F connector options

richiejazz

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Im thinking of buying a new TV - Sony Bravia Freeview HD/You View

I currently have sky but now cancelled subscription. Now I know Sky/Freeview are totally different formats, but the TV specs say it has x2 side IF (satellite) connection inputs. Are these the same as 'F' connectors that sky uses? Can I therefore use my existing sky cables with this TV effectively using my sky dish as an aerial for the Freeview/YouView etc????
 
No they are very different. Not that they are expensive to replace. Satellite uses microwaves, Freeview doesn't. So you'll have to replace your current cables and install an aerial. But would recommend a local professional to do it.
 
Surely if the Sony has two F connectors it is likely to have sat receiver(s) that will work on Freesat? The TV model number would have helped here.:facepalm: As said above, you cannot receive Freeview on a sat dish, but need an aerial.
Sky and Freesat are not that different. Both from the same sat and, for instance, all the FTA programmes that you can get on Freesat are exactly the same ones as on Sky. And I don't just mean content, but the same signal from the same sat.
The EPGs are obviously different and the Sky boxes give you access to the encrypted Sky (and other) material whereas Freesat doesn't.
But again, as said above, Freesat is from a satellite and Freeview is from a terrestrial transmitter, so yes Sky and Freeview ARE totally different.
 
Im thinking of buying a new TV - Sony Bravia Freeview HD/You View

I currently have sky but now cancelled subscription. Now I know Sky/Freeview are totally different formats, but the TV specs say it has x2 side IF (satellite) connection inputs. Are these the same as 'F' connectors that sky uses? Can I therefore use my existing sky cables with this TV effectively using my sky dish as an aerial for the Freeview/YouView etc????

Many Sony receivers have unadvertised satellite tuners and this looks like one of them. So, yes you can use your sky cables but you dish will not receive Freeview or Youview, it will receive free to air satellite. That is OK but you will have to organise the channel order yourself.

If you decide to go down the aerial route, the existing cables can be used if they go to the right place.
 
$ky dish will work for freesat as long as it's not one of the newest $ky Q types...

Model of Sony may help confirm what it's capabilities are. But twin-tuner sat inputs suggest it will be high-end.

Fitting a UHF TV aerial would allow use of the terrestrial tuner, too. Use <detailed view> of Digital UK - Coverage checker to get reception predictions for your home.
You View on Sony's need to have been connected to a UHF aerial and tuned in at some time to become enabled. Catchup will then work even without an aerial. See YouView: Overview, Setup and User Guide | Sony UK
 
Im thinking of buying a new TV - Sony Bravia Freeview HD/You View

I currently have sky but now cancelled subscription. Now I know Sky/Freeview are totally different formats, but the TV specs say it has x2 side IF (satellite) connection inputs. Are these the same as 'F' connectors that sky uses? Can I therefore use my existing sky cables with this TV effectively using my sky dish as an aerial for the Freeview/YouView etc????

Did you have Sky-Q or a Sky-HD box before you cancelled ? If a sky-HD box you can use the old box to view but not record any of the ones shown below using it's add channels option. If a Sky-Q setup you will need to change the lnb (very easy if the dish is accessible).

Having two you are likely to find that you can record two channels at once by simply connecting a portable USB HDD. This will also let you pause live TV.

You aren't using it as a Freeview aerial just to get the hundreds of Free To Air channels available at 28.2E (Current count 474 - many are just regional variants of the same channel)

Astra 2E / Astra 2F / Astra 2G (28.2°E) - All transmissions - frequencies - KingOfSat

If your TV is a 4K one you should also be able to view the SES Astra 4K demo channel available on 28.2E
 
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I know Sky/Freeview are totally different formats, but the TV specs say it has x2 side IF (satellite) connection inputs. Are these the same as 'F' connectors that sky uses? Can I therefore use my existing sky cables with this TV effectively using my sky dish as an aerial for the Freeview/YouView etc????

You can use the same cables but you'll need new F connectors and an aerial.

