Digital TV Cost Cutting Article - Discuss What You've Been Offered

BexTech

lesleyfb wrote: »

What can you do if you suspect the LNB has been damaged by rain/wind. Do I need to get a replacement dish so I can receive the free channels? Or should I buy a freeview box with a new digital aerial? Any views?

Do you know someone with a satellite receiver you can test on your dish?

If that works OK then it's highly likely your box.

If the rain has damaged the LNB then you can replace just the LNB it just unscrews from the arm on the dish and pops off, you then pop another one on and tighten the screw.

If the wind has moved the dish then it needs realigning.


It might be worth checking whether your box is faulty first and if it is contacting an satellite install to ask them how much it would be to either replace the LNB or realign the dish.

LNBs for the Sky mini-dishes can be bought off eBay, they even sell Quad and Oct LNBs for Sky mini-dishes for if you want more than one box running off the dish. Though you need to make sure they are for Sky mini-dishes and not for standard dishes if you have a Sky mini-dish.

Lill111

I emailed sky as our Sky+ box keeps having funny turns and because i really wanted the Sky anytime too.I said that we had been customers for years and that we had sky talk now too and that i was really angry that people who sign up now get a new style box with anytime and that we are thinking of cancelling as loyal customers get no perks from sky.
I had a mail back saying as we have got an old style box we would not get anytime and that they are sorry but if we want we could buy a new style box and the prices are on sky.com, i had a look and nearly fainted at the price there is no way we can afford that we pay sky £70 a month for the phone and the whole package with multiroom.
How do i go about getting one of those new boxes of them?
Do i ring up and cancel my husbands Sky( he is moaning as he does not want to be without his channels) and sign up as a new customer in my name?
Any help would be grately apreciated.

BexTech

Lill111 wrote: »

How do i go about getting one of those new boxes of them?
Do i ring up and cancel my husbands Sky( he is moaning as he does not want to be without his channels) and sign up as a new customer in my name?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You phone up and cancel and tell them why, you have to be prepared to go through with the cancel.

They will usually try what they can to keep you, £70 per month each and every month is a lot of money for them to lose, so they won't want to.

Try and call up early in the day there used to be a certain few days to which were good days but I forget, as they only had so many deals, even if they say OK we'll cancel that for you, it's a 30 day notice period, so you have 30 days to call in and say you've changed your mind and they have 30 days to call you and offer you a package / equipment to stay, if they don't and you do cancel then they may call you or write to you with offers.

makinprogress

Apologies for being so 'simplistic' before I start!
Our Sky+ sub is due to be 'cut off' on Tuesday. Until 8 months ago we had the full package of 6mix and films and sports. (+multiroom) but then knocked it down to mix6.
Phoned Sky in Dec to ask for any deals on Films and Sports, to be declined.
Husband cancelled with an arrogant Tel. Operator!

If we decide to go back to them in future, is it just a case of re-activating the line? (told you this was simplistic!)

And...the main thing I am going to miss is the SKY+ features, of just being able to call up the Screen Listings, highlight and press record.
If we bought a Hard Drive Recorder, will this be as simple, or will a recording have to be programmed? Hope that makes sense?
(we have a new TV with Freeview, so most channels are there, but its the RECORD and Menu facility I am worried about!)

Thanks for any advice in advance!

BexTech

Afraid I don't understand the reactivating the line comment, Sky uses satellite and not lines, no phone line required to view Sky, however you do need a phone line if you have multi-room so Sky can make sure both boxes are in the same home.

When you cancel Sky as the equipment is yours you can continue to receive the 200 or so free TV and radio satiations (such as ITV, BBC, True Movies, Zone Channels) - there's no way Sky could stop you anyway as they are Free To Air and Sky don't control channels that aren't their own, also the viewing card reverts to a FTV card (AKA FreeSatFromSky Card) giving you access to Ch4, Ch4+1, Five, Five US, Five Life & Sky Three.

If you decide you want to subscribe again, you just call them up and ask them to switch you back on, you won't be held to a 12 month contract unless they offer some special offers that state a new 12 month contract is required, you just have to give 30 days notice of cancelling.

You can pick up a Freeview Playback system, this has similar functions as a Sky +. These are PVRs.

There are also DVD / HDD Recorders with built-in Freeview Tuner, not all these have Sky+ like features, but usually also allow you to record from and external source, such as a Sky box.

airtrack12000

makinprogress wrote: »

Apologies for being so 'simplistic' before I start!
Our Sky+ sub is due to be 'cut off' on Tuesday. Until 8 months ago we had the full package of 6mix and films and sports. (+multiroom) but then knocked it down to mix6.
Phoned Sky in Dec to ask for any deals on Films and Sports, to be declined.
Husband cancelled with an arrogant Tel. Operator!

If we decide to go back to them in future, is it just a case of re-activating the line? (told you this was simplistic!)

And...the main thing I am going to miss is the SKY+ features, of just being able to call up the Screen Listings, highlight and press record.
If we bought a Hard Drive Recorder, will this be as simple, or will a recording have to be programmed? Hope that makes sense?
(we have a new TV with Freeview, so most channels are there, but its the RECORD and Menu facility I am worried about!)

Thanks for any advice in advance!

You still have the menus and you still retain the sky + record features, live pause rewind etc BUT only for the free channels

makinprogress

airtrack12000 wrote: »

You still have the menus and you still retain the sky + record features, live pause rewind etc BUT only for the free channels

Really? I would be very pleased if this is the case.
Thanks for your comments.
Also to Bex...cheers, and sorry about the 'line activation', I really don't get this stuff!
Doh!
Will post again if Sky contact with any offers before Tues, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't know how I survived before I discovered MSE!

BexTech

I was lead to believe although the Sky+ recording function is free if you subscribe to a TV package, if you want to keep the facility when you no longer subscribe to a package you then need to pay £10 / month for it. Some Sky CS aren't aware you can keep Sky+ recording without TV subscription.

Middle_Sister

My husband bought a new LNB but that didn't work. He tried our old Sky box (before we got Sky+) and that didn't work either. We bought a freeview box but it wouldn't receive ITV channels only BBC. I'm missing American Idol. Should I buy a complete new satellite system or get a new freeview box & aerial fitted by an aerial company? Help.

dean2230

airtrack12000 wrote: »

You still have the menus and you still retain the sky + record features, live pause rewind etc BUT only for the free channels

I have cancelled Sky+ and with it goes all the facilities its £10 a month unless you have a premium channel subscription.

The facilities are free with BT Vision.