Can I use my digital freeview box abroad and receive English channals?
No. You cannot receive signals from UK Freeview transmitters abroad. You box will be able to receive local "DVB-T" transmittions, if there are any.
You can use satellite equipment pointing at the Astra 2D satellite from some European countries however to get around 100 UK free-to-air channels.
Click here for the list of questions
Click here to ask a new question
Your comments
First comments 
Earlier comments ◊ Later comments
Latest comments
Your comments are always welcome. Please use the form below to add your thoughts or questions to this page. We will get back to you as soon as we can.
NaldoSaturday 26 February 2011 3:06AM
I have a French spec Samsung TV at my place in France which I would like to use in the UK.
Which Electrical Adaptors Do I Need?
I will not damage the tv?
Thank you for your time.Naldo: Nothing is required, the EU hardmonised power at 230V decades ago - other than the correct lead or power plug. NaldoSaturday 26 February 2011 12:54PM
Thank you very much for your answer BriantistmagsSunday 20 March 2011 1:23PM
Hi i have a television in my apartment in Bulgaria i dont get any channels unless i buy cable from local company and to be honest there mostley bulgarian channels if i brought a free view box with me would it work?mags: No, it would not work. sharWednesday 30 March 2011 1:12PM
will a UK digital tv receive French digital tv in France?shar: Only a Freeview HD set, or a BT Vision Box has the ability to decode MPEG4, which is used by some channels in France.
A "standard" digital tick UK TV will not have that ability, and will only provide the sound for such channels.
You can use a French set-top box with a digital TV, of course. G3ms1Saturday 16 April 2011 9:51AM
Hi. I currently live in Tenerife. They have recently updated the aerials on the complex I live on and we receive English through my digital tv. Does this mean I would be able to receive the same through a freeview box?G3ms1: I'm not sure quite what you are asking? JamesTuesday 26 April 2011 7:38PM
Hi, we have just moved to Denmark and miss the English freeview channels. Do you know of a way we can receive those in Denmark?
Many thanksJames: Freesat can be used in Denmark, it is within the satellite footprint. All you need is a Freesat box and a dish pointing at the correct satellite cluster. brian clarkSunday 22 May 2011 11:17AM
I am in the Algarve portugal near faro and cannot get itv I am taking out a amplifier to see if this will help. Any advise will be welcome.
Regards
Brian Clarkbrian clark: You need quite a large dish to be able to watch the ITV channels from Astra 2D in the Algarve, perhaps as large as 2 meters. MoWednesday 25 May 2011 4:54PM
I'm moving back to Holland end of this year. I dont think I can live without my channel 5, itv e4. Anthing I can do (cheap option) . Would a mpeg2 freeview decoder box work, which are sold on ebay?
Also, my parents, living in NL, and being german, are missing their german channels ie pro7 etc. Any cost effective options there as well? Thank youJasSunday 29 May 2011 12:49PM
WE are leaving our French house to return to UK. Will our French-bought Phillips TV set (4 yrs old) work in UK, Please?Les NicolSunday 29 May 2011 3:09PM
Jas - Most TV's bought throughout Europe are able to operate in member countries. You should be able to check the formats in the set manual otherwise google the model number for the specifications.CatSunday 29 May 2011 8:39PM
Hello
I have an Astra Satellite and a Prima by Pace decoder, a Thomson analogue TV which plays French Secam programmes in colour. When I was in France I bought and Brought back a samsung VHS recorder-player which means that I can tape and view in colour. All bought a while back so that I could watch the 5 main french TV channels. It works wonderfully.
What do I need to do by 6th June so that I can carry on watching and recording my french tv in colour, please?
I would like/need to buy a new digital TV and dvd recorder or other. Cat: If you are buying a box in the UK, get a Freeview+HD recorder, as this will work with the services in France.
Standard Freeview (non-HD) boxes will not work with all French terrestrial transmissions. JasTuesday 31 May 2011 2:28PM
This is Jas thanking Les Nicol for his kind reply to my question. I shall do as he suggests.
JasColinWednesday 1 June 2011 11:23AM
I have been looking at small 12volt tv's to take when we travel abroad (usually france, Spain etc, although most have digital and analogue facilities none of the salesman seem to know if they will work abroad. ( I'm old and remember having a pal/secam tv in our caravan) Look forward to receiving your reply. Harry Wednesday 1 June 2011 11:32AM
Oldham Colin: depends what you want to do with them... do you want to receive Sky or what? Harry Wednesday 1 June 2011 11:36AM
Oldham Colin: If you want to receive analogue or freeview, this would not be possible as there are no english transmitters abroad. You can however receive Freesat or Freesat from Sky via a satellite dish as this will work fine abroad.
ColinWednesday 1 June 2011 12:17PM
Thanks Harry for your reply so if I bought a tv would I receive any french channels etcHarry Wednesday 1 June 2011 1:31PM
Oldham Colin- yes you should be able to receive French signals if you connect to an aerial that is working in France. roy talbotWednesday 1 June 2011 5:32PM
what equipment do i need to use in italy so i can receive free sat or anything similar,in english please.CoNfUsEdSunday 5 June 2011 1:58AM
Hi, I currently live in Malaysia and brought back a television from the UK, would I receive some english channels if i use the normal freeview box?CoNfUsEd: If the set has a SCART connector, then yes. drejaTuesday 14 June 2011 6:48PM
Hi
Iam living in England at the moment, but Iam thinking to move back to my country Slovenia, but I can not live without my english TV .. please help me what to do .. I would like to take freeview box home with me.Will work in my countryHi dreja,
You will not get british channels with a freeview box in slovenia, your best bet is to use a slingbox.
