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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Does the Smart Box need an aerial?

Apologies if this question has been asked hundreds of times already, but does the new Smart box require a digital aerial to watch Freeview channels live? The idea I got from the Live Chat advisor is that I would be able to watch the Freeview channels via my broadband connection and no aerial of any type was needed.

 

Is anyone able to confirm that I would be able to watch BBC, Channel 4 etc live still just using a broadband connection?

 

Thankyou in advance!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi @Anonymous User

 

You definitely need an indoor or outdoor aerial to receive the Freeview stations on the new Smart Box.

 

I will make sure that our live chat agents are fully aware of this.

 

Thanks

Andy

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33 REPLIES 33
schnapps
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Legend 5

@Anonymous User

 

Haven't used any Freesat Freetime satellite boxes, but owned a Humax Freeview+ and BT YouView box (manufactured by Humax) and they have both been totally reliable and easy to operate  / record with.


If money is tight have you considered looking at either a refurbished box which i believe you can buy from the Humax website or alternatively looking on places like Ebay or Gumtree or you don't want to take a risk and rather play safe with a brand new box ?

 

Andy
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Legend 5

@Anonymous User

 

I'd go for the Humax HDR-1100S which comes in white and black to suit your setup from all the usual places. Be careful when browsing as you will see some cheaper Freetime boxes but they don't have recording ability, and you'll also see some cheaper Freesat recorders but they have the older style EPGs which are more clunky.

 

I have the HDR-1000S which is the same model apart from no wifi (mines connected by Ethernet) and I really do love it. Combined with NOW TV I can't see me going back to Sky anytime soon!

 

Just remember to watch any recordings you've stored up on your Sky box before you end with Sky as you won't be able to access them after you've left. 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi I know this may be a silly question but can you please explain to me how I use the sky box to get review in conjunction with my now to smart box😱

SeeMoreDigital
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Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User,

 

If you are trying to connect the coaxial lead from your old Sky satellite box to your new NOW TV 'smart' box, this is not possible!

 

The NOW TV 'smart' box requires a conventional TV aerial connection to receive the terrestrial (DVB-T/T2) Freeview channels...

 

 

Cheers

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi @Anonymous User

 

You definitely need an indoor or outdoor aerial to receive the Freeview stations on the new Smart Box.

 

I will make sure that our live chat agents are fully aware of this.

 

Thanks

Andy

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi can I use my old sky Dish as a aerial for the new Now tv smart box 

caseyb1993
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@Anonymous User Hello 🙂

Please see here.

I am not staff, I am a customer that likes to help,
so please click the Thank You/Thumbs Up button if I helped you out and maybe even accept it as a solution? 🙂
Anonymous User
Not applicable

If I were to get the new smart box which requires an aerial input (in my case the main aerial point is in my livingroom) does that mean that other TVs (i.e. in a bedroom) would not require any type of aerial input and could be used with no aerial?  I was thinking specifically of a tv in a bedroom which currently streams NowTV via a PS4 but where freeview programmes are also watched and which requires an tv aerial extension cable to do that.  We are currently running the aerial extension cable through from a point in another room and were just about to tidy up the cable and secure it/hide it where possible but there's no point in doing that if the cable wouldn't be needed if we got a smart box.  OR...is it better to have an aerial cable anyway in case the internet was down for any reason?  Am I understanding this correctly?  Thank you.

SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User,

 

All televisions or set-top boxes that have an (DVB-T/T2) digital TV tuner within them will require a TV aerial to be connected to them in order to view the Freeview television channels...

 

To confirm... The Freeview service is accessed via a TV aerial, it's not accessed via the internet.

 

However, if you only want to use the Smart box to view NOW TV content via the internet, you don't need to connect a TV aerial to it...

 

 

Cheers

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi and thanks for the reply.

Sorry, I think I asked that question all wrong! - It's not the smart box I meant (sorry for the confusion, I'm not good with this stuff!), it's the new NowTV hub (router) which is supplied with the tv/broadband combo.  I thought that Freeview is now streamed through the new hub together with whatever NowTV subscription is in force, and therefore would also be streamed to any device connected wirelessly, thus meaning that an aerial is only required for the hub and not for other TVs which watch a freeview programme through NowTV.  Does that make sense and is that correct?