View Full Version : channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
the-cable-guy
10-05-2008, 23:37
free sat from sky: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_channels_on_Sky_Digital_in_the_UK_and_Irel and
freesat: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freesat
---------- Post added at 23:34 ---------- Previous post was at 23:30 ----------
seems like freesat have left out alot of channels from their service. i would of thought that you'd be able to manually tune these 'missing' channels ? however if not i cant see the point in freesat why would anyone pay for a service that offers less FTA channels on the same satellites as a service that is cheaper to buy out right (if you buy a Sky receiver & minidish yourself from eBay & Amazon) & is also FTA ? seems pointless to me.
---------- Post added at 23:37 ---------- Previous post was at 23:34 ----------
btw if you cant align a dish yourself aslong as you put it up yourself, a local installer should only charge you £30-£40 to align it for you (any more & their ripping you off).
It seems weird that a selection of those free channels, are only available on the top VM package :/
the-cable-guy
11-05-2008, 13:06
yep i agree i have both Sky FTV & VM XL & 2bh i get more channels for free on Sky then i do from paying VM.
Why not go to the horses-mouth:
http://www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=whatson.Main
http://www.freesatfromsky.com/?pID=3
the-cable-guy
11-05-2008, 14:58
aye according to all four links free sat from sky wins hands down with how many channels you will get.
So you are happy for control of satellite broadcasting in the UK to belong to BskyB instead of a not-for-profit organisation owned jointly by the BBC and ITV?
the-cable-guy
11-05-2008, 17:14
if it means that you get less channels from the same satellites then yes. 2bh i couldnt care less where the channels come from (although in this case its the same place) & i brought my equipment myself for alot less then either Sky or freesat charge so im not that bothered to be perfectly honest.
aye according to all four links free sat from sky wins hands down with how many channels you will get.
What is this obsession with the number of channels you can get? Since when has quantity = quality? Among the gazillions of channels Sky boasts as being part of their service are such televisual gems as Propeller, JML Lifestyle and Celebrity Shop. Have you ever watched them for longer than it takes to press 'channel up'?
If there are channels you genuinely want to have, that are not available on Freesat, then Freesat is not for you. But if everything you actually watch is on Freesat, I can't understand why on earth you care whether all the other cr@p is available as well.
Having said that, in time I fully expect a lot of the cr@p will appear on Freesat as well.And, incidentally, all the Five channels will be on Freesat as soon as they have disentangled themselves from Sky's nastly little carriage contract.
I am suprised that speed auction tv, third falling price channel from sit-up tv ( Virgin Media Television) is not on freesat
the-cable-guy
13-05-2008, 01:45
What is this obsession with the number of channels you can get? Since when has quantity = quality? Among the gazillions of channels Sky boasts as being part of their service are such televisual gems as Propeller, JML Lifestyle and Celebrity Shop. Have you ever watched them for longer than it takes to press 'channel up'?
If there are channels you genuinely want to have, that are not available on Freesat, then Freesat is not for you. But if everything you actually watch is on Freesat, I can't understand why on earth you care whether all the other cr@p is available as well.
Having said that, in time I fully expect a lot of the cr@p will appear on Freesat as well.And, incidentally, all the Five channels will be on Freesat as soon as they have disentangled themselves from Sky's nastly little carriage contract.
there is channels that i watch that aint on freesat that are on free sat from sky. thats not really the point tho, i cant see the point in having a 'new' service thats using the same satellites but gives less channels regardless of whether i watch them all or not. ppl keep saying that Sky are controlling well so are freesat as not all FTA channels are on their service, which clearly means that their dictating to ppl as to which channels they will get.
there is channels that i watch that aint on freesat that are on free sat from sky. thats not really the point tho, i cant see the point in having a 'new' service thats using the same satellites but gives less channels regardless of whether i watch them all or not. ppl keep saying that Sky are controlling well so are freesat as not all FTA channels are on their service, which clearly means that their dictating to ppl as to which channels they will get.
