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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Freesat

Hello beautiful people,

 

I currently have BT with Now however the aerial quality slips when I try to split with the bedroom.

 

 Is there a type of freesat that works in the same way as a BT box with Freeview that you can watch the freesat alongside Now?

 

 

6 REPLIES 6
schnapps
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @Anonymous User 

 

There is currently no FreeSat box on the market that offers the inbuilt NOW App that i am aware of.

 

A couple of things might be worth looking at :-

 

1. A portable TV Freeview aerial for your Bedroom if the TV transmitter is not too far away from your home (this TV portable aerial gets good reviews and if it doesn't meet your expectations then send it back in the returns window).

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B081T6HQ2L/ref=dp_prsubs_1 

 

2. Maybe consider running a separate FreeSat box and NOW supported device such has a NOW Stick, Roku Streamer or Fire Stick together on two separate HDMI sources on your Bedroom television (assuming your TV has sufficient spare HDMI ports on it).

 

3. See if your television has a Satellite TV tuner which are sometimes fitted on mid to higher tier televisions and again run a separate NOW supported TV streaming box / stick.

 

4. Look at getting a second fixed installed external TV aerial for the Bedroom television.

 

If it was me, i would look at a portable TV aerial first and if the reception is poor send it back for a refund, before considering other alternatives.

 

 

Saint1976
Elite 3

@Anonymous User following on from @schnapps advice, a quick query on your interchangeable use of Freeview and Freesat.

 

You are aware that although essentially supplying the same channels, they do so very differently - Freeview by an aerial, Freesat by a satellite dish.

 

If you don't have a satellite dish then a Freesat box and/or a TV with a satellite (DVB2) tuner won't be appropriate.

 

A portable aerial (for Freeview channels) and external streaming device (for Now)  would be the most appropriate and cost effective of the options providing both receive a good enough signal.

 

A final alternative is the BT multi room bolt on for £5 a month. I believe that the extra box would need to be connected to your router and of course, the obligatory aerial connection.

 

Final daft question, how are you splitting your aerial signal? Is it a passive connection ie a little connector with one in and two out, or an active splitter ie a powered box that amplifies and distributes the signal?

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Hi, was splitting with a passive one with joy, but it started to play up after a while so  switched to a “one for all” splitter with amp and it was working well then suddenly started to break up. An internal aerial hasn’t worked either , probably due to being in a ground floor apartment. Tried an old external one and had no joy. Only some very broken channels. 

I was thinking of getting a satellite but I’ll need permission, but it seems like there is now bt equivalent for freesat where you can watch the channels alongside now. 

I was thinking of getting the Manhattan freesat with a Scart connection alongside my roku with hdmi on the now. 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

I do have a second box and paying the extra £5 pm with bt but for no reason as can’t get a split signal strong enough 

Mark_Weinreb
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User If you do decide to go the Freesat route and install a dish (with permission, of course), don’t forget that the dish needs to point roughly south-east with an unobstructed view of the sky. So unless your flat is south or east facing, you may be out of luck. 

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Thanks. 

I have been looking into HDHomeRun to get the signal into the other room via the Wi-fi network which is very reliable. It takes the feed from the aerial and then streams to all the devices on your home network.