Stock will be quite limited and many stores have already taken pre-orders. So your chances of grabbing one on Saturday morning might be slim. So, check these online-retailers and try to get your order through: John Lewis, Comet, Argos, and Dixons.

That’s great news for all of us, making Freesat a true alternative to Sky and Freeview.

Channel Five should automatically appear on your Freesat satellite receiver or intergrated TV.

Just plug the cable coming from the dish to back of your new receiver. That’s it. No need to get a new dish or upgrade anything.

Freesat and Sky are broadcast from the same satellite. So the same dish size and dish direction can be used.

The Sky receivers have their own EPG (Electronic Programming Guide – this is where you select your channels). The channel line ups are fixed, you can’t move or delete channels. The free channels are somewhere in between all the subscription channels which makes using the digibox a pain for free channels only.

And that’s the reason why you would want to get Freesat, so that you can sort the channels the way you want. And of course to get ITV HD and maybe use a PVR receiver to record and pause channels without paying extra fees.

I’ll tell you why:

Freeview has no HD.

FreeSky is awful to use as the EPG is set in stone, so you can’t delete the channels which need subscription. Zapping is nearly impossible (it’s a bit better if you mark all free channels as your favourites), and you need to remember which channels were free and which not since there is no indication whatsoever on this. The digiboxes are made for Sky subscription. Period. Using them for the free channels is impairing your TV experience.

Freesat has exclusively ITV HD (but no Ch4 HD) plus all the main channels. You can record channels with a PVR receiver. You can use any FTA set top box you want (except for ITV HD which must be a Freesat receiver). You can shuffle things around, add or delete channels, move your dish to another satellite and see what’s on in Europe. You’ve got more freedom and joy with Freesat.

Example
There is a tree right on the line not far from your dish. You’ve dragged the marker and got “d” = 20m and “h” = 10m. Your dish is on the roof at a height of 8m.
This would mean that the tree is 20m away and that the tree must not be higher than 10m from the base of the dish or 18m from ground level. If it’s any higher than you’d have problems with the signal reception because there wouldn’t be a clear line of sight.

There is also a satellite help section on DishPointer.

What is Freesat?
Freesat is a name for all the UK satellite TV and Radio channels which are availabe for free in the UK. No subscription is required and no monthly fees charged in order to access to the service.

What do I need for Freesat?
You need to have a satellite system installed. This includes a satellite dish with an LNB pointing at the Astra 2 satellite, the cabling, the satellite receiver such as a Sky Digibox, and – if you want to watch C4, Five, Five Live, Five US and Sky Three – an FTV card. The FTV card is available for a one-off payment of £20 and there are no further monthly or subscription charges.

Where do I get Freesat from?
One option is to get the satellite equipment and the installation from www.freesatfromsky.com (or call 0870 240 5651). Alternatively you can get all the equipment yourself (e.g. second-hand off eBay) and do the installation yourself with the help of this site. Note that in order to watch C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and Sky Three you need an FTV card, also available from www.freesatfromsky.com.

How much does it cost?
£150 which includes the satellite dish, LNB, Digibox, FTV card and installation.

Can I not get it cheaper?
Yes, you could buy all items second hand (e.g. on eBay) for about £50 – £70 and install it all yourself. But if you wanted all new equipment, it would be only slightly cheaper and you’d still have to do the installation yourself.

I already have a dish and a Digibox, what can I do with them?
You can watch all the Free To Air (FTA) channels, including BBC and ITV. For C4, Five, Five Live, Five US and Sky Three, you need a Freesat FTV card which you can obtain from www.freesatfromsky.com for £20.

How do I install the system?
For dish installation, see the installation guides on this site. Then just insert your card and wait up to 72 hrs for the card to be activated.

