Help: Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so can the two services share the same dish?
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Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so can the two services share the same dish?


Can I use an existing sky dish with a freeview box? and if so c

No, you cannot use a satellite box to receive terrestrial programmes.

I don't want to use a satellite box I have a freeview box. I want to know if an existing dish for sky can be use with the freeview box.Can I use a cable splitter and run one end to the sky box the the other to a freeview box and get the freeview channels.

You cannot use a Freeview receiver with a satellite dish, only an aerial.

You also cannot split a satellite signal from a dish, if you want to run more than one box you must use a dual- or quad-LNB on the satellite dish and have a cable to each satellite receiver.



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mark paterson
Tuesday 5 February 2008 2:21PM
Ive seen this in maplin www.maplin.co.uk link icon 
Maplin > 2-Way Satellite Splitter
father in law has a setup already and we recently got rid of sky and we are giving him our reciever box for another room
this should work shouldnt it?
Briantist
Tuesday 5 February 2008 2:26PM
mark paterson: No, it will NOT work well. It is "an inexpensive method of running two receivers from a single dish, it is not as flexible as a twin LNB which allows two receivers to select channels of either polarity independently". You must use a quad LNB and independent wiring for normal operation on both boxes.
mrs e hall
Friday 22 August 2008 8:33PM
what is the best way to have 2 tv sets in seperate rooms with 1 sky dish?
Briantist
Saturday 13 September 2008 6:50PM
mrs e hall: Please can you see this article for your options? Whole house digital TV | ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
Eric
Wednesday 1 October 2008 5:48PM
If we continue to use Sky plus box but not subscribe to sky can we still use this to record programmes.
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Wednesday 1 October 2008 6:50PM
Hi Eric, No, sky disable all pvr functions (pause/play/record/ff/rw) if you stop subscribing to their services. You will need a freesat + (available in nov ) to record free satellite programs in the style of a sky + Mark Aberfan Aerials
nicky
Tuesday 16 December 2008 3:10PM
I hav spare sky box and i hav plus at moment can irun a feedof my dish to free channels up stairs another room
Briantist
Tuesday 16 December 2008 8:47PM
nicky: If your dish has spare outputs from the quad-LNB, yes. Please see www.ukfree.tv link icon Freesat reception - all about dishes | ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
Robert
Monday 5 January 2009 11:59PM
I have villa in southern spain with uk sky and german freeview seviced by 2 seperate satelitte dishes. How can I connect my uk tv ,pre installed freeview without fitting a third dish.?
Briantist
Tuesday 6 January 2009 5:59AM
Robert: You can't receive Freeview as it does not transmit from satellite. You can use Freesat however, and use the same dish as your Sky system, but you won't get any more channels but you can get BBC HD.

If you do this you will need to change the LNB on the dish to a quad-LNB (four outputs) and run in another cable.
Bill
Friday 9 January 2009 4:13PM
If I connect a sky plus box to my dish with only one cable can I still record & pause live tv - I know I won't be able to record one / watch another.
Briantist
Friday 9 January 2009 5:04PM
Bill: Yes, that does work.
mrs j peach
Friday 23 January 2009 6:15PM
i have a skybox in my sons bedroom and want to get a thomson digital tv recorder can i connect the sky to it
john
Sunday 12 April 2009 4:43PM
hi i have sky tv but just the freeveiw channals on it i wanted to watch tv up stairs via a freeveiw box from the sky satilite becouse my areil on the roof is 2 old so iv just bought an qwud lnb. the tv downstairs useing the sky box works fine but when i conneted my second airel from the lnb on the dish to my freeveiw box upstairs it said no signal if any 1 can help me id be very greatfull
Nick
Thursday 14 May 2009 12:15PM
No, you cannot use a freeview box with satellite dish, however, you can receive all the terrestrial channels via a freesat box.

2 good examples are the Grundig and the maxview free to air.

There are some good starter kits availiable also.
Matt
Thursday 14 May 2009 3:10PM Mansfield
Nick: Almost! But unfortunately no 4music TMF Virgin 1 yesterday Dave on on freesat (and no fiver or five usa either at the moment unless you're using an ex-sky box with a ftv card). But if your after all other ITV BBC and C4 channels and a different selection of music/news channels any kind of freesat set up is great!
THOMAS EDEN
Tuesday 18 August 2009 8:53AM
i am using freeview within my sony flatscreen, connected to the antenna in my loft, and i am not getting the Itv CHANNELS. I HAVE ADJUSTED THE ANTENNA BUT STILL ITV SIGNALS ARE VERY WEEK. THE METR IN THE TV SAYS OTHER CHANNELS ARE VERY GOOD. WHAT EXTERNAL SMALL ANTANNA YOU WOULD RECOMMEND? AND IS THERE IS A WAY TO GET BACK MY ITV CHANNALLS ?PLEASE HELP?

