Freesat vs freeview vs sky

Phil2008

Phil2008

Phil2008

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witch 1 is better, Im guessing freesat has more channels then freeview, Im doing my first home cinema setup in a few months in my bedroom and wondering what I should get?

At the moment I have just a bog standard freeview box, so Im wanting to change that whatever I decide. Also in the front room we have sky, so for a extra tenner a month I could go for the sky multiroom, but 80% of sky channels are rubbish, I know this may sound sad but Im really into curling after seeing it on the winter games, and Im guessing that sport will only be on sky, if its even on sky. Also Im really into snooker aswell, I know the bbc covers the big events but sky offers more snooker..... Hows freesat for sport? Also Im guessing no freeview or freesat box offers 5.1 surround sound?
 
Phil2008 said:
witch 1 is better, Im guessing freesat has more channels then freeview, Im doing my first home cinema setup in a few months in my bedroom and wondering what I should get?
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Sounds like you want the basic Sky package plus Sports, if you're unimpressed with most of Sky's channels but want the best Sports package available.

Regarding curling, since it's the Scots that are into this really, I think that apart from Sky, it'd be STV that broadcast this the most. I don't know whether or not STV is even available however.

Phil2008 said:
At the moment I have just a bog standard freeview box, so Im wanting to change that whatever I decide. Also in the front room we have sky, so for a extra tenner a month I could go for the sky multiroom, but 80% of sky channels are rubbish, I know this may sound sad but Im really into curling after seeing it on the winter games, and Im guessing that sport will only be on sky, if its even on sky. Also Im really into snooker aswell, I know the bbc covers the big events but sky offers more snooker..... Hows freesat for sport? Also Im guessing no freeview or freesat box offers 5.1 surround sound?
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Phil2008 said:
Hows freesat for sport?
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Besides rugby, golf, F1, football, snooker etc. on BBC and ITV, Freesat is awful for sports fans but at least they offer Champions League and Six Nations etc. in HD, unlike Freeview (at the moment).

Phil2008 said:
Also Im guessing no freeview or freesat box offers 5.1 surround sound?
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Any with an HMDI or optical digital sound output should allow genuine 5.1, but not all channels and programmes broadcast in DD5.1. Whilst SCART only carries two channels, it also includes information that will allow a Pro Logic processor to 're-create' an interpreted 5.1 signal, still pretty good.

Each service offers something different really, so you just have to decide based on your budget and requirements. For sports, there is no better than Sky Sports. Is Virgin Media an option, as their basic TV is cheap (especially if you also take their phone and broadband) and you can bolt on Sky Sports to that also? VM is also an excellent service I find.
 
thanks,, we cant get cable here so VM is a no go.. So curling on sky might not be possible you say?

Just been searching the net and apparently bbc iplayer and the itv player services are coming to freeview, so thats another thing to think about... also with the higher spec freeview boxes you get a dvd recorder and hdd built in too. ummmmm:confused:
 
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I'm currently trying to decide whether to get freesatHD or FreeviewHD when the boxes start appearing. It just depends on the prices I guess because the channel list is pretty similar just less utter drivel on Freeview. Already got a sky dish with a quad LNB so it's just a matter of plugging in the cable if i go the freesat route.
My region switches on the HD signal in a little bit so will just end up getting one or the other before the World Cup kicks off.
 
Eric7 said:
I'm currently trying to decide whether to get freesatHD or FreeviewHD when the boxes start appearing. It just depends on the prices I guess because the channel list is pretty similar just less utter drivel on Freeview. Already got a sky dish with a quad LNB so it's just a matter of plugging in the cable if i go the freesat route.
My region switches on the HD signal in a little bit so will just end up getting one or the other before the World Cup kicks off.
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Also theres quite a few hd boxes at richer sounds but they are a tad on the expensive side, but they do come with a hdd and/or dvd recorder built in. If I keep my freeview, when I upgrade my box Im deffo going to get 1 with a network socket, then hopefully it wil support itv and bbci player services when the service comes out.
 
