared about four years ago, about 2 years ago most LG's and Sony's got (and still have) generic sat. tuners. OK, so not a Freesat EPG, but perfectly useable.
If you've bought a mid or high level Samsung in the past couple of years (so a 3D TV), then there is a decent chance you have a Freesat tuner (or even two) built in.
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Thursday, 7 May 2015
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John Dunmall6:18 PM
JB38 and MikeB. Thanks so much for your good advice - this really is a very helpful forum.
Yes, I have a Sky + recording box attached to each TV. Both TV's are LG - one (55") I bought about 5 years ago and the other "39" I bought last year. I will have a look at the handbook to see if there is any reference to Freesat but I don't remember seeing it.
I think the Freesat HD twin tuner recorder for each TV would be the best answer for me. And the cost would easily be offset by the savings on I year of Sky TV Subs. Are you able to recommend the one which you think is the best quality product ?
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MikeB11:17 PM
John Dunmall: If they are LG's, then certain models did have them about 5-6 years ago. If the 39in you bought last year is a 575 (a good bit of kit, although we didn't stock much of the 39), then its likely to have a generic sat, tuner on the back. Simply look at the back of the TV, and look for a screw-in fitting exactly the same as the one on the back of the Sky boxes, etc. If you have one, then (if your not bothered about the EPG being Freesat), your sorted.
You would see any reference to Freesat in the manual. A) Its not Freesat, but a generic tuner. B) LG for the past year or two havn't made a big deal of this tuner - in fact an LG rep told me 'we dont talk about it' when I first spotted an F fitting on the back of it.
As for the PVR - Humax is pretty much the only game in town (OK, there is Manhattan..). Its certainly the only brand (apart from Panasonic) that we recommend at work for PVR's generally.
The 500gb version Buy Humax HDR-1000S Freetime Smart 500GB Freesat+ HD Digital TV Recorder | John Lewis
is getting a bit scarce, perhaps because its cheaper than the 1tb, but also perhaps a new version is coming out? The 1tb is about £195. Both of course have Freetime, so you'll get all four channels on demand. If you want to wifi it, then the dongle for it is about £30. Of course the one with wifi built in (the white one) is 1tb, and is about the same price as buying the black version and the dongle!
Brianist has commented that he loves his Humax, so it comes highly recommended!
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Friday, 8 May 2015
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jb3812:02 AM
John Dunmall: I would certainly second that said by MikeB as far as Humax is concerned, as speaking from the engineering point of view, Humax brand devices are known as being about the best in the market for overall reliability and performance, this backed up by my own Humax Freesat twin tuner HD PVR having given 100% reliable service for over four years now since purchasing same, the device having been powered up continuously over the entire time.
This company manufactures a number of Freesat PVR's with slightly different specifications, some more sophisticated that others, and so rather than rhyme them off you can have a look at what's on offer by clicking on the undermentioned link, the Freesat range shown on the right hand side of the screen, although ignore the HB1000S as its only a receiver.
HUMAX
By the way, on the subject of Manhattan, although I did recommend the HD-S2 Freesat receiver, this does not necessarily extend to the PVR version of this receiver.
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Monday, 11 May 2015
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jayne1:14 PM
I only keep going with my sky subscription for signal. When the sky box is turned off the picture breaks up into little pixels. I have had someone to look at my area, who can't understand it, but is willing to replace my area as that should help. If I cancel sky, can I continue to use the sky box just for reception?
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jb385:32 PM
jayne: Cancelling your Sky subscription will only result in you not being able to view channels that are linked to the subscription. If though your Sky box is of the + (recording) variety, then Sky will disable access to this side of the box.
You can easily find out what you will be able to view simply by removing the card and running through the programme list, any that requires a subscription will trigger the caption, "please insert viewing card".
By the way, when you say that the picture breaks up into little pixels when you turn the Sky box off, are you referring to that seen on a Freeview TV or box?
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jb386:55 PM
jayne : In addition to that said. If you are referring to a picture seen on a Freeview device? then if your Freeview devices (TV or box) aerial input socket is connected into the Sky boxes RF1 / 2 rather than the actual aerial, this being connected into the Sky boxes aerial input socket, then your picture "will" break up (or vanish) if you switch the Sky box off.
Should your system be connected in this way? then you can get over the problem by simply connecting the lead from the actual aerial straight into the Freeview TV rather than into the Sky box.
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