We're aware that some users are experiencing technical issues which the team are working to resolve. Thank you for your patience.
📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Convert 2nd Sky box to Freeview/Sat

Options
Hi
I am a Sky subscriber, I have Sky downstairs and have just cancelled Multiroom for upstairs (I have a second Sky Plus box upstairs).

I want to convert the second box to Freeview/FreeSat. MR has been cancelled, but cannot see any Freeview/Sat channels. Box is blank.

Not sure if having the MR/second box option has throws a spanner in the works.

Does anyone know if i can have Sky downstairs and Freeview/Sat upstairs.

If so how do I do this?
Many thanks in advance.
«1

Comments

  • Muran wrote: »
    MR has been cancelled, but cannot see any Freeview/Sat channels. Box is blank.
    Your box should still be able to view all the free-to air-channels. Try re-booting the box by switching it off at the mains and then switching it on again a few minutes later.
    If the box remains blank then there is something wrong with the box which your cancellation has done nothing to cause. You haven't removed the viewing card have you?
  • teddysmum
    teddysmum Posts: 9,517 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    You can't watch Freeview on a Sky box, as it needs aerial feed.
  • Heinz
    Heinz Posts: 11,191 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker Car Insurance Carver!
    edited 22 October 2014 at 11:44AM
    LEAVE THE OLD SUBSCRIPTION CARD IN.

    Select a Free To Air channel such as 101, 102, 103, 501, 503, 650. Any of those should be visible and, although it's not necessary, the benefit of leaving the card in is that 101 and 103 will be your local region - as they were when your MR subscription was live.

    You Sky box will get you all FTA non-subscription channels on the Sky EPG and, although not the same as Freesat, the channel line-up will be very similar. As teddysmum says though, it is not Freeview because that's the terrestrial service.
    Time has moved on (much quicker than it used to - or so it seems at my age) and my previous advice on residential telephony has been or is now gradually being overtaken by changes in the retail market. Hence, I have now deleted links to my previous 'pearls of wisdom'. I sincerely hope they helped save some of you money.
  • almillar
    almillar Posts: 8,621 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Do what Heinz says. What you then have is called 'freesatfromsky' - FreeSat is something else, free satellite is another thing, and Freeview is yet another thing, you need to choose your words carefully!
    freesatfromsky means you can't record, and you'll also not be able to view anything scrambled that you've already recorded, maybe not even the non-scrambled (BBC etc) stuff. You can hand over £10 per month for this. By the time you've done this for a year, you might as well have bought a FreeSat box.
    Freesatfromsky
    http://www.sky.com/shop/freesat/home/
    FreeSat
    www.freesat.co.uk/
  • teddysmum wrote: »
    You can't watch Freeview on a Sky box, as it needs aerial feed.
    That's confusing to the OP, I do agree it's not Freeview-but it's basically Freesat (from Sky) which offers many of the same free-to air channels!


    If the OP can't view any channels on his former Multi-room box then it's either faulty or the viewing card has been removed for some reason. The OP might also check the connections to the dish.
  • Muran
    Muran Posts: 23 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    Hi, thanks for your replies.

    It seems as though I was being impatient, I rebooted and tried looking again for the channels and there they were.

    Very happy, got more channels than I was expecting.

    Thanks for your help.
  • Muran wrote: »
    I rebooted and tried looking again for the channels and there they were.
    Yes, as I suggested at post #2.:T
    Muran wrote: »
    Very happy, got more channels than I was expecting.
    Yes, many Sky subscribers do not realise exactly how many channels are in fact free.
  • sheep-ali
    sheep-ali Posts: 573 Forumite
    almillar wrote: »
    Do what Heinz says. What you then have is called 'freesatfromsky' - FreeSat is something else, free satellite is another thing, and Freeview is yet another thing, you need to choose your words carefully!
    freesatfromsky means you can't record, and you'll also not be able to view anything scrambled that you've already recorded, maybe not even the non-scrambled (BBC etc) stuff. You can hand over £10 per month for this. By the time you've done this for a year, you might as well have bought a FreeSat box.
    Freesatfromsky
    http://www.sky.com/shop/freesat/home/
    FreeSat
    www.freesat.co.uk/

    I have had freesat from sky for years - I pay £20 or thereabouts for 5 years so it is by far the cheapest option for me.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 26,612 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    sheep-ali wrote: »
    I have had freesat from sky for years - I pay £20 or thereabouts for 5 years so it is by far the cheapest option for me.
    Most people don't have to pay anything at all, of course. It's only when Sky routinely change their viewing cards(once every few years) that Freesat-From-Sky customers have to purchase a new card.
  • Inner_Zone
    Inner_Zone Posts: 2,856 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    edited 25 October 2014 at 10:31AM
    sheep-ali wrote: »
    I have had freesat from sky for years - I pay £20 or thereabouts for 5 years so it is by far the cheapest option for me.

    Currently £25 for the card and six channels it gives you extra over no card.

    And one of them Motors TV is now FTA on Freeview with a suitable HD box, it is available 24/7 via IPTV and currently 24/7 on terrestrial but will be going overnight only in the future part from weekends.
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 350.6K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 243.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 598.4K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 176.8K Life & Family
  • 256.8K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.