Leave Sky and go to Freesat - Any good?

teddysmum

AndyPK wrote: »

buy a humax freeview box and connect to an aerial for recording

If you don't have an aerial, you need a freesat PVR

I would suggest this if you only really want the Sky+ type service rather then the basic (do you mean Original?) service with Atlantic, Sky1 etc.


Humax have some excellent deals on refurb PVRs on their website (half the price of from a retail store), the latest having the ability to record as many as 4 programmes at once and have a version of catchup tv.


If you want Atlantic and the like, there is no other , legal way, but to pay a provider.


Having left Sky We were quite happy to make do with our old Humax box and the smart features on the tv (Panasonic with Freetime), but an exceptional offer came along...

Cornucopia

james.h291183 wrote: »

Hi,

I have been with Sky for a while, currently paying £36 a month for broadband and the basic Sky package (basically what you get with Freeview).

Can anyone give any suggestions for a way of receiving Freeview and being able to record tv + broadband which is cheaper than the £36 a month I currently pay. If I have an initial outlay for a bit of new tech it's okay, providing it saves me money during the first 6 months.

I have looked at the new NowTv box but it only allows 30 minutes of pausing tv and with the kids bedtime routine we rarely get to watch anything when it is on.

This question (or variants of it) comes up a lot.

I think there is a basic set of information that OPs would need to provide in order to get the best advice. This would be:-

- What are you trying to achieve in terms of cost or service?

- What do you have at the moment?

- Are there any "must have" channels, or are you just looking for a bundle of channels to view/record?

- If you presently have Sky/VM, would Now TV (or the Sky channel offerings on PlusNet & Talktalk) suit your needs?

- What equipment do you presently have? Do you have a Smart TV? Are you planning any equipment upgrades in the near future?

- How good is your broadband, and what speed do you presently have? If you currently have broadband via VM, have you checked what your ADSL/Fibre availability is?

- Do you prefer recording or catch-up?

- Are you looking for a bundled TV + Broadband deal, or would you prefer to keep them separate?

- Are there any other factors, e.g. poor Freeview reception, no TV Licence, existing contracts, contract misalignment?


In answer to the specifics of your post, it's worth noting that the channel line-up on basic Sky is not the same as Freeview. Also, NowTV is primarily targeted to catch-up/video-on-demand. It's not intended as a replacement for Sky+, as NowTV is owned by Sky, and the two are meant to offer differing types of service.

knightstyle

Go back to Sky, tell them you are leaving and they will offer you a cheaper alternative.
Sky+ tv, line rental and unlimited BB for under £25 is what I got. Note that this is not a normal Sky TV bundle and does not include Sky channels, just Freesat ones, only the retention team can offer this.
You can still record two channels and use catchup etc. Your Sky box is not replaced free under this scheme so if it is old get a replacement now before changing over, just say it keeps freezing or something.
I had already purchased a Humax satellite box but it is so awkward to use that I decided to accept this offer and stay with Sky.

EdwardB

james.h291183 wrote: »

Original - including discounts £14.10 (TV) x 12 = £169.20
Sky Broadband Unlimited - including discounts £3.75 x 12 = £45
Sky Talk Line Rental£17.40 x 12 = £208.80
TV Licence £145

Total Sly Cost £423
Total Annual Cost £568

james.h291183 wrote: »

Yep, still in contract until May, just doing some research so I know how to proceed come contract end.

Is it looking like I don't have too bad a deal at the moment?

That my friend is subjective.

Whether Sky or Freeview, you are being force fed drivel TV with ads

Just how many episodes of Border Force or Come Dine with me repeats can you stomach?

Consider turning it on it's head.

Watching TV only when there is something you actually want to watch, say Hacksaw Ridge, Underworld Blood Fued, Assassin's Creed or Lion.

Now consider my anuual outgoings

Broadband & LR £61 Plus Install 20 Plus router £7 + Price Hike £1.50 x 3 = £4.50 so £92.50
TV Licence 0
Sky TV 0

I did buy a headless 4 core media PC for £140 odd and a Roku for around $40
I use Plex.tv nothing is live can be on demand subs or own content from Amazon et al.

You could get Amazon Prime and/or Netflix, neither require a TV Licence as long as no live TV and no BBC iPlayer.

What will happen is that you will have a whole new life, instead of living your life around TV Schedules (which you still record but can't actually save), you just watch what you want on demand, Fancy binging on The Sopranos, go for it, prefer House of Cards, no problem, sitting there waiting for you.

No Ads
No Licence
No Previews
No Nonsense

It is not for everybody, but why be Sly's Byeeetch when they are giving you poorer content and as for Freeview, more of the same.

Netflix is £6 a month, paid for by dumping TV Licence and associated content.

I listen to the radio a lot more now, I listen to more music, I read more and saddo that I am, I browse more. Cure to the latter on a postcard to..

Cornucopia

Each to their own, really. My viewing is half way between yours and something more typical, in that I do not have a TV Licence, and only watch catch-up (mostly Now TV, All4, Demand5 and UKTV player).

Of these, only Now TV has no ads, though I would say that the quantity of ads on catch-up is significantly less than on broadcast.

I certainly still watch TV series, though I schedule what I want when I want, and am never tied to the listings. I'm not sure, now, that I could go back to that.

jimmyriddle38

Definitely going down the Freesat route. However, some Sky channels in my area are a bit "iffy" so would like to check reception before paying out a couple of hundred quid for a good Humax box so I can record. EXACTLY (for a 79 year old thicko) how can I switch my Sky box temporarily to check reception of Freesat channels and then switch back to Sky until I have got my box and kit? Thanks.

[Deleted User]

jimmyriddle38 wrote: »

Definitely going down the Freesat route. However, some Sky channels in my area are a bit "iffy" so would like to check reception before paying out a couple of hundred quid for a good Humax box so I can record. EXACTLY (for a 79 year old thicko) how can I switch my Sky box temporarily to check reception of Freesat channels and then switch back to Sky until I have got my box and kit? Thanks.

Take your sky viewing card out and should do it.

missile

The reception (i.e. signal strength) on freesat will be exactly the same after you remove the sky box.

The tuner in a new Humax box may be better than your old Sky box and you may find that reception on those iffy channels is better.

jimmyriddle38

OK thanks. Tried taking card out anyway but couldn't find any other channels and nothing seemed different with card out but assume Humax will work if I replace Sky box with it.
Anyway, new question please: I regularly play PC videos/games through HDMI to TV. As Humax has HDMI output will need 2 new cables (one Humax to splitter and one splitter to PC as already have good cable to TV). Can buy a switched splitter on Amazon no problem but so many different types of HDMI cables and prices so what type is best to do the job? Don't mind paying a bit more for better results if necessary. Thanks for any advice.

[Deleted User]

Just buy the cheapest. I believe the pound shops sell them for ... £1 I think.