Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ?
Brian Butterworth published on UK Free TV Yes, but only "sort of".
Freeview is the name of the (BBC-backed) digital TV system that uses hilltop transmitters to rooftop aerials. It is run separately from the "Sky" satellite-to-dish service.
free-to-VIEW is a term for satellite channels that need a viewing card to watch, but not to collect a subscription. free-to-AIR channels are ones that can be received without needing a viewing card or subscription.
The free-to-AIR satelite service backed by the BBC and ITV is called Freesat. The free-to-VIEW service operated by Sky is called fSfS or Freesat from Sky.
As long as you have finished your first year, you can leave Sky when you want.
To do this just give Sky a call and tell them you don't want to subscribe any more.
If you stop subscribing you will be able to watch the hundred or so free-to-air channels listed on free channels list. This service is called Freesat from Sky (fSfS).
Some of the channels on the Freeview service are subscription only on satellite, specifically: 4Music, Challenge, Dave, Dave ja vu, Quest, VIVA and Yesterday . See these links to compare the TV channels on Freesat-from-Sky and Freeview, and to compare radio stations on Freeview and fSfS. Many homes have free satellite and Freeview to get the full range of channels.
You will still need to keep your Sky viewing card. If you stop subscribing on a Sky contract, you can keep using that card to watch 5USA, 5* and PICK TV, the so-called "free-to-view" channels. (All ITV channels are free-to-air).
It is not possible to plug an aerial into a Sky Digibox to receive Freeview channels because the boxes have not been designed this way.
You will continue to get the full Sky EPG listings; you just will not be able to watch subscription channels.
If you want to go for High Definition, HD, you can swap out your Sky box for a Freesat one very easily.
A card is not needed to watch BBC services, but it is needed to get the correct BBC ONE and BBC TWO regions on 101 and 102.
Another option is to disconnect your Sky Digibox altogether and Upgrade from Sky to Freesat - ukfree.tv. If you have an HD-Ready TV and a standard Sky box, this is a good option.
12:10 AM
Kevin: Not 100% sure about what your intentions are, but the best way to remember it is that a satellite coax feed from a dish cannot be shared with anything else, and that an outlet port on the LNB can only be used for one LNB input on a single device.
If you have Sky+HD then you will have two coax inputs from the dish, and so if you want to use an ordinary Sky box in another room then it will require another feed from the dish, you dish "might" already have a quad block fitted and which would have two spare outlet ports, and so one could be used for the ordinary Sky box, if through your LNB is a dual type then it requires to be changed for a quad, these costing around £10.00 or so from numerous e-bay outlets.
You do not require a card to be fitted in a Sky box to view any "free to view" channels, the only snag being that the local news might not actually be that but from a wider area, as its the card that determines what local news a viewer receives.
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9:39 AM
Hi,
I have currently got Sky+ multi room. I want to cancel the one in my bedroom, but there is no aerial point in there, just the two sky leads. Two questions. 1) If i cancel sky will I be able to still receive the free to view channels through the existing box? 2) if that is not the case, will a freesat box work when the Sky dish will still be in use for the HD box in my lounge??
Many thanks.
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4:52 PM
Tom: The basic answer to question (1) is yes, that is provided you are outside of any 12 months contract otherwise they "might" want to box back "if" it was provided free by Sky, but the main point to remember is that you do not require a card installed in any Sky box to receive free channels, and Sky have no way of stopping anyone viewing them as their powers are restricted to blocking only Sky dedicated channels that's part of a package.
On question (2), although you will most likely be retaining the Sky box in the bedroom you could if you wish use a Freesat box, as the two cables from the dish are not connected in any way with your lounge box although they go back to the same LNB on the dish, as each of the outlet ports you see are totally independent of each other.
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10:02 AM
Hi
We have cancelled sky multiroom is there any way we can get shut of all the stations that we can't view to make it easier to scroll through the channels .
Thank you
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12:24 PM
Andy: No! if you are referring to the EPG channel list as its only Sky that can make changes to this, however you could get over it in a fashion by simply entering all the channels you regularly view in the favourites list and then inching though them all using the blue button.
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8:29 PM
i have moved house and took my dish with me .i cancelled musky contract .I've put dish up with new aerial cable.but cannot get a signal can u help.
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8:53 PM
tom: Quite a number of reasons can exist as to why you have not had success with what you have done, these ranging from the dish not having been aligned properly to a possible short circuit in one of the "F" connectors that you have fitted onto the coax, the usual one being caused by a single strand of braiding wire having got accidentally wrapped around the inner core, and so I would unscrew each in turn just to check that this hasn't happened.
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7:46 PM
have checked cable with a sparky .he said no prob with cable connection .still getting black screen with no signal on it my dishon same wall as next door tried moving dish around nothing happening .
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8:40 PM
tom: Well in that case (if checked correctly) then it only really leaves the possibility of the dish being out of alignment, as setting up a Sky dish requires the utmost of precision in its alignment as if its the merest fraction out it will kill the signal, although the usual mistake made by many if using one of these small sat finders is to set it up on the wrong satellite such as 19.2, as although that seems to be quite far away from 28.2 on one of these meters referred to it only represents the slightest of movement.
What do you see indicated strength / quality wise on the signal level check screen when you press "services - 4 - 6"
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10:39 PM
I am looking at getting a second sky+ box for the bedroom but can't afford a multi room subscription at the moment. If I get a box installed will I be able to use the functions of the sky+ box, ie record programmes, without the multi room subscription?
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