Freeview, via Freesat dish

[Kristian]

I have a sky Freesat system, via a dish and skybox inc the Freesat card. Ive always thought Freesat was a better system than Freeview, but there are many

channels that are on Freeview but not on Freesat that id like to have.

Could I run both boxes to to the same TV via some sort of "Y" lead?

Also im I right in thinking that Freeview is only aviable via a digital arial, as id to keep my satilite dish and watch Freeview via my existing dish.

ie run both Freesat and Freeview systems via my satilite dish.

Thanks Kristian.

[Chris J W]

Yeah, you would have to have both dish and aerial.

 

You can get SCART switch boxes from places like Maplin.

[alan_fincher]

Does your TV have inbuilt Freeview ?

 

From the question, I suspect not, so you would need a Freeview box in addition to a satellite box.

 

Generally these plug into the TV via SCART sockets, so assuming your TV has at least two of these, they will need a socket each.

 

The Freeview box will need a separate terrestrial antenna, suitable for digital signals. Unless you are in a good signal area, that generally means a "traditional" directional type TV antenna, not something omni-directional like the "egg whisk" or "wok" ones. Personally I have had very little success with terrestrial digital, but that's probably just where I've tried it.

 

You certainly not use a satellite dish to receive Freeview - the frequencies involved are radically different.

 

I'm no expert, (we have stopped watching TV on board), but am somewhat surprised that there is much on Freeview that can't be found on satellite.

[bottle]

Kristian.

 

There are three satellite systems, Freesat (BBC & ITV joint venture), Sky freesat (card required) and Sky Satellite subscription. All require satellite dish.

 

There is also Freeview (terrestrial) requires digital aerial. (Not Dish).

 

Each aerial lead needs to be separately run to its own box, from each box a Scart lead needs to be run to the back of the TV.

 

If the TV does not have more than one Scart a switch box can be used, Maplins should have one.

 

Have a look here, http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criter...t&source=15

[Big Steve]

I've got freeview and basic Sky and always thought there was nothing on freeview that's not on Sky. I have both because weather often knocks one out but not both, freeview seems to be more susceptible to rain than Sky. And I've got a huge hi gain aerial and live in line of sight of Emley Moor.

 

If you don't want to faff about with scart boxes, freeview and Sky will have RF output and a scart socket, so you could put one in each input on the telly.

 

Or you could buy a dvd recorder , these often have more than one scart input available, with one output for the telly.

 

Hope this helps, it all looks terribly confusing reading it again.

[Keeping Up]

Many set-top boxes (Freesat or Freeview) have 2 Scart connections. If your TV has only one, you can plug your new box into the second Scart connection of the existing box (or the other way around). The existing box will assume the new box is a VCR and will happily pass its signal through to the TV. This is assuming you don't have a recording device as well - in which circumstances it can get rather more complicated.

[nb Innisfree]

I have a sky Freesat system, via a dish and skybox inc the Freesat card. Ive always thought Freesat was a better system than Freeview, but there are many

channels that are on Freeview but not on Freesat that id like to have.

Could I run both boxes to to the same TV via some sort of "Y" lead?

Also im I right in thinking that Freeview is only aviable via a digital arial, as id to keep my satilite dish and watch Freeview via my existing dish.

ie run both Freesat and Freeview systems via my satilite dish.

Thanks Kristian.

When o when will we be able to get rid of all those frigging wires

[Dominic M]

I have a sky Freesat system, via a dish and skybox inc the Freesat card. Ive always thought Freesat was a better system than Freeview, but there are many

channels that are on Freeview but not on Freesat that id like to have.

Could I run both boxes to to the same TV via some sort of "Y" lead?

Also im I right in thinking that Freeview is only aviable via a digital arial, as id to keep my satilite dish and watch Freeview via my existing dish.

ie run both Freesat and Freeview systems via my satilite dish.

Thanks Kristian.

Almost all the channels that are on Freeview are on Freesat. If you cannot get them all then change the transponder setting to one with the best signal strength.

Edited May 10, 2009 by Dominic M

[Kristian]

Just to keep you all informed, my tv's got only 1 scart input, but ive just found at the back of the tv cabinet a 3way scart input lead, which i can use

if i can go down the seperate route and go for a Freeview box+ digi arial, (hopefully)????? Would that work.

There are a few channels not on freesat but on freesat eg Dave.

[twocvbloke]

Once the analogue shut-off is complete, they will ramp up the power of Digital terrestrial transmissions, meaning freeview in a couple of years will be more stable signal wise, so if you can hold out that long, you should be ok...

 

As for Big Steve having a Huge High-gain aerial, You might actually be overloading the freeview box (Too much signal is not enough!!!), if you can see the transmitter easily (I.E. without binoculars or even a telescope!!!), a regular wideband aerial will do the job fine, high-gain ones are meant to be used where signals are very weak and difficult to obtain with a regular aerial, think of it as using Jodrell Bank's radio telescope to pick up sky...

