Can I stop paying Sky and use my satellite receiver to get Freeview ?
Yes, but only "sort of".
Freeview is the name of the (BBC-backed) digital TV system that uses hilltop transmitters to rooftop aerials. It is run separately from the "Sky" satellite-to-dish service.
free-to-VIEW is a term for satellite channels that need a viewing card to watch, but not to collect a subscription. free-to-AIR channels are ones that can be received without needing a viewing card or subscription.
The free-to-AIR satelite service backed by the BBC and ITV is called Freesat. The free-to-VIEW service operated by Sky is called fSfS or Freesat from Sky.
As long as you have finished your first year, you can leave Sky when you want.
To do this just give Sky a call and tell them you don't want to subscribe any more.
If you stop subscribing you will be able to watch the hundred or so free-to-air channels listed on free channels list. This service is called Freesat from Sky (fSfS).
Some of the channels on the Freeview service are subscription only on satellite, specifically: 4Music, Challenge, Dave, Dave ja vu, Quest, VIVA and Yesterday . See these links to compare the TV channels on Freesat-from-Sky and Freeview, and to compare radio stations on Freeview and fSfS. Many homes have free satellite and Freeview to get the full range of channels.
You will still need to keep your Sky viewing card. If you stop subscribing on a Sky contract, you can keep using that card to watch 5USA, 5* and PICK TV, the so-called "free-to-view" channels. (All ITV channels are free-to-air).
It is not possible to plug an aerial into a Sky Digibox to receive Freeview channels because the boxes have not been designed this way.
You will continue to get the full Sky EPG listings; you just will not be able to watch subscription channels.
If you want to go for High Definition, HD, you can swap out your Sky box for a Freesat one very easily.
A card is not needed to watch BBC services, but it is needed to get the correct BBC ONE and BBC TWO regions on 101 and 102.
Another option is to disconnect your Sky Digibox altogether and Upgrade from Sky to Freesat - ukfree.tv. If you have an HD-Ready TV and a standard Sky box, this is a good option.
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antThursday 20 January 2011 9:04PM
I have just changed my normal sky box to a hd+ 1 and non of the hd channels will work. Any1 no why billyThursday 20 January 2011 10:39PM
if my sky hd box is cut off.will i still be able to watch programmes i recorded and saved to my plannerMike DimmickFriday 21 January 2011 12:01AM
Reading billy: no, I'm afraid that Sky require you to keep paying to get access to anything you have previously recorded. For the SD Sky+ box you have to pay the minimum £10.25 to keep recording and playback functionality, I'm not sure if the Sky+HD box requires you to keep paying the extra £10 HD fee.
You also lose the ability to pause live TV, as I understand it.siraj ulhaq: You will need to contact Sky to subscribe to the Asian channels. ETFriday 21 January 2011 7:59AM
Briantist: thank you for your response yesterday. If I do go ahead and cancel my Sky subscription (as I don't see the point of continuing as I only watch 1,2,3,4), will I still be able to record programmes and pause live TV?ET: No, without a subscription you can't record/pause/play with a Sky+ box.
However, you can just swap a Sky+ box for a Freesat+ or Freesat+HD box, where you can record/pause/play for no charge. Les NicolFriday 21 January 2011 8:36AM
ET - No you won't be able to to record and pause as SKY will disable this facility. You could get your own "Freesat" receiver which will allow you to do this. If your on a budget there's one of the "Freesat" receivers the Technisat HDFS which will allow you to Pause and record while watching another but can only be set to schedule one recording at a time, but can series record as oppposed to others more expensive that can be set to record two while watching another. The differnce in price is around £100. The technisat can stream to and from your PC and access iplayer. I personally have both types of receiver at home and both are excellant performers. You can expect to pay just under £150 for a Technisat with single tuner and around just under £250 for a "Freesat" DTR with twin twin tuners ( there are several to choose from) Really depends on how much recording your doing.Les NicolFriday 21 January 2011 8:42AM
P.S> The Tecnisat requires either a high capacity pendrive or external laptop 2.5 HDD drive where as the twin tuners have an onboard 320 or 500GB Hard Drive. CraigFriday 21 January 2011 1:59PM
i have a sky dish that currently has two wires coming from a plastic attachment on the front 'arm' coming from the lower centre of the dish. I can't see any other connections to allow me to wire in another sky box on a freesat card basis for my bedroom. is my dish just old? or can i do something with it to allow me to wire in a second sky box? I have seen some sky dishes with four connectors on the rear of the, something mine dowsn't have.
what are my options?Hi Craig,
The vast majority of sky + (two wire) installs have a four output quad lnb however you may not be able to see the extra connections due to a pull down cover that protects the connections from the rain.
