Swapping Sky for Freesat

Smell The Glove

Smell The Glove

Messages
1,026
Location
Ayrshire
Thinking about it anyway.

I called sky this morning and cancelled my movie and sports subscription, but am thinking about going the whole hog and dumping Sky altogether. Before today I had the full monty from Sky, all the channels,Sky+, HD, multiroom, all except 3D and was paying around £75 per month for the privilege. I love my sports and I think that HD is great, but its way too much to pay when most of the time we are watching BBC and ITV anyway.

So with the Sports and Movies taken off its still over 40 quid per month. Why not just buy a good Freesat HD recorder (around £200), see if life is worth living without the sports channels and get my movies from Blockbuster.

We thought about BT Vision (you can have Sky sports 1&2 for £7.20 extra), and it looks quite good except that where we live we don't get half the channels through our aerial, and the sports isn't available in my area either. Plus we already have a perfectly good satellite dish installed.

Don't live in a cabled area either.

So what's the craic? Are there any brave souls out there who have cut their ties with Sky? And how do you manage without the footy? I know that you can get football over dodgy internet streams, but it's not the same.
 
Smell The Glove said:
So what's the craic? Are there any brave souls out there who have cut their ties with Sky? And how do you manage without the footy? I know that you can get football over dodgy internet streams, but it's not the same.
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Yup - dumped Sky about 3 years back. Never looked back. If I'm desperate to see some sport that's been hidden away on Sky, I go to the pub... it doesn't happen, I find I prefer to watch it on the radio - the pictures are better :D
 
Not had a TV licence for a few years now - watch everything I need streamed through the internet via my playstation, ie, iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and lovefilm!
 
Did away with Sky years ago. I got fed up with all the extra channels and nothing on.

We have Freeview HD here in Devon, there's only 4 HD channels at the moment but the signal and picture is brilliant. I have a cheap Murphy HD freeview box, and a Humax Freeview Recorder.

As for films I subscribe to Love Film and can view films through the PS3 from there, albeit on a very limited choice. Of course with the PS3 you can run iplayer through it to.

Sport wise I only really watch the F1 and the BBC HD coverage is the best.
 
Just cancel your subscription - you still own the dish and box, as they remind you when it breaks and you want them to fix it, so just continue using it on the free to air channels!

A
 
dilbertz said:
Not had a TV licence for a few years now - watch everything I need streamed through the internet via my playstation, ie, iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and lovefilm!
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Just to make you aware, you still need a TV liscense, as you have the chance to watch, TV, just by watching iPlayer you are using the BBC service, you will also be able to receive radio transmissions. Basically a heads up, they can still do you for not having a license even if you dont have a TV in the house (do you have a radio installed in the car? you need a license as you have the means to receive a radio signal) we looked into this a number of years ago as we tought drop the lot but found we still needed to pay a fee.

As for sky and freesat, our TV has built in freeview and freesat as well as until this month Sky, I still use the sky box as it does have different channels to the other 2 services, so 1 cable from the dish to the TV for freesat (get the HD channels on this) 1 cable to the Sky box for the few extra channels there and I have the Ariel plugged into the PS3 via 3 play bow, this converts the PS3 into a freeview digital recorder, watch one channel record another. I also use the PS3 for iplayer, 4OD, ITVplayer etc and then if I really want to get films I will get a love film sub, but love film do have free films that you can stream direct from them with no subs. :D
 
dilbertz said:
Not had a TV licence for a few years now - watch everything I need streamed through the internet via my playstation, ie, iPlayer, ITV Player, 4OD and lovefilm!
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Be careful the big bad tv man don't come knocking............you need a TV licence to watch TV streamed from the internet via a games console and or mobile phone or recorded on a Tv recorder digital or VHS.............new TV license came Friday and they have got a bit wise to the internet stuff............just don't buy a new TV or recorder as they send your details in...... ;) ;)
 
missingskin said:
you need a TV licence to watch TV streamed from the internet via a games console and or mobile phone
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Only if it's being watched at "the same time" as it's being broadcast - time-shifted iPlayer doesn't require a licence.

Been to court twice thanks to TVL "inspector" ineptitude ("it's in the database, the database is always right") and not actually asking to see the licence I actually had (which, hilariously, is sent through the post by TVL, and in the same post every year to a slight variant of my address the letter reminding me I need a TV licence). Went to court since they don't provide any cost-free way of contacting them, whereas I can go to court, get acquitted and claim costs (which to their credit they pay within 28 days).
 
hunnymonster said:
missingskin said:
you need a TV licence to watch TV streamed from the internet via a games console and or mobile phone
Click to expand...

Only if it's being watched at "the same time" as it's on.

Been to court twice thanks to TVL ineptitude ("it's in the database, the database is always right") and not asking to see the licence I actually had (hilariously sent through the post by TVL, and in the same post every year to a slight variant of my address the letter reminding me I need a TV licence).
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He will just have to make sure not to watch live channels on ITV/BBC Iplayer....... :lol:
Unfortunately when I got caught they could see the tv and what I was watching, but the bloke was fair and gave me a couple of weeks to get a license, I pay it monthly so don't miss the money and cannot be arsed with the agro of not having one........ :lol: :lol:
 
If you think you don't need one you can make a declaration to them on the TV License site and they stop the letters. I had a flat and really did not have a TV for the forst few months I was there as I was on 12 hour shifts. The guy who called one day looked round and then on the way out he said I "should have" an FM license for my radio as the TV license covers FM equipment. I told him to go boil his head (this was Shettleston) and he left and I heard no more, personally I think he was talking nonsense.

As for ditching SKY I usually ditch the subscription in the summer and then take the movies and some other channels back on on the winter. Not really a footie fan so can't really help you on that specific subject. I keep toying with the idea of trying Freesat when i do get round to it I will phone round some of the local installers and pick their brains, ask them what is best in your area and some prices, then go do it myself.

Any neighbors to ask? each area on the west coast can be really patchy so definitely worth checking not sure where in Ayrshire you are.
 
Freesat and Freesat from sky are ALMOST the same, there are a few differences in channels available plus when they do an update of cards you will need to pay Sky approx £20 for a new card, this is normally every 5ish years

http://www.ukfree.tv/allchannels.php gives a nice list of the channels available on each platform

I will be having all free, my TV has built in HD Freesat so will get the HD channels through that, I have the standard Sky plus box so won't get HD through that (OK I lose the + part of it unless I can find away round this) and will have Freeview but watched via the PS3 with a PlayTV thingie http://www.superfi.co.uk/index.cfm/page/moreinfo.cfm/Product_ID/4515 (assuming I cant get the sky + to carry on recording after my subs finish on the 16th)

:)
 
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