Free to air satellite/Freeview/Saorview TV..

wilko1984uk

Was under the impression that if i got a satellite dish and box I'd get "hundreds" of free to air satellite/Freeview/Saorview channels, HD, plus one and all but most channels come up as "scrambled".
Do i need an aerial of some sort or a "combi box", to get "all" the free to air satellite/Freeview/Saorview channels?

Mint Sauce

wilko1984uk wrote: »

Was under the impression that if i got a satellite dish and box I'd get "hundreds" of free to air satellite/Freeview/Saorview channels, HD, plus one and all but most channels come up as "scrambled".
Do i need an aerial of some sort or a "combi box", to get "all" the free to air satellite/Freeview/Saorview channels?

A generic FTA box will give you many channels, but a lot will be scrambled, and they will be in no particular order, it would be up to you to delete, and sort as required, plus if any new channels came along, or if frequencies changed, you would need to re tune.

A Freesat Box, will still give you a hundred odd channels, minus the scrambled ones, and will be in order. Plus one a few of a channels, and HD on selected. Freesat is marketing towards the UK market, but some stores do sell the boxes in the ROI. Both require a dish, but will not pick up the Irish Stations.

Freeview is the UK version of Saorview, requires an aerial, but will only pick up UK stations, if you are in a border area (overspill from NI) or parts of the East Coast (overspill from Wales), depending on the model of TV it will have the tuner(s) capable for Saorview for the Irish Stations, and Freeview in the above conditions.

A combi box, requires an aerial for the Irish Stations on Saorview, and a dish for the UK stations on FTA. However it may have the same issues as your generic box for the UK stations. Some one with more knowledge than me could explain or advice on that better.

wilko1984uk

Have some sort of box, it may be a combi box as it has a connection for a satellite dish(which we have) and a connection for an aerial(which we don't have) but theres a decent looking indoor aerial in the Aldi catalogue for this Thursday, so i may try that. Had been able to pick up the Saorview channels in the last house without an aerial, literally just had a length of cable running from the AV port on my TV to the window and it worked. So i assume with a satellite dish, an amplified indoor aerial and what i now believe to be a combi box i should get a lot more channels?

Mint Sauce

wilko1984uk wrote: »

Have some sort of box, it may be a combi box as it has a connection for a satellite dish(which we have) and a connection for an aerial(which we don't have) but theres a decent looking indoor aerial in the Aldi catalogue for this Thursday, so i may try that. Had been able to pick up the Saorview channels in the last house without an aerial, literally just had a length of cable running from the AV port on my TV to the window and it worked. So i assume with a satellite dish, an amplified indoor aerial and what i now believe to be a combi box i should get a lot more channels?

By plugging in the Aerial, the only additional channels you will get are the Irish ones, so lot a lot more really. About 8 or so.

Indoor Aerials are not the most reliable. If I more mine away from the window at all, I lose at least one or two of the stations, and thats been able to see the transmitter from my window.

wilko1984uk

Bizarrely enough in the last house all i had was literally a length of coaxial cable plugged into the AV port of my TV and i got the Saorview channels but that TV had a built in Saorview box, this one doesnt. Have heard from another source that an old Sky box even without a subscription and or active card picks up a lot of free to air channels, a lot of people from the Baltic states also swear by Maplins standard satellite boxes for loads of free to air channels from all over Europe but id have to look into it.

brian_t

wilko1984uk wrote: »

Bizarrely enough in the last house all i had was literally a length of coaxial cable plugged into the AV port of my TV and i got the Saorview channels but that TV had a built in Saorview box, this one doesnt. Have heard from another source that an old Sky box even without a subscription and or active card picks up a lot of free to air channels, a lot of people from the Baltic states also swear by Maplins standard satellite boxes for loads of free to air channels from all over Europe but id have to look into it.

You wont be able to record programmes on the Sky box (without a subscription) but you will on some of the other boxes.

Mint Sauce

wilko1984uk wrote: »

Bizarrely enough in the last house all i had was literally a length of coaxial cable plugged into the AV port of my TV and i got the Saorview channels but that TV had a built in Saorview box, this one doesnt. Have heard from another source that an old Sky box even without a subscription and or active card picks up a lot of free to air channels, a lot of people from the Baltic states also swear by Maplins standard satellite boxes for loads of free to air channels from all over Europe but id have to look into it.

The old Sky box without a card, will pretty much work like a generic box. Will have loads of channels listed that you cant view, and still wont give you the Irish Stations, and as pointed out, no record function.

As for picking up additional european stations, you would need a wider dish, possibly one pointing in a different direction. Most of the ones sold here, are geared towards the Sky Customers, or those just wanting to pick up the British FTA stations. We are fortunate enough to do so, due to the satellite beam pointed at the GB and NI, with the ROI picking up its over spill.

The Satellite forum has loads of subjects/threads, on the above, what to go for, and maybe where to get.

corks finest

Mint Sauce wrote: »

A generic FTA box will give you many channels, but a lot will be scrambled, and they will be in no particular order, it would be up to you to delete, and sort as required, plus if any new channels came along, or if frequencies changed, you would need to re tune.

A Freesat Box, will still give you a hundred odd channels, minus the scrambled ones, and will be in order. Plus one a few of a channels, and HD on selected. Freesat is marketing towards the UK market, but some stores do sell the boxes in the ROI. Both require a dish, but will not pick up the Irish Stations.

Freeview is the UK version of Saorview, requires an aerial, but will only pick up UK stations, if you are in a border area (overspill from NI) or parts of the East Coast (overspill from Wales), depending on the model of TV it will have the tuner(s) capable for Saorview for the Irish Stations, and Freeview in the above conditions.

A combi box, requires an aerial for the Irish Stations on Saorview, and a dish for the UK stations on FTA. However it may have the same issues as your generic box for the UK stations. Some one with more knowledge than me could explain or advice on that better.

Look at a humax box, with at least a tb , great box,fab EPG