FreeSat - Freesat from BBC, Freesat from Sky - what's the difference?

[nannynick]

Anyone know about Freesat?

Seems that I can get something from Argos, which is Freesat from the BBC. Or I can get something from Sky.

Anyone able to explain in simple terms what the differences are.

On the off chance, if anyone knows an installer in the Camberley, Surrey area, who can supply equipment plus installation, then please do point me in their direction.

Freeview but via satellite rather than set-top box and HD ready.

So you can watch the free HD channels such as the BBC/ITV ones.

Sorry, that isn't really as clear as I intended.

Freesat is the satellite equivalent of Freeview. Available more widely (no blackspot areas like Freeview) and can broadcast HD channels.

The BBC is mentioned in the advertising literature because it is the main 'free' channel that offers a HD service. Freesat itself isn't a BBC product.

The Freesat service from Sky would be no different, however buying/renting a Sky dish/receiver obviously means you have access to their other chargeable packages as well.

Whichever you choose, it would entail a one-off payment for the extra kit if you don't have the necessary - dish, receiver and HD ready TV. The 80 something channels would then be free to view. At the moment though not many of them are HD.

I'm not entirely sure what the difference is, but the channel availabilities ar different. We have Freesat from sky, and as StG said, we made a one-off payment for the dish and Skybox.

Sky now seem to have renamed their pay-once service (can't remember the name), andFreesat is available, as you pointed out as a BBC-linked thing.

The biggest difference that would affect us is that the old Sky Freesat has CNN, and the new (BBC) Freesat appears not to (but haven't studied the channel selection closely). I only mention htis as CNN is the only reason we have Sky Freesat anyway - it wasn't available on Freeview.

STAY AWAY FROM THE PACKAGE FROM SKY. Unless you want to take out about £40 a month worth of channels you don't have time to watch that is.
we got this Sky thingy on a 'pay once watch forever' package £75 which included 6 months of two free sky packages plus most of the free channels.
Sky were a disgrace, they kept cutting us off till I gave them our direct debit details, even though we had 'paid once' (we only wanted it for ITV 2 and cbeebies etc as we can't get digital without a satellite here).
So when the 6 free months was up I cancelled the direct debit and have had months of arguments and threatening letters from sky saying we are on a minimum 12 month contract and that they can claim the other 6 months of the min contract from my bank...

None of their customer services has ever (conveniently) heard of the pay once watch forever thing.

The pay once thing is just a ruse by sky to get you hooked and then they think everyone will just take out a package with them when the 6 months is up. We are moving in a few months, Dp says you can get a satellite and install it yourself so we are going to do that as I can't face doing any more rounds with sky.

So find someone else to connect you to the digital channels!

BBC's freesat is a new thing, separate from Sky's Freesat (God knows why they called it the same thing, just to confuse us presumably)

we have been on sky's Freesat for nearly 3 years now, with no hassle at all. Your experience sounds awful Flibberty.

Sky connected us up to loads of their channels last summer for 3 months free trial, to try to con convince us to pay them some more money, but they connected and disconnected when they said they would, and we had no trouble at all.

Thanks, it is all rather confusing.
My freeview reception is patchy. Earlier in the year it worked fine, but then something must have changed at the transmitter, as I lost a whole load of channels (MUX-2, MUX-A, MUX-B) so didn't leave me with a lot.

Have been in touch with a local installer, who has given me costings - seems it will be about £250 all in, for FreeSat (not the Sky thing).

Apparently Freeview reception will get better after the analogue signal is switched off in your area - do you know when that is?
Which has a lot about digital TV this month, including a map wehich shows when all the areas are switching.

I have freesat from sky, with no problems. I did, however, look into the difference in channels between the two, and it appears that it is slightly different; we don't get E4, but the BBC version does have it. I'm considering switching purely because of that, although they do say that the channel line up is still subject to change.........

We get the freesat thing from Sky - again no problems. However we were looking at doing the BBC one in order to get E4 and More4 etc, but DH was channel hopping last night and discovered we now get those channels anyway! Have changed nothing so don't really understand it - but if you are on Sky's freesat I would recommend trying to see what channels you get now!
To hijack the thread (sorry nannynick) does anyone know if you can get a digital video recorder like a Sky+ box to work with Sky's freesat?

oooh runs off excitedly to see if I can get E4!.........

yay, thanks for that ksld.

god, I'm a saddo, aren't I!

oooh, will investigate new channels...

we were wondering about a digital video recorder too, ksld, just the other week. we have asked around a bit, but not found anyhting yet that works for us (we have no terrestrial aerial, we only get pictures through sky)