Integrated Freesat or separate box?

mouthalmighty · 01-06-2009, 15:13

My Sky box has finally given up the ghost (not bad since we've had it since 2001) and as we don't subscribe to Sky any more and Freeview is lousy in my area, I was thinking of getting a Freesat box.

Man at my local TV shop says it's more or less plug and play, but I noticed an advert in the paper yesterday for an LG LCD TV that has integrated Freesat.

My question is, should I go integrated, or is there a really good reason why I need a sparate box?

My budget is about £700 for TV and box.

Thanks

Willie Wontie · 01-06-2009, 15:28

With a separate box, if you want to record Freesat to video or DVD while you aren't in, you don't need to leave the TV switched on (and tuned to the Freesat channel you want to record). With an integrated TV, you do. Even if you are home so don't mind having the TV switched on, you need to make sure that the TV can output its Freesat signal via scart while allowing you to watch something else (i.e. Freeview, DVD, video) rather than forcing you to watch what you are recording - which would kind of defeat the object of recording it in the first place.

Also with an integrated, if anything goes wrong with TV, you will lose both TV and Freesat while it is being repaired. If anything goes wrong with Freesat, you will lose both TV and Freesat while it is being repaired. With separate boxes, you only lose the box which is faulty, not both.

Advantages of a Freesat TV - it's one less box under your TV. It provides high definition at source rather than forcing you to use a HDMI cable between STB and TV.

Bear in mind, a standard Sky box can be bought for a fiver on ebay. And even without subscription it will give you more free satellite channels than a Freesat STB or Freesat TV will give you. Though not in high definition.

mouthalmighty · 01-06-2009, 15:44

Thanks Willie. We don't record much (hardly anything in fact), but I'd quite like to take the opportunity to upgrade my old Sony 28" CRT and on the odd occasion that I do want to record something, I already have a DVD recorder. With that, will I be able to watch Corrie while the other half records the football?

Looks like a sepaerate box is the way to go though and it also gives me more choice with which TV to get.

chrisjr · 01-06-2009, 15:59

You can only watch one, record another Freesat channel if you have TWO tuners of the appropriate type.

The TV will have one if you go for the integrated route but the DVD recorder won't. The same would apply also if you went for a separate Freesat receiver. With only one tuner you are restricted to feeding the same channel to every atached device.

If Freeview worked in your area and the DVD had a Freeview tuner then you could watch a freesat channel on the TV and record Freeview on the DVD. Or, for now at least, record analogue off the aerial and watch freesat on the TV

An option if you decide on an external box for freesat is a PVR. Humax do one for example. That would let you watch one channel while recording another channel to it's internal drive. Exactly as a Freeview PVR works.

Otherwise it all gets very messy. eg having a Freesat TV, an external freesat box and DVD recorder. Where you use the external Freesat box just to feed a signal to the recorder. Real pain in the proverbials as you have to faff around setting several different boxes just to do a simple recording. So very much easier with a PVR all in one box system.

David (2) · 01-06-2009, 17:01

a freesat pvr has the 2 satellite tuners inbuilt, and a hard disc to store the recordings. Unless you already had Sky+, you would need to get a Quad-LNB upgrade on the dish, and a 2nd cable run. The freesat pvr can then record one channel (to hard disc), while outputting a different channel to the tv.

Only one problem - it costs nearly £300 in the shops.
- although it can do High Def as well.

RobAnt · 02-06-2009, 08:08

Quote:

even without subscription it will give you more free satellite channels than a Freesat STB or Freesat TV will give you. Though not in high definition.

That's not to say you can't get HD. HD is available from BBC, ITV and Lux without a Freesat or Sky subscription. If you don't mind using your computer, a satellite receiver card with software and codecs for HD and digital audio, could cost you less than £70. You can connect almost all PCs and Laptops to these modern TVs - via the DVI/VGA or, if available, HDMI sockets on the computer.

mouthalmighty · 02-06-2009, 10:50

Thanks all. This has given me food for thought. I had thought that I could live without the PVR bit of the box as I really do hardly ever record anything (it's live or nothing for me), but Mr. Mouthalmighty might be able to make use of it sometimes.

