Looking at
FreeSat and
BBC web sites it is I agree not very plain.
Because Satellite TV can be received outside the UK some programs are encrypted and require a card for decryption but this card is a "One off payment". This was referred to as free to view. However other channels have no restriction and are called "Free to Air".
With Free to view there was always a reference to "One off payment" and with HD there is also reference to "One off payment" but it does not clarify as to if this refers to price of set top box or the price of a viewing card.
We have been caught out with the "Pay to View" on terrestrial TV where on buying the set we were told we could buy a card which would allow us to view the "Pay to view" channels. But when we came to buy these we are now told it has been discontinued and now we need a second set top box and the slot in the TV is now redundant.
So although the
BBC web site is saying "One-off payment for a Freesat HD digital box (from £120)." one wonders what will change in the future?
With the uncertainty I have only bought standard free to air Satellite box which at approx £40 seems good value. But if I was to go for HD I think I would go for the Sky package as from reports you can cancel Sky after a year and still watch the free channels although the record function will stop working. And you can also un-subscribe from the HD part of the package and then still have the bigger hard drive.
There are some programs I can't receive on Sky for example the Elvis channel but I am not really likely to watch that anyway. And once you stop subscribing to Sky with a Sky box Channel 5 is no longer available with a program guide. But this is the big issue with non Sky boxes the EPG functions seem to vary and in some cases nearly non existent. You also lose the program numbers and when the paper guide says channel 102 often you find BBC2 on a completely different number.
This is not all bad as you can arrange the channels so ITV3 and ITV3+1 are next to each other and you can remove all pay channels and other rubbish channels shopping, sex etc. So scanning channels becomes far easier plus often they have the 9 channel function where it scans and shows 9 channels on screen so you can select the one you fancy. There are also channels broadcast like this but they seem to be missed out on Sky listing.
But I seem to watch Living, Hallmark, UK Gold, Skyfi and ITV3 in the main and only ITV3 is free to view so I will continue to pay for sky. When we up-graded to Sky+ I put old box in my wife's bedroom and she never uses it. She watches the lower quality Sky only broadcasts through the RF link even when it is ITV3 so really it was a waist of time setting it up.
Hence for me I see no point an HD. I also find because I can watch pre-recorded programs through RF link and only live with Free to Air box I hardly use the one in my bedroom either.