Just be wary these Sony YouView TVs don't and won't run Euro Sat and Freeview at the same time. Its one or the other.
 
effectively using my sky dish as an aerial for the Freeview/YouView etc????

Freeview normally means terrestrial....though this may not be what the OP means.

If we are sticking to correct terminology here then the Correct answer to the above would be no, because a sat dish cannot pick up terrestrial.
You need an aerial for that.

Satdish will however pick up FTA satellite channels and “ freesat” if the TV has freesat epg.

The OP , at my best guess, is unaware of the different terminology for the different systems and just means free TV of some sort.
Hence the confusion above....I think.
 
Thanks for clearing that up, andy1249, and quite correct too.

Just for general thread info - Sony don't have a licence to host the UKs Freesat platform. Only Euro channels and over 3,000 of them as well. Quite a mess, actually.
 
The OP , at my best guess, is unaware of the different terminology for the different systems and just means free TV of some sort.
Hence the confusion above....I think.
Though the OP, richiejazz, did mention the words Freeview, aerial and YouView.
 
Though the OP, richiejazz, did mention the words Freeview, aerial and YouView.
Quite correct, he did. But what he did actually say is "Can I use my Sky dish as an aerial?" The answer to that is a pretty emphatic 'no', but he can use it to receive FTA sat broadcasts and the Freesat EPG with a TV that has the correct Freesat licence or Freesat box.
 
Surely if the Sony has two F connectors it is likely to have sat receiver(s) that will work on Freesat? The TV model number would have helped here.:facepalm:.

Sony 43" KD 43XF879


SONY BRAVIA KD43XF8796BU 43" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV



Did you have Sky-Q or a Sky-HD box before you cancelled ?

Sky + HD box. Im using the box as such at the moment. Pain having all the unavailable channels there though. New TV on the cards anyway!


Im very well aware of the different terminology and Sky/Sat not being the same as Aerial/Freeview. (hence my use of the word 'effectively')

My query was regarding the use of the 2 IF (just F?) connectors on the side of this particular TV. I know an aerial is needed for You View/standard freeview etc. But can my existing sky dish cable setup be used in some way? I don't believe this is a FreeSat TV otherwise it would state that along side or instead of You View surely? Would be nice to not have to bother with Aerial installation and also not crudely rely on existing unsubscribed Sky+ box for the free channels....
 
Then you have all the information that you need above.
Im very well aware of the different terminology and Sky/Sat not being the same as Aerial/Freeview. (hence my use of the word 'effectively')
But the word 'effectively' just clouded the issue, hence all the different answers to your post. A couple of synonym for 'effectively' are 'completely' and 'adequately' (and I wasn't cherry picking the 'best' words) hence the confusion over using a dish and its feeders for Freeview, which is apparently what everyone understood by your question.

Ref Sony calling the sockets IF. I suspect that they were referring to the Intermediate Frequency (IF) that is produced by a sat LNB. The 10-12GHz transmitted by the sat is down converted in the LNB to a frequency in the MHz range so that it can be passed down a coax cable (Coax is too 'lossy' to carry GHz frequencies for the lengths required). The down converted frequency is known as the Intermediate Frequency because it has to be further down converted/demodulated to video/audio frequencies.

Would be nice to not have to bother with Aerial installation and also not crudely rely on existing unsubscribed Sky+ box for the free channels
To easily get a sensible EPG without an aerial, you need a Freesat capable set, not a sat FTA set.
 
Sony 43" KD 43XF879


SONY BRAVIA KD43XF8796BU 43" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV





Sky + HD box. Im using the box as such at the moment. Pain having all the unavailable channels there though. New TV on the cards anyway!


Im very well aware of the different terminology and Sky/Sat not being the same as Aerial/Freeview. (hence my use of the word 'effectively')

My query was regarding the use of the 2 IF (just F?) connectors on the side of this particular TV. I know an aerial is needed for You View/standard freeview etc. But can my existing sky dish cable setup be used in some way? I don't believe this is a FreeSat TV otherwise it would state that along side or instead of You View surely? Would be nice to not have to bother with Aerial installation and also not crudely rely on existing unsubscribed Sky+ box for the free channels....

