Freesat vs Astra

londonman81

I am thinking of canceling my Sky subscription and am looking into Freesat instead.

There are some channels I want to make sure I can continue to receive and from what I can tell they are on the Astra (28.2) platform (www.astra.ses).

My questions are:

1. Does Freesat carry all the same channels as Astra 28.2 or only a subset of the Astra channels? (I can’t see the channels I want on the Freesat website but then I can’t see all channels on the Sky website yet they still carry them…)

2. If Freesat does not carry all the same channels as Astra 28.2, what is the best box to get the Astra channels?

3. I have an old Sky+ box which I kept after upgrading to SkyQ, will it enable me to get all the Astra 28.2 channels? Or do I need a new card, or something else?

4. I already have a Sky dish - I assume this is already pointing at Astra 28.2E - is this correct?

Thanks in advance!

Neil_Jones

All satellite dishes in the UK for Freesat or Sky purposes point at 28.2 E.  All Astra satellites are there.

1) Yes.  What channel are you after?

2) See 1.  Sky has a wider range of channels than Freesat but you have to pay Sky to get them.

3) No.  If the LNB is wideband the Sky+ box won't be able to use it.  Otherwise yes, but no Sky+ functionality.

4) Almost certainly.

londonman81

Neil_Jones said:

All satellite dishes in the UK for Freesat or Sky purposes point at 28.2 E.  All Astra satellites are there.

1) Yes.  What channel are you after?

2) See 1.  Sky has a wider range of channels than Freesat but you have to pay Sky to get them.

3) No.  If the LNB is wideband the Sky+ box won't be able to use it.  Otherwise yes, but no Sky+ functionality.

4) Almost certainly.

Thank you - I'm starting to get some clarity...

1) A couple of the channels I'm after: Geo TV

ARY Digital

2) since my first post I've learnt that Freesat boxes have a 'satellite' or 'non-Freesat' mode where it seems that you can get all the other Astra 2E/2F/2G channels, albeit without the EPG etc of the Freesat channels.....? So it would appear that a Freesat box will give me access to those channels that I'm looking for since they are all on Astra 28.2.

3. The Sky+box used to work on the LNB as is on the dish now. Shouldn't it work again?

3. Thanks for confirming.

Many thanks again

flashg67

The LNB will have been changed for Sky Q (mine was)- would need changing back or to a hybrid one if you revert to the sky+ box, although most modern freesat boxes should work with the sky q LNB

Neil_Jones

1) ARY Digital is a Pakistani pay television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe.  UK version is on Sky and shows shows up on Astra 2G.  It isn't on Freesat but it appears on Sky, channel 758. May not be FTV.

Re: Geo TV, Sky channel 738.  Not part of Freesat, but will be on Astra.  May not be FTV.

2) Not everything on 28.2 is on Freesat.  A lot of it is encrypted and for use with Sky only.  Few different transmission types - Encrypted (aka most of the Sky channels), FTV (Free To View) means you can see it with a suitable card, and FTA (Free to Air) means you can get it with any suitable receiver.

3) If its a wideband LNB it's not compatible with Sky+HD.  If its a hybrid LNB or an old style one, it'll work with Sky+HD.

4) Motorised dishes are available and other satellites are available to receive in the UK, but the bulk of the UK aimed signals are at 28.2 East.  That's the defacto standard.

londonman81

@Neil_Jones

Thanks for clarifying.
So it sounds like there are different types of channels on Freesat and even.by switching to non-Freesat mode doesn't guarantee that the remaining channels will be viewable...
It's a bit annoying that the differentiation between encrypted, FTV (card) and FTA (any box) isn't made clear anywhere on the Astra.see website, or anywhere else for that matter...
Seems there only option to get these channels without paying monthly might be to get the box + card from Sky who I've heard sell these without subscription, albeit for a bit more than Freesat....?

matelodave

Have a look at this which might help https://www.tvchannellists.com/List_of_channels_on_Sky_(United_Kingdom_&_Ireland) I dont know how up to date it is

Neil_Jones

londonman81 said:

@Neil_Jones

Thanks for clarifying.
So it sounds like there are different types of channels on Freesat and even.by switching to non-Freesat mode doesn't guarantee that the remaining channels will be viewable...
It's a bit annoying that the differentiation between encrypted, FTV (card) and FTA (any box) isn't made clear anywhere on the Astra.see website, or anywhere else for that matter...
Seems there only option to get these channels without paying monthly might be to get the box + card from Sky who I've heard sell these without subscription, albeit for a bit more than Freesat....?

To be honest most people really don't care.  Long as they can turn it on and it works, they're happy.  They don't care whether its FTV, FTA or whether you stand on your head to receive it - long as they can get it when they need to, that's all that matters.  The decision whether to be FTA or FTV is up to the broadcaster.

Sky don't do "Freesat from Sky"/subscription-free packaged any longer.  They used to, and its what a Sky+HD box becomes when your subscription ends, but for Sky Q you have to send all the equipment back in any event so its irrelevant to an extent on that platform.

Rodders53

Both are Free to Air unencrypted according to digitalbitrate.  (Green) https://www.digitalbitrate.com/dtv.php?live=69&mux=11954&liste=2&lang=en
$ky and freesat chennel listings show which are available on their respective EPGs.

Not on freesat EPG as the broadcaster ain't paying the fees to freesat. 
On $ky EPG 'cos they do.

Broadcasters can be lobbied by viewers to pay to be on freesat?  (Not that that's worked for Channel 4 HD who won't pay to be on freesat.)

Free To View are encrypted $ky channels but have no subscription fees - usually for reasons of rights and stopping borders overspill (nowadays mostly historical).

hbrook

I'm not allowed to post links, the King of Sat website is very good for channel and satellite information