# Freeview



## muddlethru (Feb 27, 2017)

My Sky has gone up yet again so thinking of going to Freeview as most of the progs we watch seem to be on Freeview anyway.

1 Has anyone got it.

2 Would you recommend it.

3 How do I go about getting it.
 Thank you.


----------



## Ralph-YK (Feb 27, 2017)

I don't have a TV anymore.  However, when I did I did have Free view.  Its free to air, so no subscription or anything.
How to get it:  tuner in you TV. Lots of TVs have it built in, so all you have to do is attach an Ariel and tell it to tune in.  Easyier than an old analogue TV.
Set top box. Attach an Ariel and tell it to tune

Alternatively, I believe most Free view channels are on satalite. You should be able to carry on using your sky box as it is.


----------



## Northerner (Feb 27, 2017)

I only use Freeview - it's all you can get on telly through your aerial down here (everywhere?) since they switched off the analogue signal. My TV has a Freeview HD receiver and my dvd recorder has a Freeview receiver also, so I can record one channel whilst watching another.  Most of the channels are rubbish, just like Sky (I imagine) but at least they are free!  You can also get Freesat which has a lot more channels, again for free, but you do have to pay for a dish and a set top box.

Most TVs sold in the past 5 years have Freeview


----------



## AndBreathe (Feb 27, 2017)

We have a variant of Freeview, via BT.  We only have the paid subscription variant because we both enjoy sports, and between us we actually get pretty good value from BT Sport and BT's variant of Sky Sports.

We have non-subscription Freeview upstairs, both embedded in the TV and also in a standalone Freeview box and it's absolutely fine too.  We rarely would want to watch sports in bed, and if we do, we can stream it up, using AppleTV or Roku, via our Slingbox.

Our Freeview box enables us to records 2 channels, and watch another via Freeview enabled TV.

You will need a working TV aerial for Freeview, which, if you have been using Sky for a while, you may not have.  Our aerial was fine when our area/region converted to digital, but I know some neighbours had to upgrade theirs.


----------



## Lilian (Feb 27, 2017)

We have freeview for all our TV's except one which is Virginmedia and free.    When Virginmedia said we would have to pay £9 for each box per month I thought that was such a rip off we got an aerial fixed and if the TV till was not a freeview one we bought a freeview box for it.   Just one off price not a monthly fee.      Virgin agreed to leave us one box free of charge.   What happens now is that if Virgin is down we still have freeview and vice versa.     If you look at a TV guide you will see the channels for freeview and see if they are the type of programmes you like.   I think most as much the same though unless you want to pay preemium rates.


----------



## Ralph-YK (Feb 28, 2017)

Frresat is the satellite version of Freeview


Northerner said:


> You can also get Freesat which has a lot more channels, again for free, but you do have to pay for a dish and a set top box.


Would they be able to use their existing dish for Frersat.
What advantage would using a Freesat box have, over using a Sky box. Cancelling Sky and just carrying on using the Sky box for the free channels would save getting a Freesat  box.
Would Freesat  have more channels than that


----------



## robert@fm (Feb 28, 2017)

Ralph-YK said:


> Alternatively, I believe most Free view channels are on satalite. You should be able to carry on using your sky box as it is.


No; without a working subscription, you can't even play the contents of your Sky box's hard drive.

To continue to get satellite TV (as I do, because BBC News HD doesn't have a reliable Freeview signal in my area), you will need to buy a Freesat box. The good thing is that Freesat is free forever. And yes, you can continue using the same dish, as Freesat comes from the same satellite as Sky. (You can even have both Sky and Freesat, if you invest a few quid in a pair of splitter boxes and four 250mm satellite patch cables.)


----------



## muddlethru (Feb 28, 2017)

Thank you all for your replies. I am seriously going to give it ago. I just feel that Sky is getting beyond a joke now and it is time for a change.


----------



## Northerner (Feb 28, 2017)

muddlethru said:


> Thank you all for your replies. I am seriously going to give it ago. I just feel that Sky is getting beyond a joke now and it is time for a change.


Just think of what you can spend that money on that you'll save - and the time from having fewer channels!


----------



## muddlethru (Feb 28, 2017)

I have to say we don't watch a lot of TV it never goes on until about 6.00pm for the news with Fred Dinnage.  Progs we have recorded I end up deleting half of them as we never seem to get time to watch them. Rather read a book.


----------



## Steff (Feb 28, 2017)

Hi,
My son has freeview in his room which is sufficent for him, for me and hub on other hand it limits us, so thats why we prefer sky. good luck whatever you decide.

PS I do agree re Sky our bill has suddenly crept from 90 to 110 pound


----------



## Ralph-YK (Feb 28, 2017)

robert@fm said:


> No; without a working subscription, you can't even play the contents of your Sky box's hard drive.
> 
> To continue to get satellite TV (as I do, because BBC News HD doesn't have a reliable Freeview signal in my area), you will need to buy a Freesat box.



I have ...hum... heard (  ) of a couple of people who have canceled their Sky subscription and their Sky box still works for free channels.  Yes, it does stop playing recorded video.
I don't really know much about Freesat.


----------



## mikeyB (Feb 28, 2017)

I must admit I am Sky through and through. Now got Sky Q, which can record 4 programs while watching a fifth. Also, if Sarah is out with the dog on a Sunday, I can be watching the football, and when she gets in, just pause it and go upstairs to pick up where I left off. Not only that, it is rapidly increasing broadcast 4K Ultra HD, which Freeview can't. BT also has a 4K channel, which no doubt costs more. I've also got an Amazon Prime  and Netflix account.

