SKY Tv

[ShiftZZ]

Just got a letter from Sky, increasing their subs again!!

Can anyone tell me what happens to the Sky+ box if you cancel, what can I watch for free?ShiftZZ

 

[hilldweller]

Just got a letter from Sky, increasing their subs again!!

Can anyone tell me what happens to the Sky+ box if you cancel, what can I watch for free?ShiftZZ

We did this ages ago - we still get dozens of freeview channels.

But no Eurosport :-(

Do not buy their £20 card, I buys you nothing. I made that mistake.

 

[madbluemad]

Hi Shiftz

You keep the box and everything else because it to belongs to you. You will continue to receive freeview through your skybox, or through your tv arial.

I cancelled my sky a number of years ago and the only thing I miss is the footy.

I just got fed up with sky sending me letters to tell me that my phone line was dissonected and they were gonna send an engineer around to put it right, that was always gonna cost around sixty squid. As it happens there was nought wrong with it.

Between Sentanta and sky I was paying over fifty squid a month. NO MORE

Jim

 

[Munchie]

I've had a £20 card for a while now. If I take it out I cannot get some channels, channel 5 for example. How do you get round this please?

 

[madbluemad]

I've had a £20 card for a while now. If I take it out I cannot get some channels, channel 5 for example. How do you get round this please?

Thats strange. I get channel 5 no bother. I also get it through my mh sat dish. Mind you, at home I took my box out and get my freeview through an ariel.

Jim

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[hilldweller]

I've had a £20 card for a while now. If I take it out I cannot get some channels, channel 5 for example. How do you get round this please?

Ah, that's why I paid for it, I remember now. Legally that's wrong, Five is free to air so we should get it free. I'm sure this has been discussed in the past.

Rather than pay Sky £20+ I'd rather spend a bit more and buy a FreeSat box and get all the channels, well, for free.

We have a plain Sky box, I think I've seen that the "Plus" bit of Sky does not work without a full sub.

Easy to check - just pull out the Sky card !

 

[madbluemad]

Ah, that's why I paid for it, I remember now. Legally that's wrong, Five is free to air so we should get it free. I'm sure this has been discussed in the past.

Rather than pay Sky £20+ I'd rather spend a bit more and buy a FreeSat box and get all the channels, well, for free.

We have a plain Sky box, I think I've seen that the "Plus" bit of Sky does not work without a full sub.

Easy to check - just pull out the Sky card !

Brian

I had a skyplus box and got all of the freeview channels, but I cant remember whether I got 5, a contradiction I know

A freesat box will get you more than a digital ariel or so I'm lead to believe. Either way its a lot cheaper and a lot less hassle


Jim

 

[tony morris]

Hi once your contract with sky finishes you can cancel with them the box and dish belongs to you it will go up again january 2010 when they put the 2.50 vat back on you can still get plenty of channels for free with out the viewing card hope you find this of some help to you tony

 

[WillH]

We have a satellite box and can get freesat, 80 channels at the last count, if I re-tune away from freesat I can get over 400 channels, most rubbish, but at least they are free.

The box I use works like a Sky+ box but is much better.
rgds
Bill

 

[madbluemad]

We have a satellite box and can get freesat, 80 channels at the last count, if I re-tune away from freesat I can get over 400 channels, most rubbish, but at least they are free.

The box I use works like a Sky+ box but is much better.
rgds
Bill

What box is this Bill and are you talking about your home or mh
Jim

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[ShiftZZ]

Update

Long argument with some 1/2 wit, who claimed that the increase was down to Gordon Brown increasing the VAT??
He said that I sould be greatful as they had refunded the previous VAT increases, blah blah blah!!
When challenged, he was abusive. How I hate Sky and the attitude of the staff.
45 mins latrer, eventually got offered 25% discount, which I declined.


Back to normal TV.... Yipeeeee


ShiftZZ (about to take the hard drive out of the sky+ box)

 

[johng]

the "Plus" bit of Sky does not work without a full sub.

yep.. I have sky plus in the van, but can't record or watch anything recorded, without paying £16 a month subs..

J

 

[Satandpcguy]

where to start....

