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Sky/free sat boxes


scotslad
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Alright

 

I don't know much about these sky/free sat boxes, only got basic sky in for the 1st time 18 months ago (always been freeview/plebs tv previously) but can't get a TV reception where i live so have to go down the satelite route.

Know even less about these 'stick' things but i take it for them u need a decent internet connection?

 

My box has packed in, well atleast the memory/recording side has. I very rarely watch live tv now and after being used to the recorder it's so handy recording anything u might watch and catch it when it suits u and forwarding throu all the adverts. Never realised how many there  are nowadays.

 

When u look at proper shops for a reciever/recorder ur all £150+ yet on ebay getting them for 30 quid, fair enough some/many are reconditioned which wouldn't bother me.

 

But when u read some of comments a couple say the boxes don't record/pause programmes despite having memory. Does that need the sky card to allow it rather than the box itself?

In the past even quite cheap basic freeview boxes recorder etc

Just i've been thinking of getting rid of sky altogether and just use the free channels, which would be plenty for me but still handy being able to record programmes which i'm guessing i wouldn't be allowed to if i cncelled sky as they'd cancel my sky card.

 

Cheers

 

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I have a Freesat humlix had now about 4 years. It rewinds and pauses etc has Netflix and iPlayer. And you can click back though the TV guide and watch a program that you have missed on BBC &itv. No channel 4 HD and it doesn't have their playback too after it was taken off. But I would recommend it.

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It's a Panasonic, but don't ask me to name the model. Bought it about four years ago but it stayed at my ex's house for two of them as I didn't really need a tv then. She didn't want it so rather than see it thrown out into the garden ( something she was quite good at if it belonged to me ?) when the kids decided they didn't need it,  I went to collect it. 

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I also have no terrestrial TV signal so rely on a satellite service. I have a humax box I bought direct from them in their outlet section (it was a return but looked as new still in plastic just minus the box as it shipped in a generic card one, the remote was brand new)

it can record pause and rewind. It can also scroll back 7 days and play any programs that are on a catch-up direct from the past TV guide. 

Full catchup (aside from E4 that has just dropped off) and Netflix subject to subscription 

Humax seem to be the industry standard 

this is the one I have  

https://www.humaxdirect.co.uk/refurbished/hdr-1100s-500gb-black-1.html 

I did have to get super fast fibre at the same time as our phone line could only provide 1meg max and it wasn’t enough to run the catch-up without pausing and letting it buffer. 

 

Edited to to add I did look at TVs for the bedroom that had built in freesat. You can easily add £300 to the basic price of a normal tv as there doesn’t seem to be many freesat TVs compared to freeview.

we bought smart TVs from Argos for the bedroom and use Netflix or catch-up on them (kids now seem to only watch Netflix anyway!!)

Edited by ph5172
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Cheers thats the sort of thing i'm looking for.

But was wondering will a sky box do the exact same when u stop paying for sky?? So u just get the free channels and then if i decide i want sky again i don't need a new box

I remember years ago my folks had sky and cancelled it but the sky box still worked and u got some extra free channels (probably before digital tv really came out)

 

Just when u lokk on evilbay boxes that lok the same as mine but some have complained that the recording doesn't work, so i'm guessing the recording is involved with the sky viewing card

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They do still work but you still have the whole menu, you can add the channels that a free to your favourites to stop you having to scroll pages and pages to find them

you loose the record function as well (you can pay a £10 monthly fee to have it activated)

if it’s for a bedroom the sky box in its basic form is fine, anywhere else you will grow tired of looking for the free channels and lack of recording 

if you don’t want recording and don’t want the sky melee menu humax do a good basic freesat one with catch-up for £60 refurb

Edited by ph5172
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Spot on ph

That's exactly wot i wanted to know.

Reading between the lines i thought that might be roght but couldn't see how if a box had memory it couldn't record.

 

It is for my main tv, the lack of channels won't really bother me but i do find recording stuff really handy, so i can watch it when it suits me.

Ithink most of the channels i watch are free 1's anyway (as i don't have discovery) but get the older stuff on dmax

Infact i'll have to check exactly how much i'm paying now, it was cheap with my intial deal but i'm sure it will have expired now. 1 of those things u sometimes don't keep on top off

 

For a final stupid question. How do all these firestick, netflicks things work?? Is it all internet stuff?

So basically downloading tv programmes throu the internet when u want to watch them. If so does that not cost a fortune in internet bytes? and take ages.

My computer/internet connection can barely load a still photo without buffering. The joys of living in the sticks

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It all streams (think live via the internet) but some have the option to download

im in the sticks and our speed is 1-2 meg so just enough to run Netflix on 1 tv sometimes you had to start it, pause make a brew and it buffered enough to play without stopping. 

We upgraded to fibre and our speed is now about 25 meg mainly due to the fibre only going some of the way but it’s enough to run a couple of TVs on it

you need an unlimited internet data plan if you intend on using catch-up or Netflix as it’s all via the net. 

You could get round it by setting the freesat to series record all your series and scrolling through to pre set films or one offs to record as you can see a week in advance on freesat. 

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