Sky free-view card.

[anotheoldgit]

One apparently can purchase a Sky free-view card for one's old Sky box, but when I looked into this it stated that from time to time Sky will update these cards.

After purchasing one of these cards, how long can one expect to continue to use it before it becomes out of date?

[netibiza]

It can be any amount of time, they update all the Sky cards, Ours was 5yrs old when they updated it last year (I think it was)

[sandyRoe]

I think the card costs £20 and is valid for 5 years

[anotheoldgit]

Thank you for your answers.

[Buenchico]

Don't bother.

There are two types of 'free' satellite transmissions. One is 'free-to-air' (FTA), where the signals are unencrypted. The other is 'free-to-view' (FTV) where the signals are encrypted so that, although you don't need to pay a subscription, you still need a valid card to decode the signals.

At one time several TV channels used the FTV method of broadcasting, so that you needed a valid viewing card in order to watch them. However the number of such stations dwindled, with the 'Five' group (Channel 5, Fiver, Five USA, etc) being the last major broadcaster to cling on to the technology. They've now also abandoned FTV, in favour of FTA. So you no longer need an up to date card to decrypt the signals. You can use any satellite receiver box and (where that box won't work without a Sky card in it) any old Sky card [since the decryption facility is no longer required] to receive all available FTA channels from the '28 degrees East' group of satellites:
http://en.wikipedia.o...channels_at_28%C2%B0E

Chris

[anotheoldgit]

That is brilliant Cris, thank you so much.

Does that mean that the Sky £20 card will now go off the market, and will there be a market for second-hand old Sky cards?