alternatives to getting outside aerial fitted

Forzafan

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hi i am with sky for the downstairs tv but want to watch stuff upstairs with the built in freeview. tried an inside aerial yesterday and it only picked up some channels and although the quality was superb it kept freezing so will need to get an outside aerial for £200 ish.
Before i go ahead with that is there another way i can get the freeview channels without an aerial? - for example is there a box you can use which you connect to an ethernet cable and then the picture quality is down to your internet speed as opposed to the aerial? such thing may not exist but thought i'd try my luck!

sky multiroom is not an option for me as theres not phoneline nearby and also do not want to get tied in for a year.

thanks
 
You could connect a computer (desktop PC, netbook, laptop etc.,. ) to the bedroom TV and stream TV to it from iPlayer for the BBC and most of the other big players... even Sky as you are a subscriber. You will need a cable to the router (ideally and cheapest) but wi-fi and powerline can provide alternative connection methods. This can eat data so ensure you're on a suitable ISP plan (unlimited, ideally).

You could buy a freesat receiver and connect it to the bedroom TV - but it will need a connection cable from the LNB on the dish to the bedroom. Or an old Sky box (they don't need a card for the free TV channels).

Get multiple quotes from reputable aerial installers if you want a UHF TV aerial installed (£200 is on the high side) and/or need someone to fit the extra cables from the dish. You may be able to use a loft aerial -- but if all the nearby houses use a large outside aerial that becomes rather unlikely. Planning Your TV Installation and associated pages are worth reading.
 
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£200 sounds extreme. Had mine fitted a couple of years ago for around £100. Worth getting the aerial fitted but get the cable from it to pass through the loft. That way you can add a distribution box like Labgear MSA283LP/S Remote Power Distribution Amp 8-Way | Screwfix.com to power other TV's easy in the future. If the aerial installer then runs another cable from the SKY box to the amp you will also get SKY on the other TV's with magic eyes.
 
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It would be useful to know your location (nearby postcode), so we can see if you have the slightest chance with an indoor aerial.

That £200 sounds excessive, but it might be that you're in a poor reception area and need a high gain array.
 
Coverage Checker - Detailed View

At 5Km from Winterborne Stickland transmitter you stand a fairly good chance of getting reception with an indoor aerial. However it depends on the building materials used in your home and if the window faces towards the transmitter or if you need to point the aerial through the house. However from this transmitter you will only get the main channels and not all of them.
At 59km from Rowridge and 54km from Mendip transmitters you 'might' get reception depending on obstructions etc allowing for line of sight.

I am approx 13 miles/20km from my local transmitter and can get good reception from the aerial I linked to previously, that is pointing through my living room from the kitchen, but I am in a first floor flat so have good line of sight to the transmitter.

Mark.
 
From the predictions and a quick look on StreetView, I'd suggest that most people are using Rowridge (hp) with a few on Winterbourne Stickland. Most of the aerials seen are nothing too special (many contract 18-elements), but they may have masthead amplifiers that are difficult to see?

Rowridge should - since DSO - now have aerials vertically polarised to get the best results. Mendip and Rowridge predictions are fairly equal but the local news will be 'wrong region' from Mendip even if slightly easier to receive.

I'd be uneasy to recommend a room aerial @ 3 miles (5km from a 200W relay) but it may work? Note that it will need the cross-rods vertical for it!! (Not sure what transmitter MarkE19 uses?) I know that my local 400W relay is only 4km away and that won't work with an indoor set-top aerial (I just about get it on a log periodic outside) - admittedly only 5m agl.
 
Crystal Palace which to be fair has one of the strongest outputs of any transmitter in the country. So it may well be that at 5km from a local relay the lower output may not be good enough for an indoor aerial.

Mark.
 
great advice (although much has gone over my head) and it seems that getting any sort of indoor aerial wont be ideal so i'll look at getting a few more quotes for the outside aerial. i was not keen on spending £200 really
 
Also consider the other options in my post#2.
You may already have a computer you can use (virtually zero cost (a lead from PC to the display will be required). Subject to the data caveat/
A cheap satellite receiver (possibly from a 2nd-hand/charity store, Gumtree or similar) would work if you have/can add an extra coax from the dish to the bedroom.

DO read the aerialsandtv website to get a basic understanding of aerials etc.,. that should help you avoid being baffled by the installers you contact or 'conned' by any unscrupulous ones. Check out your council's 'trusted trader' scheme Finding a trader you can trust - dorsetforyou.com
 

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