Considered getting your own dish and a dreambox?

Can pick dishes up pretty cheap and you have far greater channels then freeview/freesat without the costs of Sky which tbh I think is a pile of turd.

As you say 80% of the channels are crap yet you cant get sports without the entertaiment thing can you? They do this as 99% of people that have sky sports would otherwise ditch the rest of the rubbish they show.
 
Hardly any channels support digital 5.1, most are just 2.0 Dolby Digital encoded, some with Dolby Prologic matrix encoding turned on for fairly good surround effects. I dont know about freesat... but if its just picking up the FTA channels from the Astra and Hotbird satallites, I believe that from that cluster, the 5.1 channels are Sky Movies (both SD and HD with 5.1 surround), and all the channels on the SkyHD lineup... So on freesat you'll probably only find 5.1 on BBCHD, ITV HD etc.

That said, 2 channel DD + Prologic can still give a very satisfying surround effect, especially if you have a Prologic II decoder, which will give a true full frequency stereo rear effects channels, from any Prologic encoded source.
 
Only thing I use Freesat for is BBC/ITV HD.

Edit: On the subject of curling your best bet might be Eurosport which I think is available on subscription on Freeview.
 
Jokester said:
Only thing I use Freesat for is BBC/ITV HD.

Edit: On the subject of curling your best bet might be Eurosport which I think is available on subscription on Freeview.
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Eurosport is definitely the way to go for winter sports, They have Live Curling on tomorrow so the Sky planner says anyway. Pretty sure Eurosport has been removed from topuptv for freeview also :/
 
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Mattey1 said:
Eurosport is definitely the way to go for winter sports, They have Live Curling on tomorrow so the Sky planner says anyway. Pretty sure Eurosport has been removed from topuptv for freeview also :/
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nice,, thanks,, but I think Im going to wait until you can get freeview+ HD with a dvd recorder, cos at the moment you can only get "freeview+ HD" or "freeview+ with a dvd recorder" so it would be nice to have HD and a dvd recorder in 1:D

Thanks for all your help guys, I think Im deff going to stay with freeview and get TUTV. Like I could go sky multiroom for a extra tenner a month cos my parients has sky in the front room, but then I dont get a dvd recorder, and I cant choose my box, plus as I said 90% of stuff on sky is rubbish anyway.
 
Oh yeah 1 last question, anyone know the broardcast hrs are for Eurosport on freeview?? Cos freeview has the habbit of only letting you watch only daytime hrs on some channels and that whould be sooo annoying if thats the case for eurosports.
 
I just found out,, nothing is live on tutv, and it records some tv shows and programs over night. If this is the case, Im gonna get sky, cos thats no use to man or beast is it??:mad: and tutv should be free, if you cant watch what you want. Ive never heard something so stupid in my life:mad::eek:
 
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just get sky multiroom, £10, u get eurosports in the news pack for £1 if your folks havnt already got it.

then add HD later if you want for £9 to get eurosports HD
 
To be honest, Sky is realy the best way to go for tv IF you dont mind paying the subscription, channel 5hd will be coming in june or july and also itv hd will be added, plus a few other hd channels, freesat although ok is probably not going to get any other HD services and free view HD only has room for 4 HD channels which is a bit poor.
 
Yeah Im thinking Sky multiroom is my best bet, for a tenner a month with a free standard skybox

Also are there any other devices that you can connect to your tv that can access the VOD services, like 4od, bbc iplayer and itv player?? Cos the VOD services are coming to freeview, and that was 1 of the reasons I wanted to upgrade my freeview box, but theres not much point if TUTV is a let down.
 
Hmm so OFCOM are "allowing" Sky to pimp their channels on Freeview. Freeview's lack of bandwidth for HD content is a bit of a joke however, and Freeview as far as I'm concerned appeals to those analogue aerial viewers that just want what they had before. This is a bone OFCOM are throwing Sky as a result of forcing them to reduce wholesale prices of their channels to other broadcasters. I hope to god VM hurry up and get Sky's HD / multiscreen service!
 
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