Mark Aberfan Aerials Hi Les & Brian,
Im testing a technomate TM-5492HD CI+ super as a single freesat recorder, coupled with a sky card & 640gb usb (all available on a well known auction site) I bbc1 london on 1 bbc2 wales on 2 / itv1 hd on 3 / channel4 hd on 4 & five hd on 5 & my other channels (freesat& non freesat) are in the order I want them, I have a epg & record from epg function & any recordings I make can be viewed on any device that can read the file such a phone or computer, Its early days as its only been available for a month or so but so far its been very good. The other nice thing is as the receiver has a programable card slot & a cam slot aswell as full diseq & usals motor control its not likely to become redundant any time soon. Its not the receiver for a novice but for enthusiast or pro its a usefull bit of kit.
Mark Aberfan Aerials Hi all,
That should read TM-5402 !
Mark Aberfan Aerials Les NicolFriday 21 January 2011 7:23PM
Mark - Yes - Great little box. These guys selling on that well known site must be bulk buying from trade wholesalers in the hope of a quick turnover. This receiver packs a lot in and is fully featured Technomate put a lot into their receivers and are well quoted in "WotSat" reviews. I've supplied a number of the 5200 series and a 5402 very recently as a motorised installation. Very happy customer with this one and his "footie" sourced elsewhere!!leeFriday 21 January 2011 8:26PM
i have a standard sky+ subscription, if i bought a sky+ hd box (for the larger hard drive) would i be able to use my current viewing card and still watch/record normal sky+ channels?Hi Lee,
Yes you would, but you would need to ring sky to get them to pair the card to the new box.
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Hi Les,
The only slight glitch is the epg on astra 2 which is only now & next, however on other satellites such as hellasat im getting a full 7 day epg .
Ive been informed that they are working on the astra 2 situation.
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Les NicolFriday 21 January 2011 9:41PM
Mark - I'm running the 6800HD motorised 36volt and Technomate VBox with a 1.5 Gibertini Dish and Inverto Black quad LNB - I had noticed the the issue with the EPG and like you say Hellasat does run the full 7day epg. Iam assuming your SKY card is an FSFS one?Hi Les,
Yes its a ex sky sub card. I do read & understand a little cyrilic so the hellasat epg is useful.
Mark Aberfan Aerials
Les NicolSaturday 22 January 2011 7:49AM
Mark - As far as I can see most of the FTA beamed at Europe are 7day EPG featured.( I checked across most last night) It would certainly be an asset if this could be mahaged more fully. Anita Saturday 22 January 2011 3:12PM
hi - sorry to ask - i currently have Sky + Hd box -
i want to stop paying for Sky when we go digital in my area -
Am i correct in thinking - i need to buy a Free Sat + HD box and connect up ?
Do i need my Sky viewing card ?
Can you suggest a good make to buy ? and do i need to cancel sky 1st then connect up ?
ThanksHi Anita,
You have to give sky a months notice, wait your month out, then buy a humax freesat+ box & then swap it with the sky box, you wont need the sky card any more, job done !
Mark Aberfan Aerials PBSaturday 22 January 2011 9:04PM
Bristol Hi,
I have bought a new tv which has got inbuilt Freeview HD card. The tv alone was not good enough, so I purchased a GreenTek indoor Antenna to get the 4 FreeviewHD channels available in my region. The Antenna recognised the HD channels along with the other 50 odd channels but to my dismay, it says "no signal" when I try to watch BBC HD. I live in a 1st Floor flat and just want to know how best to resolve this issue. Perhaps if someone could suggest a better Antenna. My current one is a UVR-AV215 model.