Mark Aberfan Aerials JillSaturday 18 June 2011 10:26PM
Hi, we have a TV which we can switch from PAL to Secam plus a french digibox in our french flat, but it doesn't receive any programmes however hard we try, probably because it's not connected to an aerial. There is a communal satellite dish (which our neighbour has annoyingly built a wall in front of) - if we connect to that do you think that would work? Our chimney was removed during renovation so there's no aerial to connect to, we did try an indoor electric aerial with no luck. We only want french TV by the way. Hope you can help, thanks in advance.alaattinSunday 3 July 2011 9:48PM
I live in turkey and i would like to buy a hd receiver with me to turkey.Would it work in Turkey?Marcus PanchaudSunday 3 July 2011 11:06PM
I have a holiday apartment in Mallorca and receive Freesat from Sky. I share a Sky satellite dish with 2 other residents.I subscribe to Sky in the UK and receive Sky plus HD and Sky multi-room. My receiver in Mallorca has recently packed-up and i was planning to buy another in the UK. Which do you recommend and will I be apply to use any of my Sky cards with it in Spain?
Thanks
MarcusMarcus PanchaudSunday 3 July 2011 11:08PM
I posted you an earlier comment but sent you the wrong e-mail address.
Apologies,
MarcusMarcus PanchaudSunday 3 July 2011 11:09PM
I have a holiday apartment in Mallorca and receive Freesat from Sky. I share a Sky satellite dish with 2 other residents.I subscribe to Sky in the UK and receive Sky plus HD and Sky multi-room. My receiver in Mallorca has recently packed-up and i was planning to buy another in the UK. Which do you recommend and will I be apply to use any of my Sky cards with it in Spain?
Thanks
MarcusJoeThursday 14 July 2011 9:01AM
Hi, I live in the UK, but very often I go home to Hungary. I'd like to watch free Hungarian digital channels (DVBT) at home in Hungary with freeview box bought in the UK. Will that work for me? Thanks JoeMarcus Panchaud: You can only use Sky cards in Sky boxes. You will need to get either a new or second-hand Sky box. GaryWednesday 20 July 2011 1:36PM
Hello,
I have a 1.2M dish and a sat box at my house in the Canary Islands, it was supplied by a local, 7 years ago and gets sky no problem. The problem is that they supplied the card and keep ripping me off for a 150 pounds at a time, Everytime i turn up at the house the sky is off, this forces me to call them, pay 150 and then my sky comes back on, i simply can not afford this and want to be in control of my TV.
I want to ask you the following,
1) Can i get a card in the uk and pare it to the box when i am in spain or does it have to be pared in the uk first ? or
2) I have a spare Tomson sky box at home in the uk, should i pare a card to this box and take them with me ?
3) I would like freesat if possible ? i have a huminax freesat box in the uk, can i take this with me and will it work ? will i get the BBC and ITV chanels ?
Could you please advise me of my best option ????
Thank youforwardWednesday 20 July 2011 1:52PM
Hi Briantist,
I have Sky Satellite dish and Sky+ decoder. Can i use this in Southeast Asia (Thailand and Malaysia)to
receive the freeview channel (english channel to be exact)?
Thanksforward: You won't be able to receive any European satellites in Southeast Asia. You would probably save yourself a lot of time and trouble sourcing equipment and installation over there. Gary: 1) Only cards with Sky Sports need to be "paired".
2) If you want;
3) Yes, and yes. Jayne AshworthThursday 4 August 2011 9:33PM
Hello ,Could i use an uk bought freeview box to receive local & some satellite channels if used on Mainland Greece? if not can you suggest anything else .Thanks swinkieFriday 5 August 2011 6:34PM
Hello,
would my sky+Hd box work in Tenerife?
We have a 3 metre dish on our complex which allows us to get limited Sky channels in the apartment.
Would my own box work either as a freeview box or, if I kept my subscription running in the UK, as a sky box?
ThanksJayne Ashworth: A Freeview box will only show UK channels in the UK. You can use Freesat from Greece, but you may need a massive (2.5 or 3 meter) dish to be able to watch all the channels with it. dawn PWednesday 10 August 2011 7:27AM
I have a sky dish but I am no longer subscribed to sky and my home in UK does not get good aerial reception. I would like to be able to watch a good selection of French TV channels from the UK. How can I do this? STEVE H.Wednesday 10 August 2011 1:07PM
steve H.
WILL THE ALDI FREE SAT PORTABLE DIGIBOX WORK IN TURKEY.STEVE H.: The box will, but you stand almost no change of getting UK channels there. 
Smart TV failing the connectivity t…
Local TV Association elects chair -…
BBC may charge Sky for content as r…
BT Tower is just a relic? Wrong: It…
Company behind Bid and Price Drop s…
Ariel - BBC Trust: Online must impr…
Google TV: silent but not forgotten…
The quality of live subtitling Impr…
All about Freesat | ukfree.tv - independent free digital TV advice .
Accueil - CanalSat about the French satellite TV service. 
Show: 
