Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

[Thee]

Hi there!

I live in Germany and have little knowledge of how satellite TV works and as I never owned a satellite dish/receiver, I have some questions that I hope someone can answer, so I know what I need to buy to be able to watch free-view channels. I'm looking for a cheap and simple solution that I can setup myself. As I'm not familiar with the technology, I would appreciate answers in plain English

So here it goes:

1. I only want to watch free-view channels, will this dish do the job? If not, which cheap alternative would you recommend?
--http://www.amazon.de/Digital-Anlage-Opticum-Quad-Teilnehmer/dp/B0052VLDOO/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-theater&ie=UTF8&qid=1398713136&sr=1-1&keywords=satellitensch%C3%BCssel[/url]

2. Would I be able to receive channels from more then one satellite? Like Eutel, Astra... or any other satellite that offers free channels, or do I need some special equipment?

3. What cheap receiver would you recommend?

4. Whats the difference between round/oval dish and a flat one?

5. What do I need to be able to connect 2 TV's?

6. What satellites would you recommend and how many channels would I be able to receive?

Thanks in advance.

[Satphoenix]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

1.) Yes
2.) Possible, but more lnbs and a diseqc-switch needed
3.) Big choise - perhaps look at ferguson ariva (cheap and good)
4.) The "receiving performance". In germany not the problem with astra 19,2°
5.) Two tvs - two receivers (normaly)
6.) With 1.) Astra 19,2° and the answer is: many... hundreds...

7.) Perhaps try in the german speaking section for more german specific answers.
8.) Edited at 2.54 AM? "Sag mal kudok, schläfst Du eigentlich nie?"

[kalpikos]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

Hello Thee and welcome to sat world.

All answers that Satphoenix gave to you are correct, but I would like to add my opinion

I suggest you to think very well what you really want to do because this maybe cost you a lot of money.

You said that you want only free channels and you worried about how many channels you can receive...

but you must know that from the free channels on hotbirt or astra only few have good quality whereas the other channels are very bad with teleshopping or religious content and you will never watch them.

So, maybe you have to think about making a subscription in order to enjoy some good packets.

A good idea also, is to buy a motorized dish in order to be able to receive many satellites

[Thee]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

2.) Possible, but more lnbs and a diseqc-switch needed

As in more than 4 LNB's?
The dish that I linked has 4, would that get me 4 different satellites? Or did I misunderstood what LMB's are for...?

7.) Perhaps try in the german speaking section for more german specific answers.

Thanks but my English is currently better then my German, as I moved here recently.

You said that you want only free channels and you worried about how many channels you can receive...

No I'm not that worried about how many channels would I get, I just asked for info. As long as I get similar channel list that I'm getting with my basic cable TV, I'll be happy.
My main goal is not to pay for monthly TV subscription like I'm doing now with cable.

A good idea also, is to buy a motorized dish in order to be able to receive many satellites

I would be happy with just a few, if they are the "right" ones. And I would also like to keep the installation simple.


Thanks for your answers, and sorry about hot linking.

[Mobley3]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

The dish should be OK for a fixed dish system, the Lnb specified is a Quad band Lnb, ie, capable of 4 outputs, but all from the same Satellite, what Satphoenix was talking about was to have extra Lnb's fitted to the dish by means of a Multi bracket so as to receive other Satellites. A quad band Lnb will allow you to have up to four TV's connected but you can also just have two, you would need a second Receiver to accomplish this.

Regards Mobley3

[pan1300]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

hi Thee and welcome

about a receiver: do a lot of reading here, the choice is massive ...
open linux vs closed linux, original vs close, giftserver, clines ...

depends on what you want, your budget and last but not least: your pc and linux knowledge

about dish: I don't have one (yet), but with what I know now: go for motorised!

good luck reading!

[Thee]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

Thanks Mobley3, that makes now more sense

pan1100, I wasn't planning on spending a lot of money, and I don't want an expensive receiver as I'm not planning on watching locked channels. But I do use Linux, so I'm familiar with it. Motorized dish sounds interesting too, thanks

[kalpikos]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

ok my friend, I see your point.

I think that in order to keep the installation simple you need a 80 cm dish with a simple LNB and not the one of the link you have posted because this is a Quad LNB (for 4 diferent receivers) and of course a simple receiver.

You can add more than one LNB's on one dish (multifeed installation) and you need also a diseqc switch to control them.

You have confused me a bit with the "monthly TV subscription" because that's means that you need a receiver that allows you to add a subscription (C-line) and it's not a simple FTA receiver and of course you need more money for it.

If you want a receiver with more capabilities, I suggest you a linux based receiver as Dreambox or a Vu+

[Teranoz]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

You might as well install a wave frontier type of dish. I use one and have currently 10 LNBs installed with a switch. Goes much faster than a motorized dish. If you are interested in watching multiple satellites and not in the exotic sats or feeds maybe wave frontier is the way to go for you.

[Thee]

Re: Thinking of switching to Sat TV, got some questions...

Alright, thank you all very much for your help!
Now this gives me something to think about and to consider all these suggestions before I make a decision