Total Novice.

[SkydiverMel]

Hi All,

I'm a total novice when it comes to satellite TV so please be kind with me.

At the moment I line the pocket of our friends at Sky to the sum of £50.00 per month. Having considered this £600 per year expense is not really justified as most of whats on there is repeated rubbish I'm seriously considering junking the lot and going down the route of FTA stuff.

I have had a trawl around these forums and it seems that there is a lot to watch from various satellites up there without the expensive monthly costs Sky want.

However, I would like to future proof any investment made and having shelled out a largish chunk of my hard earnt on a 43" plasma I would like to view some HD stuff (BBC) but again not having to pay SKY.

So my questions are as follows:-

1. Can I just hook up a new receiver capable of receiving FTA stuff and not only in SD but HD pictures to the existing sky dish.
2. Is it worth the extra expense to invest in a motorised system.
3. How much english language stuff is being broadcast.
4. We can get freeview with a very good signal and have a humax PVR (used in one of the bedrooms) although the TV has a built in Freeview tuner also.
5. I would have a budget of around £300 - £400.
6. Are there any receivers that have a built Hard Disc for recording (Like Sky +) and also have an HDMI connection.
7. I live in Billericay in Essex if thats any help for the satellite.
8. This could be the start of a new hobby for me?

I look forward to your comments and advice.

Mel.

[nanochickin]

1. Can I just hook up a new receiver capable of receiving FTA stuff and not only in SD but HD pictures to the existing sky dish. Yes

2. Is it worth the extra expense to invest in a motorised system . Definately, best thing i ever did
3. How much english language stuff is being broadcast. Loads

4. I would have a budget of around £300 - £400. If you are good with computers and/or are willing to not see your wife, kids, family and friends for 2 weeks at least while you learn how to use it, get a dreambox 500, 7000 or 7020 receiver. You will also need a 90cm upwards size dish and mount, and a Moteck SG-2100A Motor. You should just get under your budget or go over it slightly depending on what receiver you buy. The Dreambox is probably one of the most future proof receivers going ATM and it currently works with a Sky NDS card The other alternative is a Technomate TM 1000CI or TM 1500 Super which can be patched to open up quite a few packages that are currently open although to keep up with other stuff thats open you may need a Cam like the Diablo or Dragon. The 1500 works with most cards available but not Sky NDS. If your not bothered about cards and Cams go for the TM 1000D which can also be patched

5. Are there any receivers that have a built Hard Disc for recording (Like Sky +) and also have an HDMI connection. The Dreambox 7000 and 7020 can have a HDD installed to use as a PVR. Only the Dreambox 7025 allows you to watch one channel and record another as the Sky+ box does, the 7000 & 7020 will only record the channel your watching. AFAIK only the 8000 does all the above with HD. I'm sure the other forum bods will put me right if i'm incorrect on that assumption

6. This could be the start of a new hobby for me? It can turn out to be an expensive hobby once you get addicted, but a very enjoyable one aswell



Nano

[BGonaSTICK]

Switching away from a full Sky subscription can be a strange experience. It can either be the best thing you ever did, or the biggest disappointment.

If you're prepared to obtain your satellite TV illegally, then there is heaps to be watched. If you want to stay legal, then there is still plenty of FTA (if using a motorised system, say), but not that much in English - over and above the free channels on the 'Sky' satellites at 28.2E orbital location, that is.

That's mainly because most movie channels (for example) that come as part of other European pay-TV packages come with the original audio (which is clearly English in a large number of cases) as an option - so when they are 'hacked' (arggghh, I wish there was a better word for it...) you get the whole lot. Most non-movie channels either have the English audio removed/are dubbed, or never had it to start with.

FTA away from 28.2E is mostly foreign language - but can still be a lot of fun even if you're not interested in learning another language. It does become a part of your TV-viewing life in a strange kind of way. My kids are used to having French, German, Italian, Spanish even Japanese TV on in the background and it's kind of normal and good for them I think.

On the HD front, there are a few Hi-Def channels floating about which you can view with something like a Humax HDCI2000 including BBC HD which is FTA at 28.2E and the German 'Premiere HD' channels which are currently open with a sneaky fix if you're so inclined.

The thing with 'hacked' channels is that there is nothing guaranteed (unlike Births, Deaths, Taxes and annual Sky price rises). Sometimes there is nothing at all open, but most of the time there is a fair amount. Best of all, you never know which of the two it will be, nor what will be open. It's kind of exciting, but you can see that you'd have to be the sort of person that can enjoy their TV delivered in such an unpredictable way.

Hope that gives you a flavour of what you can expect.