Yes as already posted IF stands for intermediate frequency. However it won't be as user friendly as genuine Freesat kit. You may have to manually select the right settings for a Ku-Band Universal LNB before tuning, but as this is standard throughout Europe chances are it will just work out of the box.

The channels are allocated a logical channel number starting from a fixed number, each time a new channel is found the lcn is incremented by one. If you look at the link I posted earliest the lowest channel number in the list gets the lowest number and so on. The actual broadcasts don't include a lcn and the only epg data is now next.

You can delete channels you don't want and renumber them to whatever you want within the range used by the generic FTA kit.

Compared to your SKy-box there's no interactive epg. But you can normally record them using a usb drive. As your proposed TV must have twin tuners it should be able to record two and or record one and watch another. Which depends on if the tuners (like Humax ones) can handle two channels at once from the same transponder.

As you will know you can't record at all with a unsubscribed Sky box, but you can view the epg with data for lots of channels you can't actually watch. You can elect to add up to 50 channels to favourites which will filter the epg to exclude ones you don't want if 50 channels is enough for your viewing preferences.

Some TV's that do have freesat tuning don't let you use both Freeview and Freesat at the same time. My neighbours Samsung is one. My Panasonic TV has two Freesat tuners and two Freeview tuners. All of them can be used at the same time.

The Sony TV satellite tuning capability is undocumented so sadly it will be a suck it and see situation.

A seperate twin tuner Freesat+ box connected to your dish would be a much more user friendly option and also is likely to add most of the free catch up services and paid for ones like Netflix.
 
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That TV has twin Freeview DVB-T/T2 tuners. Those will need a working UHF TV antenna (aerial) with a standard Belling-Lee TV plug on.
That will allow the You View catchup/backward epg.
LOCATION and transmitter will be important as to channel line up offered on Freeview (terrestrial).

The TV also gas twin satellite (DVB-S/S2) tuners. Vision Man states Sony do nat pay for freesat licensing https://www.freesat.co.uk/get-freesat/televisions/ only lists LG, Panasonic and Samsung sets). The Sony as a free to air satellite TV will be (imho) a bigger pain than the $ky box is now due to the illogical channel numbering - setting your own as favourites or renumbering, and the need to retune manually/repeat renumbering regularly.
Unless there is some Android add-on app the set can use to help? {Research needed OP}.

Installation of a UHF TV aerial may be money well spent with the Sony? Or one alternative is a new TV from a maker that supports freesat? or even a freesat PVR?
 
Despite some detestation on here for both Freeview and YouView by a minority, they are actually very good systems. But if you don't want the cost of an aerial installation, Freesat would be recommended (with no new 'F' connectors needed) but you'll need a new Freesat box, because satellite on these TVs is to be frank an unmanaged nightmare.

If you want Freesat, a 'Freetime from Freesat' box comes highly recommended, which is Freesats version of YouView and has won awards by the bucket load. But if you decide to go for Freeview, a YouView box would be the way to go, which has also won awards by the bucket load. Neither are very expensive, but YouView offers more on demand services than Freetime, with more to come in 2019. When you decide which way you want to go, just post on here and you'll get all the help and/or advice you need.

Good Hunting...
 
if you don't want the cost of an aerial installation, Freesat would be recommended (with no new 'F' connectors needed) but you'll need a new Freesat box, because satellite on these TVs is to be frank an unmanaged nightmare.
Good Hunting...

Hmm thats what I feared re the nightmare! Is there another reason they include the IF connectors other than a kind of 'satellite hack'??

Although I have a certain vested interest, Im getting info on behalf of a family member and Im pretty sure aerial installation will be frowned upon! So I might start looking at 43" Freesat Tvs and go down that route. Id probably prefer You View, but as you said - both have merits!
 
