BT TV with Freesat

andy625

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Due to high prices, slow broadband (30-35mb instead of the much faster speeds promised), noisy SkyQ tv box, and interference with my Sonos setup, I'm looking at possibly changing from sky broadband and tv, to bt for both. The sky broadband, although slower than promised, is actually fine for our requirements.

The basic BT tv appears to get the sky channels that we watch, but we don't have a roof aerial for the freeview so I was wondering whether I could use the bt box for the sky channels, in conjunction with a Humax freesat box for the freeview channels?

Can anyone advise me whether this setup would work ok, and whether Sky channels via BT tv work ok in practise?
 
Due to high prices, slow broadband (30-35mb instead of the much faster speeds promised), noisy SkyQ tv box, and interference with my Sonos setup, I'm looking at possibly changing from sky broadband and tv, to bt for both. The sky broadband, although slower than promised, is actually fine for our requirements.

The basic BT tv appears to get the sky channels that we watch, but we don't have a roof aerial for the freeview so I was wondering whether I could use the bt box for the sky channels, in conjunction with a Humax freesat box for the freeview channels?

Can anyone advise me whether this setup would work ok, and whether Sky channels via BT tv work ok in practise?

Short answer is No!

Longer answer is:

Broadband, 30-35 Mbps is not slow.

Freeview and Youview (BT TV runs on the Youview platform) require an aerial.

Freesat gives Freesat channels not Freeview channels. Some duplication but not the same overall. Humax are no longer in the Freesat market, supplier is now Arris.

No aerial no BT TV as the BT box needs an aerial signal to set it up.

Suggest you consider Now TV, has about 11 Sky channels plus movies and when available sport, all with separate subscriptions, streamed over the internet irrespective of ISP.
 
1) $ky use the exact same cable to your home that BT will use to provide internet so there will be little, if any, speed difference by moving to them.

Unless low speed is due to a fault on the line. {My dodgy Vodafone speed was down to water in the connection outside my home. Fixed by BT Openreach via Talk Talk when I went to them.} Line faults can be sorted by $ky, though, too.

Use BT Broadband to check what speeds you are expected to get from BT Openreach (use address checker if your number isn't recognised). {Although it is down at the time of writing this.}

The latest Freesat recording boxes are still to be released, but will - allegedly - work with your Q lnb.

Consider installing a roof (or maybe loft) aerial for Freeview? But check your reception predictions first: Checker Location is key to terrestrial TV reception.
 
Thanks for the replies. I appreciate that 30-35 is not a slow broadband speed, and as I said, it is fine for what we use it for. However before we signed up Sky supposedly checked our line and said that we could get the superfast (or whatever they call it) which of course costs us extra per month. In reality we only get the speed equivalent to their standard broadband.

I know it all comes through the same cables, and I've never complained to sky about it as I it always pretty sure that because of the distance we are from the exchange, that this is the best we'll ever get. The main reason for wanting to leave sky isthe noisy SkyQ box, and the problem that the SkyQ mesh causes with our Sonos setup.

Anyway, I'm disappointed to learn that bt tv won't work without a roof aerial. We are in a poor signal area. When we bought the house we knew this and decided to just use Satellite TV, so I'm reluctant to add a roof aerial now and have another hole in the wall. I shall investigate Now tv.
 
You CAN use the BT box without an aerial in order to access the BT/NowTV (Sky) channels and then a separate Freesat box for almost the same channels that are on Freeview - there are some differences between the channel line ups of Freeview and Freesat, the main one being that Channel4 HD is not on the latter.
 
Another thing, if you don’t need to record then you can always access BT and the Sky/NOW TV channels vi their respective Apps on TVs, AppleTV, etc
 
You CAN use the BT box without an aerial in order to access the BT/NowTV (Sky) channels and then a separate Freesat box for almost the same channels that are on Freeview - there are some differences between the channel line ups of Freeview and Freesat, the main one being that Channel4 HD is not on the latter.
Thanks for clarifying, thats how I thought it should work.
 
Thanks for clarifying, thats how I thought it should work.

Hi @andy625 I'm sorry to tell you you CANNOT use a BT TV box without a Freeview aerial or Freeview reception. BT use YouView boxes/devices and use both Freeview and your broadband connection to work and so are known as 'hybrid' boxes and one won't work without the other. And I should know I've got three of them. A BT T2100, a Retail T2000 and a Sony YouView 4K TV and they ALL need a Freeview reception to boot up.

Without a Freeview connection or reception a YouView device won't even boot up, as to boot up it uses both your IP address AND your aerial connection to do so. In fact, without Freeview, BT won't even sign you up! The suggestion of using Now TV as an alternative is a good one and that would work well for what you need. :thumbsup:
 
Hi @MJH1962 Where did you get that from because thats not the case? Do you still have your YouView box?
Yes I do. I have 2. If I unplug my aerial cable I can still access the streaming channels, for example I am watching BT Sport 2 just now having done just that.
 
Did you not read anything I said? You've given bad advice. I would politely suggest you re-read what I posted because its all true.
 
Did you not read anything I said? You've given bad advice. I would politely suggest you re-read what I posted because its all true.
You do not need an aerial to set up a YouView box. Quote from the YouView support pages:
If you aren’t able to use an aerial, your box will still work, but you won’t be able to watch any Freeview channels or some On Demand players.
 
Also, if you search the BT Community Forum you will find posts confirming that it is possible to do an initial set up for BT’s subscription channels without an aerial being connected. This is despite BT’s own published guidance which is designed on the assumption that people will want the Freeview channels as well.
 
@MJH1962 For the reasons I've already posted, I completely disagree with you. But in the interests of friendliness, we'll just have to agree to disagree on that. Truce bro'.
 
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Be nice to have the facts though, rather than two diametrically opposite opinions.
 
I might have to sign up for bt tv and see. They must have a 14 day change your mind policy surely? I think Nowtv would be a good backup plan, but being able to record the sky channels would be preferable.

I didn't realise that Humax frees recorders weren't in production any more though. That might be an issue.
 
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No, neither did I (know that Humax had withdrawn from the Freesat market).
I also don't know if BT have a change your mind policy, but the easiest way to find out is to ask them.
Give them a call @andy625, no harm in that. :thumbsup:
 

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