Many thanks. Hi PB,
If you can get a proper external aerial, that would be by far your best option. Indoor aerials are not recommended by anyone in the trade, only by the people who sell them.
Mark Aberfan Aerials k parrSunday 23 January 2011 10:00AM
are all freesat recorders?Anita Sunday 23 January 2011 11:00AM
thank you Mark xLes NicolSunday 23 January 2011 11:54AM
K. parr. No rhere are is a full range of receivers by different manufactueres. These include:- Standard Definition - High Definition- One HD with a single tuner that can record. and several Others that are HD and have two tuners. The single tuner though does require an external storage add-on in the form of a high capacity pen drive or external HDD. The dual tuner receivers have internal HDD's (Hard Drives).
Les NicolSunday 23 January 2011 11:59AM
P.S> Starting price standard definition - just under £50 going up to - around just under £250 for an HD twin tuner receiver.Ian CuttsSunday 23 January 2011 9:57PM
Hi,
afew days ago i asked for help with a sky digital reciever....i could get most free channels,except itv1...(although could recieve itv2,itv2+1...in fact all itv channels apart from itv1)
Briantist kindly gave advice (method 3) which i tried....still no luck! Thought i should point out the box hasn't been used for over 2 years untill now.I am no longer a subscriber,but as i say, most channels are available apart from itv1...!The error message is 'to view this service you need a viewing card' or 'programme not available'...my old viewing card is still in the slot by the way. is there anything else i could try?.....much appreciated!
thankyou.ciaraMonday 24 January 2011 12:51PM
help!
weve had sky digital now for 15 years (mostly just the entertainmet pkg and nick etc for the kids) and never got offered any of the deals that others talk about, just plodded on and paid the bill, i got fed up of hearing everyone tell us how they were harrassed into gettting free sky plus or hd or multi room whilst we were never offered anything so i got my husband to cancel,
im now home alone with a very poorley child whos crying for peppa only to find out that nick wasnt one of the freebie channels, any idea if we can get nick free any other way.
im desperate enough to call sky again and its only been two days without out itjamesTuesday 25 January 2011 9:54AM
hi les, james here from widnes, just calling to see if you can tell me the cost of a instalation of a diseq system, i have all the gear ie,receiver, 80cm disk tk brackets, pole. motor, any help please thanks , regards james.RuthTuesday 25 January 2011 4:59PM
I'm not TV;Sky;HD savvy
I've bought a second hand SkyHD box with No viewing card. Can I obtain multiroom subscription without having to purchase a box from Sky? I don't want HD package (Not that bothered really!) Just want Living!!!jamesTuesday 25 January 2011 6:04PM
hi, sky cards, james here i was hoping to have a venture about , ie other satellites, but here in widnes who ever i ask about setting-up diseq does not have any idea, i thought sorry was told i would need a dish atleast 80cm,all me ear has been laid up for the past year,so i was thinking of giving it a go when this weather bucks-up! any help please? thanks again regards james.Mark Aberfan Aerials: Thanks for the information about the TM-5402. Steve LeggettThursday 27 January 2011 11:39AM
A great way to view digital free to air channels is via a very well made FTA satellite receiver from Spanish manufacturer, Televes.
I recently installed one of their receivers and was most impressed with the video quality that I obtained, the stable way that the box performs and its ease of use.
It receives all of the free to air channels with, of course, no subscription to Sky TV or any other provider.
Another very good feature is its ease of customization; it can be set to store all of your favorite channels easily and will receive any BBC or ITV 1 region that you care to store in your prefered order.
Another pro point - it comes pre-tuned as well, to most satellites beamed towards Western Europe, but can also be tuned in manually.
The Televes FTA satellite receiver is available from www.cpc.co.uk and in my opinion, is well worth the £49 that I paid for it.Steve Leggett: Thanks very much for that. NatalieFriday 28 January 2011 12:49PM
I have a freeview HD ready HD LCD TV. I also have a sky+ box. Freeview HD isn't available in my area until 2012. Can i get BBC HD, BBC ONE HD, ITV HD and Channel 4 HD on my Sky+ box, or do i need to upgrade to a Sky HD+ box?
