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Possibility of Digital English TV in Spain (e.g. Sky Plus) for my Spanish wife (sigh!)

Jan 14, 2009 · SteveBarbosa · 20 replies · 15218 views
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Hola,

One of my wife's pre-requisites to moving back to Spain from England (she's spanish) is that she MUST be able to view english television. This is a must have luxury (sigh!). After 14 years in the UK its got to the stage where she can't go without things like BBC docs, dramas, and dare I say it - eastenders!

Anyway, my question is whether its possible to legally have installed a SKY digital satellite dish, e.g. Sky + and legally pay for subscriptions. Has anyone got this set up? I know my dad did it when he was living in Estepa, near Malaga, but he paid a 'one off' fee which I recall was a bit of a con.

Has anyone got experience of getting a SKY system installed and setup in spain legal or non legal?

Sorry for spanish television, but my wife thinks its terrible most of the time (and that is saying something from a spanish person!).

Thanks, Steve
Jan 14, 2009 · jurdyr
freesat is what you need , buy box in the uk and just get hooked up to a dish when you get to spain ( problem is that free uk channels used Astra 2d , footprint is beamed to uk ireland and a 1 - 1,,.2 meter dish would be need on CDS www.freesat.co.uk just need to put you postcode in so the box know whats area you in for you loacl tv channels are . I.e. bbc london are bbc north west

if you looking for sly tv
With over 8 million subscribers, Sky is the UK?s most popular digital satellite entertainment service provider.
Using advanced satellite technology, they deliver access to more than 200 channels of programming to homes and businesses that have digital satellite equipment supplied by Sky; this equipment includes a small satellite dish (minidish), a Sky box (a digital satellite receiver) and a remote control.
Information on Sky Digital, Sky+, a Sky Digital FAQ, Sky remote codes and Sky's EPG (Electronic Programme Guide) explained.
Sky HD launched on 22 May 2006 in the UK and the Republic of Ireland to enable high definition channels on Sky Digital to be viewed.
Sky has been the only British datellite platform for many years, with the arrival of Freesat, Sky has real competion in the satellite market. Sky will of course continue to be the first choice for those wanting the best sports coverage and the latest films .
sly cost any think from 24 pounds to 100 pound per month

same sport you have on slysport is on canal + , tve tdt channels (that free ) look at www.tdt.es are www.plus.es

any more give me a shot
jurdy
Jan 14, 2009 · SteveBarbosa
Thanks Jurdy. Will look into it all. I thought you could at least get the basic setup by getting a satellite dish, sky box and point it in the right direction and you can get free to view/air channels but not the subscription channels like sports/movies/etc.

I might be wrong on this though. If someone could enlighten me?
Jan 14, 2009 · jurdyr
freesat what you need then 140 channels and more to be added soon
Jan 15, 2009 · heath1974
Sounds like some of the channels your missus likes are not "freeview" and only come with a Sky or Sky+ subscription.

I suppose it depends where you will be living, but here in Granada I know a company that I refer my own clients to who can get a subscription based system set up legitimately(ish) - (given that in actuality no sky system used in spain is totally legitimate as they don't support end users outside countries where they have broadcast rights...)

I think it's done by registering the subscription to a UK address, or something along those lines.

The other alternative as jurdyr say though is the freeview and freesat options. Though your missus might not be able to get some of the channels she likes with a subscription you may have in the UK.
Jan 15, 2009 · jurdyr
sky tv is for uk only , people who like sky tv for its sport and movies would used there address are mates address with uk bank account , same sports is on Digial plus in spain and movies at out lot faster then sky tv in the uk , with english audio (movies channels only )

1 dont ring with you id showing from spain you get cut off

2 no sky agent legitimate out side UK and Ireland , so tell you there are "Will big fat lie , as in the case off telemirco rebrodcasting and people useing sky logos well told take off websites in spain last summer

3 pub useing sky tv for there gains are hit by sky from time to time as there a commercial rate , from 400 pounds per month to 700 pounds , big the place more you pay

bbc 1,2,3,4 , cbbc and more look there channel list http://www.freesat.co.uk/index.php?page=whatson.Genre&genre_id=6
Jan 15, 2009 · SteveBarbosa
Ok peeps and thanks. I have sky+ at home in uk fully subscribed, i.e. i get a billed each month and I have a viewing card.

If I take that to spain and then connect it up myself do you know if I will get cut off sooner or later by sky?

If so, lets cut to the chase here right now...


...how or where can I get sky+ with all the channels ILLegally? :-) Forget the legal way as its a hassle and I'll have enough hassles when I'm trying to sort out my life there.

Thanks for your replies - keem em coming!

Steve
Jan 15, 2009 · pepsi
We bought our Sky box and card to Spain and hooked up to a sky dish,we still pay through our british bank account with a british add that we moved from about a year ago and have had no probs.
Talk to people who live in the area you want to live in and get a recommendation of a local Sat fitting company.
Its very simple we have done it on and off for 7 years with no probs
Jan 20, 2009 · SteveBarbosa
We've had our subscription for over a year now so I am going to try and take all the equipment inc. the dish over to spain and continue paying the subscription somehow. The only problem is where do I register my address with sky as I will no longer be living in the registered address that they currently have on record?
Jan 20, 2009 · pepsi
Your dish will not work here so dont bother bringing it over.
Use a friend or relatives add.
Jan 20, 2009 · jurdyr
what part off spain you going to be living in ? then i know size dish you need
jurdy
Feb 16, 2009 · SteveBarbosa
Not sure where we're going to live just yet - will be scouting/touring areas this year.

