Its Back! Lidl Digital Satellite System

mjsmyth · 28-09-2006 10:38AM #1

Its back and cheaper than ever, the Lidl Digital Satellite System is now priced at 69.99 and available from October 5th.

http://www.lidl.ie/ie/home_ni.nsf/pages/c.o.20061005.p.DigitalSatSystem

mj

Tony · 28-09-2006 10:38AM

Even better value

TheDriver · 28-09-2006 12:17PM

To be honest, hearing what people have said about the last Lidl packages and you can get a decent package with quality stuff from people like Tony www.satellite.ie and www.corksat.com (I am no way related to any of these ventures!) and many many more and they can advise you when things go wrong and you can take stuff back easily. And you don't have to queue for ages! For a few quid more, its a big investment on the side of your house and hours of viewing you get. But best of luck in your hunt!!
Must admit, theres great joy in getting a diy job done and seeing reception at the end!!

mossym · 28-09-2006 12:59PM

that's only in northern ireland, we get an amd pc down here instead

Mossy Monk · 28-09-2006 01:10PM

aye

thats 69.99 sterling

Tony · 28-09-2006 03:13PM

TheDriver wrote:

To be honest, hearing what people have said about the last Lidl packages and you can get a decent package with quality stuff from people like Tony www.satellite.ie and www.corksat.com (I am no way related to any of these ventures!)

thanks, cheque on the way

mjsmyth · 28-09-2006 07:15PM

Apologies about that, I thought my pc was set to default to the Republic page. Oh well.

As for negative posts about the lidl gear, any I have seen have been down to inexperience. The actual receiver is fine if all you want is FTA channels. My 80cm dish is till on the wall 2 years after going up. The only problem in my opinion with the lidl gear is the week wall mount they give.

But yes, I will agree, Tony does give excellent service.

MJ

Tony · 28-09-2006 07:44PM

I agree the Lidl receiver is as good as any in that price range bar the mount. Thanks for the kind words

Ulsterman 1690 · 28-09-2006 08:15PM

Lidl wall mounts are pure junk

While one can do better for a few quid more the other components are good for the money (although the signal meters can be a bit of a pain to use)

Also the cabling they supply is really only suitable for strong signals/short runs

that's only in northern ireland, we get an amd pc down here instead

Is that seventy quid as well ?:D :eek:

watty · 28-09-2006 09:48PM

It isn't as cheap as people think, but the dish and receiver are fine. The coax and mount are junk. A meter with a needle is easier than LED bargraph to use.

mossym · 29-09-2006 07:54AM

Ulsterman 1690 wrote:

Is that seventy quid as well ?:D :eek:

yeah i wish

Trevord · 29-09-2006 10:54AM

For the price the Lidl system is a grand entry level system. All you need to get going is in the box. And if you know nothing about what you're doing that's a start in itself.

And if you're not happy Lidl will take it back.

The only issue I had was that the astra 28E radio stations were not programmed (well the only station on the receiver was BBC Radio Cyrmu for some wierd reason). But that was easily sorted with a rescan.

Surprised that the likes of Tesco aren't selling an all in one sat system.

Its really amazing how many people are unaware that FTA exists. Several people have asked me if its legal !! We really have been sucked into the concept of forking out on a monthly basis for everything in this country.

Tony, Corksat etc. - maybe you need to advertise more !

TheDriver · 29-09-2006 12:55PM

I agree with you Trevord but think Sky is a buzz word among many homeowners, I gather this from colleagues etc especially those wanting to spend 50+ a month to get sports aswell. Also a factor is the cost to get rte aerial in to go with FTA system and suppose if you get someone to install your system, it does cost a bit compared to free sky installation (i appreciate from Tony's comments the need for insurance costs etc that you will be at least the 300 mark) so thats why I see not more taking up FTA.
My neighbours all paid 350-400 for aerials put up for terrestrial and just a bit of know how and less than 50 euro for vhf aerial and booster in attic gets same but think most on this forum are rare few who take great job out of a diy job and saving money! Between aerial and dish and cabling etc, it all cost me the bones of 200 euro and good bit of research and labour though this forum is a God send learning from everyones mistakes, the advice is brilliant!
Lastly, before ITV came along FTA, i think it wasn't even worth putting up a dish just for BBCs, roll on Miami Vice on ITV4!! A colleague didn't even realise you could get ITV until August this year!
All things considered, I suppose I can see why people go for sky and other similar providers.

Tony · 29-09-2006 02:57PM

Trevord wrote:

Tony, Corksat etc. - maybe you need to advertise more !

Perhaps your right

wizard1 · 29-09-2006 04:53PM

Hi All,
I hate to Pee on anyones parade, but this is only on the Northern Ireland page. It does not appear on the Republic Of Ireland Page. Therefore the price of 69.99 is most likely in sterling

Cheers

mjsmyth · 29-09-2006 05:47PM

Yeah, it was pointed out a few replie3s ago.

mj

Tony · 29-09-2006 07:37PM

Doesnt anybody read threads before they post here anymore?

Johnny_the_fox · 29-09-2006 07:42PM

Trevord wrote:

Surprised that the likes of Tesco aren't selling an all in one sat system.

B&Q in the North have started to sell skyline digital satellite systems for £99.. its only time before the rest follow...

markyboy · 29-09-2006 08:08PM

Tony wrote:

Doesnt anybody read threads before they post here anymore?

