Freesat - some advice please?

GAILEY

Hi, Hope someone can advise me please...
I have sky + at present and am paying about £17 per month for it. I am out of contract - as we've had it ages.
The tv finally blew up on Wednesday night and is not viable to repair (it's one of the first "flat" screen models ...huge, triangle shaped and needs 2 + people to lift it:eek:). I have been looking at new tv's online today...which got me thinking about freesat. It seems I can get a normal HD ready tv, or one with freesat built in..... I don't watch a massive amount of tv, and most of it is mainstream but I would really miss the ease of recording etc that sky + brings.
Am I right in thinking that I would have to buy a seperate freesat recording box to go with the tv to bring it to the equivalent of the sky + position - and if I have to do that there is presumably no advantage in buying a tv with freesat built in, with the extra expense that that brings, as it will come with the box I will have to buy anyway??
Any advice would be much appreciated

david39

I don't know about your recording query but remember that Freesat currently only has BBC and ITV HD.
There has been mention of Channel 4 HD being put on to it but the last I heard of that was over a year ago. There was also some talk of a Nat. Geog-type HD channel, too, but that seems to have gone the same way.

You might consider the alternative of Freeview, which is about to launch HD channels but they will NOT be receivable through current Freeview boxes or the tuners built into current recorders or current HD television sets. You will require new-generation equipment coming along shortly.

GAILEY

Thanks David...

still more questions...if I cancel sky + will they take the sky+ box back - or can I just keep the box, with it's recording facilities, just without the pay channels??

penrhyn

The Sky + box you have is yours to keep as is your dish.
If you cancel Sky then your card will revert to a Freesat from Sky card, however you will lose the recording and playback features of the box.
You can retain these by paying Sky £10/month.

You could of course buy a Freesat PVR which would have the same facilities a a Sky + box, this would use your existing dish.

Have you thought about Freeview or the up coming Freeview HD (Terrestrial) service?

almillar

If you need to buy a TV NOW, then Freesat would be an option, as you'll have HD built in. If you want to record stuff, you can buy a Freesat HD recorder NOW, or wait for Freeview HD ones (and signal in your area) to come along, when you'll have the choice of either. As above, Sky want you to pay them every month to allow you to record stuff. Your Sky+ box will just be a very energy inefficient Sky box.

ukcarper

GAILEY wrote: »

Hi, Hope someone can advise me please...
I have sky + at present and am paying about £17 per month for it. I am out of contract - as we've had it ages.
The tv finally blew up on Wednesday night and is not viable to repair (it's one of the first "flat" screen models ...huge, triangle shaped and needs 2 + people to lift it:eek:). I have been looking at new tv's online today...which got me thinking about freesat. It seems I can get a normal HD ready tv, or one with freesat built in..... I don't watch a massive amount of tv, and most of it is mainstream but I would really miss the ease of recording etc that sky + brings.
Am I right in thinking that I would have to buy a seperate freesat recording box to go with the tv to bring it to the equivalent of the sky + position - and if I have to do that there is presumably no advantage in buying a tv with freesat built in, with the extra expense that that brings, as it will come with the box I will have to buy anyway??
Any advice would be much appreciated

I don’t think there would be much point in paying the extra for a TV with built in freesat if you are going to buy a freesat recorded.

GAILEY

oh I see..I didn't realise sky would charge for the + bit....but silly me - I should have known they charge for everything don't they

almillar

I don’t think there would be much point in paying the extra for a TV with built in freesat if you are going to buy a freesat recorded.

- I've actually got this setup - it's useful if you need to record 2 channels, and you can watch a third which happens surprisingly often - everything I like seems to be on at the same time! (You would need 3 feeds for this of course). Nobody have a freeview recorder and a freeview TV?!