Leave Sky and go to Freesat

A question about : Leave Sky and go to Freesat

As the title suggests I am considering leaving Sky and moving over to Freesat, I would appreicate any advice on whether Freesat is any good.

My situation is, I currently have the following with Sky;

Sky Entertainment Extra
Multiroom
HD Subscription - currently on a 12 month 1/2 price deal until May 2013
Sky Talk Anytime calls
Sky Line Rental
Sky Broadband unlimited

Total cost = Ј67 a month

I have just found out that I can receive Freesat by simply plugging a box in as it comes from the same satellite via the Sky dish.

So in essence I can save around Ј35 a month by switching to Freesat. I will need to buy a PVR and a 2nd receiver for the teenage tearaways room, so around Ј300 to fork out. However that would be recovered in less than a year. don't want to do though is jump to find out Freesat is not all that it is made out to be. So any advice would be greatly appreciated especially from those that have Freesat and know how good or bad it is.

Thanks in advance

Best answers:

• Depends on the channels you watch, work out how much you watch the premium channels that won't be available once you move to Freesat and decide if you can do without them.
• Most of the Freesat channels are just duplicates of the ones on Freeview. There are a few that are only on one or the other, but effectively the main channels are on both.
  If you are happy with the Freeview channels, then Freesat will be fine for you but I wouldn't go to the expense of a box if you have a normal tv aeriel that will pick up Freeview unless you wanted a specific channel on Freesat that was not on Freeview.
• You can, of course, use the Sky box for Freesat from Sky, but the recording and Sky+ functions cease working.
• I am in the same boat. There are are 3 channels that SWMBO records that are on sky but not Freesat. It has been suggested the programs she watches on these channels may be also on another in which case I could save the monthly sky bill ( after buying a Humax PVR which I am assured is the best )
• Freeview isn't really an option for us as the ariel reception is absolutely garbage, we can't get a lot of the channels. so it needs to be Freesat really, unless I get a new ariel put up, which being in rented property I am not paying for and the landlord, well that isn't going to happen.
  Also I do want to be able to record, pause, rewind, have HD channels etc, so the Humax box with the Freetime service seemed like the best option. It is a bit pricey at nearly Ј300 but it will pay for itself in 10 months with what I will be saving from paying Sky.
  The only things we watch that are not on Freesat are;
  Spartacus on Sky 1 - currently in its final series.
  The Walking Dead on FOX - about 5 episodes left this series.
  Other than that it is occasional watching of UK Gold and the odd documentary channel. In total no more than 4/5 hours a week that aren't on Freesat channels. This is why I think I am being mugged off by Sky at paying Ј35 a month for TV.
  It is a bit strange really thinking about leaving Sky after all these years with them and the not having the experience of knowing what the other services are actually like. Until I think about all the money we throw down the drain every year for next to nothing.
  I noticed that with Freesat there are other channels you can receive that do not come automatically with it. Is there any where to look and see what these channels are? Also how easy are they to get and is it a simple procedure to get them?
• https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/....php?t=4465507
• Does anyone know what additional channels you can pick up on Freesat?
• https://www.freesat.co.uk/
• Thanks for the link.........
  but I meant the channels you can add that don't come with Freesat. Also if this is an easy process to do?
  Thanks
• The Humax Foxsat boxes can just be switched from Freesat to non-Freesat mode. You'll then get any non-subscription channels available on the same dish alignment. It's simple enough to do, but of course there is no EPG to assist you to find them.
• Simon7685 - yes - you're talking about what Humax call 'non-Freesat mode'. I think these channels can also be manually tuned in on Sky, but they're not in either the Sky or Freesat guides by default.
  I hate to disappoint you, but the channels can be summarised as 'a load of foreign rubbish'! If you do have an interest in another country, there are some news channels that would be of interest for example, but many of these are in the guide already.
  When I tuned a few years ago, there was a channel called Luxe HD, whilst there wasn't much HD programming. That was utter rubbish, but in HD! You can also find all the ITV and Channel 4 regions here if you want to.
• Simon7685
  Given the Sky exclusive programmes that you watch such as walking dead etc it may be worth you looking into a media streaming player that runs netflix such as the WDTV Live SMP. Netflix show most of the major American shows and current movie releases and costs Ј6 a month. They stream in HD and are now begining to stream in Super HD whatever that is
  If you could find a freesat box that runs netflix that may be the way to go.
  Alternatively, buy a cheap enigma 2 based receiver such as the Gigablue HD800 for Ј150 and install the Vix O/S on it and buy either a WDTV Live at around Ј60 or a Roku media streamer at Ј40.
  The E2 receiver will provide you with series link recording, full 7 day EPG and now has an Ondemand service for bbciplayer, Itvplayer and 4OD. Downside is you will have to learn how to use it. The Vix team website has full details and set up guides.
  Bit clusmy I know but this would be one way of getting what you want cheaper.
• We took the plunge several years ago and have not looked back. Currently using a humax freesat box with around 200 hours of hard drive space.
  Make sure you can plug your broadband into the box, enables you to stream BBB iplayer and ITV player plus other stuff.
• Incorrect davemurgartroyd - we're talking about channels that are being transmitted across Europe and that have paid Sky, or Freesat, to be in their Guides. Imagine the kind of junk you're talking about that is in the Sky guide, now imagine WORSE junk! What channel number is Luxe HD (if it still exists) for example in the Sky guide?