SKY Freesat vs Satellite Dish

bluedove

Sky Freesat vs. Satellite Dish
Ok Guys, below is what i have at home at the moment, I do not want to pay any more monthly TV subscriptions hence looking for either freesat or satellite dish.

1) Virgin TV size L, its crap hence wants to cancel subscription as no longer on 12 months contract
2) Sky dish and non HD box, as I left sky in 2009 and joined virgin, all sky installations are still intact.
3) HD TV in the lounge and all the rooms
My questions are:
What is the most reliable and cheapest option to get a sky freesat HD box and viewing card?
What do I need for satellite dish installation and can it be done DIY (trying to minimise cost)
Is there any satellite installation that I can use to watch footie on the telly? As I realised this is not an option on sky freesat.
Cheers.

macman

Since you already have a Sky dish, then you can use that for Freesat , it's just a box swap, nothing else is necessary. You will of course need a twin feed from the LNB if you want the full PVR functions, but if you had Sky+ before then you will alredy have this in place.
The box to go for is the Humax Foxsat HDR.
Alternatively use your existing Sky box to get the Freesat from Sky channels with or without a viewing card, this is the cheapest option, however this will not allow you to use the Sky+ PVR functions.
I don't understand why you refer to installing a satellite dish when you already have one?

bluedove

Never had Sky+ or HD before, only the basic box, do i need need a twin feed from the LNB to get HD channels and PVR?

macman

You only need a single feed for HD. If you want to watch one channel, and record another, you need a twin feed.

bluedove

You only need a single feed for HD. If you want to watch one channel, and record another, you need a twin feed.

Please how do i figure out if i have twin feed, and if i haven't, how can i install it?

thanks a lot

Viper_7

macman wrote: »

Since you already have a Sky dish, then you can use that for Freesat , it's just a box swap, nothing else is necessary. You will of course need a twin feed from the LNB if you want the full PVR functions, but if you had Sky+ before then you will alredy have this in place.
The box to go for is the Humax Foxsat HDR.
Alternatively use your existing Sky box to get the Freesat from Sky channels with or without a viewing card, this is the cheapest option, however this will not allow you to use the Sky+ PVR functions.
I don't understand why you refer to installing a satellite dish when you already have one?

Humax Foxsat HDR

Good call on this... just installed this for my parents after they purchased it - very nice, all the bells and whistles - I'd say it was easy to use and had more feature than Sky HD + (minus the subscription channels)

macman

bluedove wrote: »

Please how do i figure out if i have twin feed, and if i haven't, how can i install it?

thanks a lot

How many cables from the LNB?
If there is only a single feed then you run another cable, assuming that the LNB has a spare outlet. Worst case is that you require a new quad LNB as well (not expensive).

Moneymaker

If you need a quad-output LNB (and you probably will since Sky don't usually fit them unless needed) then make sure you buy a SKY LNB with the appropriate adapter if required. Most Dishes over a year old require an adapter to fit the latest MK4 LNB. Some very early dishes have a narrow arm that won't accommodate a new LNB, so the dish must be replaced - unless you are good at bodging.

bluedove

My Sky dish was installed in 2003 so its about 7 years now, i dont thing it will have any modern device on it.

Have just looked at it now, and it has only one cable coming out from it.

macman

Check how many feeds are spare on the LNB though.Then just run an additional cable.

bluedove

Anyone used these setup boxes here i found them in my local B&Q and just wondering if it will be a cheaper option to the Humax Box.