What is the difference between Freesat and Freeview?
Freesat is a satellite based service. Freeview is a terrestrial based service. That is, with Freesat, the TV signal comes from a satellite and you need a satellite dish and a satellite receiver to pick up this signal. With Freeview, the TV signal comes from a broadcasting antenna near you and you can pick up that signal with a rooftop aerial on your house and a terrestrial Freeview receiver.

For more information on the differences, see the article Freesat vs. Freeview – which one to get.

Do I need to connect the Digibox to the phone line?
No, this is not necessary (not even during installation/activation).

Can I delete the subscription channels from the EPG?
No, deleting and reordering the channel lineups on a Sky Digibox is not possible. But you can add the channels to your favourites list and surf through them with the blue button. You can also show the favourites in a custom EPG if you are on EPG Ver 3.4.4b or newer. Just press TV Guide and then blue. To check which EPG version you have, press Services and then system Details.

Can I later subscribe to Sky?
Yes, go to www.sky.com or ring them up and they will be more than glad to welcome you as a new customer.

Will I get a substandard or refurbised Digibox when I order Freesat?
No, the equipment will be all new and the same as you would get from a Sky subscription. It will come from the same stock the installer currently has.

Do I get warranty with my equipment?
If ordered through www.freesatfromsky.com , all equipment come with standard warranty.

Can I get pay-per-view movies from Sky Box Office with Freesat?
No, this is not possible. You need at least a basic Sky subscription in order to be able to order PPV Movies.

Will the installer bring the Freesat FTV card?
No, the FTV card will come through the post.

Is a Freesat FTV card ‘married’ to a specific Digibox?
Matching up or ‘marrying’ a card to a Digibox happens only with the Sky premium subscriptions. FTV cards are never married to a box.

I came back from holiday and now I can’t get the encrypted channels?
If you had switched off your Digibox from the mains or removed the card for some time, it will automatically de-activate itself. All you need to do is power up your Digibox and insert the card. Then wait for up to 72 hrs for the card and channels to be re-activated. During this period, you should have the box at least on standby. Note that some channels might be activated earlier than others.

I have not inserted the card for a year, will it still work?
If it’s a blue yellow house card, it will still work even if you haven’t used it for over a year. All you need to do is power up your Digibox and insert the card. Then wait for up to 72 hrs for the card and channels to be re-activated. Have the box at least on standby during this period.

Do I have to use a Sky Digibox? Can I not use any other receiver?
For the FTV channels, you can use any other receiver. For C4, Five, Five Live and Five US, you need a Sky Digibox. Having said that, you can obtain a special NDS cam for non-Sky receivers to work with the FTV card.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a non-Sky receiver?

• You can change, add, delete and reorder the channel line up.*
• You can use it to receive non-Sky channels on other satellites such as European channels (Sky Digiboxes are severly limited for such use).

They are sometimes better for fringe reception.

• You can get a PVR receiver and record programmes without paying Sky additional money for their Sky+ services.
• You cannot get C4, Five, Five Live and Five US without a special NDS cam. Usually, you will still need a Sky Digibox to keep the card activated every now and then (exceptions exist on e.g. the Dreambox). But you can get these channels on terrestrial Freeview if this is an option.
• EPG is limited to Now and Next on non-Sky receivers for UK channels. 7-day EPGs are only available on Sky Digiboxes.

Where can I get more information regarding satellite reception?
Read the installation and technical guides on this site.

There are a few differences between Freesat and Freeview, including the availability of the service, the TV & Radio channel lineups, the required equipment, and finally costs. All of these factors will have an impact on which system is the best for you.

Availability

The main difference between the two is that Freeview is terrestrial digital TV, whereas Freesat is satellite digital TV.

With terrestrial digital TV, the signal comes from broadcasting antennas positioned at strategic geographic locations. The advantage of this system is that you can pick up the signal from anywhere, even inside the house (although limited) as long as you are within a good signal range. The disadvantage is that the signal varies significantly across the country, even to the point where it becomes insufficient or not present at all. Currently, Freeview covers 73% of the population.

