Freesat feedback thread - Non Testers: what would you do with an extra £360 a year? You could win a Freesat+ box NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is the feedback thread for the 15 testers who have received a new Freesat+ TV box and who are currently trying it out in their homes.
Freesat say "Hello. We're freesat. We believe you shouldn't have to pay a monthly subscription to watch and listen to 180 channels of the best comedy, drama, sport, lifestyle, music and news. We offer free HD services from ITV, the BBC and Channel 4; freesat+ to record pause and rewind, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD and Demand; and all subscription free."

Freesat launched last Autumn which includes a Roll Back TV Guide that allows you to watch programmes you've missed from the previous seven days across 21 channels, a new showcase section providing top TV picks chosen daily by Freesat's reviewers, on-demand services and enhanced recordings.

Freesat is a subscription free service and Freesat+ boxes are available to buy from a range of retailers - RRP from £226.

If you're not a tester, Freesat would love to hear from you. An average satellite TV bill (including On Demand services) is around £30 per month, if you could have Freesat what would you with an extra £30 per month (£360 per year). Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will receive a Freesat Humax box.

Testers: we'll be asking you to add feedback twice - we'd like your first impressions now and in a couple of weeks (or when you're ready) we would like you to answer the follow-up questions.

So, in terms of your first impressions. please....

~ give your overall impression when it arrived

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with

Follow-up questions:
~ How long did it take you to understand how to use Freesat?

~ Has your child/children used Freesat? How long did it take them to understand it and get used to it?

~ Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far?

~ Which of the following services have you most enjoyed so far? Live TV/ on-demand/7 day catch up

~ Who in your family has used your Freesat box the most?

~ What have you found Freesat most useful for so far? Catching up on shows you've missed? Entertaining the kids? Finding something to watch to pass time?

Thanks,

MNHQ

PS: Humax are offering a Mumsnet and Gransnet an exclusive discount code to purchase a 500GB Humax Freesat+ box for £199. Up to 199 MNers and GNers can buy a discounted box using the code FT30

So, in terms of your first impressions. please....

~ give your overall impression when it arrived: it was very well packaged (too much parcel tape though took about half an hour to get in the box). Attracted a lot of dust when I first took the protective film off I considered walking round the house with it and waving it around so all the dust in the house would magnet to the box and save on cleaning (I didn't)

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?: DH did it because I'm no good with technology. It took him about 10 minutes to have it all set up and he found it very easy.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room: an old style big backed Sharp TV in the living room. It will soon be on a posh new big TV because the freeview box deserves the best

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with: it is brilliant. I especially like the series link feature and the ease of use of the remote. I don't like that it cuts out a few times as I turn it on, almost like it tries to recieve a signal but gives up. Every time.

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?

I set it up by myself. It was quite straightforward although I hadn't realised it needed to be connected to the internet so I had to buy some powerline adapters.
~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room

In main living room

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with

We found it fairly easy to use but the epg could be more user friendly as there seem to be lots of ways of doing the same thing. Our dc struggled more with the remote than with the sky remote we had. Best feature is the on demand services. However, one thing that isn't clear is the non freesat mode as there are numerous channels not on the guide but can be found through non freesat then don't work

Overall the savings will outweigh the negatives

With an extra £360 a year I would put it towards a family holiday to have some fun in the sun!! Would love to win a freesat box!!

With an extra £360 I would pay for my nieces and nephews to go on the Polar Bear Express experience at Christmas time . I've just been reading about it and it sounds amazing.

With £360 per year, I'd have my oven cleaned every 6 months (£100), a geeky mag subscription for DP (£50?), A zoo subscription for DD (100), a kindle for me.

~ give your overall impression when it arrived

Much more attractive than the sky + box I have but I agree the shiny finish really does attract dust. Not too keen on the remote, it feels cheap and plasticky and the buttons are too 'clicky' - I much prefer a soft feel button. Also shows finger marks a bit too easily for a family product!

I do like the text display on the front telling you which channel you are on.

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?

I did it myself, it was very simple to do, took just a matter of minutes. Connecting the satellite feeds and connecting the HDMI and Ethernet. Once you did that the on screen setup was very clear on what you need to do.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room

Main sitting room television so the whole family can try it.

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with

We really liked it. Picture quality is good, especially on the HD channels. I much prefer the format of the TV guide to the sky one.

