Advice on setting up media PC freeview/freesat please?

[elementalist2]

Hi there - I'm finally fed up paying for Sky+ when I don't really watch anything I don't think I could get on Freeview or FreeSat and by buying DVDs. I would also like to get my programs on my PC so I can port them to my Archos portable media player.

Is there anyone out there who has set up a media PC and Freeview/FreeSat system recently could advise me on what to get?

For Freeview, my understanding is I will need a big old aerial (that I could possibly put inside the roof) with a 'masthead amplifier' (I'm told) and a digital TV freeview card for my PC.
For FreeSat I don't know how I would get the satellite signal 'controlled' by the PC.

Any advice is really gratefully accepted! Thanks!

[terryb]

I think encrytion is still used on the ITV sat channels so freeview is the way forward. If you pull you card out of your Sky box and the free channels disappear then you know you need a card. BBC you don't on satellite.

On the DTT aeriel you use the post code checker and read carefully as to whether you need a wide band aeriel which would mean the aerial changed. It varies some transmitters you have to use wide band others you are fine with what you got. Ask a neighbour who's got Freeview or just look at their aeriel.

On the latter [Archos portable media player] I suspect you might be looking at an Iplayer which integrates into your system via ethernet and you can offload programmes to your PC. There are discussion forumns on that. I don't have one of these.

On the thrust of freeview and DVDs I agree I dumped cable a month ago, I hadn't watched it for four years, waste of money prefering my freeview PVR and DVDs.

[Chris Muriel]

TerryB , you are misinformed.
Using a digital satellite tuner PCI card with no CAM or viewing card and pointing a dish at 28ºE will pull in BBC and ITV channels. It won't get Channels 4 and 5 though.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

[terryb]

The word I used was "think" and suggested the guy pulled the card out to test it out. Having got the 1.2 metre dish for 18 years, don't use it much since my dbox keeps rebooting, hence the need for the HD PVR, sure there are some good Jazz and World music TV programmes out there.

I gave the guy some pointers and I'm sure he can work it out for himself. I don't follow the 28.2 'E slot. I can't see why C4 don't come out of the Sky encryption system, their programmes are freeview now on DTT. Daft. Presume Sky made them an offer they couldn't refuse to stop them unravelling pay TV by satellite and to frustrate BBC's planned free spot at 28.2 'E.