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Freesat From Sky VS BBC+ITV Freesat
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Whats the difference
is it worth getting
What equitment
Prices
Channels
Interactive
Other INFO
is it worth getting
What equitment
Prices
Channels
Interactive
Other INFO
0
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There is no "BBC+ITV Freesat" yet, and may never be?, it's only been a suggestion so far, and does seem a pretty pointless exercise anyway.
Mark Thomson Director general satted that there will be a freesat service in aUTUMN 2007
Freesat only shows FTA channels on the EPG. The style and features are dependant on the manfacturer. At the moment FTA receivers cannot deal with interactive software or automatic EPG. That will come with the new generation of boxes once the details have been agreed on.
It will be the way I will go when the new generation boxes are available. (subjective)
For the non-subscription service a Sky Box and Card. £150 plus installation. Current Freesat boxes + installation should be about the same, or lower.
There are plenty of lists on the internet and on these forums. Sky boxes + card unencrypt Sky 3, Ch 4 and Five without a subscription. These are not available on FTA boxes.
The usual interactive system used by Sky is available on their non subscription box and card.
Current FTA receivers can receive interactive video streams but without interactive software. This can be quicker, but is not automatic.
Next generation FTA boxes could have even better interactive software that the one Sky currently uses.
The specs have not been agreed on.
The new generation FTA boxes and services have been promised for Autumn 2007. There is great pressure for this deadline to be met.
I thought the £150 you pay to Sky for Freesatfromsky INCLUDED installation and the viewing card.
1. You won't be able to get Sky subscription channels on a Freesat box, only the free-to-air UK channels. Only a Sky box will allow you to get the Sky channels.
2. You'll also be able to get free channels from all over Europe on a Freesat box with multiple LNBs or dishes or a motorised dish. A Sky box makes it very difficult to do so.
3. Similarly, you might be able to get pay channels from all over Europe as above by using a standard pay card. Sky boxes do not have such a facility.
4. You'll be able to reorganise the EPG on Freesat as you wish, assigning different channel numbers and deleting unwanted channels. You can't do this with a Sky box.
5. If they carry on as they are now, Channel 4, Five and Sky3 won't be available on Freesat.
6. You won't need to pay a subscription for using PVR recording technology on a Freesat box.
Two interesting repercussions of Freesat appearing might be:
1. Channels might start going free-to-air once they realise that they no longer have to pay Sky for encryption and an entry onto their EPG.
2. Sky might be forced to reduce their subscription prices, or they might become sports and movies specialists, leaving the other channels to go on Freesat.
So, overall, it's probably worth going for Freesat over Sky if you want to get more than the Astra 2 channels or you wish to use a PVR for recording. Go for Sky if you might eventually want the Sky subscription channels. Then again, you haven't got much choice at the moment because BBC/ITV Freesat isn't yet here! You can get a normal free-to-air box which will have all the features of BBC/ITV Freesat as described here but it won't have an EPG nor interactive facilities.
Whats the difference
is it worth getting
What equitment
Prices
Channels
Interactive
Other INFO
look at the other thread, please, there is not much info about it right now. as for the date ....it first should start autumn 2006, so let`s see next year.
As for Nigel Goodwin`s silly comment....pretty pointless??? Please, if you only sell SKY, so be it, but give people interested in freesat a chance. If there REALLY is a BBC/ITV freesat next year I bet YOU don`t sell it, because you can`t make much money with it, huh?
It does so isn't that bad a deal for those who are not active in DIY and could source the components cheaper.
A 'plus' went in when I meant an 'inc' - sorry
Lunch was ready and I did it in a hurry
It should be pointed out that DIY is not impossible and that secondhand boxes (Sky or FTA) make it even cheaper.
There WILL be a Freesat next year. The BBC are under too much pressure now to delay it or scrap it. DTT is not going to provide digital to enough people before switch-over.
The clunky Sky non-subscription offer has no guarentee to continue and there is genuine resistance to anything 'Sky' by those remaining to go digital.
It took the reputation of the BBC to get Freeview going and they need to do the same with Freesat.
Yes, definitely worth getting. Especially if your freeview reception is borderline -unreliable/non existent- which sadly can only improved after a six year wait for some of us. Or so they tell us.
With my technomate I can tune into all the Wimbledon streams, I just lack the text services. Having the internet, I can't say I'm going to cry over it.
It's merely duplicating what's already available with FreeSat from Sky, which is only £150 installed and working direct from BSkyB. Perhaps the BBC/IBA should try reintroducing BetaMax VCR's?, it seems about as much use!.
Certainly if there is eventually a BBC/IBA FreeSat service we would sell the boxes, assuming you can get them at a reasonable price?. I'm sure YOU don't work for nothing?, so why should we? - as it stands now, a single service call to a Sky subscription installation more than wipes out any profit you made on the original installation. If you're installing FreeSat from Sky and making £3 or so per job!, and having to give 12 months warranty and on-site service, where's the sense in that?.
Well, you are probably not the average consumer
I can't see them messing around with SRs APID and VPIDS. Then what happens if the parameters are changed.
"Don't worry Mabel I'll just go on the Internet and look up the new parameters on Lyngsat and then I'll use the manual input screen. You'll be able to watch that tennis match in about 10 minutes."
It isn't on - is it?
As someone else mentioned above, OnDigital and ITVDigital were commercial disasters until the BBC took over and made it Freeview. I think Sky should be afraid, very afraid.
Sky should be pleased about Freesat. Let them provide subscription TV and any FTA channels who want to pay to be on their EPG. Let Freesat be available for those who want a consumer product that is designed to bring FTA channels simply and directly in a way they choose.
Isn't this the real reason for your objection?
You make nothing out of Sky installations and they take all the profit on your hard work. Well, here is a chance to change that.
I agree I'm not the average consumer but it could be made much easier. Labelling them as BBCi 1-10 would help.
I believe that broadly BBCi parameters are unchanged, with the same streams being used for interactive snooker, wimbledon, open golf, etc.
The BBC are not allowed to introduce any new channels without government permission. They get around this by having 'streams' instead.
The parameters of the 10 interactive 'streams' do broadly stay the same , but occasionally they need to be changed to make room for other things, or to have them on certain satellite spots etc..
I used to get cross with the BBC over this but now I understand, I keep mum
@rai uno -
Many thanks. I get a lot of practice. - Logjam Kt DFCDSR
Luxury - I remember when Snooker was Broadcast in Monochrome ("For those watching in Black and White , the Blue is behind the Pink") and BBC 2 was a figment of the imagination.
BBC2 was another matter. We paid rental for an old VHF set, but then they started to give customers VHF/UHF sets. We were told we couldn't get BBC2 unless we got a 'new aerial', and paid extra.
A little tinkering soon sorted that out
It is a little like tuning in the BBC streams on a FTA receiver.
Perhaps things haven't changed that much
Yes. Any store which sells TVs DVDs Freeview boxes etc. would sell such a box.
You chose which make and complexity of receiver. PVR, other satellite capability, etc.
If there is already a satellite dish previously used for Sky Digital then you would connect it up, go through a set up procedure, and off you go.
If there isn't a suitable dish you need to either install one yourself or get an installer to do it for you.
This is similar to buying a Freeview box. Sometimes a new aerial needs to be installed etc.