Digital Sat TV

[newboy]

I have recently moved into the area and my house has Sat TV, the one with the square mesh aerial and the little box on the incoming signal line to the digibox. If I cancel the D/D for 15 euros p.m. can they disconnect the sat signal without entering my house? and can it be "fiddled " to get the extra channels?

Since they went digital last year, you need a card to make the digibox decode the signal. If you don't pay, they would probably just disable your card.

[rayzoray]

I am led to believe that the whole sky thing is illegal anyway, they cannot turn off the card, that is just a way of getting people to pay

[morbob]

Are you saying that because they are re-transmitting the signals illegally we can pay to get it installed and then not make the monthly payments but still receive the tv transmissions?
If it is illegal what is the possibilty of it being stopped?

[Doc]

Jeez! This debate has been running for years now!

Sky do not sell their programming for transmission outside of the UK. If you have a UK Sky installation it is possible to bring a digibox and a viewing card to Spain and connect them to a satellite dish and receive a signal. As long as you maintain the payments to Sky from a UK bank account, do not connect the phone line from your digibox to a Spanish phone socket, and do not call their offices from Spain they will never know (this assumes that you have had the contract for at least a year as you are contractually obliged to keep the digibox connected to a UK phone line for the first twelve months of the contract).

in order to receive signals you will need a large dish (approx 1.9m diameter, but the bigger the better). This is because the satellite signal is restricted so that it can be received only in the UK. By using a larger dish than those used in the UK you can catch the edge of the satellite footprint, although you may find that you lose some channels at certain times of the day depending on which satellite they are being transmitted from, and where the satellite happens to be at that time of the day.

With me so far?

Certain companies in Spain 'obtain' the signal and re-transmit it via their own transmitters. This used to be done on an analogue system called microwave (the mesh receivers that you see everywhere). Recently these companies have moved onto a digital platform. This gives a) better quality pictures to you, b) greater revenue to the companies (through upgraded systems and increased fees), and c) better control to the companies. The latter is derived through your having to have a decoder (digibox) with a card in it. The card is basically a transponder that tells the digibox your customer number. If you stop paying your direct debit the company will simply tell their system not to allow the decoding of any signals to a digibox that has a card with your customer number in it. To any techies reading this, it may not be scientifically correct in every aspect, but basically this is what happens.

There have been so many debates as to whether this is legal or illegal, and personally I don't know and I don't care (I only have terrestrial Spanish TV and a DVD player). The fact remains that there are myriad businesses offering this service to you, the paying public at large.

Recently in, I believe, the Scilly Isles, the authorities started clamping down on the re-transmitters and put some firms out of business on the pretext that they were operating illegally. Many of the re-transmitters in Spain will tell you that they pay royalties to the relevant programme producers as required, and therefore are operating legally. Who knows?

If you want this service, fill your boots. Have an ask around (your neighbours) and see which companies are giving the best service to their customers before committing yourself if you decide to go ahead.

Hope this helps. I'm not being patronising or judgemental, just trying to give you the bigger picture (and I ain't talking about widescreen ).

Chris.

[Adey]

I was given an airial, and a decoder box with a card in it, the card was no good to receive sattelite programs, but I do get the following free to view channels with it for free.

Sky news
TCM Films
MTV music
Reserve channel 1
Reserve channel 2
Boomerang kids cartoons
About 16 radio channels

Reserve channels 1 & 2 have some very good programmes on, my airial is pointing towards Montisinos, but it may work just as well if pointed to the other transmitter at La Mata, there are enough free programmes to keep you occupied during your holidays.

Adey

[newboy]

Thanks

Thanks for all the replies and help, especially to Doc for such a comprehensive answer, it may be old hat to regulars but a great help to "newboys" like me (see further question)
Thanks again

[Doc]

Glad to be able to help. Most of the information I'm able to give is as a result of having been given the information myself from the various forums available. It's good to be able to give back the help I was given when I was a new boy too!

Chris

[morbob]

I thank you too Doc. Have read bits in the past but nothing that explained it properly like you have. Now up to better half on what she wants to spend our money on to get her soaps while in Spain.

Anything that gets money out of the foreigners is "legal" is Spain like :

Hire cars that make you buy a full tank of petrol even if you don't want to.
Bank charges, even for depositing a cheque, as well as the annual charge.
Wealth Tax
Taking over your land (in Valancia) and making you pay for it's development.
Tax when you buy a house and tax when you sell it.
The latest is that houses in urbanisations will have to pay double for their rubbish collection compared with locals even though they may only be there for part of the year.

So just pay up or .......