Well, first off, Freesat state that they will be carrying upwards of 200 channels by year's end. So pretty soon there should be no appreciable difference between the channel line up on FreesatFromSky and Freesat. I understand that the lack of channels available right now is to do with the need to get them on the Freesat EPG and in some cases, due to existing, exclusive encryption deals some channels have with Sky. So the only person dictating what you can't see on Freesat at the moment is James Murdoch.
Secondly, the 'point' in this new service - or points, as there are several reasons - is this:
(a) Freeview will never be able to offer a full HD service. And even when it does begin to carry some HD content, its users will require a new STB. Freesat offers BBC-HD right now, ITV-HD shortly, and 4-HD to follow, all guaranteed unencrypted and subscription free. Which is not the case with Sky. It is inevitable that one day -admittedly still a decade away at least IMO, but nevertheless - all channels will be HD, just as inevitably all channels went from monochrome to colour. And when that happens, you won't get them all on Freeview because terrestrial broadcasting doesn't have the bandwidth available to do so.
(b) Even if Sky did offer HD content FTA without charging you for their 'free' viewing card, the BBC and ITV quite rightly have nothing to gain by placing their HD fortunes in the hands of Rupert Murdoch, and everything to lose. If you want proof, then consider this: FreesatFromSky was only launched after the BBC and ITV announced their own Freesat service was being planned. That is the only reason it is possible today to get any kind of service from Sky without an ongoing subscription. So Freesat changed your viewing options, for the better, long before it even went live. Murdoch tried to head Freesat off at the pass by making it unnecessary but he has bargained without the HD effect. There are 10 million HD-ready homes in the UK, and a great many of them do not have Sky, and have no intention of subscribing to Sky. So where are they now able to go to get the most out of their new TVs?
Yup. :Yes:
the-cable-guy
13-05-2008, 20:07
i dont & didnt pay Sky a penny so you dont have to pay Sky to use their equipment. the other point is that when/if the channel line up is the same (as it should be IMO) buying second hand Sky receivers (which dont require a subscription) is still cheaper then buying freesat equipment atm, however this may change in time when the price of freesat (or any FTA) receivers goes down. one thing i have been wondering tho the interactive services that Sky uses for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, S4C, Sky News etc will ppl also get these on freesat or ?
The Freesat box uses MHEG for interactive services, a similar implementation to Freeview. Sky uses OpenTV (which isn't, because it's theirs). The interactive services you get on Freesat should therefore be similar in look, feel and function to what you get on Freeview. This blog posting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/05/bbci_on_freesat.html) at the BBC is very interesting on this subject.
Fair comment that you can pick up a secondhand Sky box and not pay for any FreesatFromSky set up, but that still won't get you a full range of HD services and it doesn't guarantee you ongoing unencrypted access to its content ...
Another point, in the long term it should be easier for broadcasters to get on Freesat because it won't cost them an arm and a leg to get on the Freesat EPG, unlike Sky which makes a mint out of providing this 'service'.
Arthurgray50@blu
13-05-2008, 21:18
This might be a strange question to ask and say, but what is the point of having another Freesat, system come onto the market, as we are overcrowded with this system, we already have, FREEVIEW,via an aerial, VM free channels, via cable, FREESAT, via a dish and Freesat from Sky, so whats the point, if they all give the same channels, and please don't say the price.
This might be a strange question to ask and say, but what is the point of having another Freesat, system come onto the market, as we are overcrowded with this system, we already have, FREEVIEW,via an aerial, VM free channels, via cable, FREESAT, via a dish and Freesat from Sky, so whats the point, if they all give the same channels, and please don't say the price.
I think I answered this in post 11. However if you want Freesat's own take on it, you could read this interview with Emma Scott (http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/may/12/itv.bbc) from Monday's Grauniad. She is Freesat's Managing Director, and previously did a lot of the work to launch Freeview, so if anyone's in a position to know why there is room in the market for another broadcast platform, it's her.
