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

[janelb83]

i would put it in a savings account for my son to access when hes 18 x

[MakeTeaNotWar]

Non tester - I'd use £360 to buy flights to Ireland so we could visit Nanny & Granddad as they always come to us!

[MrsAJB]

Non tester.
If i were to win, my DS would have a very memorable Christmas and I would have a stress free run up to the dreaded time of year, knowing that it was all covered.
Incidentally, we ended our decade long subscription with Sky in favour of a freesat box in August as we couldn't justify paying £80 a month!!!! Best decision we've made in a long time!

[darkdays]

I would put it towards learning to drive, so my babies can get out of the horrible city more [from]

[lifeishunkydory]

~ give your overall impression when it arrived
I must be very fussy as I can see other testers loved it but I didn't fing the box asthetically pleasing, I dislike the shape and the shiney material made it look cheap. I agree with all the testers who said the "clicking" of the remote is off putting, so overall I would not have bought this product, I fail to see why such a large box is needed, I much prefer slimline electricals that are easily hidden.

~ 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 the box up myself. Setting up the box was straightforward and needed no instructions. However my satalite dish needed moving as the tree across the road has grown a lot since I last used it and it was blocking the signal. The engineer was efficient and arrived promptyly.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room
It is on a Samsung smart lcd TV in our mainr 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
I have found it easy to use, picture quality is great and we have enjoyed being able to record in HD, particularly from the BBC red button service, which often has sports events on that we enjoy. I don't feel that the range of channels is great, would like some better quality childrens ones, but obviously disney etc will never be free to air! We have used it for a quick connection to you tube and that has worked well. I have struggled to set a parental lock on it, eveytime I think it is set it disappears the next time we turn the box on.

[Catnap26]

With an extra £360 a year I would pay to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day for me and my family in our local restaurant.

[Littlemissexpecting]

Follow up questions:
How long did it take you to understand Freesat:
Not long for the basics but still trying to work out the full abilities of the freesat box. Not as much time to watch tv as I would like to with a small baby.
Has your child used freesat:
No as he is still a baby but he enjoys looking at the shiny box and he likes the remote too (I still don't)
Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching?
I'm enjoying being able to record the soaps and watch back when ds is in bed. I am also now able to enjoy X factor and SCD as I can record or pause if required
Which of the following services have you enjoyed most so far?
Not been able to use all the services yet, mostly live tv with pause and record. Tried on demand and the picture wasn't great quality so need to try a few more shows/on demand channels to see if the same.
Who in your family has used the freesat box the most?
Probably me.
What have you found freesat most useful for?
Catching up on shows I've missed and the ability to record.
Overall very happy so far...

[Pinky30]

With an extra 360 a year I would take my 2 daughters to peppa pig world, my eldest would love to go there and I would love to see the look on her face if I could, it's one of my many wishes.

[HereIsMee]

I'd throw a party to thank every single person who helped me home educate DS 16 over the past 8 years. :-)

[Firewall]

£360 would pay for a great Christmas and a short break! :)

[lagoonhaze]

£30 a month - family treat once a month/every six weeks. Something like cinema, bowling or swimming. Nothing grande. Although in reality it would probably get swallowed up with cost of living/pay freeze!

[Beauchamp]

Non-tester I'd pay out £226 but expect the box to last at least three years. So, that's £6ish per month. then with the other £24, I'd buy the fastest broadband in existence(!) and a tablet to stream iplayer/youtube type content to my TV.
So, I'd have something much better overall for a little less money!

[idleweiss]

i would spend an extra £360 a year on essentials for my LOs, may it be for nappies, new shoes, clothes, medicines or the occasional treat. I would spend it all on them! :)

[idleweiss]

opps forgot to say i am a non-tester! :)

[DeclutterQueen]

Ooh! An extra £360 would be amazing. Haven't had a holiday in getting on for 6 years so that would be nice. Or maybe 1 takeaway plus a meal out with friends a month. Yum yum!

[UserError]

Tester here - just checking in to say I got the Mumsnet e-mail asking for follow-up feedback, but I'm not ready yet as GTA 5 came out and the TV has been commandeered by DP.

I'm going to kick him off it so I can watch TV again and will have feedback for you in a few days, if that is ok?