Oh no its not a 'hack' its just every satellite channel shown in Europe within range of your dish. Which is around 3000 channels and takes around 2 hours to load. So not recommended.

I've got one and whilst the satellite side is garbage, YouViews solid and they display a great picture. But Your Other will definitely need to purchase a box, as smart TVs alone can't hack it.
 
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I have a 48" Samsung which is Freeview, Freesat and FTA sat capable. I nearly always watch Freeview unless I get severe co=channel interference making the Freeview pic unwatchable. When this is the case I switch it to Freesat mode. I prefer Freeview as the channel numbers are more sensible, and I can re-allocate programmes to LCNs of my choice. Buy this I mean that I move the 5 main HD channels to LCN (logical channel number) 1 to 5 respectively and then BBC1 SD from ch 101 (where the move of the HD channels puts it {swaps LCNs}) to the unused LCN7 to make it more accessible (than ch 101) for local news. You cannot do this with the Freesat EPG.

I use the FTA sat side of things mainly to get a couple of channels from the 19.2E group and the FTA EPG is a nightmarish mess especially if I scan 28.2E as well as 19.2E and 13E. But that's a different story.

On the Samsung, you can only have one RF input function at a time i.e. you cannot record a sat channel (to an external HDD) AND watch a Freeview channel at the same time, although you can record one (say) Freeview channel and watch a different one.

My 43" LG has a single sat input, but I have not had it connected to my dish to test it.

The best advice that I can give is don't try to use the sat input unless you have a Freesat set unless you are either heavily into self flagellation or actually 'have a need' for a FTA sat receiver. (Geek by another name)
 
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IMHO You do not want to buy that Sony set if you want an easy-to-use satellite system! End of.

If you've already bought it: A freesat PVR will cost the same ball-park money as a professional UHF TV aerial installation. So the choice is yours.

BUT location matters as the TV channels emitted from all transmitters are not equal. Location also affects the aerial type/size and location. Some places can manage with loft aerials and d-i-y installation. A few even with room aerials. But most do need to be outside; although a few need high gain aerials and masthead amplification (which costs more).
If you state the town/village/suburb you live in we'll be able to suggest if Freeview channel line up is good or limited, and may even be able to estimate the signal level available (and aerial needed)?
 
IMHO You do not want to buy that Sony set if you want an easy-to-use satellite system! End of.

If you've already bought it: A freesat PVR will cost the same ball-park money as a professional UHF TV aerial installation. So the choice is yours.

BUT location matters as the TV channels emitted from all transmitters are not equal. Location also affects the aerial type/size and location. Some places can manage with loft aerials and d-i-y installation. A few even with room aerials. But most do need to be outside; although a few need high gain aerials and masthead amplification (which costs more).
If you state the town/village/suburb you live in we'll be able to suggest if Freeview channel line up is good or limited, and may even be able to estimate the signal level available (and aerial needed)?

Thanks for the info guys - I doubt Ill get that sony, Im currently looking at 43" sets that have Freesat included (probably samsung) as that seems the more sensible option.

Sadly I think an aerial installation (outside at least) would not get the go ahead. I would suggest its a worthy investment, but hey!

The house is in Holmer, Hereford...
 
Prediction for the Holmer Park Spa is for Ridge Hill: 8 multiplexes so a great channel line up.
Coverage Checker - Detailed View with Wolfbane giving 67dBuV/m for 20kW erp muxes and 64 dBuV the 10kW ones... ***

That's almost wet string territory.
A loft aerial would likely work very well indeed, and a set top room aerial too for the first floor. Ground floor maybe too but people moving about is likely to give problems. Building construction (thick stone walls or foil-backed insulation/plasterboard can kill UHF signals dead) is another 'problem', to be considered.

ATV`s Choice Of Aerials for digital TV in the loft would be a good choice? The website is worth a look at if you might be up for a d-i-y install.

*** For reference my prediction is 69 dBuV/m and I use a loft aerial split two ways, passively = 65 dBuV to feed my sets.
 

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