Also, i live in a small block of apartments, 6 in total, and the sky receiver is located in a cupboard in the hall way. The apartments were set up with a Sky aerial point, when they were built 6/7 years ago. However, to get the full functions of Sky+ the engineer who fitted it said he would need to run a cable from the receiver in the cupboard into our apartment. This would involve drilling a hold in our wall, and then trailing cable throughout the entire house!
Does anyone know of an easier option? Currently we have the pause function, but we can not watch tv and record a programme on another channel, or set up a 'record' feature, to record all the episodes of a tv series, etc.
Any advice would be really appreciated.
Thank you in advance!roseMonday 31 January 2011 10:50AM
i am thinking about cancelling my sky subscription, i have a box in my bedroom and a h.d box downstairs, what i would like to know is if i do cancel my subscription,will i lose all the cannels,if i buy a freesat box will it work with the sky receiverJosh WelbyMonday 31 January 2011 12:16PM
siraj ulhaq,
most Asian channels are on Sky
on channel 780 and upwards,
but this needs a seperate subscription,
you will need to phone them up
or go to their website for their costs
and details, if you do not have a Sky card,
they will send one out to you
Virgin have less channels for £10 a month
on top of your subscription
Both carry the View Asia Package
see 
VIEWASIA - One Choice. More Variety! ViewAsia.tv andrew Monday 31 January 2011 4:21PM
hi,
I am thinking of cancelling sky and just getting the ftv channels, I have a sky+ hd box, will i lose the ability to watch the free hd channels and the channel recording side of things? also if i get a freesat box can i connect it to the sky sat dish?
Thanks AndrewNatalie: You just need to swap the Sky+ box for a Sky+HD box, and pay the appropriately Sky monthly fee if you want channels other than BBC HD, BBC One HD and ITV1 HD.
The connections are the same, except you need to use an HDMI lead, rather than a SCART to connect the box to the TV. andrew: Yes, record/pause/play facilities stop the moment your subscription ends.
You still get the free to air HD channels.
If you want to record/pause/play, just swap the Sky+HD box for a Freesat+HD box. andrew Monday 31 January 2011 8:42PM
briantist ref your answer can i use the sky dish for freesat or is it a new dish?andrew: Yes, as I said just swap the box. ThereseMonday 31 January 2011 9:39PM
Hi,
I already have sky in our Lounge. Would I be able to buy a spare sky box and plug it into the sky cables we have in our bedroom and get freeview channels (without another sky card) I would only be watching the odd channel so don't really want multi room.
Therese xTherese: Yes, but you will need a spare output on the dish. You will have a "quad LNB" (four outputs) if you have Sky+, but otherwise you will need to fit a quad-LNB.
You just need a Freesat or Freesat HD box, no card is required for these boxes. katieTuesday 1 February 2011 12:37AM
hi i just moved house have my sky box with viewing card is it possible to get the free channels without subscribing to sky again thanks katie: Yes, you will get the free channels if you don't subscribe. Or you can use Freesat, Freesat+ or Freesat+HD if you want instead. LanceTuesday 1 February 2011 8:10AM
HI
I thought if you already had a Sky+ HD box and want to use just free sat channels, you can still pay sky the £10 per month to use the sky+ functions (record etc). Am I wrong on that one.Lance: Yes, you can pay £120 a year for that. Or you can get a Freesat+HD box and never pay again. ParsnipTuesday 1 February 2011 2:08PM
I have Sky multiroom, Sky in one room and Sky+ in the other.
I have had both for several years.
Neither box was provided free from Sky but purchased from a private installer.
I am an elderly widow and I cannot afford to keep up my sky subscription.
From reading previous posts,can I please check the following -
If I stop my sky subscription but still want the option of all or most of the channels I have now, do I need to buy a Freeview or Freesat box?
If yes, what happens to my viewing ie which channels will I not be able to view?
Do I also need to keep my Sky boxes and cards?
Will I still be able to re-wind, pause live tv etc?
Sorry to be a bit dim. Please can you keep any answers simple, please?
Many thanks
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