Freesat to launch in March-April

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nml
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Freesat to launch in March-April

Postby nml » Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:01 pm

I thought this information may be of interest to a lot of our members it means that finally there will be available free of charge a satellite tv service similar to Freeview terrestial in the UK.
It should mean that most sat boxes will work fine with full epg etc and also opens up the possibilities of full personal video recorder functions ie hdd recording one channel while watching another, without additional cost and cheap multi tv instalations.
Unfortunately nobody knows when channel 5 will join but channel 4 will join this year complete with a hd channel.
Below is information taken from there website and other sources.
I will try to keep you updated with any news.


The website address is ***.freesat.co.uk

What is freesat?
freesat is a brand new digital satellite TV service, launching in Spring 08, and available to almost all households across the UK.
For a one-off payment for a digital box, satellite dish and installation, freesat will offer you more than 80 TV channels. If your TV is HD–ready, freesat will also give you access to the world of High Definition programmes…subscription free!
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Why should I get freesat?
freesat is the best way to get the amazing HD experience without paying a subscription. With incredibly sharp images, brilliant colours and amazing sound quality, it'll take your viewing enjoyment to another level. Available to almost every household in the UK, freesat will also give you more than 80 channels, and you'll be ready for digital switchover, so won't need to do anything more when the time comes.
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How many channels will I get?
Because freesat is delivered via satellite, there's a huge range of TV, radio and interactive services to choose from with more than 80 channels.
You won't be overwhelmed by all these channels – we've organised them into easy-to-use categories with our freesat on-screen guide, so you'll easily find what you want at the press of a button.
How much will it cost?
A one-off payment will get you the lot. You'll pay for the digital box, the satellite dish and installation. There will be a selection of equipment available with a range of functionality to deliver additional benefits, such as digital TV recorders and TVs with freesat receivers built in. NB: You will still need a satellite dish with a TV with freesat receiver.
Prices and products available will be announced closer to launch.
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Will there be any ongoing costs?
No! That's the beauty of freesat – no subscription and no contract – not now, not ever.

Watching TV in high-definition is an incredible experience. With four times as much picture detail as standard TV, HD makes a massive difference to your enjoyment of TV.
The BBC is currently trialling an HD channel, where you can watch live sport, national events, stunning natural history, landmark drama, world-class documentaries and more. ITV will launch its high definition broadcasts of many of its primetime ITV1 shows in Spring 08, just in time for the launch of freesat. As the HD revolution progresses, more HD channels and services will be added to freesat over time.
Millions of people have already got HD-ready TV sets but until now haven't been able to access HD programmes for free. freesat will give you high definition programmes, guaranteed free from subscription.
If you have an HD-ready television, or are thinking of buying one, freesat is for you!
freesat is a joint venture between the BBC and ITV and comes to you from many of the same people that launched Freeview. freesat came together formally as a joint venture in May 2007, and is funded 50/50 by its shareholders, ITV and the BBC. The joint venture is run on a not-for-profit basis.
As TV advances with many more channel choices, interactive services, and high definition TV, these broadcasters want as many viewers in the UK as possible to have access to their new services, such as HD TV. ITV and the BBC believe that viewers should have the choice of accessing all of these services and more, without paying a subscription.

If you currently use this dish to receive services such as BBC Three and ITV2, your existing dish is probably suitable for receiving freesat. Once freesat is available you might wish to contact your local installer to see if this will work for you.
You need an HD-Ready television and an HD digital box in order to view high definition programmes in high definition. You may also need an HDMI lead, but your high street retailer will be able to let you know about this. Once you have the right equipment installed, you can watch live sport, national events, stunning natural history, landmark drama, world-class documentaries and more in amazing HD.
If you haven't yet got an HD-ready television you can still be prepared for the future by getting a freesat HD digital box. With a freesat HD digital box you can still view HD programmes on your standard definition television but the content will be scaled down to standard definition. If you buy a freesat standard definition box you will not be able to view HD programmes even if you have an HD-ready television.
The BBC will offer a wide range of red button services on freesat. From launch you'll be able to read the latest news and sport stories 24 hours a day, check out what's happening in the world of business, enjoy entertainment news and quickly access the official lottery results.
From Summer of 2008, you will be able to get a wide range of news in video at any time you want it, with weather information for where you live. During the Beijing Olympics, you'll be able to choose between coverage of different sports and highlights to get the whole BBC Olympics package.
Coming later will be enhanced coverage of many other sporting and music events, children's games, plus all of the interactive content you have come to expect from your BBC digital TV channels.
All freesat receivers will offer Subtitles and Audio Description, though the menu options for selecting them may differ slightly between manufacturers and models.
The first batch of Freesat boxes will come from Humax, Panasonic, Sagem and Alba and are expected to appear in 2008 but it is expected that many existing sat boxes will work fine

Have fun nml
:D

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gerryh
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Postby gerryh » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:32 am

Here, in Spain, we already have a " ... available free of charge a satellite tv service similar to Freeview terrestial in the UK. "
A lot of people think that the only way of recieving sattelite tv service in Spain is via SKY. Not true.
You just need satellite dish and digital box. I have a Humax digibox which will receive all the free to air channels and record to HD one or even two channels whilst I'm watching another channel.
Cheers
Gerry
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nml
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Postby nml » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:09 pm

Well; said mate a lot of people don't realize that you can do that with any FTA box and appropriate dish, however under the current FTA channels if you don't use the sky digibox you only have the now and next epg not the 7 day that you really need for the fully functioning pvr that Freeview has in the UK .
But with Freesat that will change and should work fine on your Hummy and unless your using a cam and card you won't be getting channel 4 or 5 at some point on Freesat you should and even though you personally will not have to pay any more you will benefit. :)

nml

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:18 pm

Hi Gerry, nml. We have SKY for my soaps and digitalb for OH´s footie. How do we get these other chanels you´ve mentioned? Is it easy? Also, we´re buying a motorhome and would be interested in having it in there, also.