You keep the box and everything else because it to belongs to you. You will continue to receive freeview through your skybox, or through your tv arial.:

I had a skyplus box and got all of the freeview channels, but I cant remember whether I got 5, a contradiction I know

You will not get Freeview throught your sky box.
Freeview is a completely different system
Freeview is only available via a TV aerial and Freeview receiver.
You may get some of the channels available on Freesat on your sky box, but some channels on Freeview are PAY on satellite (Dave for example)

With a Sky+box with no subscription you will still get all the free to air channels (BBC ITV C4)

With a Sky+box with a freesatfromsky or ex subscription card you will still get all the free to air channels (BBC ITV C4) and the free to view channels (Fiver, Fiver, Five USA Sky 3).

You MUST pay Sky something per month for access to their Sky+ functions.
Either £10 per month for justthe Sky+ functions, or take out their minimum subscription and get 50or so channels for an extra £6 per month.

If you want HDD functions but dont want to pay then look at the Freesat+ system, or a generic HDD recorder. YOu always have choices apart from Sky!!

I've had a £20 card for a while now. If I take it out I cannot get some channels, channel 5 for example. How do you get round this please?

Ah, that's why I paid for it, I remember now. Legally that's wrong, Five is free to air so we should get it free. I'm sure this has been discussed in the past.!

3 of the 4 FIVE Sky regions are only available with a Sky card.
1 Sky Five region is now free (within the last fortnight)and has been mapped to 105, which is also the Freesat version of Five. This is due to DSO in the UK.
Which region you have depends on your UK postcode.
You have always been abale to get the Freesat version of Five on a Sky box...since it lauched just under a year ago...so not "illegal" as you say. You just add the Freesat version to your other channels list. (10773 h 22 5/6)
Fiver and Five USA are not freetoair, but freetoview and therefore need a sky card. if you are unhappy at this contact Five, not Sky!

We have a satellite box and can get freesat, 80 channels at the last count, if I re-tune away from freesat I can get over 400 channels, most rubbish, but at least they are free.

Offically on Freesat there are only around 130 channels - most of these are BBC1 regions. However in nonfreesatmode you can scan tfor the rest of the freetoair channels that have not paid to be in the "official freesat epg". therefore all the free to air channels on a freesat box can be picked up on a sky box , even without a sky card.

Sky have always raised their prices in September, at least for the last 5 or so years. And some packages are actually staying the same price, i think one is reduced. And dont forget the 1.5% VAT is also to be reapplied in January.

 

[jakeontour]

Hi Satandpcguy

For the benefit of a techno-dummy, please can you explain how

all the free to air channels on a freesat box can be picked up on a sky box, even without a sky card

works?

The limit of my understanding is turn on the Camos and Sky boxes, press the button to find the satellite, then Sky appears on screen :Blush:

Thanks

 

[Satandpcguy]

Hi Satandpcguy

For the benefit of a techno-dummy, please can you explain how works?

The limit of my understanding is turn on the Camos and Sky boxes, press the button to find the satellite, then Sky appears on screen :Blush:

Thanks

a free to air channel is any channel that is broadcast in the clear, without any encryption, without the need for a viewing card.

BBC1 is an example. It is available on Sky, Freesat and any other digital satellite receiver....with no card at all.

And bbc1 london is only on one frequency and one frequency only, and that is used by all receivers.
Tghere is no seperate "Sky" and "Freesat" satellite frequencies....hence why people can use one dish, with a twin output lnd and use a sky box (withou card) and a freesat box and get the same channels...

there are about 200plus free to air channels available on the uk tv satellites...all available without any sky card at all.

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[madbluemad]

This post started by talking about SKY subscriptions at home and has drifted on to tv in the m/h - rv.

Unless you have a sky subscription I cant see the point of putting a sky box in to a m/h.

There are loads of boxes out there that are cheap and a lot smaller and lighter than a sky box. They probabley do a better job as well.

Jim

 

[hy7711]

Haven't had sky since the mid 90s when they started screwing the price up for junk tv. Have just bought a Bush Freesat box from Argos for £49, repointed my 80cm dish to 28 degrees (been out of use since uk analogue tv closed down on 19.2/13 degrees) stuck a dual band universal lnb on and away we go all inclusive of the already paid for tv license. Shame there isn't anything worth pointing the other lnb at though.

Freesat is easily as good as Freeview with extra channels. Shall be fitting this in my MH when the new Kathrein BAS60 arrives.

 

[EzeeRider]

To complicate matters further Sky are re-issuing the cards to subscribers, so if you currently use a blue sky card and are a non subscriber the chances are you will lose the free-to-view encrypted channels in the future!