If the Sky cost increases, I just ring them up and threaten to leave. It's amazing how much they'll deal to keep you on board.


----------



## zuludog (Mar 1, 2017)

I've only ever used Freeview and I'm quite satisfied with it, certainly I don't have any problems finding something to watch

How many channels are there on Freeview? 30? 35?  Plus several radio stations. I reckon that if I can't find enough to watch on those, then I'm in a sad state. I suppose the exception is if you watch a lot of sport


----------



## Northerner (Mar 1, 2017)

zuludog said:


> How many channels are there on Freeview? 30? 35? Plus several radio stations. I reckon that if I can't find enough to watch on those, then I'm in a sad state. I suppose the exception is if you watch a lot of sport


There are some channels I think I would like, like Discovery and National Geographic, but there's some pretty good stuff on the BBC, especially BBC4, and I don't really have time to watch and listen to everything I'd like to as it is anyway, so the extra expense of Sky really isn't worth it. I suppose I've only got myself to please though, a family might have more diverse requirements.


----------



## mikeyB (Mar 1, 2017)

There are evenings when we watch nothing but BBC4. Its far and away the most intelligent channel, true to the original ethos of the BBC - inform, educate and entertain.


----------



## mist (Mar 1, 2017)

I just download the shows I want to watch.


----------



## Northerner (Mar 2, 2017)

mist said:


> I just download the shows I want to watch.


Listening to some of the media programmes you'd think this option was available to everyone, hence lots of programmes nowadays being online only  However, my connection is nowhere near good enough for that to be practical, and it also costs me extra if I exceed my monthly download limit, and I'm pretty sure there is a significant number of people in my position. Great if you can do it, useless if you can't!


----------



## grovesy (Mar 2, 2017)

No you are not Northerner, there was an article in the local paper here a few weeks ago where new houses built on land that was part of golf club out of town but not exactly in the sticks, are having internet problems.Even the devolopers when planning also did not factor in the provision of internet to the development.


----------



## Vicsetter (Mar 2, 2017)

The definitive answer about freesat is here: http://www.freesat.co.uk/get-freesat/switch-from-sky
I have 2 Humax boxes, one in the living room and one in the cinema room and this was a straight plug in to the existing sat dish wires.The living room tv has an Amazon Fire box and a Now tv box (which will be going once Walking dead is finished).  The cinema room has a Xbox 360 and a Xbox One which gives me Amazon Prime TV and Now tv (n.b.: STV player is only available on XBox 360).
The Humax Sat boxes go up to 2TB recording (1000hrs) and my 500mb model is £189 ish.


----------



## mikeyB (Mar 3, 2017)

You need 2TB these days. HD takes up more space than SD recording. And Ultra HD even more.


----------



## Vicsetter (Mar 3, 2017)

mikeyB said:


> You need 2TB these days. HD takes up more space than SD recording. And Ultra HD even more.


As I only have an hd projector why would I record Ultra hd?  I run my 500m sat boxes at about 60% by deleting the rubbish the wife records.


----------



## mikeyB (Mar 4, 2017)

Good Man, you have my admiration. If I bought an HD projector I don't think I'd have a wife much longer. How do you do it?


----------



## Vicsetter (Mar 4, 2017)

Have you seen the price of 120inch TVs?


----------



## mikeyB (Mar 5, 2017)

Yes. I'd rather eat.


----------



## Mark Parrott (Mar 5, 2017)

We just have Freeview & are happy with that.  Our only problem is that we have a row of trees that can affect reception in high winds.  We used to have Sky but the only Sky channels we watched were F1 & Atlantic so decided it wasn't worth paying the subscription for.


----------



## Ditto (Mar 5, 2017)

My daughter called them and said she didn't want it any more and they let her have it free for ages. Give them a ring and see how you go. If not Freeview is fine imho.


----------



## MikeTurin (Mar 8, 2017)

I could speak for Freesat. You can use also a general purpose satellite receiver to watch Freesat channels, not a specifically branded one, if you have a TV set with both satellite and terrestrial inputs you'll have only only remote a no boxes. Or you could get a general purpose onr that normally is more complex to use but is way more flexible: there are also a lot of linux based ones that are really customizable


----------



## HOBIE (Mar 8, 2017)

muddlethru said:


> My Sky has gone up yet again so thinking of going to Freeview as most of the progs we watch seem to be on Freeview anyway.
> 
> 1 Has anyone got it.
> 
> ...


I like my Freeview used to have sky but not for the last 5yrs or more. The cheapest way is to get a Freeview box only approx. £25 & plug it into your ariel


----------



## mikeyB (Mar 9, 2017)

My problem is the complete absence of a terrestrial TV signal. This situation arose with the digital switchover. There's also no signal for a DAB radio. The choice therefore, is simple. Freesat or Sky. Freeview is not an option. Most people who have a modern TV don't need a Freeview box, a Freeview tuner is built in to most TVs now.


----------



## muddlethru (Mar 9, 2017)

It has been really interesting to hear what you all have to say re Freeview etc. Definitely going to go for it. Vicsetter you are a wizard with all the electronics I haven't a clue what you are talking about have the time., but I still think your lovely.


----------



## muddlethru (Mar 9, 2017)

Half not have, senior moment.


----------

