******satellite dish as a digital tv aerial?*****

[ukvs1]

can you use a satellite dish as a digital tv aerial?

just wondering if i can receive a better signal for the digital freeview channels through a sky satellite dish rather than the standard tv aerial?

many thanks for answers

[Postdog]

no

[VHG]

Think about it.

Your TV aerial points to a nearby TV transmitter, your dish points to a satelitte thousands of miles up in the sky.

BUT you can use an old Sky box and dish as a sort of freeview box (and get more channels).

Sky offer a freesat service where you pay them a one off payment of about �20 for a card which you put in a Sky box, and then you can pick up about 200 free channels.

There is no monthly payment, and the signal will probably be better than your freeview signal via an aerial.

See here

http://www.freesatfromsky.co.uk/

If you have already got the sky dish and sky box ignore the money figures on the home page, you just need to buy a Sky card for �20, see the FAQS on the site.

[alavahalf]

You cant use a dish as an ariel..
To use a dish you will need a freesat receiver...this will receive all the freeview channels and more.
Also, with the freesat setup you will get some HD channels.
These give a superb picture, but you will need a HD ready TV to view them in all their glory.
The reception we get with freesat is a whole lot better than with a digibox...the digibox was more often than not giving a fragmented picture....and as we are in the last region to switchover, we have made the leap to freesat.
I'm sure that the digibox will be a thing of the past soon.
As VHG say's...an old sky box is the best option..the country is awash with them as people flock to upgrade to Sky HD.
Freesat boxes will fall in price as more people demand the superior reception.
But in the meantime watch the pages of a well known online auction...and you will have no problem in obtaining a secondhand Sky box for �30...and come to that..if you need an dish etc...another �20 will get you up and running.

You will have more channels ...............................................................................................than you can shake a stick at..!

[Postdog]

And to further confuse you, Sky freesat is different from the (Freeview type) Freesat, so you won't get the second using a box for the first.