Reply to: Freesat...

[HairyArsedBloke]

Freesat?

Some people here are clearly not as rich as they pretend.

I'm poor, very very poor.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Board Game Geek]

It's beyond ridiculous now.

How many boxes do you need these days so you can wallow in every channel imaginable serving up the same trash ?

Sky, then Freeview, then Llord knows what else...

I think the answer, if someone hasn't done it already, is to ask Farmer Jethro if you can have an acre, buy every flipping dish and decoder you can possible get, and then offer an internet streaming service to punters.

It's got to be more attractive than having 17 blimming boxes and 5 dishes for each property.

[pisces]

Freesat?

Some people here are clearly not as rich as they pretend.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Sky boxes do unencrypted stuff just fine (otherwise you wouldn't be able to watch the BBC, ITV etc.). Pull your card out if you don't believe me.

I assume what's actually new is they're now doing their own EPG - that's the channel numbers and programme information etc., which the new boxes will use. If you get Sky Freesat with a Sky box, you'll get all the Sky channels listed most of which you won't be able to see. Broadcasters have to pay money to Sky to be on the Sky EPG, so maybe some free channels will decide not to do that and only appear on the new freesat, but you can bet they'll only be scraping the bottom of the barrel shopping channels.

All a bit confusing for the consumer. But an old Sky box will be 99% as good.

Good points, well made. I don't pay for Sky but do have an old box and card and noticed the other day that it worked without the card so I should've known this.

[where did my id go?]

Nope. You need a sat dish - the dbox/dreambox/technomates/etc/etc all have software add ons to break the encryption - you still need to get the signal.

And of course the building owners can say no dishes. Depending on where it is it might not even be their call. planning etc.

[expat]

I've heard of something called a D-box which means you can get ALL the sky channels without having to have a dish installed - is this right?

If so it would be a boon to us as we live in a block of flats which has banned all satellite dishes

Are they allowed to do that, when there are channels that you can not get otherwise?

[KathyWoolfe]

I've heard of something called a D-box which means you can get ALL the sky channels without having to have a dish installed - is this right?

If so it would be a boon to us as we live in a block of flats which has banned all satellite dishes

[oracleslave]

Mum complained to me

Did the old man at least stand you a couple of pints

[where did my id go?]

Really?

Unencrypted?

Now yer talking...

Good God! I thought the giant lizards already knew how to get past that piffly encryption stuff....

I think that there is an issue with sky boxes in that they are limited to a signal rate of 27500 for SD and 29500 for HD, most of the dvb-s receivers will handle far more - of course that probably doesnt matter for the purposes of freesat. Also issues about channel lists/menus.

I've been using technomate boxes for a few years
plenty of cheap boxes on the market - look at the linux based ones for most 'functionality'

[TimberWolf]

My parents aim their dish at a German satellite and that's also got hoards of (mostly) free German programs. Mum complained to me (cos I bought and tuned in a replacement reciever, and scarped Sky) that it also has pron at night. Probably not HD though.

[TimberWolf]

Does this simply mean that C4 is now unencrypted, as BBC & ITV already are?

If so, my £40 Lidl receiver does the job quite admirably already.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freesat

Channel 4's channels, with the exception of Film4 are encrypted on digital satellite until October 2008. The broadcaster is in negotiations with Sky to allow the channels to be part of Freesat at or near launch, with the exception of Channel 4 HD.

[Advocate]

It comes with a free hoodie & shell suit though...

Tempting...how about a Nova/Corsa with some poorly glued on plastic?

[VectraMan]

OK - got it now - it's unencryted stuff on Astra 2d - you need a new box (Sky boxes use encrpytion),

Sky boxes do unencrypted stuff just fine (otherwise you wouldn't be able to watch the BBC, ITV etc.). Pull your card out if you don't believe me.

I assume what's actually new is they're now doing their own EPG - that's the channel numbers and programme information etc., which the new boxes will use. If you get Sky Freesat with a Sky box, you'll get all the Sky channels listed most of which you won't be able to see. Broadcasters have to pay money to Sky to be on the Sky EPG, so maybe some free channels will decide not to do that and only appear on the new freesat, but you can bet they'll only be scraping the bottom of the barrel shopping channels.

All a bit confusing for the consumer. But an old Sky box will be 99% as good.

[Advocate]

If they release a PVR it might be worth ditching Bt Vision, although I'm loathe to put a dish on the house...

[Peoplesoft bloke]

OK - got it now - it's unencryted stuff on Astra 2d - you need a new box (Sky boxes use encrpytion), but not a new dish (if you already have a Sky one :

Freesat HD Receivers
Bush BFSAT01HD — £119.99
Goodmans GFSAT200HD — £149.99
Grundig GUFSATHD — £149.99
Humax Foxsat-HD — price unknown
Freesat SD Receivers
Bush — £49.99
Goodmans GFSAT100SD — £69.99
Grundig GUFSAT01 — £49.99.

Freesat PVR
No Freesat recorders (PVRs) have yet been formally announced, though Humax have announced their intention to release one several months after the launch date.