I’ve cancelled sky and looking for a new recorder box? Is there a reason to choose freeview or freesat over the other? Have a proper freeview aerial installed and can see the transmitter from the garden.

Anyone got experience of both?

Is one better than t’other?

Youview, which is free view based looks like an interesting proposition. Early days, but could be pretty good if it takes off.

Got freesat here, but that’s because Nrthumberland is the last place to go digital – we can’t get freeview until Sept this year!

Never had sky, freesat has more than enough channels to prove there’s nothing worth watching. Humax HD box does play iplayer and ITV player though

Got freesat here, but that’s because Nrthumberland is the last place to go digital – we can’t get freeview until Sept this year!

Take it you are north Northumberland? Down this way (Wylam, south Northumberland) we’ve had a good Freeview signal since we moved in.

OP: I think Freeview recorders are generally a lot cheaper than freesat, if that makes any odds.

Is there a reason to choose freeview or freesat over the other?

Freeview over Freesat? Non whatsoever, TBH the higher sat frequencies are far less prone to environmental and atmospheric interference. Unless there’s some channel on Freeview that’s not on Freesat that you need, go with Freesat

Have a proper freeview aerial installed and can see the transmitter from the garden.

It’s just the same as any other UHF aerial, there’s been far too much false marketing of ‘digital’ aerials
Saying that, it doesn’t hurt to have a nice new aerial

Humax freesat with 500g harddrive twin tuner so can record and watch, pause and play all that stuff does series link recording, iplayer, very pleased with it

Humax Freesat recorder here, upgraded to 2Tb drive ( requires a little bit of linuxing to accomplish, but I can record a lot of HD stuff).

You can also get hacked firmware that turns the receiver into an FTP server and puts Twonky Media on it for streaming stuff to other players ( PCs, etc ) around the house.

if you have sky dish, then you have freesat already, you can indeed pay sky for the viewing card to see all the freesat channels (think its 20quid), but not sure if your SKY box will allow recording, you have to then pay them a monthly fee for the EPG/record, think thats 11quid – but dont quote me, they change all the time, search for
‘freesat from sky’

also remember that for freesat twin recording, you usually need 2 inputs from the LNB / dish, freeview i dont think you do, just means you may have to pay out something extra if you go donw the freesat recording box.

imho, freesat / freesat HD is much better for pic quality than freeview unless you have got a super-decent ariel installed.

you have to then pay them a monthly fee for the EPG/record, think thats 11quid

Cheeky gits!

you usually need 2 inputs from the LNB / dish, freeview i dont think you do

Correct. Even my ancient old (standard-def) Hummy can record two Freeview channels and let you watch a third (or pre-recorded) from a single aerial input.

Correct. Even my ancient old (standard-def) Hummy can record two Freeview channels and let you watch a third (or pre-recorded) from a single aerial input.

That’s because all the jiggery pokery etc. is done a the dish with the down conversion of the frequencies etc, and also sat feeds usually use both horizontal and vertical transmissions whereas a terrestrial transmitter is fixed.

imho, freesat / freesat HD is much better for pic quality than freeview unless you have got a super-decent ariel installed.

Once the digital switchover is complete I believe extra bandwidth becomes available making freeveiw HD transmissions far better quality.

My Freeveiw Hummax box will record 2 and let me watch another. Its dependent on what multiplex the channel is on. The Hummax has several tuners in it allowing it to do this

We have both and I’d slightly prefer the freesat (“BBC” freesat – not SKY freesat) option purely for the iPlayer. I cant really see the difference in picture quality (maybe I need bigger TVs!).

Oh- the EPG is easier to use on the freeview box though (both Humax).

Take it you are north Northumberland

Nope, Hexham. Too far up the valley for a decent signal. Apparently houses up the hill can get freeview, just not in town.

You dont get the HD channels if you run Sky free sat.

Nope, Hexham. Too far up the valley for a decent signal.

Oh yeah, think I knew that. Weird, I’m just down the road in Wylam and we’re fine. Full strength signal on the main multiplexes, bit less on the obscure channel ones but fully functioning.

