sky freesat vs sky fta/ftv

[addyb]

first off, just want to say hi, i have moved to a house with a sky dish and box so i have popped over from the cable section to see what i can do with it.

after an afternoon of reading (some very good topics on here), i just want to clarify, apart from the obvious the epg, HD and PVR features, what are the differences between freesat from sky and an old box with a card in? are the channels exaclty the same?

[madrat]

as long as the card hasn't been cancelled, a freesat from sky and an old box with card are just the same. BUT if the card is not from your area the BBC and ITV regions will be different. Not a problem as all BBC and ITV regions are on there but not in positions 101/103

[addyb]

Originally Posted by madrat

as long as the card hasn't been cancelled, a freesat from sky and an old box with card are just the same. BUT if the card is not from your area the BBC and ITV regions will be different. Not a problem as all BBC and ITV regions are on there but not in positions 101/103

well the subscription was cancelled... does this cancel the card too? other posts i have read seem to suggest that that as long as its a card with a yellow house, it should be fine, and i'm asuming all these other posts refer to a cancelled subscription as people wouldn't be paying a a monthly free for ''free iew channels''?

[Robbo]

No, they don't normally cancel the card when you cancel your subscription. It can be used as a FTV card as stated by madrat. I use one myself for ch4 HD

[rizlaman]

Originally Posted by Robbo

No, they don't normally cancel the card when you cancel your subscription. It can be used as a FTV card as stated by madrat. I use one myself for ch4 HD

Wat channels do you get with free sat?

[Robbo]

Originally Posted by rizlaman

Wat channels do you get with free sat?

Is that Freesat ?

or FTA sat?

or FreesatfromSky?


Here is a list of all the UK FTA satellite channels:-
http://www.flysat.com/tv-uk.php

with a Sky dish on 28E, just the ones at 28.2 or 28.5E

[addyb]

Originally Posted by Robbo

Is that Freesat ?

or FTA sat?

or FreesatfromSky?

now thats the queastion... ha ha

i think i hae it al sussed now... correct me if i''m wrong...

freesat is the itv one, not as many chanels,

freesat from sky is basically all of the fta and ftv channels u get with a normal or ex subscription sky box or for someone who has purposly gone out and brougt a freesat from sky package? and fta are just free channels, be it from sky, bbc or who ever, that are out there for us to tune in to?

you see i was originally going to buy a freesat from sky card for £20, but are u guys are saying that an ex subsription card is EXACTLY the same?

what does baffle me, is that if chanels like channel 4 and 5 are free chanels that every one can pick up in so many difernt ways, why do sky require u to have a card for them??

and if u look on sky website, they offer 2 packaes, one called freesat from sky, and one called pay once watch forever... is this just clever marketing, as apart from the fact one is cheaper and ofers a free trial of subscription channels, everything else seems to be the same...

and lastly, is the epg set up differently for freesat from sky? as my ex subscription box has all channels, so its a pain haing to go thogh all the premium channels to get to ones i wanna watch. with free sat being aimed at just the free channels, have they took all of these subscription channels off the epg?

[Robbo]

There's probably a simpler way of explaining it:-

FTA- all the Free To Air (unencrypted channels).

FTV- a handful of extra ones, Five,Fiver,Five US, Sky3( maybe 1 or two more), can be got with a FSFS card or ex subs.

Freesat, all the FTA channels that have signed up and paid to be on the Freesat EPG, check the Freesat website for details.

Sky EPG- It stays the same, although ch4 and ch5 are sometiimes missing, loads of channels you can't watch and really annoying.

Freesat EPG- Just the FTA channels that have signed up, no encrypted, you can watch them all.

FTA EPG, very limited, but you can have channels in any order, delete what you don't like , keep what you do.

You don't need a FSFS card for ch4 as it is FTA. To get Ch5 into the EPG you do, but can be added for free using add channels function on Sky dodgibox, but only viewed via other channels. The reason for this is contractual, the FTA ch5 is the Freesat one.

[addyb]

apart from all the rubbish channels no one really wants, is the only real difference between fsfs and free sat the lack of itv HD on fsfs?

how come channel 4 and 5 etc is fta on freesat but not fsfs? are these channels fta on a generic box? and can u get itv hd on a generic box?

[Robbo]

Originally Posted by addyb

apart from all the **** channels no one really wants, is the only real difference between fsfs and free sat the lack of itv HD on fsfs?

The only real difference is the handful of extra channels that are FTV, as the Freesat boxes can be used in non-Freesat mode. Oh and that the Sky EPG is a PITA when you don't subscribe.

how come channel 4 and 5 etc is fta on freesat but not fsfs? are these channels fta on a generic box? and can u get itv hd on a generic box?

Ch4 is fta on a Sky dodgybox, ch5 isn't for contractual reasons, as already stated.

Yes, some generic boxes can get ITV HD,probably all, not sure.

My receiver can get ITV HD and Sky encrypted channels (with a valid Sky card) including CH 4 HD, so the best of both worlds, but without the fancy EPGs.