Watching UK TV abroad

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la vache!
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Watching UK TV abroad

Post by la vache! »

My Sky+ box has finally died and I need some help on how to replace it. I've had it for so long I don't know what the alternatives are so any advice would be great! I watch very little UK TV but what I do watch is usually recorded - I also like the pause facility. I've been paying £30 per month for the Sky+box but I'm sure there are Free View boxes available which offer both record and pause facilities without the cost.
I only really watch the Freeview channels so don't need the pay subscription. I only have 2Mo of bandwidth so watching catch up on the iPlayer is very painful and not an option!
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pete
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Post by pete »

I think you can replace sky boxes with free view boxes from amerzon for around 80 squids and you don't need to move your dish, I could find the link if no one else has better info
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bornintheuk
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Post by bornintheuk »

There are several types of box to receive the UK channels via Freesat and will increase in price as you get more "options"
What you will need is make sure it can receive HD channels, if you want to watch one channel whilst recording another you will need a double tuner, and if you want to pause during watching then you will need a hard drive.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Thankyou both very much - I've just been looking at the Curry's website, do I need a freesat rather than a freeview box? :?
Dotty
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Post by Dotty »

Freeview is terrestrial digital via an aerial.
Freesat is via satellite dish.
You'll need freesat unless you are VERY close to England and can pick up the terrestrial signal. My guess is you'll need freesat and connect it up to your existing sat dish.
ETA: You need to be near enough that you are still within the satellite footprint to use the standard boxes..... Sadly in our area we no longer are even with a big dish, so have had to make other arrangements. 8)
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

Thanks Dotty, a freesat box is what I need. Something like this?
http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-blu ... 0-pdt.html
They exist in France but seem an awful lot more expensive here, probably because most French people just use TNT or TV via Orange or another ISP.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

In France you should be still OK with Freesat. I stopped using my Sky box a few years ago and ordered a Freesat box, which has a hard drive, from the UK. I still use the Sky mini dish in Switzerland with the Freesat receiver but would get a much better signal with a 60cm or even 80cm dish. The mini dish no longer works very well in the evenings.

Further south, in Spain, people are now needing much bigger dishes.
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

We have a Panasonic PVR which we've had for years and touch wood is going well. We also have a BT box, which is made by Humax; I'd recommend either of those, but they're freeview not freesat boxes. I see John Lewis sell Humax, so always a good recommendation.
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GRL
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Post by GRL »

We have a Humax Freesat box but do find it a bit clunky and at times temperamental. Sometimes you have to go through several clicks on the remote to get it to do what should only be one click and about 5% of the time it fails on a recording.
la vache!
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Post by la vache! »

I've just realised this is posted in completely the wrong place in the forum, sorry Paolo!
Thanks everyone for your comments - Freesat is the way to go for me and I have to go to the UK for a flying visit next weekend so I'll pick up a box from Curry's then.
I've never had a problem with the satellite here, I suppose because I'm in Northern France.
Sagem is a big French brand that is why I looked at the product but obviously it isn't so big in the UK anymore.
The Humax seems to be one of the most common brand but I'll check out the customer reviews of all the brands/models which meet the spec I need.
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CarolineH
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Post by CarolineH »

I bought this last year http://www.amazon.co.uk/HDR-1000S-Frees ... ax+freesat following Mols' recommendation somewhere else on here. It's fab! No probs at all, so easy to set up. After 10 years of watching virtually no UK TV, I now record everything (including the Archers every Sunday!) and catch up when it suits me. The trick is that the recording is so easy to set up : when you are watching a trailer for something it asks you if you want to record!

I've recommeded to several others out here and they are all very happy.
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Post by Cassis »

Susan - make sure you buy a Freesat box with twin tuners so you can record one channel while watching another, or record two different channels at the same time. Humax is a good make according to the guy who installed our dish. We bought ours from John Lewis. Reception should be fine with a regular dish where you are in Brittany - we've got a small dish here in Pays de la Loire and no probs at all. Dish alignment is critical - a fraction out and you'll get nothing.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Cassis wrote:Susan - make sure you buy a Freesat box with twin tuners so you can record one channel while watching another, or record two different channels at the same time. Humax is a good make according to the guy who installed our dish. We bought ours from John Lewis. Reception should be fine with a regular dish where you are in Brittany - we've got a small dish here in Pays de la Loire and no probs at all. Dish alignment is critical - a fraction out and you'll get nothing.
Does that not mean twin LNBs and 2 cables to the dish as well?
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