Which one to go with - FreeView or FreeSat?

TestLink

I am in Dublin and would like to get some advice on installing a Sat Dish.

Using a single dish could I receive both Euro Bird 1, hotbird and Astra channels (which I presume would be the best free english channels) using a single dish and single LNB?
Considering the UK digital switch over in 2012 which box should I go with - FreeView (HD) or FreeSat (HD)?

Any box that you would suggest that would allow me to connect an external Hard Drive for recording rather than going via a PVR way?

Are the adult channels free or do I need subscription for that?

watty

Freeview = Aerial. Avoid unless you know you can get Welsh TV via Aerial.

Freesat = Dish.
Go for "Freesat HD" PVR. External HDD or DVD recording is only for analogue and is inefficient, poorer quality, no HD ever and obsolete.

Freesat HD PVR uses on-screen Program Guide to schedule. Go for HD even if you don't have an HD TV today.

Freesat doesn't use a Subscription. Only a Skybox can be used to subscribe to UK Adult Channels. 19E and 13E etc have different arrangements for so called "Adult Channels".

http://www.saortv.info/channels/uk-televison/
http://www.techtir.ie/saortv/freesat

To get Hotbird and Astra 19E also you need a Sat box that does Diseqc and a larger dish (80cm in Dublin, 95cm in West, 110cm edge of North&South West) with a multifeed.

28E (Freesat) ---- 19E Astra --13E Hotbird - 9E

You would need 2 x 4 way Diseqc switches or a Multiswitch if you want more than one PVR.

If your main watching is NOT Freesat from 28.2E, then a VU+ Duo or other non-Freesat Box would be better.
See http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=2055816677

TestLink

watty wrote: »

To get Hotbird and Astra 19E also you need a Sat box that does Diseqc and a larger dish (80cm in Dublin, 95cm in West, 110cm edge of North&South West) with a multifeed.

So if I buy a freesat HD box with PVR, I still would be able to get the non freesat channels on 28°E mentioned at https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/List_of_free-to-air_channels_in_the_UK, right? But how could the FreeSat box work in Ireland since it requires to enter a UK Post Code?

I have in mind the Humax Foxsat-HDR - http://www.joinfreesat.co.uk/index.php/digital-boxes/humax-foxsat-hdr. Any other cheaper option? (VU+ Duo is very costly).

Do you know any cheap installer who does this?

St Senan

The Freesat box dont know what country it is in so just enter a UK postcode into it.
also Cheap is not always Cheerful. There is to many so called installers doing cheap Free To air installs. Get someone who knows what they are doing
In Dublin try either
www.satellite.ie
or
www.freesat.ie

watty

The UK post code just changes which ITV1 & BBC1 & BBC are the default ones at start of EPG. The other ones get swapped to high numbers.

Any UK post code

Sam Russell

For London I use SW1 1AA, it is some old ladies house in London.

If you want a NI post code, use BT1 1AA, it is the Post Office Central Sorting Office in Belfast.

Nobody will know.:)