However, to sum up my view concisely, I think the main driver for people buying Freesat boxes is HD. And people are buying them, hand over fist. It's actually quite hard to get one if you go down your high street, they're selling that fast. So you may not understand the point of it, but somebody sure does. :)
Losttheplot
13-05-2008, 21:53
The Freesat box uses MHEG for interactive services, a similar implementation to Freeview. Sky uses OpenTV (which isn't, because it's theirs). The interactive services you get on Freesat should therefore be similar in look, feel and function to what you get on Freeview. This blog posting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/05/bbci_on_freesat.html) at the BBC is very interesting on this subject.
Fair comment that you can pick up a secondhand Sky box and not pay for any FreesatFromSky set up, but that still won't get you a full range of HD services and it doesn't guarantee you ongoing unencrypted access to its content ...
Another point, in the long term it should be easier for broadcasters to get on Freesat because it won't cost them an arm and a leg to get on the Freesat EPG, unlike Sky which makes a mint out of providing this 'service'.
OpenTV isn't Sky's. Far from it, its a Kudelski Group company (like Nagravision is).
Any company wanting to be part of Freesat will have to be on a transponder that recieves a feed of the data which provides the Freesat EPG etc. Not a major infrastructure change, but these steps are probably limiting the current number of channels on Freesat.
I think I'd rather have a Sky Freesat package at the moment, though even better I like the full Sky package I have now. I'm willing to pay for the channels I watch which tend to be the basic Sky ones.
the-cable-guy
13-05-2008, 23:24
OpenTV isn't Sky's. Far from it, its a Kudelski Group company (like Nagravision is).
Any company wanting to be part of Freesat will have to be on a transponder that recieves a feed of the data which provides the Freesat EPG etc. Not a major infrastructure change, but these steps are probably limiting the current number of channels on Freesat.
I think I'd rather have a Sky Freesat package at the moment, though even better I like the full Sky package I have now. I'm willing to pay for the channels I watch which tend to be the basic Sky ones.
Open is an American company if i remember correct, Sky pay them for using it.
---------- Post added at 23:24 ---------- Previous post was at 23:17 ----------
The Freesat box uses MHEG for interactive services, a similar implementation to Freeview. Sky uses OpenTV (which isn't, because it's theirs). The interactive services you get on Freesat should therefore be similar in look, feel and function to what you get on Freeview. This blog posting (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/05/bbci_on_freesat.html) at the BBC is very interesting on this subject.
Fair comment that you can pick up a secondhand Sky box and not pay for any FreesatFromSky set up, but that still won't get you a full range of HD services and it doesn't guarantee you ongoing unencrypted access to its content ...
Another point, in the long term it should be easier for broadcasters to get on Freesat because it won't cost them an arm and a leg to get on the Freesat EPG, unlike Sky which makes a mint out of providing this 'service'.
? what do you mean by it doesn't guarantee you ongoing unencrypted access to its content ?
even if a channel isint in Sky's EPG you can still watch it by adding it manually. some of the channels that are testing atm include Shorts TV, Bubble Hits +1, Playout 24/7 & csoT. there are also a number of health club & in store radio stations that have been broadcasting for years but aint in the EPG. Cost Cutter's In Tune has been broadcasting this way for at least the last seven years, as has CNN Radio. so it seems unlikely that these radio stations will ever be in the EPG, but then their not intended for the general public.
This might be a strange question to ask and say, but what is the point of having another Freesat, system come onto the market, as we are overcrowded with this system, we already have, FREEVIEW,via an aerial, VM free channels, via cable, FREESAT, via a dish and Freesat from Sky, so whats the point, if they all give the same channels, and please don't say the price.
A good question - and one that the Beeb and ITV are carefully avoiding answering! For they don't want to upset Sky any more than necessary.
IMHO, it's probably best to put it all down to history. If we were starting from scratch now I doubt we'd bother with a huge network of terrestrial transmitters that are expensive to build, maintain and power. Instead, we'd just opt for one satellite (okay five very close together) and broadcast to the whole country in one go. Of course some locations cannot be served by satellite so having alternative methods like terrestrial and cable can come in useful after all.
