Changing Sky+ to FreeSat (Or whatever it is called)

[pmanson]

Hi,

Just started renting a new house at uni which has 2 Sky+ boxes covering 6 different rooms in the house (3 off each box).

Now being tight arse students we don't want to pay £50 per month for it!

Can we get a couple of the FreeSat (or FreeView cards )from Sky and put them in the Sky+ boxes? So that we can still record to the HD etc but not have to pay £50 per month. Freeview has all the channels we normally watch anyway.


Cheers,

Phill

[mcflurry]

Yep - the cards are 20 credits directly from sky

[pmanson]

mcflurry said:

Yep - the cards are 20 credits directly from sky

Good! Wasn't sure if they'd work with the Sky+ though. (Couldn't see why they wouldn't but you never know!)

Do you still need a phone line for it to work? As we all have mobiles we never bother with a landline.

Cheers! (again)

Phill

[CB-Dave]

nope... it won't work

the sky+ is a subscription extra iirc.

[Byff]

The sky+ box will still work, but only as a bog standard digibox, you wont be able to use the record function.

[chim girl]

Ooh, can I jump on the bandwagon....

I've got a standard Sky box and pay a monthly subscription to Sky. However, the subscription channels don't get watched so it seems sensible to move over to Freeview. Can this be done using my existing Sky box?

[driftwood]

Freeview?????....if you mean the little digi box set up (and not free channels through Sky) and the signal is through your existing TV ariel....DO make sure that the area which you live in is able to receive the signal, and even then, if you live in an area like mine, you may not get a good signal. Our Freeview set up worked for about 8 months of the year but during the summer it became unwatchable and I had to get Sky.

[chim girl]

Hmm, sorry I'm using the wrong terminology (I have little interest in TV - can you tell!?) Let me try a different question.

Can I watch TV that I don't have to pay for, using my Skybox? I've been on the Sky website but is doesn't give any options other than the SkyMix package I have already.

I can't get a terrestrial signal here unless I get a roof mounted ariel/booster combination, having been on the Freeview website, they don't have coverage in my area either. So, all hopes are on something from Sky.

[dave_s13]

Alternative would be to stuff giving Sky there 20 quid and just by a integrated Freeview/PVR box.

£130 ish

www.247electrical.co.uk/epages/twentyfourseven.storefront/EN/Product/HUMPVR8000T80?STS=247&source=KELKOO

[byff]

chim girl said:

Ooh, can I jump on the bandwagon.... I've got a standard Sky box and pay a monthly subscription to Sky. However, the subscription channels don't get watched so it seems sensible to move over to Freeview. Can this be done using my existing Sky box?

I know what your getting at. If you've had your sky contract for over 12 months, then you can just cancel your sky subscription and the box should still pick up the free to air channels.

What ever you do, don't tell sky your still watching, I did this and now I'm down to just the normal five channels.

[Mastiff]

byff said:

chim girl said: Ooh, can I jump on the bandwagon.... I've got a standard Sky box and pay a monthly subscription to Sky. However, the subscription channels don't get watched so it seems sensible to move over to Freeview. Can this be done using my existing Sky box? I know what your getting at. If you've had your sky contract for over 12 months, then you can just cancel your sky subscription and the box should still pick up the free to air channels. What ever you do, don't tell sky your still watching, I did this and now I'm down to just the normal five channels.

make sure you unplug your telephone conection to the Sky box!

[grumpy rob]

chim girl said:

Hmm, sorry I'm using the wrong terminology (I have little interest in TV - can you tell!?) Let me try a different question. Can I watch TV that I don't have to pay for, using my Skybox? I've been on the Sky website but is doesn't give any options other than the SkyMix package I have already.

you should take a look at www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/ I paid 150 for a sky box and card. IIRC, if you have the box already and are over 12 months into subscription you should be able to cancel your monthly debit and just get a freesat viewing card. Without the card in the box you should just get free to air channels. There's not many of them.

[funinthesun]

had sky chap in this week to install new sky+ box, he notices that the cabling has been set up to route the signal from the single box to several other rooms , and says, you know we offer a multi room service, you can't run more than one set off of a box you know,...

sounds like a challenge to me...

[cotty]

funinthesun said:

had sky chap in this week to install new sky+ box, he notices that the cabling has been set up to route the signal from the single box to several other rooms , and says, you know we offer a multi room service, you can't run more than one set off of a box you know,... sounds like a challenge to me...

I run two TV's off one box as there is two TV outlets in the back of the sky/sky+ box. They both show the same picture but it means I can watch TV in the kitchen and the lounge without having to pay extra for multiroom. You just need an additional arial lead.

You should be able to run as many TV's as you like from one box its just a matter of splittting the output signal I presume

[funinthesun]

yep, our electrician said so too, hes installed an 8 way amp/splitter, with remote extenders as well, so tv everywhere.....nice job sparky...

[driftwood]

while we're talking about Sky TV...............a few years ago now, we had Sky TV. Just as the twelve months were up, I get a phone call from Sky one evening.'What programmes do you like watching?' 'What's your wife's favourite programme?' etc., After a while, the caller then tried to persuade me to take out insurance to cover against Skybox etc., breakdown. I declined his kind offer...oops...a week later...the Skybox packs up!
Several years down the road and we're back with Sky. Driftwood Jnr decides he's earning enough to have a Skyplus box etc., in his room. The date is set for their engineer to come and fix it all up, and on the day??????? that very day, the Sky Box packs up working. Luckily, he carried a Sky Box with him for me to buy! No insinuations here, just coincedences

[mcflurry]

funinthesun said:

had sky chap in this week to install new sky+ box, he notices that the cabling has been set up to route the signal from the single box to several other rooms , and says, you know we offer a multi room service, you can't run more than one set off of a box you know,... sounds like a challenge to me...

You can run co-ax and get the same channel on multiple tellys. However to watch more than one channel you need a dual lnb and extra cards (in case the polarity is different)

[pmanson]

Ok so it can't be done. Shame that!

The girls in the house really like watching E4 so I suppose we'll just plug in our existing Freeview box and use that instead.

I'm off to hunt around for a Freeview box with a HD. (They must be getting fairly cheap now!)