Archived - frequently asked questions

How can I watch itv-1, Channel 4 and five on satellite if I have no card or a free-to-view card?

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Wait just a few more weeks

On 22 October 2003, the Guardian reports "...viewers would have to pay around £20 plus VAT for a new card, which would last for at least two years ... Sky had promised not to disable the existing cards until the scheme was up and running.

All affected viewers will be alerted to the new scheme through onscreen messages that will appear next week and direct them to a call centre. "

Get a Freeview box

From £79: If you are in a Freeview reception area (see Freeview Reception) then you can get a Freeview box from a local store. This will give you several additional TV channels (itv-2, f-tn, The Box, TMF, UK Bright Ideas, UK History, Sky Sports News, Sky News) and some extra radio stations.

This will keep your digital widescreen reception of itv-1, Channel 4 and five. However you will not be able to choose from the different itv-1 stations.

Write and complain

From Free: Write to one or all of the following explaining the predicament, and hope that they create a solution before the September deadline:

• Your MP
  (if you don’t know your constituency, see www.upmystreet.com for details)
• The Department of Culture, Media and Sport or email digitaltelevision@culture.gov.uk
• The Office of Fair Trading: Director of Competition Enforcement Margaret Bloom or 020 7211 8842
• Office of Communications, switchboard: 020 7981 3000 or wwwenq@ofcom.org.uk
• The Independent Television commission

Hope that Tessa Jowell sorts it out

Tessa Jowell has written to the respective Chief Executives of ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and BSkyB seeking clarification regarding their position over current and future access to free to view services on digital satellite.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport will publish the results of those enquiries on the digital television website www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk as soon as it is possible to do so.

Subscribe to Sky for a year

From £150: If you have never had a free box and dish from Sky, then the best way is to get the offer from Sky and get a free Digibox, and subscribe to the “Value Pack” for one year.

Either phone 08705-800874 or visit http://www.sky.com/ordersky/home

Re-subscribe to Sky

From £12.50: If you have been a Sky subscriber in the past, you should not have to complete the “minimum term” of one year. You can re-subscribe to Sky on the “Value Pack” and cancel again after one month. Either phone 08708-501 607 or visit http://www.sky.com/ordersky/home

Watch on analogue cable

From Free: If you have ever had a cable TV service (analogue or digital), the law requires that itv-1, Channel 4 and five are kept available as an analogue service, even if you have stopped a subscription many years ago.

Most systems now use a digital TV receiver to produce the analogue picture for these channels, so the quality is good. However, it is not widescreen.

You will need a cable to connect the “TV Out” socket on the cable box using a suitable cable (made from parts 16-0605 and 16-0445 from www.rapidelectronics.co.uk) and you will have to retune your TV or video.

Because of the way that digital TV is carried on cable systems, you must connect the video and TV by a SCART cable, and tune in the video only.

Watch on analogue UHF

From Free: As a final backup, you may still be able to receive an analogue. The picture quality may be poor, and will not be widescreen.

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