Ah well. Digital switchover soon

My dad got himself a new telly “for the digital switch thingy” because his old one was analogue 😯 *facepalm*

Worse still.. he’s on cable anyway *double facepalm* 😆

Thanks for all the comments. By aerial fitted -it was put in 6 years ago when we moved in. When I cancelled sky they offered me the record option, but the whole reason behind cancelling was to free myself from monthly bills!

Humax freesat hd box it is then!

Youview, which is free view based looks like an interesting proposition. Early days, but could be pretty good if it takes off.

I’ll declare my interest – I work for one of the partners to the project.

I have a test unit. It’s actually a great idea – basically a combination of Freeview and IPTV, with the IPTV giving you access to all sorts of free + paid for content.

I have Freesat on one telly and Freeview on another. Freeview has considerably fewer channels. Notable omissions are Film 4, ITV 3 and ITV4*. Plenty of rubbish on Freesat I can live without though, such as the shopping channels

*a problem if you’re a Tour de France fan

Humax freesat hd box it is then!

This might be rather useful then – clicky!

I wouldn’t want to be an early adopter of Youview

There’s been a good few that have tried to break into the market and failed, Freeview only succeeded as it was Hobson’s choice.
Those that don’t want to pay will stick with Freeview, those that don’t mind paying will take Sky or cable.

£299 for a STB? – I hope they aren’t expecting an – iPhone type – rush

I am about to go onto freeview, what are the advantages of running the signal through a box?. I have a big digital aerial in the loft and have tested the picture which seems ok, would it improve via a seperate to the tv box?

I’d always feed the box first if poss
There’s too many possible causes of loss and interference when it goes through amps etc.

you can always take the feed back up after the box

£299 for a STB? – I hope they aren’t expecting an – iPhone type – rush

Ironically if they just did it as an Apple TV app then it would probably be a success 😀

Once the digital switchover is complete I believe extra bandwidth becomes available making freeveiw HD transmissions far better quality.

I take it you are joking – there is far more bandwidth available on satellite than there will be on freeview.

The BBC are holding back the possible quality of their transmissions on cable and satellite just so freeview doesn’t look poor in comparison.

Freeview has considerably fewer channels. Notable omissions are Film 4, ITV 3 and ITV4*

Only if you are in a dodgy reception area.
We get Film4, ITV 3 and 4 on Freeview.

http://www.freeview.co.uk/Channels

I wouldn’t want to be an early adopter of Youview

Agreed. But I suspect that pricing will only go one way. Sort of depends how it will be sold to people.

Luckily mine is (currently) free. Just signed up to a free Lovefilm offer to go with it….

(I can see my Sky subscription being scaled back as (a) Sky Movies package is pretty dire and (b) Sky has already been forced to share wholesale Sky Sports for sale by other organisations (e.g. BT). And if I can the sports sub, there’s no point in the rest of it (except Sky Arts, which is v good).)

Only if you are in a dodgy reception area.

Not the case. I live within 200m of our transmitter. Reception is fab, but we get very few channels (relatively speaking)

[EDIT] – just counted 30 or so TV channels on that link to the Freeview site that we don’t get.

I live within 200m of our transmitter

There’s a problem right there

But ignoring the possible excessive signal, has it fully migrated to digital yet?
What transmitter is it? – I’m presuming a relay if you’re that close

has it fully migrated to digital yet?

no idea. How would I find out?

What transmitter is it?

this one

[EDIT] – that link actually explains that I only get Freeview Lite. I didn’t know there was such a thing 🙁

Leek?

I’d buy a dish and go Freesat
Not go the info with me but I’m sure you have to wait another 2 years for all the channels

I do have a dish but it’s only wired into the upstairs TV via the attic. Any tricks for sending the signal downstairs without trying to re-cable?

I do have a dish but it’s only wired into the upstairs TV via the attic. Any tricks for sending the signal downstairs without trying to re-cable?

Nothing I’d use

Get a quad LNB and a new box for downstairs and hard wire it