Many thanks

Karen
vino, sol y aire, y seras rico como nadie

nml
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Postby nml » Wed Jan 23, 2008 9:44 pm

Hi Karen any Fta box even the one from lidl will do it with the appropriate dish on your existing system buy a multiple outlet LNB for you dish for example a quad = 4 boxes additional boxes and your away.Have you got a separate dish for Digitalb or a multi arm that allows additional LNB's for different satellites ? It's on a different satellite 16 east your soaps are on 28east.

On mine 1.3 gibertini dish i can get 13,16,19 and 28 east a lot of channels

Do a search on the forum it has been mentioned a number of times about FTA channels.

nml

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:20 pm

i nml. digitalb is on a separate dish (smaller) with a separate box. So i just need to buy a multiple outlet lnb for the large SKY dish and a lidl box and i´m away? by the way, digitalb is on 16degs east on the smaller dish.
many thanks

karen
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nml
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Postby nml » Wed Jan 23, 2008 11:41 pm

It's a pleasure Karen i would just like people to know how easy and cheap it can be in Spain to get additional satellite tv progs and additional televisions in other rooms.
Dual LNB should cost about €16.00 quad €30.00 + iva in Spain + of course you will need cable.
I am not permanently resident in Spain yet so i bring mine across from the uk.

Good Luck nml

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karandjon
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Postby karandjon » Thu Jan 24, 2008 10:38 am

many thanks nml. Much appreciated.

Karen
vino, sol y aire, y seras rico como nadie

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Martin Page
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Postby Martin Page » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:02 am

Which English chanels are available on the Spanish Free Sat ...?

When FreeSat comences in the UK - will we be able to recieve it here in Spain ?

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gerryh
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Postby gerryh » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:18 am

Hi Martin
I think if you read the messages at the start of this thread you should find the information you require.
If , after reading the messages you stil have questions then please post again.
Cheers
Gerry
all your answers
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Martin Page
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Postby Martin Page » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:06 pm

sorry - two disjointed questions ...

On the existing Spanish (free) satalite system that you can get from Lidl or Leroys - what english Chanels can you get- if any .

The other has been answered on the Freesat site - if you can get Sky - you can get Fresat - Plug and play

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gerryh
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Postby gerryh » Sat Jan 26, 2008 2:17 pm

As long as the equipment from Lidl contains a satellite decoder box and a dish large enough and you point the dish at the correct satellite then you should be able to receive all the channels you get via Freeview in the UK.
The big but is , is the dish large enough?
Probably not. Depending where in Spain you live you are likely too need anything from 1.2 mtr to 2.4 mtr diameter.
Have a look at your neighbours dishes i.e the neighbours who recieve UK channels.
Cheers
Gerry
i
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nml
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Postby nml » Sat Jan 26, 2008 9:14 pm

Spot on Gerry also i have been testing Channel 4 and BBC Hi Def both working fine.
:)



nml

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Postby El Cid » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:27 am

I assume you need a special receiver for HD. How much does a non Sky HD receiver cost?

Sid

Alpujarra
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Postby Alpujarra » Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:15 am

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Last edited by Alpujarra on Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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country boy
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Postby country boy » Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:32 am

Martin Page wrote:...........:-"

satalite system that you can get from Lidl what english Chanels can you get- if any ."
We bought one just to test it ( Silver Crest) and connected to our 1.9 dish we can get all the free channels we get on our sky box. with the small dish...nada!

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pigs-might-fly
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Postby pigs-might-fly » Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:30 am

We have a community SKY system. We use a SKY box with a card, but do not and will not pay for any chargeable channels/services.
I would really miss Ch. Five and it's subsidiaries, which it seems won't be available via Freesat as they are encrypted.
It would be possible to run another feed into our flat as there is, according to the installers, the capacity available to do so.
Presumably using this, one could use an fta box and connect that to the TV via the HDMI socket, retaining the existing SKY box to receive the currently free, but encrypted channels such as Five?

nml
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Postby nml » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:24 am

El Cid cheapest at the mo Is a pace about £79-£89 in the Uk, I have a Fortecstar £149 from Maplin
Both at the moment have no facility for hdd, however at some point the fortec is supposed to have a firmware upgrade to add this feature.
I am very impressed with hd though.

nml

nml
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Postby nml » Sun Jan 27, 2008 11:29 am

pigs-might-fly

I you can get another feed from the dish yes you can, however if you go for a twin tuner box you will need two extra feed's

nml

pegeen
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digital terrestrial

Postby pegeen » Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:53 pm

hello, I live in an apartment block in Alora and keen to further improve my Spanish by watching Spanish TV with subtitles. After checking the internet on what a digital terrestrial aerial looks like, over here, I checked on our roof terrace whether we had one.We do and it faces the same way as all the others. I have bought an "Engel" digi box. Despite putting it all together (have done this many times back in the UK) to my dismay absolutely nothing happened. I have a Sanyo CE21AT2 TV. Does anyone have any bright ideas on this matter? Would this Spanish freeview box be compatible with a Sky dish? :roll: Or will I have to go back to the shop and admit it isn't working? :oops: Peggy


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