Soarview/Freeview

S....Got annoyed by Virgin Media sneaking up the price annually, for a ton of channels I had no interest in......

Sky do the exact same, price hike is usually announced around September and applied from December.

It will keep happening, as long as we keep on permitting them to do it - long past time that more consumers found their voices and started fighting back, demanding better value or simply moving service provider entirely.
 
If there was a reasonably priced mnthly broadband service for say €20 pm then i would end my sky subs immediately and take the offer and get a combi box in. At the moment though i cant see the point in scaling back to a monthly broadband fee of avout €35 pm and also paying to install combi box etc and loose sky interface which i like and easy recording functionality.

So as things stand its just not worth it to switch from sky €69pm to a new broadband provided as well as to combi box.
 
Hello Jim,

The difference between Sky's €69 pm and your proposed Broadband at €35 pm, is €34pm (or €408 pa).

I reckon you can get Freeview and Saorview installed (assuming a standard installation and standard kit) for about €400, possibly a little cheaper.

From Year two, it's a saving of €408 pa, and that's before Sky put their prices up in Q4, 2018 (as they have consistently done in previous years).

If you think it's worth paying that additional cost per year for Sky's interface, then fair enough :)
 
Fair point MrEarl. I suppose its a question of whether a €408 saving next yr is worth the hassal of cancelling sky now, loosing the sky interface that i like and recording functionality, getting a new reliable bb provider asap for €35pm or better and getting a combi box in and set up asap o_O ..hard to know....

Im going to research bb offers and if i can find one for less than €35 and its reliable etc and if i can easily source a combi box then this might be a runner for me.
 
Hello Jim,

Sky reported pre-tax profits of GBP£1.05 BILLION last year (which was slightly less than the year before), because of people like you and I, who have been paying Sky far too much money, for far too long. Source: BBC News

Stick with Sky for broadband, if you really don't want to leave them for everything. They are promoting unlimited fiber at €35 pm for the first 12 months, so if you are not already on that deal, a phone conversation with Sky explaining how you are going to move for a cheaper broadband deal, will probably help resolve matters (assuming you've completed your initial contract with them).

Take a look at switcher.ie or bonkers.ie to compare prices from broadband providers, so you will know what the competition are offering before you telephone Sky to cancel, unless they reduce your broadband bill for you.

Combo boxes (Saorview and Freeview combined) are easily bought from numerous retailers across the country, installers are plentiful, some boxes offer decent 7 day programme guides and have record facilities. Trust me, you are placing far too much value on Sky's services (I'm not saying that Sky don't provide a good service because they do, it's just not worth anything near €408 pa more than the alternative).

If you are Dublin based, I can recommend this business based on my past personal experience as a customer. I have also purchased equipment from this retailer and again, found them very good. Coincidentally, the guys in Dublin, installed some of the kit that I had purchased from the fella in Mayo, as part of the work they did for me (at a small charge obviously).

From here on, it's time for you to do a little leg work my friend, but believe me, it's well worth the effort :)
 
Have a look at the certified 'FreeSat +' boxes in the UK. These have a decent interface, record function, and series link. As close as you'll get to the sky interface.
You already have the dish so you'd be set up for 200, plus whatever you need for SaorView.
 
I can get a combi box installed for €240 which is good value and gives plenty of channels as i have the sky dish in place. So its a no brainer from that side of things.

The issue is broadband. If i get rid of sky i need to sort bb elsewhere. I just spoke to sky and they said i can get 15.3mb bb for €39.50 pm. I would go for that only for the fact that 15.3mb is probably woeful. Their fibre bb is €47 pm (its €35pm for new customers!).

Does anyone know whether 15.3mb is sufficient for occassional streaming? I know it would suffice for email and general reading. Also have 2 others in the house.
 
Thanks Leo. I think theres other bb deals for about €35 that might haVe better speeds. Ill prob sit on my hands on this for the time being but definitly saorview/freesat at €240 (with dish already in place) makes a lot of sense versus Sky!
 
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...The issue is broadband. If i get rid of sky i need to sort bb elsewhere. I just spoke to sky and they said i can get 15.3mb bb for €39.50 pm. I would go for that only for the fact that 15.3mb is probably woeful. Their fibre bb is €47 pm (its €35pm for new customers!)..

First thing to remember is that is the max speed they can provide on download, not a guaranteed speed. It's terrible, but not uncommon with Sky (or others using Eir's copper cables). You will probably find very similar speeds being offered if you speak to Vodafone, Eir, Pure Telecom etc. Only Virgin have their own lines, so if you are serviced by them, they can offer substantially better speeds.

I would tell Sky in no uncertain terms that what they are providing is a substandard service, so does not justify anything near the full monthly premium. Talk of speeds up to 100mbs might not result in someone getting download of 100mbs constant, but it certainly doesn't justify them charging someone the same price for receiving download speeds of say 60mbs, as someone getting max. 15.3mbs. They'll try to drive you nuts doing online tests etc. but give them hell until they improve their speeds, or drop their price to reflect their substandard service is my advice. Accepting a very poor service for the money you pay them is the worst thing you (or anyone else) can do.
 
I cancelled sky today - good riddance.

Getting combi box installed soon for €240

Getting eir bb for €35 pm for first 6 mnths €49 thereafter.

All in all i will save a bit this yr and a lot henceforth.

Combi box will provide more channels than i can shake a remote at.
 
Would anyone have a link to channel frequencies that I could install from USB? I have a freeview box for years but satellite channels have just disappeared and won't tune in even when using first time install. Planning to try installing from USB (I did this before) and if this doesn't work start looking at connections, satellite dish etc. Its all legit so hopefully no issue in someone giving me link.
Thanks
Tommygirl
 
Would anyone have a link to channel frequencies that I could install from USB?

You could program yourself with the details here. Look up the official support site for your brand of receiver to see if they offer downloads of the config files. Many independent site charge a fee for these files.
 
I got saorview installed last jan/feb and got rid of sky. The saorview was around €240 once off and a fella installed it for me to my Sky dish. He programmed it fairly easily. So I have all the channels I need plus have the Eir app which gives me all the sport I need casted from my phone to my tv. Have Eir app baceuase my bb and my mobile is with Eir.
 
Has anyone tried the saorview connect box?

I have an Ariva combi currently but the interface is a bit crap, recording is a bit clunky and no real series link capability.

Just wondering if the connect box is better for these points?
 
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