Hmmm. Is it worth the extra £150 though?

One last question. Does the Humax Freesat box without the hard drive have HD (assuming I buy an HD ready TV)?

Nigel Goodwin · 02-06-2009, 11:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by mouthalmighty

Thanks all. This has given me food for thought. I had thought that I could live without the PVR bit of the box as I really do hardly ever record anything (it's live or nothing for me), but Mr. Mouthalmighty might be able to make use of it sometimes.

Hmmm. Is it worth the extra £150 though?

Once you've used a PVR you can't live without it - you won't watch anything life, it's far too restricting - as a minimum watch programmes timeshifted half an hour or so, so you can fast forward through the adverts.

Quote:

One last question. Does the Humax Freesat box without the hard drive have HD (assuming I buy an HD ready TV)?

Yes it does, and you almost certainly can't buy a non-HD Ready TV anyway - and haven't been able to for a few years now (apartf rom the odd cheap junk specially made for the supermarkets).

mouthalmighty · 02-06-2009, 11:33

Thanks Nigel.

I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century!

Chris Simon · 02-06-2009, 22:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by mouthalmighty

My question is, should I go integrated, or is there a really good reason why I need a sparate box?

I think it boils down to the fact that integrated is simpler and neater and more convenient. There's the argument that if the TV fails then you lose both, but you'll get it repaired won't you or get another integrated TV? Or simply buy an external box then, and in the meantime you'll have had the convenience of an integrated TV for several years.

But an external box will be of more use if you want to record from Freesat onto another recorder.

I wanted the Freesat+ recorder but also decided to go for an integrated TV anyway. That means that for general viewing there is no need to have a PVR powered up and running all the time.

01-06-2009, 15:13	#1
mouthalmighty Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 482	Integrated Freesat or separate box? My Sky box has finally given up the ghost (not bad since we've had it since 2001) and as we don't subscribe to Sky any more and Freeview is lousy in my area, I was thinking of getting a Freesat box. Man at my local TV shop says it's more or less plug and play, but I noticed an advert in the paper yesterday for an LG LCD TV that has integrated Freesat. My question is, should I go integrated, or is there a really good reason why I need a sparate box? My budget is about £700 for TV and box. Thanks

01-06-2009, 15:28	#2
Willie Wontie Inactive Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 2,847	With a separate box, if you want to record Freesat to video or DVD while you aren't in, you don't need to leave the TV switched on (and tuned to the Freesat channel you want to record). With an integrated TV, you do. Even if you are home so don't mind having the TV switched on, you need to make sure that the TV can output its Freesat signal via scart while allowing you to watch something else (i.e. Freeview, DVD, video) rather than forcing you to watch what you are recording - which would kind of defeat the object of recording it in the first place. Also with an integrated, if anything goes wrong with TV, you will lose both TV and Freesat while it is being repaired. If anything goes wrong with Freesat, you will lose both TV and Freesat while it is being repaired. With separate boxes, you only lose the box which is faulty, not both. Advantages of a Freesat TV - it's one less box under your TV. It provides high definition at source rather than forcing you to use a HDMI cable between STB and TV. Bear in mind, a standard Sky box can be bought for a fiver on ebay. And even without subscription it will give you more free satellite channels than a Freesat STB or Freesat TV will give you. Though not in high definition.

01-06-2009, 15:44	#3
mouthalmighty Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 482	Thanks Willie. We don't record much (hardly anything in fact), but I'd quite like to take the opportunity to upgrade my old Sony 28" CRT and on the odd occasion that I do want to record something, I already have a DVD recorder. With that, will I be able to watch Corrie while the other half records the football? Looks like a sepaerate box is the way to go though and it also gives me more choice with which TV to get.

