Receiving Italian channels in the UK

[Kolinko]

Hi there,

As the thread title suggests, I'm after help on receiving ITA channels in England.

First things first - I am a complete novice. I have had a look around this particular part of the forum, and have seen terms of which I have no idea what they mean. Not only that, but I have no idea where to start in terms of what equipment I need, why I need it e.t.c.

So what I'll do is post some opening queries that I have:

1) What equipment do I need to receive Italian channels in the UK?

2) Where can I obtain said equipment?

3) How much will this equipment cost?

4) Can I fit it myself, or do I need someone else to do it for me?

5) Once the equipment is installed, do I then receive the channels I want for free? Or do I have to pay some sort of ongoing subscription, like you would with Sky or Virgin in the UK?


Thanks

[Robbo]

Hi, there are some Free To Air channels available:-

FlySat Italy TV Channels


Look at Hotbird 13E satellite mainly.

To get these you could (depending on location) fit a Sky minidish, and couple it to a FTA receiver.

Dish/LNB = about £30,receiver about £50 to £60


If there are other channels you want, then there is the Tivusat package also on 13E

This requires a dedicated box and card, which needs to be paid for, plus an Italian fiscal code.

Google Tivusat, or contact Ian at Southernsatellite.

Whether you can fit yourself is a question I cant answer, as I don't know your capabilities. But many do it themselves, yes.

[Kolinko]

Thank you for your help, very kind.

That Tivusat option looks quite good.

I am also looking for Italian channels that are not FTA - mainly Sky Sport Italia, as they have the Serie A rights. Is there any way of accessing these channels in the UK?

[Robbo]

Yes, get a subscription to Sky Italia is the only legal way to do it. Though it is expensive. I can't/wont discuss other methods.

If you have family in Italy, you may/should be able to get the subscription a lot cheaper, if they were able to subscribe to for you, and simply send you the card and receiver.

[Kolinko]

Unfortunately I don't have family in Italy. How would I go about subscribing to Sky Italia in this country? Would I need to get a service like that offered by Tivusat installed first, and then subscribe?

[radtv]

Expect to pay around £1200 plus for a Sky Italia system from a UK dealer and this is just the card and receiver! Then you need a 60cm dish pointed at Hotbird.

[TheCoder]

Originally Posted by southernsatellite

Expect to pay around £1200 plus for a Sky Italia system from a UK dealer and this is just the card and receiver! Then you need a 60cm dish pointed at Hotbird.

Fook-a-duck, how much ?

[Robbo]

Originally Posted by Kolinko

Unfortunately I don't have family in Italy. How would I go about subscribing to Sky Italia in this country? Would I need to get a service like that offered by Tivusat installed first, and then subscribe?

No its like UK Freesat and Sky

Tivusat uses a Tivusat box, Sky Italia uses a Sky Italia box.

Both Tivusat and Sky Italia could use the same dish though, without re-aligning.

Also, you missed my point above, to get Tivusat working, an Italian fiscal code needs to be provided, so that the card can be activated. This normally means that you need an Italian connection to provide it.

[slick]

I certainly agree with coder,s comments
Bloody hell, "talk about an arm and a leg".

[Robbo]

Yes, it is expensive for an individual, but not if its cost is compared to a commercial subscription from Sky UK.