[Sadie204]

Non tester ~ With an extra £30 a mth I would be able to treat my kids to more days out and maybe even save up to go on holiday, something my 2 youngest have never had! I would also be able to buy everything we need for our new arrival due feb without worrying about the pennies

[xxxkadzxxx]

I would put it towards a holiday for my family :)

[noisytoys]

Follow-up questions:
~ How long did it take you to understand how to use Freesat? A few days. It was very simple. I didn't read the instructions though - would be within a day if I read the instructions

~ Has your child/children used Freesat? How long did it take them to understand it and get used to it? My 5yo DD understood how to use it quicker than I did

~ Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far?
I enjoy watching the regular programs but at a time that suits me.

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

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

~ 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? Definitely catching up on shows I missed. We are such a busy family we never watch TV live.

[WeileWeileWaile]

How long did it take you to understand how to use Freesat?
Not very long at all - I read the instructions and it was all very simple. I find it quite intuitive.

Have your children used Freesat? How long did it take them to understand it and get used to it? They've used it - they got used to it much quicker than me, and without reading instructions too.

Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far? We're enjoying the Food Network - we like the cake baking programmes.

Which of the following services have you most enjoyed so far? Live TV/ on-demand/7 day catch up
7 day catch up is great - really useful and something I hadn't got with Virgin. On demand is a great service too and I'm still impressed by pausing and rewinding live TV.

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

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?
Finding something to watch to pass the time - I'm still getting used to the new channels and enjoying programmes I've not seen before.
By far my favourite feature is recording onto the box - There are shows, like Family Guy & American Dad, that can't be shown on iPlayer but I can record. I've recorded my favourite Frasier episodes and been able to keep them to watch again. Recording 2 shows at the same time and watching an older recording is great and I now have a small collection of movies for rainy days stored on the memory too.

Fab!

[DollyTwat]

How long did it take you to understand how to use Freesat?
Not very long very intuitive

Have your children used Freesat? How long did it take them to understand it and get used to it? They use it more than me. They were telling me how it worked

Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far? I tend to stick to the big 5 channels but have enjoyed some others too

Which of the following services have you most enjoyed so far? Live TV/ on-demand/7 day catch up
We use the live tv pause a lot.
On demand tv is really good

Who in your family has used your Freesat box the most? The children

What have you found Freesat most useful for so far? Catching up on shows you've missed?
We've used it much like the sky box which is great as it will be a good replacement. We pause, record shoes and series
Fab really like it

[knightonian]

If I had £360 I should do something philanthropic bringing a smile to someone else's face.

I Might also buy a few bags of chocolate

I would love to win then I could ditch the sky

[HappyMummyOfOne]

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 - the unit is sleek, easy on the eye and a decent size to pop in the cupboard.

~ 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 installed the box and wires within minutes and the gentleman fron the company did the sky dish wiring last week. Less than half n hour later it was up and running.

~ tell us which TV is it on/ in which room - its in the main tv in the 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 - the recording facility is great as not something we have with sky, its nice to be able to watch shows when convenient rather than when actually on.

Follow-up questions:
~ How long did it take you to understand how to use Freesat? - barely any time, not yet read the user guide but not need to as the menus guide you through.

~ Has your child/children used Freesat? How long did it take them to understand it and get used to it? - yes! Noticed a show set to record that DS has set and he easily can get to the menus and see old recordings.

~ Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far? - only had for a week as needed to be home for instalation, recorded some films to watch over weekend and seen bits of general tv.

~ Which of the following services have you most enjoyed so far? Live TV/ on-demand/7 day catch up - not yet used but plan to try the bbc iplayer as its something i use often on my ipad when its strictly season!

~ Who in your family has used your Freesat box the most? Me so far but now that DS has discovered I think he may over take us.

~ 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 the time?- recording and catch up as not a feature we currently have.

[AndHarry]

Non-tester.

I'd use an extra £360 a year to go camping for a week. We have short camping weekends but it would be lovely to go for longer.

[GobbySadcase]

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

Pretty much straight away - previous use of sky box was very helpful! However some things are not immediately apparent ie how to set a series link. Once you've got the hang of it all very easy, though.

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

Yes, they seemed to get to grips with it straight away as they weren't using record or the more complex features.

~ Which programmes have you most enjoyed watching on Freesat so far?
Soaps, I have a series link set up for them slight embarrassment
~ Which of the following services have you most enjoyed so far? Live TV/ on-demand/7 day catch up

Have tried all 3. On demand is probably the stature I've got most out of, though.

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

Me (v embarrassed)

~ 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?

Soaps series link as earlier. I can never sit down and watch stuff when it's actually on due to kids' care needs so find the ability to record and watch later or watch on catchup/on demand particularly invaluable