Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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 ----------

? 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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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/i...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!

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

yeah i though they were American based, i didnt know that they own Nagravision.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

Open TV don't own anyone! They are controlled by Kudelski Group.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

lol ok then its controlled by not owned by :p:

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

Kudelski OWN a CONTROLLING interest in OpenTv :p::p::p::p:

Where abouts in the great South Yorks are you? Ex Donny myself.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

lol ok then :p:

---------- Post added at 12:05 ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 ----------

Parson Cross in Sheffield mate.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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 ----------

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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from 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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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 ----------

as you rightly said BBC HD can be received on any HD compatible satellite receiver & has been since launch, freesat hasnt changed that.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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.

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.

Re: channel lists for freesat & free sat from sky
 

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.

i never said a Sky HD receiver i said any HD FTA satellite receiver.