The Freesat spot beam transponders used to broadcast to the Uk are also full and it looks like we will not see any worthwile expansion of channels on freesat until a solution is found to this lack of capacity. I am very disappointed that we are unlikely to see any more public HD channels broadcast for sometime.

Sky seems to have us all by the short and curlies!

ezee

 

[bazfergy]

Hi shiftzz you keep the dish box etc,and get all the free SKY channels this is not the same as free view you get a lot more channels on freeview,sky is a complete rip off they're always trying to find different ways to fleece us for more money,they certainly wont be getting any of mine:thumb:

 

[bazfergy]

I've had a £20 card for a while now. If I take it out I cannot get some channels, channel 5 for example. How do you get round this please?

Get a freeview box and you'll get all the channels you can't get free from sky:thumb:

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[Satandpcguy]

To complicate matters further Sky are re-issuing the cards to subscribers, so if you currently use a blue sky card and are a non subscriber the chances are you will lose the free-to-view encrypted channels in the future!

This was announced in April that all subscriber cards would be replaced for free.
It was only last week when it was mentioned that freesatfromsky cards would be replaced...for free if you got them in the last 3 years....for £20 if outside the last 3 years - as per the terms and conditions you agreed to when you got the card originally.

Link Removed
which also includes the link to skys site so you can see if you can get a free replacement card

The Freesat spot beam transponders used to broadcast to the Uk are also full and it looks like we will not see any worthwile expansion of channels on freesat until a solution is found to this lack of capacity. I am very disappointed that we are unlikely to see any more public HD channels broadcast for sometime.

Freesat and Sky receivers use the same frequencies and satellites, there are no specific freesat tranponders. there is not specific freesat Spot beam, BBC news (and many other channels on Freeshat) are on Eurobird which has a pan european beam.
there is space available on 2d, with a bt of shuffling around.
C4, for exmple have 10 channels on one transponder, ITV only have 6 on most of theirs...
so there is room for their proposed ITV1+1...
and even for those ITVS on 21402.
Other tranponders on 2d are leased to disney and Sky, so its only a matter of time as to when those contracts run out and are up for renewal. maybe FIVE will put all its channels on there....?

I am very disappointed that we are unlikely to see any more public HD channels broadcast for sometime.!

You have BBCHD (broadcast hours limited by the BBC Governers - so blame them), ITVS very poor (lots of complaints about the quality - they have reduced the bitrate apparently) HD red button service (reportably to be a full HD channel soon), C4HD (with sky card on satellite - until their sky contract runs out), and Five have made no commitments yet to HD, but they will do so soon i am sure.
You will have BBCHD on Freeview by the end of the year (in certain areas of the UK only at first)

it also costs a lot of money to produce programmes in HD, and a lot for a HD transponder on satellite or freeview, or pay for the cable capacity. HD data takes up a lots of space, and is expensive to rent.

Sky seems to have us all by the short and curlies!

Everyone blames Sky. More like Astra and the contracts it has for the lease of the tranponders on its satellites.

Get a freeview box and you'll get all the channels you can't get free from sky

unless you are roaming around Europe, where Freeview is not available...

 

[kenspain]

sky

We have freeview here in Spain about 40 channels i get some you can change into English and the box only cost 30 euros,:Cool:

 

[Satandpcguy]

We have freeview here in Spain about 40 channels i get some you can change into English and the box only cost 30 euros,:Cool:

Actually you have the Spanish equivilent of Freeview, called TDT - Television Digital Terrestrial.

Similarly TNT is the French equivilent of Freeview.

Freeview is the brand name of receivers and software that is used in receivers for the UKs digital terrestrial service, which is only available in the UK, as it is transmitted from the land based transmitters. This software includes the EPG and interactive options - which is not available on TDT. If you had Freeview you would be getting BBC ITV and 30plus other channels (including Dave which is free on Freeview but pay on satellite) etc....which you cannot in Spain via a TV aerial

You can get the same channels as Freeview by using a generic digtal terrestrial set top box in the UK, but you will only get Freeview if you have a Freeview branded receiver.

It is a picky but necessary point to make.
In the same was as you can only get Freesat on Freesat receivers, as Freesat is the brand name for receivers and software. Although you can get the same channle as on freesat on Sky and generic receivers.

