Will Vu+ Duo receive Freesat by Sky?

[TinWare]

Hi,

I understand that there are two types of Freesat, one owned by the BBC/ITV and another owned by Sky. Freesat by Sky has a lot more variety of channels than the normal Freesat.

So, I would like to know whether a Vu+ Duo box would receive Freesat by Sky?

To make it work would I need a CAM so that my Sky card can be decoded and activated for Freesat by Sky?


Cheers

 

[Captain Jack]

There's very little difference between the two. Both come from the same satellite and the only real difference is the box used to receive it. Freesat from Sky is, naturally, received by Sky's own box and "normal" Freesat is received by "Freesat compatible" receivers, which allow you to view 7 day EPG.

In reality, any receiver can be used to receiver Freesat, including Vu+ Duo. A non-Freesat receiver would simply not give you the full EPG - just the Now and Next info. However, he Duo is a very flexible receiver and can be configured to receive Freesat's 7-day EPG.

The vast majority of channels are FTA (Free-to-air) - that is, they don't need a card or a CAM. In fact, I am struggling to think what extra channels are decrypted by the Freesat from Sky card these days.

 

[sonnetpete]

In fact, I am struggling to think what extra channels are decrypted by the Freesat from Sky card these days.

4 Music, LFC TV, Motors TV and the two Sony channels (Entertainment & Movies) and their +1.....personally I don't think it's worth the bother but to each their own....

 

[TinWare]

There's very little difference between the two. Both come from the same satellite and the only real difference is the box used to receive it. Freesat from Sky is, naturally, received by Sky's own box and "normal" Freesat is received by "Freesat compatible" receivers, which allow you to view 7 day EPG.

In reality, any receiver can be used to receiver Freesat, including Vu+ Duo. A non-Freesat receiver would simply not give you the full EPG - just the Now and Next info. However, he Duo is a very flexible receiver and can be configured to receive Freesat's 7-day EPG.

The vast majority of channels are FTA (Free-to-air) - that is, they don't need a card or a CAM. In fact, I am struggling to think what extra channels are decrypted by the Freesat from Sky card these days.

Thanks for your quick reply

That's what I was thinking with regards to normal Freesat; that any universal receiver with a S2 module should pick up Freesat channels. My only concern was Freesat by Sky as there are a number of channels that are not on the normal Freesat link. Channels like Bloomberg, NHK World, and the Horror Channel to name a few. Here is a URL with the channels on Freeview by Sky: http://www.sky.com/shop/freesat/home/what-can-i-watch/ Therefore I was wondering whether a universal receiver could pick up these Sky FTV channels.

Does someone have first hand experience in receiving Freesat by Sky channels on a universal receiver (such as the Vu+ Duo or others)?

The only reason why I was talking about a CAM for Sky is because to receive Freeview by Sky, one would have to ring customer services with their card number and receiver serial number to activate the service. Though now thinking about it, is there a CAM for Sky? Does such a thing exist?

A Sky Digibox would cost around the same as a decent universal receiver. So I looking at future-proofing my entertainment

 

[Captain Jack]

Bloomberg, NHK and Horror Channels are all FTA so can be received with any receiver.

Check Pete's reply above mine - he's mentioning the channel which are decoded by an FTV card from Sky. And, no, there isn't such a thing as a CAM for Sky. You can use a Sky card in a Duo but they are tightening their encryption security, so I am not sure whether it's still possible (research suggests that it is - for now).

If you have no intention of ever subscribing to Sky and just need to watch Freesat channels then just get a Freesat receiver from Humax - they are known to be one of the best. If you want to expand your horizons beyond Freesat, with a motorised dish for example, then you won't really go wrong with a Vu+ receiver.

 

[TinWare]

Captain Jack and Pete: Thanks for your replies. I will do some research

 

[sonnetpete]

On my VU+ Solo, I have a favourites list of Freesat channels. Basically you set it up with whatever you want that's transmitted from 28.2E. I think there are plug in's you can download with Freesat list already defined. But it's just as easy to set up one of your own and you can include your own regional channels.