Enter Sky (a long time ago) who, after a little competition from BSB, take over the UK satellite market. As part of their conditions of service they are obliged to carry the basic 1-5 channels but manage to get the BBC to pay them many millions of pounds a year for doing this. In return Sky carefully encrypts all the signals and manages the distribution of the access cards so that only UK citizens can receive the signals - well nearly! Obviously the Beeb needs to demonstrate this as it only gets the UK rights for any films it shows.
Then the Beeb gets in contact with SES-Astra, the owners of some of the satellites that Sky use. They manage to adjust the focus the signal so that it only covers the UK - which satisfies the film owners.
http://www.ses-astra.com/resources/img-archive-consumer/sharedImages/UK/0_astra_2D_L.jpg
Now the Beeb can rent its own space on Astra but they don't have an EPG to go with it. Instead they pay Sky a reported £10M pa just to be included in theirs. The Beeb would like ITV to join the party but they are still tied into a carriage contract with Sky - until this year.
Now, ITV are free to jump ship. All that is needed is a EPG that is independant of Sky. Fortunately, one already exists and is used for Freeview. It is this one that has been adapted for Freesat.
Of course, Sky has got wind of all this and, presumably before the Beeb trademarked the name, created their own FreesatFromSky service in competition. FreesatFromSky would certainly not have existed without Freesat.
Now there are two competing satellite delivery systems and this will surely drive down the carriage charges. As more channels' contracts with Sky come up for renewal many of the non-premium ones may well move to Freesat - provided the service takes off.
I'm sure Sky will try to hang on to them for their FreesatFromSky service. Even if a customer isn't paying anything, Sky still has control and he may trade up to a paid service at some time. To compete, Freesat will need to build up some momentum.
No one wants a public brawl so the talk is over features that Freesat might offer. In fact there is little difference in the two services and it's all about fighting for control of the EPG - and the money that goes with it.
I doubt we'll ever see FreeCable but FreeIPTV must be on the cards.
That'll do - I'm sure it will read like rubbish in the morning without all that rum & coke!
the-cable-guy
13-05-2008, 23:55
free sat from sky has been around since day one it just never had a name before. you could buy the equipment without having a subscription from day one. still whether you think that Sky has too much control or if freesat is good or not, they claim that over time (in freesat's case) that they will have the same channels, the only difference being that at present Sky offer more channels & of course the EPG. this website: http://www.christiantv.org.uk/ offers a different FTA service that caters for christians & as they put it: 'Apart from the Christian channels, you can’t be sure of good content, and also from time to time any channel may change the frequency, which means that where a good channel is being broadcast, you can suddenly find a not-so-good channel. (It is the satellite companies who dictate the frequencies: it has nothing to do with the broadcasters or us.)'. however they like to control what buyers of their equipment watch: 'Pretuned Satellite Receiver with all Christian Channels for Astra 2 (28deg East) plus News Channels, Childrens programmes and BBC1-4, ITV1-4 including local regions. Undesirable channels removed. Total of over 100 channels all free to watch. This box makes you fully Digital and ready for the digital switch over.
If you buy this Receiver you will NOT need to buy a digital TV! Note: Channel 4 and 5 not currently available should be free about end of 2007 ready for the Digital Switch.' this service has been around for years now like.
Losttheplot
14-05-2008, 11:05
Open is an American company if i remember correct, Sky pay them for using it.
---------- Post added at 23:24 ---------- Previous post was at 23:17 ----------
They are based in California.
OpenTV like I said is controlled by Kudelski. They also own Nagravision, and are based in Switzerland. They are a direct competitor to NDS who do Sky's CA and EPG.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 11:45
yeah i though they were American based, i didnt know that they own Nagravision.
Losttheplot
14-05-2008, 11:56
yeah i though they were American based, i didnt know that they own Nagravision.
Open TV don't own anyone! They are controlled by Kudelski Group.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 11:58
lol ok then its controlled by not owned by :p:
Losttheplot
14-05-2008, 12:03
lol ok then its controlled by not owned by :p:
Kudelski OWN a CONTROLLING interest in OpenTv :p::p::p::p:
Where abouts in the great South Yorks are you? Ex Donny myself.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 12:05
Kudelski OWN a CONTROLLING interest in OpenTv :p::p::p::p:
lol ok then :p:
---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 ----------
Where abouts in the great South Yorks are you? Ex Donny myself.