 

[lebesset]

as there is only one programme I watch which I shall lose by not renewing my £20 card [ guess which!] I will live without it ...question is , can I buy a suitable non sky card box which works on 12v ?

incidentally I was informed some years ago that 5 will drop out of their sky contract when it expires , after all sky have no satellites so that if other transponders are available they can be dispensed with

I keep seeing complete kits available for digital reception , but all I want is the box ....are there any reviews discussing how effective any of them all in low strength reception areas... e.g s.spain

 

[lebesset]

incidentally , for those who just have to know , TNT is television numerique terrestrial....but the important thing is that , thanks to the EU , we don't get ripped off by having a different standard wherever we go , they are all the same

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[Satandpcguy]

incidentally I was informed some years ago that 5 will drop out of their sky contract when it expires , after all sky have no satellites so that if other transponders are available they can be dispensed with

Five had had a free version (ie no sky card required) for just under a year now.
And as mentioned earlier, some "sky card" regions of Five are now also mapped to this version.
The only question remains is to how long the sky contract with five for Fiber, Five USA is....who knows....
but the sticking point is that if Five channels do go FTA then they will more than likely have to move onto astra 2d (where the bbcs sit) so that the free signal is limited across europe (ie Spain!) due to contractual rights...

I keep seeing complete kits available for digital reception , but all I want is the box ....are there any reviews discussing how effective any of them all in low strength reception areas... e.g s.spain

its not just the boxes....but dish, lnb, area...and a few more things that affect reception.
Freesat humax HD (and hd+) have good strong tuners
as do sky pace 2600. avoid pace 440 and 445
Some illusion an manhattens ae also very good - i have a manhatten plaza and it performs about as good, if not better, than the pace 2600!!!!

 

[EzeeRider]

This was announced in April that all subscriber cards would be replaced for free.
It was only last week when it was mentioned that freesatfromsky cards would be replaced...for free if you got them in the last 3 years....for £20 if outside the last 3 years - as per the terms and conditions you agreed to when you got the card originally.

Link Removed
which also includes the link to skys site so you can see if you can get a free replacement card...

Thanks for the update but it does not negate the fact that those that have cancelled a subscription but have retained the equipment and card in order to receive free-to-view but encrypted channels will ultimately lose them.

Freesat and Sky receivers use the same frequencies and satellites, there are no specific freesat tranponders. there is not specific freesat Spot beam, BBC news (and many other channels on Freeshat) are on Eurobird which has a pan european beam.
there is space available on 2d, with a bt of shuffling around.
C4, for exmple have 10 channels on one transponder, ITV only have 6 on most of theirs...
so there is room for their proposed ITV1+1...
and even for those ITVS on 21402.
Other tranponders on 2d are leased to disney and Sky, so its only a matter of time as to when those contracts run out and are up for renewal. maybe FIVE will put all its channels on there....?...

Ok so I used the terms transponder and Freesat too liberally but it does not explain why when some reports state 4HD's contract with Sky has expired and according to the news on the "Join Freesat" web site there is no capacity on the spot beam transponders? I hope you are right about only a shuffle round being required. I assume that currently in its encrypted state it is not on a spot beam and if it was to simply transmit in the clear it would contravene program licencing by being available in a wider area than the spot beam allows?

Everyone blames Sky. More like Astra and the contracts it has for the lease of the tranponders on its satellites....

Sky is the primary supplier to the customer not Astra who is simply the carrier. It is obvious that Sky would like/does dominate the satellite TV market. I don't think that is healthy for consumers and I hope broadcaster will realise there is more to be gained by not encrpting free-to-view channels and should include them on the Freesat EPG which has a healthy growing audience.

ezee

 

[madbluemad]

IMO SKY are the rogues, I don't mind paying for a service or product but SKY take the piss.

SKY have a monopoly on sports and why somebody hasn't taken them to the monopolies commission don't know.

If there were a way to cheat SKY i would do it, its that old bast--- Murdoch that owns it all.

How much power and money can this guy handle.

Were all on the bones of our arse and this guy wants more.

Not me, I'll never give this gut a penny. I once asked to speak to the SKY Technical Director because it was his name that was on the letter that I Had received from sky.

I was told that "he didn't take calls", I then advised SKY that I would be taking them to court and they immediately change their stance and provided me with the service that I was paying for.

When will somebody with clout have a go at SKY. DICK TURPIN WORE A MASK.

Jim

 

[Satandpcguy]

Thanks for the update but it does not negate the fact that those that have cancelled a subscription but have retained the equipment and card in order to receive free-to-view but encrypted channels will ultimately lose them.