What dish do I need then for Castilla la Mancha? (Motilla del Palancar).
Feb 16, 2009 · jurdyr
You need 1 . 2 meter dish in Madrid area , this will get bought night and daytime , you could get away with a Dish 85 cm dish but would not be the best ..... but if you get the 1.2 meter dish you can used Monoblock LNB , Top performance lnb enables reception of astra and hotbird from 1 lnb

More channels ..... if you looking any good deal with D+ 6 months , halfprice deals on top package off 51 euros .. more pm me
jurdy
Oct 30, 2009 · SpainExpat member
You will be suprised with how small a dish you can pick up sky witj, for example in the north of spain you may get away with a 0.5 meter dish, for all your equipment, these guys are good Sky Cards my uncle used them for his sky box
Oct 30, 2009 · jurdyr
as the link above , dont used it get own cards from uk with uk address as seen in spain a company that was taken money from the people went wall and people where cought out some to tune off 180 euros last week
Nov 4, 2009 · SpainExpat member
these guys sky cards are reliable, as a testiment i have successfully viewed sky using their services, sometimes when things are to good to be true they are not!
Nov 5, 2009 · ukshoppinginspain
The way I see it, you do not need the Pay channels ......... BBC, ITV and C4 C5 and all sub channels of those are free.

If you are heading for the Malaga area, you will need a 1.3 to 1.5 metre dish

And sky card or free view, you will never have a legal installation - the UK TV companies do not hold the rights to show any of their programmes outside of the UK, those rights have been purchased by and belong to Spanish companies!
Nov 18, 2009 · SteveBarbosa
Hi ukshoppinginspain, what do you mean the bbc, etc are free? Do you mean they are available on spanish freesat digital?

Just wondering before I get an engineer out to install a dish and connect my sky+ box to it. I am also going to get TDT digital as I've been told that its what we need if we want spanish digital for free, i.e. equivalent to freesat in the uk.

Advice more than welcome. Thanks, Steve
Dec 7, 2009 · TRJeff
Spanish TV is not comparable to the quality of british televsion in my opinion, I mean UK has a lot of garbage on too on the private channels, but I still highly value certain BBC programmes. Sky on the other hand is somewhat overrated if you ask me, and too expensive for what it is.
Jan 11, 2010 · satandpcguy

> Hi ukshoppinginspain, what do you mean the bbc, etc are free? Do you mean they are available on spanish freesat digital?


The BBC channels have been available for free - ie without the need of a sky viewing card - for over 5 years.
Many ITV channels have also been available for free ie without the need of a sky viewing card for a smilar time.

Only FIVE is available for free (without a card). For Fiver and FIVE USA you need a sky card - either a freesatfromsky cafrd or a subscription card.

They are only available onthe UK TV satellites, they are not available on the satellites that transmit Spanish satellite TV.

Depending on your location, to receive BBC and ITV you will require an 1m (north east Spain) or a 2.4m (alicante) satellite dish.
You can still receive about 200 plus other free (no sky card required) TV channels on a small 80 cm dish (http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/uk_tv_channels_available_on_small_dish_costa_blanca_spain.php)

Spain does not have a version of Freesat - as many of the "main" Spanish channels are only available via a pay subscription to D+, Spains satellite TV company.

There are a f ew regional Spanish channels, and TVEi, available for free on Astra 1 (19 east) and Hispasat (30 West), but no main SPanish channels.


> Just wondering before I get an engineer out to install a dish and connect my sky+ box to it. I am also going to get TDT digital as I've been told that its what we need if we want spanish digital for free, i.e. equivalent to freesat in the uk.


Spanish TDT is a terrestrial system.
UK Freesat is an extraterrestrial system.

They are not the same.

Spanish TDT requires three components:
A tv aerial
An masthead amplifer and power supply
A digital terrestrial tuner.

There is no such thing as a Digital aerial. Any aerial will do, it just needs to be configured correctly!
An aerial with its "wings" left and right is configured for analogue TV.
An aerial with its "wings" top and bottom is configured for digital TV.
If you get some installer out to install TDT for you, always ask him to try your exisitn aerial first - it could save you from buying a new aerial unnecessarily.

Amps and power supplies are pretty much required all the time, to help boost the digital signals. I have found that internal amplifers are not as good as a seperate masthead and PS system.

TDT tuners are either a seperate set top box, or many (if not all) of the new flat screen TVs have a digital tuner built into them (although I have found many TVs with builtin tuners to be very poor comparted to a seperate set top box).

With a good system you can expect over 20 (in my area 30!) Spanish digital terrestrial channels - all available for free.
Recently pay TDT (or Premium TDT) hsa been allowed, and the first pay / subscription TDT channel is GOL TV, with more to come this year.

HD on TDT is still being developed - I have only seen Canal9HD around Valencia area.

Some UK Freeview receivers do work in Spain, but they can be limited as their software may not be totally compatiable with the TDT system and limit some functions.

Hope this helps.