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.
1:11 PM
Basingstoke
I have sky HD with a sky plus box and want to cancel my sky tv but still have my broadband/phone with them. I assume I would get the free channels without doing anything but I do not want to lose the programmes that i have recorded on my sky plus box- would these be lost and would I be able to still record if I was paying sjy for broadband/phoneline?
Ian
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Ian's: mapI's Freeview map terrainI's terrain plot wavesI's frequency data I's Freeview Detailed Coverage
3:34 PM
No it stays the same on all channels.
I just tried removing the scarts, and no change.
If I buy a freesat box, and conect it to my sky dish would that solve the problem, or could it be with the dish ?
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4:50 PM
James B: If you have carried out the signal strength / quality test mentioned in my reply and the indications are in line with that also mentioned, then the actual box is almost certainly the cause of your problem.
Purchasing a Freesat box is almost guaranteed to cure your problem, provided of course that its not your TV at fault! as it indeed it wont be if the noise vanishes when the Sky box is switched to standby or off all together.
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3:22 PM
Hi, I have cancelled sky and am soon to have BT freeview installed. As I live in rented accommodation, I do not want to run an aerial cable down through the house from the loft where I will put my new digital aerial. This is my plan: cut one of the cables from the LNB (just after the LNB) and connect it to the loft aerial cable. At the disconnected sky box end, change the plug to a normal (RF plug) tv plug for the freeview box. My hope is that there will not be too much signal loss from the connected cable and of course I will still have 1 cable from the LNB to keep using sky box on its meager free channels if I want to. Will this work? Please help. Thank you, Ivor.
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8:42 AM
I have a new computer with tv,i have a sky plus box and would like to no if I can use this and if so what do I need
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8:27 PM
Hi, I have just got rid of my sky subscription. I had multi-room in the package. My question is....
Can I get rid of my 2 sky + HD boxes and replace them with 2 freesat + HD boxes? Will I get a picture in my bedroom and the living room and not need to pay a subscription?
Any help would be great,
Thanks
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8:46 PM
Deano: If you are just replacing Sky+ HD boxes with Freesat+ HD types and which by their very nature does not require a subscription, then the answer is yes as its a direct swap over, but though if you have a TV in another room working from any of the Sky boxes RF1 or 2 analogue outputs then it will not work, as Freesat boxes do not have RF modulators.
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12:15 AM
Hi,
Just finished Sky+ sub, still have the box and am now getting the usual 100+ free Sat channels. I would like to use the box to pause/record/rewind live TV and can't imagine getting the box to do that is any more of an issue than a software jobby. Any advice? Don't see why I shoudl pay £150 for a freesat box when this Sky box is essentially the same bit of kit.
Thanks!
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10:25 PM
Tony, have a look on fleabay at Pace 3100's. You'll find something interesting.
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11:39 AM
Hi,
I have just upgraded my box from sky+ to sky+HD. I would like to use the old sky+ box upstairs as a freesat box to replace the sky magic eye setup that we are currently using. However I just keep getting the 'no signal is being recieved message'. Is there a way to do this without paying for sky multi-room? Thank you!
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