One thing I did find tricky was working out how to activate subtitles (I'm hearing impaired and it's not a straightforward process).

We like the way you can call up now and next on the screen and scroll down the channels without having to go into the TV guide.

There's a button on the bottom of the remote labelled SUB. That activates subtitles instantly.

I'd like to get back into going to the gym, it was one of the first things to go when we had to reduce outgoings and I do really miss it.

With an extra £360 a year I would ask my parents to babysit and go away for a couple of nights with DH.
Or maybe we'd just snuggle up at home in front of the tv and save the money for a few years for a family holiday.

facepalm

Guess who wasn't wearing their glasses?

none tester, if I had an extra 360 per year our family would have six camping weekends away

~ give your overall impression when it arrived

Firstly they may want to rethink their choice of courier. Mine was left on my doorstep when I was out, I wouldn't have been very happy if I'd have paid for it! I like the feel and design of the remote, and the channel display on the front.

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?

DH set it up as I'm not technical. It took him 3 minutes from plugging it in to watching TV, and it was so easy I'm sure I could have managed it myself.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room

In the main living room, the only TV we currently own.

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with

We got worried as it took us a while to find CBeebies which was the only channel the DCs were interested in, it was a lot further down the channel list than I would have expected. It takes a while to start up when first turned on, and I find the text on the EPG a little small, having said that I am already a bit in love with it and that really is the only bad thing I can think to say about it so far.

gobby I love your MN name!

Hmmm, £360? I'd save it for a couple of years and have a family trip to eurodisney, DDs would be the perfect age :-)

So, in terms of your first impressions. please....

~ give your overall impression when it arrived
Well packaged, nice looking box. Aesthetically pleasing and blends in with our other media devices. Like that it displays the channel we are viewing.
Remote is very cheap looking.

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?
Both DH and myself set up, very straightforward. Only issue was logistics of our phone line socket for the wireless router as it is not near our tv. Will have to buy a longer Ethernet lead in next couple of days as it is currently very taut.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room
On main tv in lounge

~ share what you/ your family think the first couple of times you used it - what was the best feature and what, if anything, have you struggled with
Best feature is ability to pause live tv and record.
Tried to watch a programme on itv player and picture was very fuzzy so will try a different programme but normal channels good picture.

Forgot to add, with regards to the remote, the clicking sounds when scrolling through the TV guide are very annoying!

What would I do with and extra £30/month..... well, I think I'd use it for a monthly date night with DH. We could use the extra to cover the cost of a babysitter (which is what puts us off going out as it adds hugely to the cost).

Although the 'right' answer is probably to spend it on DD, she'd love to have regular horse riding lessons :)

£360/year would buy approx 500l of heating oil. I would be warm.

With an extra £360 I'd ensure I had a monthly pampering session - haven't had any in a while & am feeling all achey.

I'd hire a cleaner so I had more time to spend with DS.

£30 a month would go towards a cleaner. I've had to increase my working hours and the house is suffering. I reckon a fortnightly big clean would help me keep on top of it.

Great minds Sharon :)

~ give your overall impression when it arrived

The box is bigger and shinier than my virgin box, but smart looking.

~ describe the set up: did you set up your Freesat box yourself? If not, who did? How easy did you / your DH/DP etc find it to set up your Freesat box?

We had a great engineer, we had a Satalite dish already but were sure if it worked as we haven't used it in a few years and have had work done on the house. The engineer was fab, installed everything quickly, explained how to use the channels, highlighted all the things he though was good about Freesat for example that if you click on a channel it will ask you if you want to watch the hd version.
I was also amazed at the picture on my tv, we were using virgin multi room but the virgin 2nd box isn't hd enabled, whereas the Freesat box is - amazing picture!

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room

It is in our bedroom, I contacted virgin after I'd found I'd won this but our contract is actually 18 months not 12 so I have put it in our bedroom and am now going to cancel the multi room that will save us £120 a year even if we keep virgin as our main provider. It needs a bit more testing to see if I can give up all he other channels.

with £360 extra a year i would give it to my family becasue times are pinched and it would make a difference for them to have a few extra pennies

An extra £30 a month would go into a pot and put towards a lovely family holiday on home turf the following year. Would pay for a week in Center parks in March!