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Upgrading from Sky+HD to Freesat+HD

What to do if you want to stop subscribing to Sky+HD but do wish to record/pause/play free HD television.

What to do if you want to stop subscribing to Sky+HD but do wis
published on UK Free TV

You might get a glossy magazine every month, but what do Sky really think of your custom?

"Give me a f**king name on a direct debit and it's mine for life,"
- Sam Chisholm, former boss of BSkyB.


Perhaps you responded to an offer like the one blow that promised a gratis Sky+HD box (for new customers taking their first Sky+HD package) with free standard set-up



But you were so excited with the thought of a £50 M&S voucher that you didn't think to follow each of the little daggers and little stars to quite read all the terms and conditions:



So, your twelve months of commitment are over and, for reasons of budget (or politics) you have decided you want to keep all the features of Sky+ - live pause, high definition, extended electronic programme guide, series record, and recording two programmes at once whilst you watch another - but don't want to fork out every month on top of your TV Licence - and you still get hundreds of free TV channels

Here's what you can do.

First you need to buy a Freesat+HD box. There are many on the market, and can be bought from Argos, Currys DIGITAL, John Lewis, Comet and online at Amazon, as well as other stores.

When you use a Freesat+HD box NO SUBSCRIPTION HAS TO BE PAID. NONE. NOT A PENNY TO ANYONE.

Installing

This will take no more than ten minutes. First you will need to disconnect the Sky+HD box mains from the wall socket.

Then you will need to disconnect the cables from the back of the Sky+HD box.

Pull out the mains power connection (1), carefully unscrew the satellite dish links (2) and (3), and then take out the HDMI lead (4) to your HDTV. If you have an "surround sound" amplifier, you may also have a digital audio connection (5).

Remove the Sky+HD box and put the Freesat+HD box back in the same position.



Then reconnect the cables: the mains power cable (1) - but not to the wall just yet, screw the two satellite dish links (2) and (3) and connect the HDMI cable (4) to your HDTV. If you had one, reconnect the digital audio connection (5).

If you have an Ethernet router, you can connect it to the Freesat+HD box at this point (5).

With everything in place, turn on the mains power and power up the Freesat+HD box.

The TV screen first displays the box's logo



The first set-up screen allows you to select the TV type, widescreen mode and resolution:



Next the box checks for the satellite signal:



Then there is a check for updated software:



Then you enter your postcode and the box checks it:



The next step is a scan for channels. This takes about 30 seconds:



And that's it. You can now view channels, like 108 for BBC HD:



Or press the GUIDE button for the EPG:



And that's it.

Help with Free satellite?
What can I do when my Sky Digibox says 'No Signal' or 'Technical fau1
Can I receive UK TV in Ghana?2
What is a CA module?3
My box says "No Satellite signal being received"4
Is there any way I can get free channels via satellite and have the kind of hard5
In this section
Freesat adds a plethora of new channels in time for Christmas including channel 1
A tale of a two Freesat boxes2
Yesterday, Drama and Really joining Freesat this month3
PBS America joins Freesat for Halloween4
Fixing the Freesat Freetime internet connection problem5
Satellite TV operators FRANSAT, TIVUSAT and our Freesat launch FreeTV Alliance 6

Comments
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

4:58 PM

richard blunt: You need two connections to the dish if you want to record 2 programmes.

This is true for any piece of satellite equipment.

But you could fit a 8-output LNB ("oct-LNB") to the dish, in place of the quad-LNB you have?

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
Friday, 18 October 2013
M
Mandy eglinton
12:26 PM

Hi. I am in the process of switching from sky to Virgin. Lots of reasons why... However I have read that I can usmy sky hd+ to receive free sat but obviously not able to record pause etc this is not an issue.
At the moment I can watch and control my sky box using the magic eye In most of the rooms around the house. Will this still be the case once I have switched as long as I leave the. Sky box alone and just remove the viewing card
Many thanks

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Mandy eglinton's 1 post GB flag
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
M
Matt
7:30 PM

Hi, I've been reading the questions and answers but am still struggling a little sk would be very grateful for some help.

My current set up is sky plus and an aerial into the back of the sky box. This allows me to have 1 sky box in the lounge and use magic eyes powered from a tv link box to watch sky all around the house (same channel everywhere). It also allows any tv to watch freeview too, so we could have sky on in lounge and someone else watches freeview in a bedroom and someone else can watch either the same sky channel as the lounge or indeed yet another different freeview channel.

If we change to freeview or freesat box can the same be achieved.

I have seen triax tri links for sale which would power the magic eyes for freeview or freesat and pump out the one channel around the house with magic eye functionality but would we still get the freeview option too so we can watch another channel.

Only, as far as I can see all boxes only either have satellite inputs or aerial inputs, where as sky has both.

Does that make any sense and is there anyway of achieving this?

Many thanks in advance

Matt.


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Matt's 2 posts GB flag
M
Matt
8:18 PM

Found the answer. Triax tri link will let you distribute freesat around the house and control it via magic eyes and will also allow freeview to be distributed and watched independently too. Thanks anyway. Here's the instruction video. Bye bye sky!!!! Triax Tri-Link Kit - How to Install & Setup - YouTube

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Matt's 2 posts GB flag
Sunday, 19 January 2014
H
Hogie
1:48 PM

Hi, new to this site. I have sky+ hd box and subscribe to sky for all but movies but not subscribed to hd service. Did have multiroom subscription in bedroom but cancelled 2 years ago. Can I use old skybox in bedroom to receive free to air channels without paying sky £25 for the privilege?

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Hogie's 1 post GB flag
Briantist
sentiment_very_satisfiedOwner

1:58 PM

Hogie: yes. The box should be doing that already.

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Briantist's 38,915 posts GB flag
Sunday, 17 August 2014
S
Susan
10:49 PM

I have moved to a house with a sky dish but no ordinary aerial. Bought a freesat box and connected the hemisphere cable to the TV but the two screw-in connections from the sky satellite dish don't fit into the two ports at the back of the freesat box. They look like they should be aerial inputs. Am I kissing something really obvious? Can I change these connections so the sky dish connects to the freesat box? Would really appreciate advice thank you.

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Susan's 3 posts GB flag
S
Susan
10:51 PM

Two hilarious typos on my last message. Should be HDMI not hemisphere cable (strange spellcheck!) and missing not kissing! Thanks for any advice provided

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Susan's 3 posts GB flag
J
jb38
sentiment_very_satisfiedPlatinum

11:06 PM

Susan: The "F" type connectors fitted on the ends of the coax coming from the dish are exactly the same on "all" satellite equipment, whether it be Sky, Freesat or anything else, if these screw type connectors do not fit your box then you do "not" have a Freesat box, but possibly one designed for Freeview which uses a normal aerial.

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jb38's 7,179 posts GB flag
Monday, 18 August 2014
S
Susan
8:05 PM

Susan: thanks that's incredibly helpful. Any recommmendations on a freesat box?

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Susan's 3 posts GB flag
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