Digtal TV

Posted by: Dustysox on 08 January 2012

With the big switch over just round the corner, I am considering my options.

 

 I am fed up with Sky and the monthly cost. I have two HD boxes ( and one box does not function properly, I suspect Sky would want rather a lot of £'s to fix/replace this), hence paying multi room cost. We only have basic package and I think it still costs me about £29 per month which really peeves me as I've just paid the BBC license fee in December as well.

 

I would love to reduce my costs for TV viewing ( and buy more music with the saving!!).

 

What does everyone else do/use?

Posted on: 11 January 2012 by Redmires
Originally Posted by Dustysox:

 

I am just wondering if the cost of new Freeview box and or Freesat box is worth the outlay (£300ish?)

 

Another Humax convert here. If you just want to dip your toe in Freeview HD I would heartily recommend the Humax T2-G. You can get one for £59 from Humax Direct (Grade A refurbished but as new), just look for the "managers specials" link. I was that impressed with it that I bought another straight away for upstairs. It's a single tuner model with no hard disk BUT upgrade the software and plug in a USB hard drive and you have a fully fledged recorder. Picture quality is superb, especially the HD channels.

 

I also have a freeview Panasonic HD/DVD recorder. The software is appalling to use. I didn't realise how bad it was until I bought the Humax. I only really use it now for archiving programmes onto DVD.

 

PS. Why do people always quote Sky prices in £££/month while the BBC licence fee is £££/year. I have never paid Sky £480/year but I willingly pay for the BBC licence at £12/month

Posted on: 11 January 2012 by roymarshall
I seem to be the black sheep of the Naim family , I have to openly confess to paying £70.25 a month for a sky+ HD box ... That's it said it now .. Mainly for SkySports Cricket/football + ESPN HD + Eurosport HD , I get the full bifta - Movies etc.. I used to have a Virgin dodgy box for years but I decided to bite the bullet when I got a 50 inch plasma tv , strange how when I look back at my tv history ,in the late 80,s /90,s , the small tv I had was in the spare room upstairs , the downstairs lounge was only for HI FI ONLY , I use to look down my nose at people that watched the idiot box . This used to drive the soon to be wife crazy , she couldn,t understand why she had to go upstairs to watch Eastenders. The tv seems to dominate the whole house now. (pause while I turn into Victor Meldew).. My dad made our first two tv,s black and white UHF things , very similar to the monitors they used at Hawker Siddley in the late 60,s / 70,s we were the last people on earth to get a colour tv , the work of Satan himself .., I didn't have my own tv in my bedroom until I was 24 years old. How times change.
Posted on: 11 January 2012 by mista h
Originally Posted by roymarshall:
I seem to be the black sheep of the Naim family , I have to openly confess to paying £70.25 a month for a sky+ HD box ... That's it said it now .. Mainly for SkySports Cricket/football + ESPN HD + Eurosport HD , I get the full bifta - Movies etc.. I used to have a Virgin dodgy box for years but I decided to bite the bullet when I got a 50 inch plasma tv , strange how when I look back at my tv history ,in the late 80,s /90,s , the small tv I had was in the spare room upstairs , the downstairs lounge was only for HI FI ONLY , I use to look down my nose at people that watched the idiot box . This used to drive the soon to be wife crazy , she couldn,t understand why she had to go upstairs to watch Eastenders. The tv seems to dominate the whole house now. (pause while I turn into Victor Meldew).. My dad made our first two tv,s black and white UHF things , very similar to the monitors they used at Hawker Siddley in the late 60,s / 70,s we were the last people on earth to get a colour tv , the work of Satan himself .., I didn't have my own tv in my bedroom until I was 24 years old. How times change.

£70 a month,you must be the richest man in Stockton,maybe even the richest on the entire Costa Del Smoggy.

 

Mista H

Posted on: 12 January 2012 by mista h

Just spoken with the mother in law today. In a nutshell people over 75 can have their old TVs upgraded to digital for £40,the balance being paid by Dave C and all his yes men.

 

Mista H

Posted on: 12 January 2012 by J.N.
I reckon twelve quid a month to the BBC is good value to enjoy their progs unhindered by crass and inane advertising. I have a Freeview system with a standard-def Humax PVR which works superbly well, and I'll probably upgrade to the HD Humax machine, as Freeview HD has just reached my area.

Even recording all my TV content, the advertising breaks on commercial channels ruin the flow of something I'm enjoying.

I'm simply not interested in enough TV content to pay for any subscription service.

John.
Posted on: 13 January 2012 by Gale 401

Dusty,

All you have to do is ring/mail sky and cancel what ever package you have.

Just say you cant afford it any more and you just want to use the box for free sat.

You keep the box and dish setup as it is,  they will just shut down the channels you were paying for.

You then just use it as Free Sat. and dont have to pay them a thing any more.

Stu.

Posted on: 14 January 2012 by Derek Wright

Thdere are two different types of Freesat = one which uses the existing Skybox with an optional bought card that gives you access to the FTV and FTA programs see

 

http://www.sky.com/shop/freesat/home/

 

and Freesat by ... Freesat the service that requires a box from the likes of Humax see

 

http://www.freesat.co.uk/

 

I suggest that you compare the the channels on offer, access to HD channels and the ability to record programs before you jump into either of the Freesat offerings.

Posted on: 19 January 2012 by Gale 401

Derek,

I get all through a Humax sat box.

Have done since HD tv  first came out just before the world cup.the one before the last one.

It didnt make England play any better.

In fact they they have gone down hill big time ever since HD tv was put out.

I aint going to bother with 3D for the games this summer.

Who wants Rooney sticking a green lump of snot in there laps?

I dont. 

Also  my SKY boxes dont need cards for free sat.

You just get the extra sky free shit that you don't get on freeveiw or freesat.

The one great thing about my Humax box is?

I can watch all the Prem games live on a Saturday and Sunday just like the pundits do in the BBC and Sky studios.

I can flick round all the live games.

And get shed loads of other live sport/Cricket Amex Football.

All i do is buy a legal card every year to plug in my Humax.

Its the same one pubs use that dont want to pay for SKY.

 

Stu

 

Posted on: 19 January 2012 by Dustysox

Gents,

 

Thank you for your exchange of views and ideas.

 

I must confess to being caught between the devil and deep blue sea on this. My first thoght is to buy "cheapie" freeview boxes for the kitchen/bedroom.

 

As far as the main tv is concerned....I have rather a useful app on my phone which allows me to set my Sky box from anywhere (generally Saturday afternoon down the local about 5pm having a couple of shandies reading the paper!!!!), also the whole family knowhow to use it (not saying they couldn't learn another system). I now pay £19.50 per month for a basic package, and there lies "The rub" as I am also paying a TV license (which I don't begrudge at all...I feel this represents real value for money). A move to another box equivalent to Sky is in the region of £300.

 

£300/19.50 = approx fifeteen months with new box before getting my money back and having no subscription

 

£300 would buy me a lot of music., and the way Gale 401 keeps recommending em...wouldn't take me very long

 

At this moment in time...I don't know which way to go. Funny how most things always come down to money!

 

Once again gents thank you for your contributions it sure makes for an interesting read.