I think this just proves he's not a real wizard!

jonnygee · 29-09-2006 11:17PM

While the lidl system does what it says on the box, in my experince it is not an ideal buy for anyone wanting fta channels from 28.2 degrees east. It will allow you to watch many channels from many satellites and this has a novelty value for a while until you realise that you cannot understand a single word that is being said by anyone. Any english speaking channels from other locations are so boring that they would put you to sleep. Unless you are technically minded the menus are complicated and confusing and the only useful function on it is the channel delete function which can help to bring some order to the confusion. There are really only two ways to go, either subscribe to sky for a year, get the free gear and then go free to air or buy a used system now and self install using the correct dish and cable.

SRB · 01-10-2006 11:14AM

jonnygee wrote:

While the lidl system does what it says on the box, in my experince it is not an ideal buy for anyone wanting fta channels from 28.2 degrees east. ..... There are really only two ways to go, either subscribe to sky for a year, get the free gear and then go free to air or buy a used system now and self install using the correct dish and cable.

But ......... if you do the former you're out of pocket for a years sub, if you do the latter you'll be buying a second hand system with no comeback. I know loads of people with FTA systems for 28.2 mainly used for second sets etc and they've had no problems with them at all.

jonnygee · 01-10-2006 11:21PM

I also know loads of people who have the lidl reciever as a second set, including myself. However I stand by my comments, I believe a digibox is a vastly superior system for fta from 28.2 east whether new or used. I dont agree that you are out of pocket for a years subscription, you are not paying for something that you do not get, e.g a full years viewing, a free digibox and free installation and a viewing card. Also secondhand systems should prove to be reliable unless you are very unlucky. I dont mean to rubbish the lidl system, as I said it does what it says it will do, but I believe that as way to get into digital satellite it is flawed for anyone who is not technically minded. Compared to a "SKY" system I would rate the reciever second best because you cannot upgrade to a fta card, also it has no second rf output also the epg information lets it down as does the software in general. I think the remote control is very poor compared to a digibox remote, it cant control my tv and where can I buy a replacement if it breaks down, definetly not in argos. I cant think of anything positive to say about the dish or wall mount, and the cable supplied would not be my first choice either. Now after all that you may well ask why I ever bought LIDL System, my answer, because it looked cheap and I wanted to see what it could do. If anyone wants one, buy one, it,s not the end of the world.

Tony · 02-10-2006 09:20AM

I think you mean FTV card, FTA by its very nature does not need a card

watty · 02-10-2006 10:45AM

Interestingly aside at IBC I saw a module to plug into a CAM slot for FTA, FTV (not UK) or Pay TV. It converts MPEG4 to MPEG2 on any Satellite or Terrestrial receiver that has a CI slot. Allows existing DTT pay TV boxes to do French MPEG4 SDTV. It then has a mini-card slot.

First thing I have seen that could be genuinely usefull for FTA that needs a CI pay TV receiver. No use for HDTV (data rate too high) nor for DVB-S2.

Trevord · 02-10-2006 03:20PM

jonnygee wrote:

While the lidl system does what it says on the box, in my experince it is not an ideal buy for anyone wanting fta channels from 28.2 degrees east. It will allow you to watch many channels from many satellites and this has a novelty value for a while until you realise that you cannot understand a single word that is being said by anyone. Any english speaking channels from other locations are so boring that they would put you to sleep. Unless you are technically minded the menus are complicated and confusing and the only useful function on it is the channel delete function which can help to bring some order to the confusion. There are really only two ways to go, either subscribe to sky for a year, get the free gear and then go free to air or buy a used system now and self install using the correct dish and cable.

I think this is a slightly harsh judgement on the Lidl system. Blaming the system for some of the boring programmes it receives is a bit like blaming the rabbit's ears for picking up Winning Streak.

I don't think its possible to generalise on whether the Lidl system is good or bad. Its probably right for some people and not for others. Its certainly the wrong system if you want Sky Sports/Movies or FTV stuff. Its OK for FTA.

The menus on the receiver are superior in some respects to say the NTL digital box, perhaps inferior to SKY. At the same time I don't think there is anything particualry technical in the Lidl receiver menus. If anything adding new channels to the sky box is probably harder.

Overall I think the Lidl system should just be compared with other FTA options. On the plus side its a fair bit cheaper, on the negative side the dish is unnecessarily ugly, especially if viewed up close.

Personally I chose the LIDL system cos I got sick of the basic NTL package I had. Crashing box, system faults, an EPG that went on the blink every few weeks and a basic bundle of channels that:

- charged you for channels available free elsewhere
- and excluded some channels that are available for free elsewhere unless you upgraded to a more expensive package

SRB · 02-10-2006 05:32PM

I guess it depends what you're after, if you're only after the offerings provided by Sky, then the digibox is hard to beat, if you're a bit more adventerous then the limitations of the Sky Digibox and the fact that it is tightly controlled by Sky's s/w will frustrate you no end. By the way, the EPG system Sky use is their own, which is why it won't work with other boxes, it's not a fault of the Lidl box s/w as such.

jonnygee · 02-10-2006 10:48PM

Tony wrote:

I think you mean FTV card, FTA by its very nature does not need a card

Tony ,to be honest, sometimes I dont know what I mean.

Tony · 03-10-2006 04:51PM

jonnygee wrote:

Tony ,to be honest, sometimes I dont know what I mean.

LOL to be fair to you the terminology used for both these is not the clearest in the world. RTE running ads for "Free to air" sport does not help either:)

Its Back! Lidl Digital Satellite System

Comments