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.
1:36 PM
fred wiseman: Programmes of that nature always involve a subscription irrespective of what mode they are received on.
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3:57 PM
Travel Channel on 405 and VIVA on 507 were added to the Freesat test region on 19-03-2013.
They are not (yet) available to the ordinary Freesat user (and VIVA is still encrypted).
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8:29 PM
We are thinking of cancelling our sky+ HD subscription and multiroom subscription, keeping broadband and telephone.
Would both tv's work viewing free channels on both sets
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9:03 PM
Glenda Lilley: If you are referring to viewing these channels via the dish then nothing will change, but though your box will in effect revert to being a standard non recording / playback type as Sky will disable your access to this facility at around the same time as they do your ability to view package channels, that is unless you take out another subscription (believe £10.25 per month) purely to allow you to retain the recording facilities.
You can check on the channels that you will be able to view by temporarily removing your viewing card.
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11:45 PM
Hi, we have a freesat box which has worked fine for the last year barring the odd snowy or very wet and windy night. but now it has suddenly got really intermittent signal strength and quality. The signal strength and quality on both tuners keeps jumping about constantly and often loses signal altogether. We have no signal coming through on BBC Iplayer or ITV player channels and sometimes lose BBC1 and BBC2 and then sometimes lose the various ITV channels. Is this likely to be a problem with the dish or with the cables or something else? Thanks
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11:43 AM
hi I am thinking of cancelling my sky and moving to virgin. With the 2 sky boxes we will have I wanted to put these into my children's room and use them for Freeview. The only problem is my children's room do not have an Ariel socket so I was wondering if this will be possible?
thanks
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rebecca hillier: You cannot use "Sky" boxes for "Freeview" because the latter is the system that comes from terrestrial transmitters and the former is a satellite service.
In order to view the non-subscription channels via the Sky box(es), you will need to run feeds from your satellite dish to the location of the box(es). Your LNB (the bit on the end of the dish's arm from which the cables are connected) may have spare ports (spare connections) else you may have to look at getting a new LNB with more ports these being available from online sources for around £10.
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11:32 PM
Our ex-tenants had Sky (+dish) and so weren't concerned when the old roof aerial went wonky.
We have now moved back in and given the cost of sorting out the aerial, we are now wondering if it would be best to utilise the existing Sky dish instead - either by going for a basic Sky package or going with FreeSat (if I have read the comments correctly?)
What are your thoughts? Any advice would be appreciated and thank you in advance.
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Mosey: Freesat is entirely compatible with the dish as from that point-of-view Sky and Freesat are the same.
I don't have one myself and am not a professional, but the Humax's are spoken highly of on here:
TV Recording HUMAX PVR - HUMAX UK Direct Sales Website
If you get a recorder you will need two feeds from the dish, which I assume you have as you refer to Sky+. This is so that you can receive two channels at the same time.
If you don't get a recorder then you only need one feed and the other remains unconnected.
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