Sky tv

[RioneGlen]

Does anyone know what freeview channels you get with Sky in Scalea. Can you use a british box or would you need to buy one in Italy?

[Hev&Steve]

Just got back from Scalea, had a great time there, but unfortunately have to come home to earn a crust!!!

Anyway, while we where in Scalea, we looked into trying to purchase a TV, we already have a dish ready for connection on the roof, but now need to buy a decoder and a decent TV, we only have a old 14" for DVD's at the moment. We tried in "Expert" and "Euronics" but cannot get the grips with which decoder to buy (language being one of the barriers), and what channels it will pick up. Obviously we don't want Sky, because that will involve a long term contract, and as we are in Scalea 2-3 weeks at a time, it's not worth it, unless Sky Italia do a freeview one off payment card similar as in the UK

So what we are looking for is to find out what decoder will give us a Freeview option with the main Italian channels, and hopefully some of the English speaking ones as well, and the satellite the dish needs to be aimed at (Astra 1, Astra 2, Hotbird or whatever)? I don't what the one that shows the Arab stations, or the porn stations(?).

We have considered having a basic antenae aerial fitted and picking up normal TV, but everything will be Digital eventually.

Any info will be appreciated, then perhaps I can go back and indicate exactly what I require to Expert or Euronics

Saluti

Steve

[brynithel3]

Hi Heather and Steve

Pleased to hear that you had a good time.

The Satellite is normally pointed to Hotbird 6/8/9 at 13 degrees east. Most freeview boxes will allow you to tune into this Satellite and you will recieve over a hundred channels which include BBC World Service, CNN etc. There is a comprehensive list on Hot Bird 6/8/9 at 13.0°E - LyngSat

Expert also have a site listing various digital decoders on
http://www.expert-italia.net/ricerca_macro_3.asp
No prices quoted.

I have a dish and decoder tuned into the tv in my study. The whole system bought from Aldi for £69. Armed with a compass the set up was easy. The way to avoid the porn and the other rubbish channels is to set a list of favourites, leave that as your default and then you only have to Scan 20 or 30 channels.

Luigi tells me that a satellite dish has been installed on our block now so on my next visit, in October, I will be buying a decoder and tuning it in. I will let you know how I get on.

By the way was the pool in working order during your stay? How were the gardens looking now we have Pietro on site?

May see you in October.

Ci vediamo presto.

John

[Italy4me]

Hi Steve,

The decoders you will see in the shops will be either terrestrial (that you can use attached to a normal aerial) or satellite (that you will need to connect to a dish).

When we were using our place as a holiday home we had a dish and decoder fitted and picked up hundreds of free to air channels. (We were advised that we wouldn't be able to receive terrestrial here due to our location).
Later we subscribed to sky and the sky box now uses the original dish.

I know of some folk who have brought over their sky box (or a spare one) and can get UK sky (the dish would have to be pointed in the right direction and I don't think you would get all the channels here).

If you already have a dish on the roof does it feed into your apartment or one of the others on the block?

[Hev&Steve]

Thanks for the info John and Lesley

John, the decoder you seem to be talking about sounds very similar to the one Mike had fitted, which he and I were not impressed with. I think he gave it back to Luigi.

Yes, the pool was working, and as far as I can make out will be operational until Sept 30th. The garderners were in Friday, Saturday and Monday this past week. Pietro is on site Monday to Friday, don't know what he does all day though.

We are back out Oct14 until 22nd flying into Naples (Easyjet), thanks to our friends from Ryan Air cancelling the flights into Lamezia in October


Lesley, with the non-sky decoder, do you get all the normal Italian free to view channels, and what others if any?? Do you get any that are on the Italian freeview package?
The dishes are already fitted to each apartment block, so one dish will feed 6 apartments. Pino doesn't want "Jodrell Bank" on the top of each apartment, so it seem we are restricted to a single fitted dish. I think to get Sky UK, apart from a decoder which I already have spare and viewing card, I will need something like a 180cm or 240cm dish, so it's not practical.

Hopefully catch up with you both soon.


Steve

[RioneGlen]

Great to read about the different options for TV. If you bring a sky box over from the UK would you need to have a sky card or will it just pick up free channels? We are trying to get to see the footy anytime we are over from Scotland. Like to watch Scottish and English games. Even ManU!!!!!!

[falcon]

Actually there are quite a few options now in Italy but in Scalea it is still a bit limited but getting better.

Some British Freview channels are available here in Scalea with the average 80cm dish (pointed to 28.5deg) are News 24, Sky News, the Scottish Alba (Gaelic), Welsh S4C and some shopping / betting channels. Off the same satellite (Astra2B) you will also get the BBC streams that are normally used by the outside broadcasting units as well as for transfer of programs between the BBC centres. These include BBC sport and some concerts also appear like the other night with Shirley Bassey on stage.

The main Italian TV stations in analouge are normally fed from the Grisolia transmitter; however depending on where you are, the aerial might be pointing towards the sea (effectively towards Sorrento) where you can also get the standard TV channels in analogue and now some digital terrestial programs but only a handful and not the main stations.

The best option for Scalea is to use a standard 80cm dish pointing towards Hotbird. While a 60cm dish would do, an 80 cm dish gives you the option of the English programs if this is moved about 15deg to the left. At 13deg (Hotbird) there are a plethora of programs in many languages but the main Italian programs are all there and lots of others in Italian. The only snag using one standard cheap receiver that you can buy either in England at Aldi or at the Spar here, is that the FTA programs are sometimes encrypted by RAI because they do not have the rights for transmission of certain programs beyond the Italian mainland. Therefore, all football games and some films are encrypted.

However, since 1st August, there is now a new official way round this where there is a new package like our Freesat system (TivuSat) where you buy a special receiver with a card for 159 Euros (from Spar) and most programs available on Digital Terrestial in the north are now available on satellite in an ordered manner. This is the way to go for anybody looking for a permanent solution to the various piecemeal systems available at the moment. Tivu Sat is picked up on existing dishes pointing to Hotbird and therefore is usaully plug and play.

If anybody needs any help on such matters, feel free to email me as this is a bit of a hobby for me anyway.

[Doug]

We are new to paying for TV, but have decided to get a SKY system. The stores are of little help telling you what you can watch nor do they have una lista di canales that are available. But we found the attached Wikopedia site very helpful. We have been using free channels off the Astra 1E bird, but lost the Italian stations which we feel a need for to boost our language skills. The website has lots of tech info that I had never heard of before, so if you are like me, it could be a help. For 40 years we had an antenna on the roof and 3-6 channels to watch. This stuff is a change. FYI, we are opting for no football and no sports stations, so the cost is supposed to be €39 per month. I wonder if the TV police will send me a bill for one of those permits/taxes you all talk about? Ciao


List of channels on Sky Italia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Doug]

John and others,
We bought into SKY at a meager price and so far, we got what we paid for! Probably too much.

A question to you techies: they want me to get a digital antenna for terrestrial signals that the digital "key" unlocks for you. I think this is not needed and would not buy us much more in internat'l channels, but someone that knows better can set me straight. Thx doug