True, but then thats is covered in the T&Cs that you should have read before cancelling. The T&Cs state that subscription cards wll be changed for free, and freesatfromsky cards within 3 years will be replaced for free. No mention in T&Cs about exsub cards, therefore they are under no obligation to change those for free, and therefore can charge for the repalcements.

Ok so I used the terms transponder and Freesat too liberally but it does not explain why when some reports state 4HD's contract with Sky has expired

If the encryption contract had expired then C4HD would be available without encryption or a card, and on ANY digital satellite receiver.
So the sites saying that C4HDs contract has expired must be wrong..why would SKy encrypt something that they do not have a contract to encrypt???? i'm sure C4 would be a bit pissed off if that were happening!
Tthe main C4 for UK (not ROI vresion) are no longer covered by a Sky encryption contract and are therefore available for free. C4HD is under contract and when that contract expires then C4HD will become available to all for free, unless it is renewed, which wil be C4s decision.

and according to the news on the "Join Freesat" web site there is no capacity on the spot beam transponders?

There is always capactity, with a bit of shuffling around and sharing of transponders.
infact it has been suggested that with the hew HD encoders being used, BBCHD, ITVHD and C4 HD can all go one one transponder...meaning only two BBC1 regoins would have to shift to another transponder...
Dont forget the free version of Five is on the same transponder as BBC2!
And as I said if C4 can get 9 channels on a transponder, and ITV only have 6 then there is in theory space for around 12-15 channels more channels on ITVs 2d transponders.

I hope you are right about only a shuffle round being required. I assume that currently in its encrypted state it is not on a spot beam and if it was to simply transmit in the clear it would contravene program licencing by being available in a wider area than the spot beam allows?

True. Hence why the ITVs on 12402 are encryted as they are on a "pan european" beam, as is C4HD.

Sky is the primary supplier to the customer not Astra who is simply the carrier.

Many channels have nothing to do with sky.....infact I think UKTV / Virgin own more channels than Sky do!
And many channels carried by astra are nothing to do with Sky..True Movies, BBC News, Travel Channels and many many more are available with any digital satellite receiver and nothing to do with sky.

Sky provide the Sky EPG software for its set top boxes, but again, for over 300plus tvand radion channels you do not need a sky box to receive them....A sky box is just one "portal" for the channels...but yes, they are the main PAY TV provider.

And I think Red Bee Media do a lot of uplinks and broadcast playout for many tv channels...

. I don't think that is healthy for consumers and I hope broadcaster will realise there is more to be gained by not encrpting free-to-view channels and should include them on the Freesat EPG which has a healthy growing audience.

And so why are ITV thinking (in the press the last month) of adding ITV2,3,4 to a sky package....as apparently they can get more from their percentage of sky sub and carriage agreements than those channels generate in ad revenue!

Why should channels pay to be on the Freesat EPG when they can be access on ANY digital satellite receiver....even on a freesat receiver in nonfreesat mode!

IMO SKY are the rogues, I don't mind paying for a service or product but SKY take the piss.:

Compared to other satellite companies in Europe their prices are average.

SKY have a monopoly on sports and why somebody hasn't taken them to the monopolies commission don't know.

All broadcasters can bid for sporting rights when they become available.
And the monopoly is not there due to the "sporting crown jewels" list that says certain sports must be available for free.
And highlights packages are also made availabe to all broadcasters also....BBC have superleague, ITV have rugby etc..

If there were a way to cheat SKY i would do it, its that old bast--- Murdoch that owns it all. How much power and money can this guy handle.

Dont forget that News Corp (ir Rupert) only have a 35% (ish) stake in Sky UK. The rest is own by a load of investment companies, and Joe Public....and probably is also part of your pension scheme portfolio.....
Disney owns ESPN - who have load of football and other sports rights.
FIVE are owned by the german RTL.
ITV are owned by all sorts or unlucky sods.
Canal+ operate a few satellite operators in Europe. D+ in spain is up for sale, but News Corp are not interested.
And I can remember when ITV used to complain that the BBC was buying all the sports rights as they did not have to worry adbouse fluctuations in ad revenue as they had an almost gaurenteed income via the lisense fee...remember World OF Sports Saturday Pub game programme with amature darts and table football with Sid Waddel????

 

[madbluemad]

Hi
Are we supposed to read, understand and respond to that ?

Jim

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