With satellite TV, the signal is sent from a satellite in space. The advantage of such transmission is that it can cover a large area – as big as a country or even a continent – with just one beam. The disadvantage is that there must be a clear line-of-sight between the satellite and the satellite dish, and that the satellite dish must be pointing exactly at the satellite. Freesat covers 98% of the population.

So, what does this mean in practice?

You cannot get Freeview if your area is not covered by the signal. You can check this easily with your postcode at http://www.freeview.co.uk/.

You cannot get Freesat if you are unable to mount a satellite dish, or if the direction in which you point your sateliite (south-east) does not have a clear line-of sight. Any trees, big buildings etc. which are in the way will hinder satellite TV reception. If you are living in a flat and don't have access to the south-east or permission from your landlord to install a satellite dish, the Freesat option will also not be available to you. The exact location for where to point your dish can be calculated with the online-calculator on this site.

If you want to be flexible about where to watch TV, Freeview is the better option as you would only need to take a receiver and a small antenna with you. That way you can watch telly at work, at your mate's house or even on your laptop. With satellite-based Freesat, it's not that easy as you would need to take the dish (large and heavy) with you and then mount it properly (right direction, stable, fixed to something).

TV & Radio Channel Lineups

Although Freesat offers more channels than Freeview, the main channels are available on both systems. The key difference is that on Freeview the following channels are available for free, but not on Freesat:

Sky Sports News
E4
E4 +1
More 4
More 4 +1
ftn
UKTV History
abc1
The Hits
TMF

You can also get Top Up TV on Freeview for a monthly charge and add a few more channels to the line up. On the other hand, Freesat has a lot more shopping and special interest channels as well as more radio channels. 

Note that on Freesat, C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and SKY3 are encrypted and require a FTV card, but more on this later.

Equipment and Costs

Freeview: All you need is a digital terrestrial set-top box (also called Freeview box or receiver), available from high street stores or online at Amazon, Currys, eBay etc., and an aerial. A very good price comparison with user reviews of the boxes can be found here. Your existing rooftop aerial should be fine, unless it's very old. You can also get an indoor aerial but reception might be limited and is therefore not recommended as a permanent solution. You can also get a Freeview PVR receiver to record and pause programmes (similar to Sky+ but without the additional charges). 

Freesat: You'll need a satellite dish with an LNB and a satellite receiver to watch all channels except C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and Sky3. If you want these channels as well, you will need an additional FTV card, and the satellite receiver must be a Sky digibox (though there is an exception for the tech-savvies). The FTV card can be obtained from www.freesatfromsky.com for £20. They also offer a complete package with dish, LNB, Sky Digibox and standard installation for £150. If you don't already have many of these items and are also not keen on getting them second-hand and doing a DIY installation, it's well worth getting the whole package. Having said that, it might be better to get a basic 12 month Sky subscription with free installation for about £180 or even less with a special offer (e.g. £5 off when you buy online) . The benefit would be additional channels from the Sky Entertainment Mixes and the option to order pay-per-view movies and sport events from Sky Box Office (this is not possible with just Freesat). You must not forget to cancel your subscription ahead of time within the year. Once the subscription has ended, the Sky card will automatically be converted into a Freesat FTV card.

Again, what does this mean in practise?

Freeview is the cheaper option. It also allows for more flexibility. For example, if you want to watch different channels simultanously in different rooms, you only need an additional receiver. With freesat, you would need a multi-LNB such as Twin, or Quad LNB, and additional receivers. Using a Freeview box is also more convenient, as you can delete channels from the EPG you don't want and re-order the lineups. You can also record programmes with a PVR box. In order to do the same with Freesat, you would need to get a non-Sky receiver but then can't watch the encrypted C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and SKY3 channels unless you are getting a special NDS cam. As you can see, it's getting quite complicated. 

Overall, there are some differences between the two systems. The key is, though, the availability of the service in your area. If you can get both, then getting both might be an option. This way you would have the best of both worlds.