Panasonic with Freeview & Freesat
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We're on the verge of buying a new tv, probably 32" but possibly 37". Anyway we've decided on Panasonic and the one we saw recently had both Freeview HD & Freesat HD. We have Sky HD so will we be able to use the Freesat facility or is there no point getting a tv with it fitted, seeing as we already have Sky ? Also with a SKY HD box to hook up, is it pretty straightforward as I have sh*t for brains when it comes to hooking tv stuff up. 
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The other question is more difficult to answer. Some would say it's pointless but I do use both. To get the best from it you will need an extra satellite cable installed.
you could simply plug the skyHD box into the tv with the HDMI cable and not even bother plugging anything else into the tv. You would simply always rely on the skyHD box for everything.
If the tv has Freeview & FreesatHD built in, you have the extra option of plugging in an aerial cord (into the tv) to get Freeview and any FreeviewHD channels that are on air where you live. If you wanted to make use of the FreesatHD chip in the tv, you would need one extra satellite cable from one of the spare sockets on the LNB (the lump of plastic on the dish where the wires come out). With either option, you could view Freeview/FreesatHD without the aid of the Sky box. Times when this can be handy is if the Sky box failed, or you wanted to stop subscription but moreover if the Sky box is recording 2 different channels at the same time, you could still use the channels on Freeview/FreesatHD.
Adding the extra satellite cable is a quick and cheap job for a good local installer company.
Wether you need to make use of Freeview/FreesatHD built into the tv really depends on how much recording you do with your Sky box. If you get lots of times when its busy recording 2 overlapping things then I might well be worth getting the other services up and running. But I must say that this is by no means a requirement - I know many people who simply rely on their Sky+ or SkyHD box for everything (no freesat or freeview).
Freesat & Free to Air Satellite should also be available via your Sky box, but you might need to add those FTA channels that aren't on Sky or available via your Sky package.
Personally, I have a rather base cable package, FTA Satellite and FTA Terrestrial (ie Freeview & Freesat but not necessarily using the same channel numbers and there are many extra channels on FTA Satellite).
I don't have Sky, but my flat has two satellite feeds, and one antenna for DTT and another for FM and Digital Radio). Along with my Virgin cable that gives me upto 5 receiver types.
I have a new TXL32D28BP, I do not have pay TV of any description & find the Pany will also show all FTA HD channels in Europe, this is an added bonus for me, I use my Comag SL35 as a dish mover, it also has the ability to download and add all the Freesat HD channels that don't appear on the download via my postcode, STV/Granada etc.
I choose the Pany over Sony, due to it having extra tuners built in I E
Freesat SD
Freesat HD
Multi sat HD & SD via dish/motor.
M
I thought freesat might be softer, but think its on Humax boxes only
I thought freesat might be softer, but think its on Humax boxes only
the option is there though ................. but freesat gives you BBC iplayer !! though you have to have the telly connected to the internet as well
which would allow you to update the tellys software
one update for my G 20 model
My TXL32G20B got infected by an update bug,last month which made it switch off & on constantly,Pany were aware of the problem this caused to a lot of sets,advised me to send it back, seems the TXL32G20 model was the major sufferer.
I am getting a Panasonic HDTV with Freeview & Freesat and I already have Sky+HD. How do I set up Freesat : is it through my existing Sky+HD box or do I have to run a new sat cable from my dish to my TV (my dish has 2 spare connectors available) ?
Unlike terrestrial TV aerials you cannot easily split satellite feeds so as to have one cable feed multiple devices.
or simply take the F plug out of the Sky box & plug it in to Pany direct, that way you will sample freesat.
JO
So if I understand this:
1. to sample freesat I would disconnect one of the satellite cable leads from the Sky Box and connect it direct to the TV
2. for a permanent freesat connection I would run another satellite cable from the satellite dish and connect it direct to my TV
Is the above correct ?
Cheers
But as a test there is nothing to stop you taking one of the Sky feeds and connecting it temporarily to the TV. If you then decide you want both then running a third feed to the LNB would be the ideal solution.
Thanks Chrisjr for your advice. As I have 2 spare connections on my octo LNB I will use these for Freesat and leave the Sky cables on the LNB as they are.
Cheers
If you follow this route, be aware the Pany will keep the lnb live if kept in freesat mode, and could start an argument with the sky box, I do not have sky but have a multi sat box instead,& have found the system works better if the Pany is in DVB mode when taking direct feeds from the multi sat box to the TV via scart.Thus only one tuner is live to the LNB.
Hope this helps
A Sky+ box has two live tuners on board and there are plenty of households with more than one Sky box. So if there was anything that caused serious interaction between the various LNB outputs I'm sure Sky would be snowed under with complaints.
I can't see any problems that would arise from having the Sky + box's two tuners and the TV's single tuner all hooked up at the same time. You only get problems if you attempt to split a single LNB feed to more than one tuner.
That can cause issues if both devices are live at the same time as the control signals they send back to the LNB can interact in unpredictable ways. But that is not an issue with a genuine multi block LNB which is effectively four (or more) single LNBs flying in close formation.
Hi Janet,
There's no concerns about that - quad and octo LNB's are designed to operate in that way, each output is effectively completely separate.
AFAIK each lnb is a seperate feed and independant of what the other LNB are doing ?
I am very confused, can someone help me please?
I am on the verge of buying the Panny 42G20B. I currently have Sky+ with Multiroom. What will be the easiest way of me being able to watch BBC1 HD with this tv for free?
If you have a spare output on your LNB? (there are four) then run an extra wire from the LNB. Your Sky+ takes two, a standard box takes one - so assuming your multiroom is a standard box you should have a spare.
Next option?
The problem occurs I have found with my set up is,when I try & shift the dish with the comag & the pany is in Sat, it stops the dish moving, I might add I only have one LNB on a multi sat dish, I suppose with a fixed system this problem wont apply when using an octo lnb, IE no dish movement.
The easy way after DSO, direct DVB aerial feed, or direct from a dish, I use both, the sound on BBC HD is far superior on Sat too many faults at the moment with BBC HD sound from either
Winter Hill & M Y P.