Parson Cross in Sheffield mate.
<snip>
even if a channel isint in Sky's EPG you can still watch it by adding it manually.
Which only serves to prove why you're a good digital TV installer but would probably be a crap salesman.
No disrespect intended to you, but if you truly don't understand why 'buy your own kit and set it up manually' just doesn't fly with the British public, there is little point in me continuing trying to persuade you.
Freesat exists with a tiny staff and a tiny budget precisely because what they are offering, as is obvious to anyone who knows about satellite TV, is in essence simply a marketable, branded way of receiving free satellite broadcasts that have been there all along.
However, ask youself why it is that the 'manual' option has been there for years, yet without any take-up save for a few hobbyists ... and why Freesat boxes are now flying off the shelves faster than the manufacturers can make more of them?
Partly, it's because someone, in this case the BBC and ITV, is for the first time actually *telling* people they can have this, and, how dare they, actually doing the setting-up for them. Sky have hardly been forthcoming in publicising their own service; after all, they don't want to sell you a box, they want to sell you a subscription.
However the analysts are already beginning to point out the fact that there are now almost 10 million HD-ready TVs in British homes, yet Sky and VM between them have a mere 600,000 HD subscribers. Freesat offers free HD. Go figure it out.
---------- Post added at 18:45 ---------- Previous post was at 18:43 ----------
<snip>
Of course, Sky has got wind of all this and, presumably before the Beeb trademarked the name, created their own FreesatFromSky service in competition. FreesatFromSky would certainly not have existed without Freesat.<snip>
An astute summary, despite the rum & coke. ;) One thing however, the Beeb and ITV do own the trademark on Freesat, having registered it before announcing what they were up to. IIRC Sky required permission to use their variation on the name.
Tezcatlipoca
14-05-2008, 19:54
Freesat offers BBC-HD right now, ITV-HD shortly, and 4-HD to follow, all guaranteed unencrypted and subscription free. Which is not the case with Sky.
It's only not the case for Sky with ITV HD :) [Which, being ITV, prob. won't be too good IMO ;) ]
BBC HD is FTA - no need for a Sky HD subscription, no need for a "Freesat from Sky" card.
C4 HD is currently FTV, so requires a card but not a subscription. One it goes FTA (like all the other C4 channels have already done) & appears on Freesat, it will also therefore be FTA on Sky HD boxes too.
I don't pay for a Sky HD sub. - don't see the point/value. Happy with BBC HD & 4 HD.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 20:06
Which only serves to prove why you're a good digital TV installer but would probably be a crap salesman.
No disrespect intended to you, but if you truly don't understand why 'buy your own kit and set it up manually' just doesn't fly with the British public, there is little point in me continuing trying to persuade you.
Freesat exists with a tiny staff and a tiny budget precisely because what they are offering, as is obvious to anyone who knows about satellite TV, is in essence simply a marketable, branded way of receiving free satellite broadcasts that have been there all along.
However, ask youself why it is that the 'manual' option has been there for years, yet without any take-up save for a few hobbyists ... and why Freesat boxes are now flying off the shelves faster than the manufacturers can make more of them?
Partly, it's because someone, in this case the BBC and ITV, is for the first time actually *telling* people they can have this, and, how dare they, actually doing the setting-up for them. Sky have hardly been forthcoming in publicising their own service; after all, they don't want to sell you a box, they want to sell you a subscription.
However the analysts are already beginning to point out the fact that there are now almost 10 million HD-ready TVs in British homes, yet Sky and VM between them have a mere 600,000 HD subscribers. Freesat offers free HD. Go figure it out.
you can buy a brand new FTA satellite receiver for £30 & have been able to for some time, it'l be a sh*t model but still.
---------- Post added at 20:06 ---------- Previous post was at 20:04 ----------
It's only not the case for Sky with ITV HD :) [Which, being ITV, prob. won't be too good IMO ;) ]
BBC HD is FTA - no need for a Sky HD subscription, no need for a "Freesat from Sky" card.