01-06-2009, 15:59	#4
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	You can only watch one, record another Freesat channel if you have TWO tuners of the appropriate type. The TV will have one if you go for the integrated route but the DVD recorder won't. The same would apply also if you went for a separate Freesat receiver. With only one tuner you are restricted to feeding the same channel to every atached device. If Freeview worked in your area and the DVD had a Freeview tuner then you could watch a freesat channel on the TV and record Freeview on the DVD. Or, for now at least, record analogue off the aerial and watch freesat on the TV An option if you decide on an external box for freesat is a PVR. Humax do one for example. That would let you watch one channel while recording another channel to it's internal drive. Exactly as a Freeview PVR works. Otherwise it all gets very messy. eg having a Freesat TV, an external freesat box and DVD recorder. Where you use the external Freesat box just to feed a signal to the recorder. Real pain in the proverbials as you have to faff around setting several different boxes just to do a simple recording. So very much easier with a PVR all in one box system.

01-06-2009, 17:01	#5
David (2) Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: S.West England. Posts: 18,037	a freesat pvr has the 2 satellite tuners inbuilt, and a hard disc to store the recordings. Unless you already had Sky+, you would need to get a Quad-LNB upgrade on the dish, and a 2nd cable run. The freesat pvr can then record one channel (to hard disc), while outputting a different channel to the tv. Only one problem - it costs nearly £300 in the shops. - although it can do High Def as well.

02-06-2009, 08:08	#6
RobAnt Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: South West Posts: 10,218	Quote: even without subscription it will give you more free satellite channels than a Freesat STB or Freesat TV will give you. Though not in high definition. That's not to say you can't get HD. HD is available from BBC, ITV and Lux without a Freesat or Sky subscription. If you don't mind using your computer, a satellite receiver card with software and codecs for HD and digital audio, could cost you less than £70. You can connect almost all PCs and Laptops to these modern TVs - via the DVI/VGA or, if available, HDMI sockets on the computer.

02-06-2009, 10:50	#7
mouthalmighty Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 482	Thanks all. This has given me food for thought. I had thought that I could live without the PVR bit of the box as I really do hardly ever record anything (it's live or nothing for me), but Mr. Mouthalmighty might be able to make use of it sometimes. Hmmm. Is it worth the extra £150 though? One last question. Does the Humax Freesat box without the hard drive have HD (assuming I buy an HD ready TV)?

02-06-2009, 11:27	#8
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by mouthalmighty Thanks all. This has given me food for thought. I had thought that I could live without the PVR bit of the box as I really do hardly ever record anything (it's live or nothing for me), but Mr. Mouthalmighty might be able to make use of it sometimes. Hmmm. Is it worth the extra £150 though? Once you've used a PVR you can't live without it - you won't watch anything life, it's far too restricting - as a minimum watch programmes timeshifted half an hour or so, so you can fast forward through the adverts. Quote: One last question. Does the Humax Freesat box without the hard drive have HD (assuming I buy an HD ready TV)? Yes it does, and you almost certainly can't buy a non-HD Ready TV anyway - and haven't been able to for a few years now (apartf rom the odd cheap junk specially made for the supermarkets).

02-06-2009, 11:33	#9
mouthalmighty Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 482	Thanks Nigel. I'm being dragged, kicking and screaming, into the 21st Century!

02-06-2009, 22:32	#10
Chris Simon Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Snowdonia Posts: 2,725	Quote: Originally Posted by mouthalmighty My question is, should I go integrated, or is there a really good reason why I need a sparate box? I think it boils down to the fact that integrated is simpler and neater and more convenient. There's the argument that if the TV fails then you lose both, but you'll get it repaired won't you or get another integrated TV? Or simply buy an external box then, and in the meantime you'll have had the convenience of an integrated TV for several years. But an external box will be of more use if you want to record from Freesat onto another recorder. I wanted the Freesat+ recorder but also decided to go for an integrated TV anyway. That means that for general viewing there is no need to have a PVR powered up and running all the time.

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Integrated Freesat or separate box?