Compulsory Digital TV

[legrandefromage]

I think you need to ask SKY for a FTA viewing card, then all FTA channels should be accessible.

Didn't know there was such a thing :?
I suppose I'll have to give them my name, address, sexual inclination, stool sample, DOB, DNA, when my house insurance is due etc etc so that they can record it on an open server for "security" puposes.

I wonder if you can get these on ebay.

I can only go by what Murdochvision states:

http://www.sky.com/shop/tv/free-to-air-channels/

freesat shouldnt be an issue - just connect a freesat box to your existing sky dish

 

[Easy_Rider]

From that link this is the small print;

Please note:*You may need a viewing card to view some of these channels (this currently applies to some ITV1 regions, FIVE, FIVER, FIVE USA, Sky3, Liverpool FC TV and VIVA). These channels are not offered by Sky TV and their availability is outside of Sky's control. Sky will not be liable if they or any of their content is withdrawn or changed.

If they are outside of Sky's control then why the blip do I need a viewing card to watch them. I just like the menu system that's why I stuck with Sky and not moved to something else.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Contractual reasons iirc.
Which of course given they carry them over their service then it isn't out of their control other than 'five' will not stump up whatever fee.
I do forget the actual reason though, it's the classification of Free to Air (BBC/ITV/C4) and Free to View (five and Sky) etc..


EDIT there is some info here and how to get the five stuff
http://www.sam-radford.me.uk/ftv.htm

 

[velomaniac]

Due to M.E. I'm too knackered to do much in the evenings after work so I need TV. I've had digital since the days of ON Digital and now have FreeSat. I like what you get free and have found much to watch. Russia Today and AlJazeera are surprisingly interesting channels and courtesy of CBS Action I got to watch the entirety of 'V' now that took me back

I remember when we had only 3 channels, I dont remember it being goldstar quality programming back then. Sometimes there was crap on all channels same as now.

Feel free to go without TV, thats your choice and I know several who have and all seem quite happy. Just lets not pretend what went before was better than what we have now, it was just different

 

[Neil]

You should be able to get channel 5 by manually tuning.

FTV seems encrypted, but as far as I'm aware FTA is in the clear - are there definitely FTA channels being encrypted?

Yes, channel 5 sais I need a viewing card, not that I want to particulary watch it. There are a few others too.

Five can be definitely viewed by manually tuning to it - using it from the guide won't work. Five is definitely available on Sky in unencrypted form.

What other FTA channels are encrypted?

 

[Easy_Rider]

Contractual reasons iirc.
Which of course given they carry them over their service then it isn't out of their control other than 'five' will not stump up whatever fee.
I do forget the actual reason though, it's the classification of Free to Air (BBC/ITV/C4) and Free to View (five and Sky) etc..


EDIT there is some info here and how to get the five stuff
http://www.sam-radford.me.uk/ftv.htm

But doesn't freesat use the same satellites as Sky, it's just a different box. Interesting about the FTV and FTA I didn't know there was a difference, Neil mentioned it too.

Neil: I'll look to see what else is encrypted. Off the top of my head, there is two I would like to receive, Dave (which is free on freeview) and a Spanish TVEinternation (BBC World Equivalent) news channel (trying to keep my Spanish brushed up) it is free to air (or view :? )I'm guessing Sky3 is FTV, but we did used to get it last year and it suddenly stopped about 12months ago along with Channel5.

 

[JohnH]

Sky Sports News used to be a good bonus for owning a Freeview box -- but that's now been pulled and replaced by Sky 3+1... :roll:

 

[JamesM]

My biggest gripe with freeview is they seem to constanty move the channels around. I tune my TV in then I go through deleting all the crap I don't want so I end up with maybe 15 or so channels. A few weeks later I'll notice I now have some crap shopping channel I didn't want, which then makes me think what has gone missing. All of this means I have to retune every few months and sit there deleating everything again. It happend with my old digi box and it still happens with my new tv with built in digital tuner.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Contractual reasons iirc.
Which of course given they carry them over their service then it isn't out of their control other than 'five' will not stump up whatever fee.
I do forget the actual reason though, it's the classification of Free to Air (BBC/ITV/C4) and Free to View (five and Sky) etc..


EDIT there is some info here and how to get the five stuff
http://www.sam-radford.me.uk/ftv.htm

But doesn't freesat use the same satellites as Sky, it's just a different box. Interesting about the FTV and FTA I didn't know there was a difference, Neil mentioned it too.

Neil: I'll look to see what else is encrypted. Off the top of my head, there is two I would like to receive, Dave (which is free on freeview) and a Spanish TVEinternation (BBC World Equivalent) news channel (trying to keep my Spanish brushed up) it is free to air (or view :? )I'm guessing Sky3 is FTV, but we did used to get it last year and it suddenly stopped about 12months ago along with Channel5.

I don't have the Sky service, my old man does and he's trying to persuade my mum they don't need it. He also has FreeSat (Humax and SonyTV and Freeview TV's) and the computer to FreeSat too.

But you're getting FreesatfromSky via their box so picking up their setup and it's different to Freeview
But
http://www.ukfree.tv/helpme.php?faqid=203
Shows everything you should be getting, again Five etc are starred saying you need their card BUT you expired card should act as the FreesatFromSky card.

Try the tuning from my previous link and mentioned by a few.

Interested to see the outcome as I may be needing it for my old man

 

[JamesM]

But the decoder box, it must be plugged in and at least on standby all the time or the programming is lost, tell me again, was the government drive at one point to suggest we do not waste energy and turn off stuff we are not using, then they bring in digital tv, I have got an additional heat source in my flat now, has anyone noticed the heat that thing generates, probably a very good reason why they don't last.

I couldn't agree more. Alsmost everything in my house is in standby because nothing has a proper make or break switch. Only my kettle and my toaster actually switch off properly, my washing machine doesn't so thats in standby too. When I my old CRT TV died I bought a new LCD one, the new LCD one had and Energy Star sticker because its green and energy effcient. I looked in the manuals, for both TV's, at the power consumpstion figures and the new one uses more when on than the old one. In standby however the new one is far more efficient which is probably why it has the Energy Star. Fine, except the old TV was never in standby because it had a proper on/off switch and the new one doesn't so is allways in standby. Moreover the new flat panel tv had crap sound because it was too thin to fit decent speakers, meaning I had to go out and by a set of PC speakers and guess what! When you switch them off you can still hear the power supply humming like a good'un. I had to chop the lead and fit a inline table lamp switch.

Those goverment adverts are targeting us as the problem for leaving everything in standyby. They should go after the manufacturers and make them fit proper switches. That won't happen though cus big clumsy make or break switches are old fashioned and not cool. Imagine one on the front of a PS3 rather than the touch sensitive thing it has now. The PS1 was the last one to have a proper on/off switch.