C4 HD is currently FTV, so requires a card but not a subscription. One it goes FTA (like all the other C4 channels have already done) & appears on Freesat, it will also therefore be FTA on Sky HD boxes too.
I don't pay for a Sky HD sub. - don't see the point/value. Happy with BBC HD & 4 HD.
as you rightly said BBC HD can be received on any HD compatible satellite receiver & has been since launch, freesat hasnt changed that.
you can buy a brand new FTA satellite receiver for £30 & have been able to for some time, it'l be a sh*t model but still.
You're still not getting it.
Your £30 box gets you no HD, no EPG and no interactive services.
A Freesat box, while costing more, gives you HD (if you want it), an EPG and interactive both based on Freeview.
as you rightly said BBC HD can be received on any HD compatible satellite receiver & has been since launch, freesat hasnt changed that.A brand new Sky HD box, purchased without subscription to any Sky package, costs £349 (standard price £249 plus an extra £100 for dodging a contract). And that's not including installation or a viewing card. The Humax HD box for Freesat costs £150.
And please don't suggest that eBay is a viable option - the majority of people in the UK are no more comfortable with buying stuff off eBay than they are setting up their own satellite kit. Don't make the mistake of projecting your own skills and assumptions onto Joe Public. It doesn't work like that.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 22:53
You're still not getting it.
Your £30 box gets you no HD, no EPG and no interactive services.
A Freesat box, while costing more, gives you HD (if you want it), an EPG and interactive both based on Freeview.
it will have an EPG iv used a FTA receiver at 28 East & gotten an EPG & no ones gonna get HD for £30 are they come on.
A brand new Sky HD box, purchased without subscription to any Sky package, costs £349 (standard price £249 plus an extra £100 for dodging a contract). And that's not including installation or a viewing card. The Humax HD box for Freesat costs £150.
And please don't suggest that eBay is a viable option - the majority of people in the UK are no more comfortable with buying stuff off eBay than they are setting up their own satellite kit. Don't make the mistake of projecting your own skills and assumptions onto Joe Public. It doesn't work like that.
i never said a Sky HD receiver i said any HD FTA satellite receiver.
Well, they're not exactly prominently marketed, are they? Which one would you recommend? And what does it cost?
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 23:02
? are you on about a HD FTA satellite receiver ?
Yes - you have demonstrated that non-Sky, FTA SD receivers are readily available, and cheap ... I don't accept that they are nearly so user-friendly or marketable as Freesat, but never mind for the time being ... so now, can you show that FTA HD receivers are also readily available, and affordable?
Remember, the industry experts are already starting to offer the opinion that easy consumer access to free HD is the 'killer' proposition for Freesat. If Freesat is totally unnecessary for achieving that, then you *might* have a point.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 23:06
while iv never used one myself iv only heard good things about the Fortec Star Passion & at £99 from: http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=99265&doy=14m5 its good value too. btw most FTA satellite receivers are user friendly other then the Dream Box rage, but their more for use when hacking services.
Good find - now, what sort of EPG and interactive platform does the Fortec box offer? Will it offer ethernet, which is part of the Freesat box spec and will launch later this year?
It's interesting that Maplin is suddenly selling this box as 'Freesat friendly' - something I assume they weren't doing prior to Freesat's launch. Perhaps they recognise the need for a strong consumer brand to help the buying public to understand the proposition?
