Packageless Sky TV

[Quizmonster]

Freeview is not available where I live. I understand it is possible to buy a Sky digi-box and dish for about �120 without subscribing to any of their packages and that something called a 'Solus' card can be bought separately for some �23.50. When this is slotted into the box, one is enabled to watch all the Freeview channels plus various others.
Has anyone actually done this and, if so, could I have whatever suggestions/advice/phone-numbers etc you think might be of use to me in order to set it up? My thanks in advance for any purely practical - technological theory would be wasted on me! - info.

[neilcharles]

Good luck with this - I tried the same thing about a year ago. You can definitely buy the box without a subscription but I was told by several different shops that there's no way you can get it to work without a genuine Sky card. In the end I decided that mimimum 12 quid subscription & a free box worked out about the same as buying a 120 quid box.

[Johnstone93]

At the moment you can use your satellite digibox without a card to access all BBC digital channels, plus a handful of free channels, though not the same lineup as freeview. However if you also wish to receive the ITV channels, you will have to apply for a card which is available at a nominal charge of around �23.50. if you call sky customer service they will give you the details of where to obtain it. If you use a widescreen set then it would be worth it in order to view the correct picture ratio

[Quizmonster]

Thanks, Neil, but surely the two approaches only cost the same over the first ten months. Every year thereafter is going to cost you a further �144.00 for the package, whereas every year thereafter is only going to cost you �23.50 to renew the Solus card. That's one heck of a difference over time. I wonder how truthful the shops you approached were being about the 'genuine Sky card' business. I'll just bet they get commission on packages sold!

Johnstone, your reply suggests it is certainly possible to do as I asked, so I'll proceed on that basis.

Three stars to both for your efforts to help.