REHARDS
TOM
Briantist
Tuesday 18 August 2009 9:19AM
THOMAS EDEN: A rooftop aerial is recommended for reliable Freeview reception. Can you just move the aerial you have from the loft space to the roof?
Briantist
Wednesday 14 April 2010 1:39PM
John Ford: Not yet, but there should be some by the summer, but you can get FreeSAT HD recorders already.
maw368
Monday 3 May 2010 10:49AM
You CAN use a sky dish to recieve freeview, I have connected my freeview digi box to my sky dish and I get a perfect picture. The satellite is simply a type of aerial designed to catch signals. The dish will do a better job than an aerial and I have been using it for nearly a year now.
Briantist
Tuesday 4 May 2010 7:39AM
maw368: What utter tosh.
Mike
Wednesday 12 May 2010 7:19PM
Hi, I have an old skybox fitted to my old dish, works fine but can't get channel 5, any suggestions, I read the post by maw368, and wonder if attaching my freeview digi-box might help, but how to connect it. Hope someone can help, thanks Mike
a youde
Sunday 25 July 2010 5:01PM
i have sky television at the present and was wondering if i got a freeview television will i be able to connect it to my sky dish and still get sky programmes
Briantist
Sunday 25 July 2010 5:07PM
a youde: Yes, but you will still need need to use the Sky box, as at the moment.
D Tuner
Monday 26 July 2010 2:26PM
I have Sky subscription for one room but I have a spare sky box and want to use that in a different room just as a Sky free view box. How do I connect the spare box to the sky disk.
Briantist
Monday 26 July 2010 4:13PM
D Tuner: With a length of satellite-grade coaxial cable. One end connects to one of the spare outputs on the LNB, the other to the Sky box.

If you don't have Sky+, you won't have a quad-LNB however, but you can get these cheaply - www.argos.co.uk link icon Buy Quad Output Universal LNB. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .
for example.
Frank
Wednesday 28 July 2010 11:52AM
So if I have Sky in my living room, what more equipment (if any) do I need to run Freeview or FreeSat from my bedroom?
Briantist
Wednesday 28 July 2010 12:44PM
Frank: If you want to use Freeview then you need a Freeview box and a TV aerial, preferably on the roof. www.ukfree.tv link icon Freeview reception - all about aerials | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .

If you want to run Freesat in the bedroom, then you will need a quad-LNB on the dish (you will have one already if you have Sky+) and a satellite-grade coaxial cable from the dish to the box. www.ukfree.tv link icon All about Freesat | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice and www.ukfree.tv link icon Freesat reception - all about dishes | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Chris Scruton
Friday 30 July 2010 12:34PM
I have just cancelled my subscription to Sky and bought a freesat box which is now connected to the TV in my lounge where the Sky Plus box was - working ok. In my dining room I've a tv with freeview connected to a roof aerial and an analogue tv in the bedroom. Is there any way I can utilise my sky plus box in the bedroom or dining room ? It seems such a waste to throw this away as It's like new..
Briantist
Friday 30 July 2010 5:42PM
Chris Scruton: You can connect the Sky+ and use it as a standard box on one of the free outputs from the dish quad-LNB.

You might have to run in a satellite grade coaxial cable from the dish to the position where you want to use it.
Mr. S.H.BUTT
Saturday 31 July 2010 12:49PM
I have a tv with built-in FREEVIEW and has a hdmi, scart and aerial connectors.It is not practicable to connect aerial output to the tv aerial connector. Can I use existing sky dish to connect to tv aerial connector directly to watch FREEVIEW channels? If not why not. Can I buy FREEVIEW box to connect from existing sky dish to the tv aerial,hdmi or scart connectors to watch FREEVIEW channels? If not, can I buy FREESAT box to connect from existing sky dish to the tv aerial,hdmi or scart connectors to watch FREEVIEW channels?
THANKS.
Briantist
Sunday 1 August 2010 8:58AM
Mr. S.H.BUTT: No, you can't attach an dish to an aerial connection. The DVB-T and DVB-S systems operate at different frequencies and have different reception systems.

So, no you can't attach a Freeview box to the dish either.

Yes, what you need is a Freesat HD box, please see www.ukfree.tv link icon How much is it going to cost to get High Definition TV? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Sonnashi
Thursday 5 August 2010 3:35PM
i want to cancel Sky plus and want to add Luxor TUTV2500 250GB Freeview Recorder. if i keep just sky and add this recorder can it work like sky plus?
Briantist
Thursday 5 August 2010 3:37PM
Sonnashi: Assuming you can get the Freeview signal for the box, then it will act just like Sky+ but for Freeview.

If you want to use your satellite cables to record from satellite, then get Freesat+ instead.