 

As mentioned by Keeping Up, you can daisy-chain set top boxes through scart, just connect the "TV Out" from one box to the "VCR" socket on the other, all you need to do is put one box into standby and switch the other on and you're laughing (probably at the TV on Dave!!! )...

 

And as for freesat, all I can say is "Watch this space", they may add some channels available on Freeview, they just have to wait until their contracts with sky come up for renewal, then they can probably arrange some form of encryption set up for both sky boxes and freesat boxes to work with, but don't quote me on that!!!

[bottle]

Just to keep you all informed, my tv's got only 1 scart input, but ive just found at the back of the tv cabinet a 3way scart input lead, which i can use

if i can go down the seperate route and go for a Freeview box+ digi arial, (hopefully)????? Would that work.

There are a few channels not on freesat but on freesat eg Dave.

 

Kristian

 

You are sorted,

 

Dish to sky box via co-ax.............. sky box to '3 way scart input' via scart lead.

 

Aerial (digital) to freeview box via co-ax.................... freeview box to '3 way scart input' via scart lead.

 

'3 way scart input' to TV via scart lead.

[Big Steve]

Once the analogue shut-off is complete, they will ramp up the power of Digital terrestrial transmissions, meaning freeview in a couple of years will be more stable signal wise, so if you can hold out that long, you should be ok...

 

As for Big Steve having a Huge High-gain aerial, You might actually be overloading the freeview box (Too much signal is not enough!!!), if you can see the transmitter easily (I.E. without binoculars or even a telescope!!!), a regular wideband aerial will do the job fine, high-gain ones are meant to be used where signals are very weak and difficult to obtain with a regular aerial, think of it as using Jodrell Bank's radio telescope to pick up sky...

 

As mentioned by Keeping Up, you can daisy-chain set top boxes through scart, just connect the "TV Out" from one box to the "VCR" socket on the other, all you need to do is put one box into standby and switch the other on and you're laughing (probably at the TV on Dave!!! )...

 

And as for freesat, all I can say is "Watch this space", they may add some channels available on Freeview, they just have to wait until their contracts with sky come up for renewal, then they can probably arrange some form of encryption set up for both sky boxes and freesat boxes to work with, but don't quote me on that!!!

 

It does take binoculars to see it, it's about 30 miles away, but I had thought about the overload factor. When using the RF signal it is way overloaded and I have to put 20dB of attenuation in, but using the digital O/P it needs the full gain. Presumably when they pump up the O/P of the transmitter in 2011, (I think, for Emley Moor) I might have to experiment with the attenuator again (no pun intended) I will be surprised if I have to, as a digital signal is much less prone to crosstalk etc.

 

I've now abandoned the RF input to the telly, there were just too many configuration possibilities, what with the Sky box, BT box, HD signal, DVD recorder and video recorder. The cabling was getting ridiculous. And I don't watch much telly!

Edited May 11, 2009 by Big Steve

[twocvbloke]

It does take binoculars to see it, it's about 30 miles away, but I had thought about the overload factor. When using the RF signal it is way overloaded and I have to put 20dB of attenuation in, but using the digital O/P it needs the full gain. Presumably when they pump up the O/P of the transmitter in 2011, (I think, for Emley Moor) I might have to experiment with the attenuator again (no pun intended) I will be surprised if I have to, as a digital signal is much less prone to crosstalk etc.

 

I've now abandoned the RF input to the telly, there were just too many configuration possibilities, what with the Sky box, BT box, HD signal, DVD recorder and video recorder. The cabling was getting ridiculous. And I don't watch much telly!

 

A free way to attenuate your signal is just to move the aerial off-target slightly, reducing the signal gain, works especially well if you live within a few miles of a transmitter (like we do), saves cutting the cable and putting in a device...

[Big Steve]

Ah, but "devices" only cost pennies, take a couple of minutes to fit, and it saves shining up the chimney to tweak the aerial.

[twocvbloke]

Ah, but "devices" only cost pennies, take a couple of minutes to fit, and it saves shining up the chimney to tweak the aerial.

 

Thing is, the 20dB attenuator could be a touch too much if you're suffering rainfade (normally associated with sky minidishes), I remember years back when I first got myself cable, it was terrible, the picture kept dropping out and blocking, then I noticed on the back was a 3dB attenuator (I think I still have that somewhere in a box!!!), I took it off, and hey presto, everything was fine, my broadband (which ran though the box at the time) even improved slightly...

 

If you can, get a few attenuators, 3dB, 5, 10 etc, and see which improves the signal the most, then just sell the others on ebay for an inflated price...

[nb Innisfree]

Ah, but "devices" only cost pennies, take a couple of minutes to fit, and it saves shining up the chimney to tweak the aerial.

Chimney?

[twocvbloke]

Chimney?

 

Landbox...