Any rivals to Freeview please?

[bankhater10]

Hi there, im moving into a new house tomorrow, is there any other rivals/better options to freeview? I dont have anything against Freeview but i just wondered if there was a happy medium out there between slightly limited Freeview and outrageously priced Sky?

Thankyou in advance for any answers....

[nicolee2931]

Yeah try Freesat, you still need a satellite dish same as you would with sky and you buy the freesat box which can start from as little as £54.99, you get all the channels that freeview has, but you get the free-to-air stuff on satellite as well. Its much better than freeview and alot more reliable. Argo offer a service where if you buy the box from them they can also arrange a standard installation for a set price, non standard installation is extra.

[bankhater10]

Thankyou so much for that, that's great advice!! Am i right in thinking that the dish has to be on the roof/outside wall and not in a loft? Where would i get a dish do you think?

[Rooster-UK]

Definitely outside.

[buzby]

Yes - the technology is no different than Sky use, even the same satellite (Astra). You'll need to pay for installation on top of buying the receiver, but you'll have access to future and current HD broadcasts, even a Sky Plus type PVR (Personal Video Recorder).

 

Best of all - no monthly subscription. It really is the only way to go!

[pompeyfaith]

lidls where and i think still are doing freesat for £55 including the dish but you you would have to install it yourself

[silverfox1961]

Maplins do a reasonably priced kit and they also sell self installation kits but you do need a little experience. If you do install yourself, Make sure you have clear line of sight between the dish and the sky as satellite signals do not pass through anything organic (trees,humans!)

 

 

fox

[buzby]

I don't believe the one sold by Lidl is 'FreeSat', just a digital reciever than can recieve some of the broadcasts.

[arith]

Yeah try Freesat, you still need a satellite dish same as you would with sky and you buy the freesat box which can start from as little as £54.99, you get all the channels that freeview has, but you get the free-to-air stuff on satellite as well. Its much better than freeview and alot more reliable. Argo offer a service where if you buy the box from them they can also arrange a standard installation for a set price, non standard installation is extra.

 

If freeview were free; then if everybody stopped paying their tv license they should still be able to provide it.8-)

 

I was quoted £400 to fit an aerial, because where I live the signal is erratic and there are no plans to digitize the relay station. (Also the fitters are nearly all crooks.)

 

So I thought satellite;)

 

quote

"Thank you for contacting Freeview

 

Freeview is only available through the digital terrestrial television system, that is, through an aerial so you will not receive our signal through the satellite dish.

 

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact us by either calling us directly on 08708 809 980 seven days a week from 8.00am to 10.00pm, or by email to info@freeview.co.uk

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Team Manager

Freeview Customer Services"

 

But actually you can get freeview through a satellite, and I think sky have an offer on where you pay a once only fee, or you can get a dish and receiver on offer at Amazon or Ebay or even do it all yourself.

 

Not all on your own though, take care when on a ladder for instance; make sure any obstacles are twice as far as high and then english stations are to be found on Astra2, and a bunch of others. I think Eurobird, Galaxy although some might be difficult to get.

[buzby]

They're correct. Freeview IS ONLY available via terrestrial transmitters. You cannot get it via satellite, however you can get FreeSat for the Astra satellite (and Eutelsat). As for Sky, their system is a bit different, in that they give you everything (almost) as a trial teaser, and then turn the additional services off.

 

Which to my mind, is the lowest form of marketing.

[nicolee2931]

I was quoted £400 to fit an aerial, because where I live the signal is erratic and there are no plans to digitize the relay station. (Also the fitters are nearly all crooks.)

 

Labeling most aerial fitters crooks is a bit harsh, not all fitters are crooks there are alot of reputable fitters out there if you know where to look and what to look for, my husband being one of the reputable fitters he wouldn't even charge half that amount in a weak signal area, and thats using a double lashing and double bracket with a 17ft mast, triple boom high gain aerial & masthead+PSU.

 

£400.00 thats just outrageous.

[arith]

Labeling most aerial fitters crooks is a bit harsh, not all fitters are crooks there are alot of reputable fitters out there if you know where to look and what to look for, my husband being one of the reputable fitters he wouldn't even charge half that amount in a weak signal area, and thats using a double lashing and double bracket with a 17ft mast, triple boom high gain aerial & masthead+PSU.

 

£400.00 thats just outrageous.

 

The actual quote was minimum £250 +£25 for a signal strength check but if not done the work wouldn't be guaranteed.

 

Most round here cost £350 all plus VAT he said.

 

I said no thanks; a gold plated aerial costs only £32 in Ebay and this quote was only for fitting an aerial.

 

However, this area is missed out for tv and it was only until the 1990's that we could get BBC2 without a pole with a red light on it.

 

But two doors away they can get digital through a low gain aerial, I mentioned this to the rip off workman who said they might be getting it through sky.

 

Because I'm disabled I fitted a satellite dish instead. I got sick of most of the good programs being moved to digital.

