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Free satellite service from BBC/ITV

(September 2005)

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MS
MrStrawsonsSheep
Brekkie Boy posted:
............A couple of questions - will Freesat use the same EPG numbers as Sky .......

It could use thea same numbers as FreeView, utilising three digit numbers for Sat only channels. It could use the same numbers asw Sky, but BSkyB may claim that these were their intelectual property.

They could devise a whole epg, totally intuative, that dispenses with the tyrany of numbers.......

Brekkie Boy posted:
........ and will Freesat viewers be able to use their own box to upgrade to Sky?


Yes... oh yes! But only if, sorry big if your own box carries an industry standard CA slot, and BSkyB supply modules (CAMs) for the NDS protocol. No doubt they wont; and possibly with some justification as this would mean producing and distributing the CAM, and then supporting it and warrenting its security with a whole myriad of boxes, firmware revisions and user settings. This would add up to a much greater cost and buisness risk than just sticking in a bog-standard Sky digibox.

Posssibly the issue could arise if there were pressure to supply CAMs for top-end branded PVR's, and BSkyB felt that the extra subs generated may be worth the hassle and risk, and that substancial revenue were at stake. Even this surely has a very marginal chance of happening.

What could happen is that there will be some pretty keen BSkyB incentives directed toward FreeSat viewers to become Sky subscribers.
BR
Brekkie
Antz posted:
So what extra channels will be on this service? I might get a dish and a reciever if it beats Freeview's well lets face it crap channels (shopping, porn, +1 channels etc).


To be fair there is only one +1 channel, which is quite useful if there is something on E4 and another digital channel you want to watch at the same time - and a far better use of C4's space than Quizcall!


The free channels available on "Freesat" will be nothing to shout about at all - like Freeview it's be a few decent channels and alot more rubbish - only with far more in the "rubbish" category:

Here is a list (not sure how up to date): http://www.wickonline.com/fta.htm

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