What's the difference between Free Sat and Free View ?

There are a few differences between Free sat and Free view, including the availability of the service, the TV & Radio channel lineups, the required equipment, and finally costs. All of these factors will have an impact on which system is the best for you.

Availability : The main difference between the two is that Free view is terrestrial digital TV, whereas Free sat is satellite digital TV.

Basically Free Sat runs off its own satellite dish you would have to have installed and Free View comes though your current aerial signal.

You cannot get Free sat if you are unable to mount a satellite dish, or if the direction in which you point your satellite (south-east) does not have a clear line-of sight. Any trees, big buildings etc. which are in the way will hinder satellite TV reception. If you are living in a flat and don't have access to the south-east or permission from your landlord to install a satellite dish, the Free sat option will also not be available to you.

TV & Radio Channel Lineups
Although Free sat offers more channels than Free view, the main channels are available on both systems. The key difference is that on Free view the following channels are available for free, but not on Free sat: Sky Sports News, E4, E4 +1, More 4, More 4 +1, ftn, UKTV History, abc1, The Hits, TMF.

You can also get Top Up TV on Free view for a monthly charge and add a few more channels to the line up. On the other hand, Free sat has a lot more shopping and special interest channels as well as more radio channels.

Free view: All you need is a digital terrestrial set-top box (also called Free view box or receiver), available from us and an aerial. Your existing rooftop aerial should be fine, unless it's very old. In which case we can install a new one. You can also get an indoor aerial but reception might be limited and is therefore not recommended as a permanent solution. You can also get a Free view PVR receiver to record and pause programs (similar to Sky+ but without the additional charges).

Free sat: You'll need a satellite dish with an LNB and a satellite receiver to watch all channels except C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and Sky3. If you want these channels as well, you will need an additional FTV card, and the satellite receiver must be a Sky digibox.

Free view is the cheaper option. It also allows for more flexibility. For example, if you want to watch different channels simultaneously in different rooms, you only need an additional receiver. With free sat, you would need a multi-LNB such as Twin, or Quad LNB, and additional receivers. Using a Free view box is also more convenient, as you can delete channels from the EPG you don't want and re-order the lineups. You can also record programs with a PVR box. In order to do the same with Free sat, you would need to get a non-Sky receiver but then can't watch the encrypted C4, Five, Five Life, Five US and SKY3 channels unless you are getting a special NDS cam. As you can see, it's getting quite complicated.

Overall, there are some differences between the two systems. We can help you decide which system would be the best for your particular circumstances