Tim

Not specifically France yet,but I've read that they've been used in other parts of Europe with no problems - there shouldn't be any problems anyway - the technology of receiving satellite signals is tried and tested. The only problems I've read about so far is mainly about uneducated shop staff being told that they must sell a dish installation along with the box, as I wrote about on another thread. Apparentely this has been brought to the attention of freesat and Trading standards in the UK. Tim

[quote user="Bilbo"]If your TV and video are from the UK you can tune both to use one of the channels for Sky taking the output from theRF out connections on the Sky box. You will need to tune the TV channel you want to use to receive the Sky output. Also tune the video so that you know which video channel you need to set to record from Sky. Otherwise make life really easy by buying a Sky+ box and fitting a dual LNB on your dish! [/quote]   Sky+ is only an option if you are you are a subscriber - if not, at the moment, Sky disable the recording option. Everybody I know thinks this is very mean thing to do but there you go. There are rumours around that Sky may change their minds over this when the freesat PVRs (recorders) become available later this year.We'll see. Tim

If you are using a recently installed twin LNB my first thought heads towards the cabling. If you've had rain recently it's possible that there has been some water ingress. I would give all the connections a good inspection. It's possible that one half of your new LNB may be failing as well. Tim

You don't say what channels that you are seeing this happening on, but I've had a quick look at mine and everything looks normal - white on blue. Tim

Need more info. You say you have two boxes - one Sky and one French bought box. Are these running from a twin LNB set up? How many scart sockets does your TV have? If it's just one then it's going to be a bit tricky. If it's two then you can just disconnect your French box from the second scart on your Sky box, run a new scart from the French box to the second scart on the TV. This will leave the scart marked 'VCR' on the Sky box free to plug the VCR into.All you need to do then is ensure that the VCR is set to record from it's 'line in' - this can be called 'External' or 'line in'. Your VCR may have more than one external input so you will need to experiment to make sure you get the right one. Good luck - Tim

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]Too true Timco.    We haven't got a PVR yet but I could see that it would simplify recordings,   particularly given our somewhat complex set up which leaves Wendy in total despair if she wants to record. [/quote]   Marcelle doesn't even attempt it Martin - she 'leaves all that sort of thing' to me! I think it's simple, but there you go. Tim

For me, and a few others who have asked me, it's comes down to HD and PVR. If you want the HD without paying Sky, then freesat is the only way and the same applies for the PVR - the freesat version of a Skyplus box. They've yet to reach the shops but from what I've read, they are likely to be the most in demand. Tim

Humax would be the one for me as well. I've had a Humax box for over 10 years and it's still going well.  It has a very good setup menu for installing and aligning dishes that actually means something - unlike a Sky box. From what I read though, they are not only in short supply and are also getting regular software updates to sort out a few niggles - hopefully by the time I'm ready all will be well. By the way, anyone thinking of getting a freesat box in the UK shortly take care. I've read on other forums that a lot of the large stores in the UK are saying that they can only sell you a box if have the installation as well. So be prepared.   Regards - Tim

[quote user="ErnieY"] That's quite right Timco, my first BTinternet.com address from donkeys years ago is still alive but unlike you mine is constantly full up with Spam and I gave up using it 4 or 5 years ago and switched to Yahoo and my own domain.   [/quote] I'm surprised about the Ernie - I've never got any spam on my old BT account - I also have a Yahoo account which, I think, shares the anti-spam technolgy with BT as they are linked together. Still, I don't want to hijack this thread. Regards - Tim

Not always - I'm still using my BT internet account - the very first e-mail account I had when I first started on the internet goodness knows how many years ago and it works very well. It has an excellent spam filter. It means that I've never haad to change my e-mail address although I do have other accounts as well nowdays.   Tim

[quote user="Martinwatkins"]Martin  now back from a party -  hic! [/quote] You're obviously having too good a time over here Martin - someone will be looking to ban it. Tim

[quote user="Mike1958"]Likewise Martin, many thanks. I assume CH5 isnt available yet?[/quote]   No Martin at the moment, but I did write about the Channel 5 situation on page 3 of this thread - hope it makes things clearer. regards - Tim

Don't own one, but I've set up a couple for friends recently and never went near the disc. It can all be done, as far as I can see, from entering the i/p address from the web browser for installation, as Danny has said - and for Wi-Fi exactly as has just been suggested - put in the number and push the button. Tim

