Sorry if I am asking this again but I have tried searching with no luck. I have Sky+ HD at the moment, but want to size down as my job was recently done too
I have done some research on the net and also phoned Sky, but they weren't very helpful as I suppose they don't want to lose a full package subscription.
I want to take up Freesat with HD and be able to record as well. Now my question is: Should I continue with Sky and their Freesat and pay £10.00 a month for the recording privilege as I already have the box, or do I buy a new box for around £150.00 like this one, Echostar freesat+ HDS-600RS TV Recorder?
Or any other suggestions would also be appreciated. Please keep it clean

Do the sums. £150 one-off payment or 15 months at £10 a month. In the 2nd case you've paid for the freesat+ box but you'll continue paying the £10 a month to Sky for evermore. If anything goes wrong with the Sky+ box it will cost you £65 for a callout. A freesat box will be warrantied for 12 months (or for 24 months if you get it from John Lewis - just a thought!)

Factor in approx £20.00 extra in electricity to run a Sky-pvr every 12 months so about £140.00 extra every year. You do however get CH5 HD on a Sky HD box.

Ah, but do you get NHK World HD? That's surely worth having freesat for

(And before you tell me it is on Sky, yes I know!)

24 months where ever you buy it. It is EU law, that is why John Lewis obey it.

http://www.wak-tt.com/tt/2yearwarranty1.htm

Could this be the beginning of Winston winning another war, or is it the beginning of the beginning.

And there are still folk who only see disadvantages from EU membership!:yawn:

A usability advantage of proper Freesat over Sky's version is the EPG will not include all those channels you can't view and also can't delete, that you'll have scroll past to get to where you want.

Also the Freesat EPG is more logically laid out wihout any customisation, with channel brands being grouped together.

Not this old chestnut again . The SOGA regulations which cover consumer rights in the UK offer better consumer protection than the minimum requirements of the EU. Accordingly the UK has it's own regulations which are explained in numerous websites.

Just Google Sale Of Goods Act Explained.

OK apart from the old "devil" owns all the media, isn't it cheaper to pay the £10.25 to Sky for the recording facility as I already have the box? I won't be under any 12 month contract either so I can cancel any time. They don't state on their website what notice period I have to give but I suppose it will be 30 days. My idea was to cancel my sky subs so I can save some money, at least until I find another job Why should I spend £200 upfront for a new freesat box when I can just pay Sky £10.25 a month?

SOGA gives consumers 6 years in England.
EU gives consumers 2 years.
Also

"It is also against the law to mislead consumers about their legal rights - this could lead to a criminal prosecution under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008"
was very interesting, I still hear of shop managers telling customers ---"take it up with the manufacturer" Record that on your smart phone & & he is burnt toast !

I mistakenly thought I knew most of it !

Thanks, Graham, for prompting the refresher course.

Or you could do without recording until you save enough, at £10/month, for a 2nd hand freesat+ box.

Good luck with your job hunt.

If you stop paying the subs to Sky, they stop the recording functionality of your box.

I would advise against getting an Echostar Freesat Box as I know that they had a problem with failing to record a programme that was divided into 2 halves by a news. (ie. This Morning on ITV - the second half fails to record).

Consider the Humax Freesat HD box.

If you intend on resubscribing when you find another job then keep the Sky box and pay the PVR tax for the time being.

If not then I'd suggest doing what I did and get a second hand freesat PVR from ebay.

Thanks guys for the wishes and advice. I have decided to go with Freesat from Sky for now, it's the quickest and easiest option. And maybe the price of pvrs will go down by the time I am ready to properly drop sky.