See www.ukfree.tv link icon How much is it going to cost to get High Definition TV? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
BayTheMoon
Monday 9 August 2010 11:21AM
I have a sky box and an HITACHI HDR255 freeview recorder.
The dish gets more freeview channels than the freeview box. Can I record programmes directly from the sat box to the freeview recorder?
Briantist
Monday 9 August 2010 6:21PM
BayTheMoon: No, you can't do that. There is no suitable digital output on the Sky box and no suitable input on a Freeview receorder.
BayTheMoon
Tuesday 10 August 2010 9:22AM
Briantist

That's a pity.
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Briantist
Tuesday 10 August 2010 9:24AM
BayTheMoon: You can get Freesat+HD though, that would allow you to live pause, series record and the like. www.ukfree.tv link icon How much is it going to cost to get High Definition TV? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice for details.
Ken Harrison
Tuesday 10 August 2010 3:56PM
I aqm thinking of buying a Sony Bravia with built in Freeview, this is because I want the free HD channels it offers. At present I am with Sky, but am unwilling to pay an extra £10 a month getting channels which are free, such as BBC HD. However, I want to keep Sky sports and Sky Plus. There is only one areial coming into the back of the sky plus box, from the Sky dish. My roof aerial no longer works, is it possible to split the output from the dish, allowing me to access Freeview and Sky services? Thanks.
Briantist
Tuesday 10 August 2010 4:03PM
Ken Harrison: You haven't provided a postcode so it is impossible to say if you have access to Freeview HD.

Even if you do, it comes from an aerial, not from the satellite dish, and you must NEVER split a satellite connection. Sky+ always requires two dish connections to operate correctly.

If you want to watch Freeview HD, then you will need to ensure you are in an area where the service is provided, and a decent rooftop aerial.

If you have Sky+ then you will probably have a few spare outputs on the dish, so you could probably add Freesat HD to your system at very low cost - see www.ukfree.tv link icon How much is it going to cost to get High Definition TV? | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Robert Harriso
Sunday 15 August 2010 12:55PM
can I get free sat HD in the costa brava sky works ok in the caravan
Briantist
Sunday 15 August 2010 1:02PM
Robert Harriso: Yes, you can swap Sky for Freesat HD.
sandramcnally
Saturday 21 August 2010 5:13PM Birmingham
is eden channel going be on freesat by 2011
Briantist
Monday 23 August 2010 6:33AM
sandramcnally: No, the UKTV channels are subscription channels on satellite.
jim savage
Tuesday 31 August 2010 12:34PM
Hi

I have 2 sky+ sets in house, one on middle floor living room and one in bedoom in basement. i have just bought a Freeview tv for spare room in basement where i do most of my pc work. The signal in there is poor - with some Freeview channels not showing at all and others blocking out. A few are fine. This is with the house aerial that is wired down from the roof. No stations with an indoor aerial. Previous terrestial TV very poor picture in this room.

Can i somehow utilise the sky tv box in the next room to get a decent picture on my new Freeview set??

I Dont mind running cables etc. I understand that as i have only 4 tuners on the skydish and these are being used then i wont be able to watch different channel form that being watched on the skybox nextdoor already.

would like the option of watching freeview stations if want different programme than the one being watched next door.

Is this possible or will i need to get a third box from sky and pay another tenner a month?

thanks, Jim
Briantist
Tuesday 31 August 2010 2:27PM
jim savage: You havn't provided a postcode, so it is hard to be specific about Freeview, but generally you need a good rooftop aerial for reliable reception.

If you want more satellite feeds, you can upgrade your dish to have a oct-LNB, which has eight outputs, or fit a second dish.

Freesat boxes do not require any subscription.
jim
Tuesday 31 August 2010 7:39PM London
thanks Briantist

postcode is E14 7DE
Briantist
Tuesday 31 August 2010 7:53PM
jim: You shouldn't need anything more than a standard rooftop aerial, as long as it has a line-of-sight to the Crystal Palace transmitter. You should even be able to get Freeview HD.
emma Wilcock
Wednesday 1 September 2010 7:38PM
I have moved into a flat that i could not use sky + properly in as there was not 2 ariel outputs (it would let me view channels and record the channel i was on but not 2 at once) If i switch to a freeview + box, will i have the same problem?
Mike Dimmick
Wednesday 1 September 2010 11:06PM Reading
Emma Wilcock: no, you won't.

The Sky+ box needs two cables to the dish because it has to select which active element is being used in the LNB (the box on the end of the arm), since you could be recording one programme from a horizontally-polarized multiplex, and one programme from a vertically-polarized multiplex. Satellite TV transmits on both polarizations at the same time, and the transmissions on one polarization overlap with the transmissions on the other. A signal from the box tells the LNB which polarization the channel uses and therefore which element to select.

On Freeview, you should be able to record as many channels as the box has tuners. On my Humax PVR-9200T I can record two programmes and watch another, though I can't then pause the third programme and it has to be on the same multiplex as one of the other two (if they're on different multiplexes). Signals are still polarized, but most transmitters only transmit in one polarization, and the few that do both usually broadcast them in two different directions. You mount the aerial the right way round for the transmitter you're aiming at.
kelvin
Monday 6 September 2010 9:11PM
i have a free sat box but only one line in from the sat dish, how can i get it to work



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