Where I was living in southern England one of the most frequent channels that used to come through on band I was NRK Norway, but I always found it facinating that I could leave the receiver on one frequency and within seconds one station would disappear and another from a completly different location would appear. You never knew what you were going to get. I also got on many occassions the Canal + signals on band III. It's an interesting part of the spectrum - I frequented the four metre band (70mHz) at this time and alot of the eastern european countries used that for their FM broadcast transmissions and it was not unusual to have my inane chats with someone just down the road  wiped out by an incredibly loud burst of a Polish station via sporadic E. I had a friend on the Antarctic expeditions and we sent him a transistorised portable 405 line TV and he quite happily watched BBC transmissions on band I quite often. I always thought this was amazing - I suppose I still do. I still have a listen around on band II when there's a 'lift' on. Only now it's to see what I can get from the UK and the rest of Europe instead of what's coming in from France.[geek] Tim  

Well put Martin. Many years ago, when I obviously must have had a lot more time on my hands, I was interested in long distance TV reception. To do this I ended up with two portable black and white sets - the first one was Pal and you could select system I or B/G - so this was able to receive UK and most of the rest of Europe except France. So, when over here I got another portable - this one received Pal system B/G and Secam L, so this one got most of Europe and France, but not the UK! My wife at the time thought I was crazy - she may have had a point. Tim

Thanks Ernie - I meant to say in my rather lengthy "lecture" that the tape should be stretched to be effective, so thanks for the clarification. I have seen it at Maplins when in the UK but I wonder whether if anyone has seen it France? I've never had to look for the stuff myself as a couple of rolls I have in stock have lasted quite a long time, but the day will come when I will need to get some more. The Google translator suggests 'auto fusion' which seems to describe it quite well. Anybody have any better ideas?   Regards - Tim

If you have a 'twin LNB' and run a separate cable to each digi box, you are not 'splitting off'' anything. The LNB has two receivers inside and provides a totally separate feed to each box. You will be able to watch different channels on either box - they will be independant of each other. Tim

While you are out and about look for something called in English (not sure of the French - sorry ) 'self-amalgamating tape'. It's a 'soft' tape (with a backing you remove) that sticks to itself - cut a piece a few inches long and wrap it around the connector, leaving the nut part free so you can turn it to fit it to the lnb, then cover it with ordinary insulating tape. I've used this stuff for years and taken apart outside joints over 20 years old and they are still shiney and new inside. They work much better than these rubber joint covers that are often supplied for this sort of job. If you want two boxes then you will need two separate feeds from the twin lnb (as Anton says) - and not 'split off' anything, as you say. Regards - Tim

My apologies Ron, I did see the message but I've been very busy and then I forgot about it - I'll pm you back shortly. Regards - Tim

I'm wondering whether this is a 'skew' problem again? If you can get to the dish easily, then it may be worth just tweaking the lnb at the end of the dish's arm slightly one way the the other to see if this improves anything. Some channels are more critical about this than others but I'm not aware that this affects Channel 4 and the rest. If this doesn't help then it has to be down to dish position. Tim

I've read many posts on several sites where people have written to Five (some might describe these people as sad with no lives) asking when they will be going FTA and as has been said, they thought they already were. The latest rumour is sometime in the summer ( I like to be as precise as possible). My goodness, yes - the analogue days - when receiving Five , or Channel Five as it was then, was an art it itself - still is in some places. I remember thinking at the time that is was a strange game they were playing with their satellite transmissions, although I never had the problem as we were just about line of sight to the transmitting mast in Croydon. Spice girls loop? Heard about it, but never saw it. Being in Surrey I never bothered with satellite for Channel Five - my dish was normally pointing at something completely different. I expect you can find the clip on Youtube Martin and re-live the moment all over again. Tim

There are rumours about Five coming soon - how soon I don't know. Last year, when asked, Five replied that they were already broadcasting 'in the clear' but I think their attitude has changed a little recently - so, who knows?? It will probably happen - sometime[Www]

[quote user="Clair"]AVG8 can be found easily by following the link in the second post of the thread... Thanks should go to Bugbear [:)] [/quote]   Thanks Clair - and also to Bugbear. Tim

[quote user="ty-gwenn"]It's almost certainly because I'm stupid - but I can't find an option to download AVG 8 for free.  I presently use 7.5 Free and get the daily pop-up reminder/offer to upgrade to v8 but always get directed to buy the full version.  I have not been able to identify a link that offers me an equivalent v8 Free.  Any help most welcome.[/quote] I've just had the pop-up for AVG 8 for the first time and by following the links it took me straight to the new free edition - most odd. I have to admit it's not quite so easy to find the free edition on their website though, but did a quick search and managed to go to it to download it on a friend's computer that I'm fixing for her. Thanks for the link Clair - just came too late for me though.[blink]   Tim

[quote user="Bob T"]What freesat will give you that sky doesn't is Hi Def TV for free. [/quote] Yes, a freesat box with HD facilty should give you the BBC HD channel without forking out to Sky - and perhaps more to come. It should also, eventually when they are launched, enable to you to buy a Sky plus type box - also without subscription. Tim p.s. Keep forgetting, they like to spell freesat with a lower case 'f'