 

On Astra 1 I got 1000 stations but mostly foreign, on Astra 2 I can't tune it exactly enough and only get 30 channels.(Need more expensive equipment but I would have thought it easier than Astra 1 which is over Europe.)

 

The price to tune is £0 (because we don't do anything but sky sorry) and £69.99 because that is our callout fee.

 

So I may just turn it back to Astra 1 because then at least I can get a decent music channel and 24 hr news.

[beachcomber60]

Go for Freesat - I bought the complete kit from Maplins (Fortec Star Passion

+) plus a sat. finder & Sat coxial cable from B&Q ( cable that comes with kit isnt very long), installed it myself.

 

Loads more channels pity we still have pay the BBC licence fee!

Edited February 6, 2009 by beachcomber60

[bankhater10]

Hi, today my gf's dad bought around a freeview box that was his but he couldn't get reception on as he suspects he was outside the area(?), i had previously put our postcode into a freeview post code checker and it said that we couldn't receive it...however, i have a friend who lives 2 doors away who also tried his post code in there and it also said that he wasn't able to receive freeview and yet he can(he has a freeview box built into his tv-any difference do you think?) Iv tried the box and apparently there is no signal, i plugged the tv aerial into the box and the scart from the box into the tv, is that all i need to do please? The Freeview menu came up but it just said there was no signal! any ideas please?

[buzby]

EVERYTHING depends on how good the rooftop aerial is - if it is pointing in the right direction, the cable isn't adding any losses etc etc, add to this whether there are any boosters to help the signal into the freeview box. Finally, not all boxes are created equal, some of the dearer ones are more sensitive and can pick up a signal where others will not.

 

I think if your neighbour manages to get some channels, you should investigate what aerial he has and if yours is pointing in the same direction!

[bankhater10]

Hi, thanks for that! I will check the aerial direction when my friend's back from work! Unfortunately we dont have the instruction booklet, the box is a Tevion Dvb box STB715 and when we press 'Setup', then 'Service setup' it asks for a pin, we have asked my gf's dad and he doesn't have a clue, we've tried 0000, 1234 and 1111 to no avail. Please can you tell me is this was the correct way to go about getting the channels as i thought it was as simple as just plugging it in?

Thankyou for this-Craig

[buzby]

Is it this one?

 

ALDI UK: Warranty Search

 

It looks as though the parental control has been activated. You might have to call Aldi at the given number to get the pass PIN to resset the unit.

[bankhater10]

That one is similar, thanks so much for that!!! il try on monday!! (do you think the way i have gone about searching- Menu, setup, service setup is the right way to go?

Ps-just got into parental control with the pin 0000 and none of the channels appear to be locked!

Edited February 7, 2009 by bankhater10

[buzby]

Hmm - a search on the DigitalSpy forums might lead you to answers, as I understand you can reset the unit by pressing two buttons on the front panel. (I just don't know WHICH ones for your model!)

[bankhater10]

Hi thanks for your advice, i just tried to register for the digitalspy forum and unfortunately there is a £5 verification fee, is there anyway of using the forum without this?

[buzby]

Odd - I can see no reference to any fees...

 

The forum is here;

 

Technical - Digital Spy Forums

[bankhater10]

It asks for £5 when you register! What a bugger!!

[arith]

Go for Freesat - I bought the complete kit from Maplins (Fortec Star Passion

+) plus a sat. finder & Sat coxial cable from B&Q ( cable that comes with kit isnt very long), installed it myself.

 

Loads more channels pity we still have pay the BBC licence fee!

 

What is the law relating to licence fees; I receive my satellite through my computer and don't even use the tv. There is total crap on the terrestrial channels and I could only get four of them.

 

Also I can delay all live transmissions up to about a silly amount (240 hours); so I would only be viewing live tv that is delayed 30 seconds or so.

 

Is a satellite treated as an aerial and does it matter if you don't receive live transmissions.

[silverfox1961]

This was taken direct from a tv licence

 

"You need a TV licence to install or use any equipment to receive or record television programmes, including a television, video recorder, satellite, PC card, Tv enabled PC or any other tv receiving equipment"

 

Even if you had a Tv in your house which you never used, it is still capable of receiving programmes, therefore you need a licence.

 

If you record programmes from the internet, you need a licence.

 

If you download films that you pay for and have no TV receiving equipment in the house, I think you don't need a licence.

 

If you had a video player(no tuner)/DVD player(no tuner) and a monitor type tv (no tuner) you don't need a licence.

 

fox

[buzby]

It may be on the licence, but it isn't law. Only the WTA and its successor can be used as the basis for any claim of illegal viewing. Things came to a head recently when it was announced that for TV-recievinh mobile phones, a licence would be required if you viewed terrestrial programmes 'as live', but your home TV licence would cover it. It was announced that as these mobile iplayer and clip showed were not broadcast as live, there was no issue to address.

 

Now, add to this the Sky +/V+ boxes that may tape live, but you view at a later time, how is this any different to the delay function for mobiles? I think there will be quite a few valid challenges next time the TVLRO starts its annual campaign again.