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FTA and Subscription Service in a single unit?

4K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Cham 
#1 ·
Good Day Everyone,

I received some older FTA equipment for free a while back and I'm ready to play with it in earnest. Since my first foray is going to be an earnest attempt to get whatever I can with what I got (read: fixed on Galaxy 19 since IIRC that has the most FTA on one bird) I'll probably want to set up something more permanent and more elaborate so I can enjoy the programming on my main TV. From what I've seen on YouTube of people recording their channel surfing, its intriguing to see such diverse programming.

There is one bottleneck though if things get more elaborate: My TV. The problem with my TV is a lack of HDMI inputs. Both are currently taken (one is for my BluRay and the other is for my Bell service). I have no intention of canceling my Bell service; I've been a bell customer for 12 years and as such I am on a legacy package system that you can't get anymore. Not only that but I just got my first HDTV (panasonic plasma.... I'm in love!) and now that I get Bell's HD programming there is NO WAY I can cancel the service. I just can't give up OasisHD (totally addicted!!) as well as WildTV on SD among a few other channels. This brings me to my question:

If I do find myself becoming more and more addicted to the FTA hobby, are there any receivers out there that would let me do it "all in one" with my Bell service? Could I call Bell and say "yes, I have Brand Y receiver its serial number is XXX" or some equivalent and I would be able to get my Bell service on it in addition to FTA? If not its really no big deal, but I figure why have yet another box (and the HDMI "Y-cable" or composite) if I dont have to? Why not receive Bell Programming and FTA on one unit?

Again, I want to be clear here that I do NOT want something that requires an "internet connection" or "updates" or anything illegal (I did get a chuckle though out of the "how do I get channels?" locked threads though), just an option (if one exists) to have one receiver instead of two should my FTA experimentation become an addiction :)

PS - i looked over the stickies here and went a back a ways in this forum. I didn't find anything relevant. I also checked a few online stores but couldn't really tell for sure if something does/does not exist. Sorry if I missed something.

PPS- I thought about calling Bell and asking but based on estimated hold times all of Canada got TV's for Christmas! :)
 
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#2 ·
East is east, and west is west, and never the twain shall meet...

Or in this case, the set of Bell receivers with circular LNBs showing you the encrypted channels you have subscribed to, does not intersect with FTA receivers/free channels/linear transmissions.

There is a slim chance you may have one of the old eyepatch receivers worth hanging on to, but if you want to experiment... the GeoSat Pro MicroHD is a nice current technology FTA receiver that can connect to composite video/analog audio connections on your TV, and a used StarChoice dish can probably be found on Kijiji for almost free. Or, buy a new dish and LNB if you feel flush, then add a motor later.
 
#3 ·
If you have a spare Component Input on the TV, use that for your Bell TV Service, as there is nothing in 1080i transmitted by Bell TV, unless of course you buy the Bell On Demand offerings that are 1080p.

Failing that, get an HDMI Splitter/switch, that would solve your problems.
 
#6 ·
If I do find myself becoming more and more addicted to the FTA hobby, are there any receivers out there that would let me do it "all in one" with my Bell service?
Hello and welcome to our sponsored forum here at DigitalHome.ca. Unfortunately, there is no way to legally receive Bell TV service with any non-Bell TV receiver. Although technically it would be possible as you can do this with many providers in Europe, Bell and other North American subscription satellite TV providers won't allow it because:

- They make more money selling and/or renting receivers in addition to their monthly subscription revenue.
- They are able to use the high hardware cost for their receivers as a tool to lock customers who don't want to pay upfront costs in a contract and make even more money. (i.e. free receivers on a 2 year term, etc...)
- They don't want to increase the cost to provide technical support by supporting third party hardware.
- They want to have total control over the end user experience.


So in light of this, your options are:

- Use component input(s) on your TV if you have any which are unused. You will still get either 720p or 1080i HD resolutions but no 1080p.
- Standalone HDMI switch
- A/V receiver that has a built-in HDMI switch


Best regards,

Dr. Sat
 
#8 ·
Yes, and there are very few feeds that support anything higher then 1080i on FTA satellites.

Always wondered, however, what about some of those encrypted signals that are DVBS2 using Powerview, on G17 at 91w and SES2 87w? These are encrypted to who?
 
#9 ·
SOme surround sound systems have HDMI hubs built in to switch between inputs. Very handy when the TV has limited inputs or is difficult to access. Just switch inputs on the sound system remote for the receiver(s), blu-ray, tivo, etc.
I have had a Bell sub for many years too and upgraded to HD a while back. Not much Canadian programming on FTA especially news. Nice to have it to make up for what's missing on FTA.
 
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