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 23:16
here are the specifications from the Maplin site:
Manufacturer: Fortec Star
Brilliant on-screen graphic
MPEG-2 digital and fully DVB compliant
MPEG-2 Video (MP@ML), MPEG-1 Audio Layer1, Layer2
RF-Modulator UHF 21~69 with PAL
LNB controlling logic(off/22kHz tone, 13/18V 14/19V)
SCPC/MCPC receivable from C / Ku-Band satellites
SDigital tuner with loop-through
Wide symbol rate 2~45Msps and frequency input 950 ~ 2150MHz
DiSEqC 1.2 supported
2 SCARTs for TV and VCR
S/PDIF digital bitstream output audio
User friendly, full-function OSD menu
256 Colour Graphic User Interface
Multi-language menu
4-digit 7-segment LED screen
Variable Aspect Ratio (4.3, 16:9) with Pan Vector or Letter Box
EPG(Electronic Programme Guide) for on-screen channel information
Text and subtitle supported (VBI and OSD)
Installation by Easy Setup Guide
Capacity for storing multi-channel (2000 channels, 500 transponders)
Favourite channel and parental lock function
RS232C port and OTA (Over-the-Air) for upgrading system software
---------- Post added at 23:16 ---------- Previous post was at 23:14 ----------
it doesnt say about interactive & 2bh ethernet is mainly used for adding hacked software & patching the receiver for watching pay tv (however as you will already know non is available for Videoguard). Maplin have been selling satellite receivers & dishes etc for along time so its not a new thing where their concerned.
just noticed that it has a USB port so that would do most of what the ethernet would, if you wanted to use third party software for example.
Yes, well I have bought a Humax Freesat HD box and I must say it is awesome. A lovely GUI with plenty of settings including DiSEqC etc.
HD looks great on it. I would advise you all to run out and get one. :angel:
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 23:23
? the DiSEqC control what version is it ? eg 1.1 or 1.2 etc ?
The important question though is it muppet friendly. Can somebody walk in and say "I want FreeSat for my HD telly" it gets set it up and thats it?
Most people arnt that bothered about tech details and just want to pay for something and use it. They dont want the bother of finding somebody to install and configure the system for them or learning to do it themselves, they much prefer to push a button on the remote and its there.
the-cable-guy
14-05-2008, 23:43
you can yes however if you pay for installation when you buy a freesat receiver, the shop will charge you £80. if you cant align a dish yourself but you put it up yourself it'l cost you £30-£40 for a local installer to align it for you (any more & their ripping you off). if you can drill a hole in a wall then you can put a satellite dish up, it aint hard ;) look in the yellow pages or on http://www.yell.com for a local installer, dont use the shop where you got it from as £80 is day light robbery.
if you can drill a hole in a wall then you can put a satellite dish up, it aint hard
Looks like your overestimating the average punter, I know many people who wouldnt want to do this (they dont even own a drill) and several of those that could but would put it up wrong, like on the wrong side of the house. For many the easiest would be just to let somebody who knew what they were doing do it which would mean a full installation charge from whoever they pick.
There is of course those millions who would just follow whatever the shop said as well.
the-cable-guy
15-05-2008, 00:12
well almost everyone that i know can drill a whole & common sense tells you to have it on the same side of the house that your neighbours dishes are ;)
They may be capable of drilling a hole but would they be willing to fit there own dish. You and I know its quite simple but most people will just not do it themselves.
As an example, my parents are perfectly capable of fitting a dish but they wouldn't do it as they would be worried of doing something wrong. My Grandparents are incapable of doing it.
Many people are perfectly capable of changing the oil on there cars after all its only one bolt but most dont and would rather pay somebody else. Why? worry over breaking something, not wanting to get there hands dirty, not knowing how to do it etc etc
---------- Post added at 00:23 ---------- Previous post was at 00:22 ----------
Anyway bedtime for me, I'll continue tomorrow evening if I remember
the-cable-guy
15-05-2008, 00:24
i see your point but you should give ppl more credit then that fella ;)
allthegearnoidea
10-06-2008, 22:06
Ok, hands up, I'm not exactly a techie, but I can navigate any/most menus, so is there an 'idiots' guide to adding extra channels to sky?
I have done the obvious & added the extra channels from the 'find new channels option'
But I guess you have to add the rest manually, where can I find a list of the frequencies, & a quick guide to how to install them*?
*this may become obvious when I actually go in to that menu :~)
Many thanks
Cheers.
As per another thread I did a scan 2 days ago of all the channels available at 28.2E so if you have a FTA or a sky box that is manually tuneable here's a list of all the channels (including encrypted) that you can tune into including full tuning info
http://www.hugzzz.com/upload/channels.csv
Kymmy
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.