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UK subscription card without receiver
£100 /
€150
you agree to subscribe for at least
12months using our service, annual fees are
detailed here - http://www.smart2check.com/submanaged.htm
ROI Irish Sky subscription card without receiver
£100 /
€150 |
sky packages subscription costs and information
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freesat card without receiver
£45 /
€67.50 freesat card without receiver 1079 |
Sky Digiboxes Overview
Digiboxes have been made by Amstrad, Sony, Thomson, Panasonic, Grundig, and most commonly, Pace. Despite the reference designs being identical, a number of digibox lines have specific faults or
traits, such as failing modems on Grundig units, and unstable tuners on older model Pace and Amstrad boxes. Some units add features not found on other models, such as S-Video sockets on some Grundig
units, and TOSLINK output on Sony's.
Amstrad and Thomson have recently resumed production with the DRX500 and DSi4212 boxes respectively. contract Digiboxes for new customers are assigned randomly, and cannot be chosen, creating an
after market for specific boxes due to their individual features. Some as example perform better in fringe reception areas.
Standardised design
On December 16th 2005, it was announced that future Digiboxes would have a standardised cosmetic design, although manufacturing contracts would remain with the three current makers, the remote
control is also to be redesigned with a silver colouring.
A PVR version of Digibox exists, marketed as Sky+. These PVR units have dual LNB inputs, a hard disk ranging from 40 to 160Gb, and optical digital audio output, as well as all other features of the
Sky box. These units are manufactured by Amstrad, Pace and Thomson only, and use a different remote control.
The latest HD generation of Digibox has also just been announced,6 with the features of Sky+, and the additional ability to receive DVB-S2 HDTV signals in the MPEG-4 format. The initial manufacturer
of these SkyHD boxes is Thomson, and they will debut in April 2006 with the launch of HDTV channels on Sky Digital. Pace already make DVB-S2 receivers and are expected to make a Sky HDTV digibox
shortly afterwards. Currently National Geographic is broadcasting test HDTV programming.
Recommended digiboxes for fringe reception areas in Europe
Whilst assessing which digibox to purchase consideration must be given for the Astra 2D footprint. Astra 2D provides the signal for BBC and ITV programmes and the footprint is tightly focused on the
UK, unlike the other footprints which carry the signals for Channel 4 or Sky News. Although it is possible to pick up 2D signals as far away as Africa, to do so successfully requires a very large
dish. Most people want to keep dish size to a minimum and having a receiver that has a 'low signal threshold' helps them do this.
Pace
The digibox generally recognised as the best for Europe - especially those parts of Europe well away from the footprint epicentre - is the Pace 2600C1 and its recent successor, the Pace DS430N. Both
models look the same, but the DS430N has a faster processor. The 2600 is generally considered to work better in a weak signal area and this model should be considered for countries such as Cyprus,
Greece, Southern Italy, the Canary Islands etc - where signal strength is exceptionally weak. Most installers in Spain use the DS430N, but you may consider buying a 2600 if you are in a difficult
area such as the coastal region around Cartagena and Valencia, or one of the Balearic islands. If you live anywhere in France, choose the DS430N over the 2600, as it is unlikely that you will benefit
from the very low-threshold level of the 2600. In our tests the picture and sound quality from the pace units proved to be admiral (indeed this was also true of older pace models).
The Pace 2600C1 is no longer available to buy new and it's low signal threshold makes it highly sought after and therefore more expensive than a new DS430N.
The DS440N is a recent release by Pace and like past releases by Pace the model performs well in
fringe areas, it is still not as good as the 2600C1 but overall a good receiver
from a respected manufacturer and generally better than the DS430N which was
successful in many fringe areas such as Morocco and Canary Islands. The DS445NB
is the latest release and it's tuner in our opinion could have room for
improvement we found in particular that it's threshold wasn't particularly good
which makes little or no difference in the North of Europe but a big difference
in fringe areas, however we are being picky and a good installer should be able
to compensate with quality dish and LNB components.
Amstrad
The Amstrad DRX 400 also has a low threshold tune, new Amstrads are not available for sale, they are exclusively delivered by Sky only,
so normally you'll only find Amstrad's either come supplied with cards or that
they are second hand models (e.g. on our site we only supply Amstrad's with
cards or the Pace/Thomson models with / without cards) with the older Amstrad's
the reliability of the power supplies are now becoming a concern as these
models are starting to show their age. The latest DRX660 is proving to be better
than the new Pace DS445NB's.
Grundig
The GDS 3000 is a good model for low threshold fringe reception but suffers from power supply problems, we verify all power supplies and functionality before dispatch, but if this is
a concern for you we also offer as a substitute the Panasonic model DSB40. Please specify at time of ordering. Power supply kits for digiboxes start from £8 please contact us if you need any
servicing or reliability kits. Other good Grundig's include the GRD310/2.
Panasonic
The Panasonic TU-DSB30 which is an old model of receiver is also good for fringe areas, and was very popular with expats in Spain.
Some of these have power supplies which are nearing the end of their useful
lives, but can be refurbished with power supply kits, if other components
have failed it's usually more cost effective to replace the unit with a new Pace
machine.
Sony
Sony models look nice, but they aren't particularly good in the fringe areas.
Not recommended.
Thomson
New model Thomson DSI4214C receivers are
particularly good in fringe areas, although picture and sound quality via RF could be better, via the SCART the sound quality in our tests was
actually quite good the picture quality did however have occasional wobbles on the edges - the saving point was the threshold which tested quite well. We have shipped these
across Europe to many fringe areas
including Greece, Cyprus, and several other Mediterranean Islands although we no
longer stock this sky digibox, we replaced it with the Pace DS445NB and Amstrad
DRX660.
For more information of the subscription viewing card bundles follow this link:-
RECEIVING SKY DIGITAL AND BBC TELEVISION IN EUROPE
We will be extending our range of digiboxes to include more second hand models including older models with a proven capability in fringe reception areas. If you are only after a cheap
second hand model and don't have a specific requirement, contact us we have plenty in stock.
Do you want to buy more than one unit at a time, then contact us for a discount
favourable terms for multi unit purchases for both trade and consume alike.
| More digibox models can be found here:-
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Further Notes about
ordering.
Disclaimer: The following notes were added on the 11th
September, and the concerned pages will be continuously reviewd and updated over
the next few weeks until we are sure the content is 100% accurate. If you have
any doubts queries or concerns please contact us first.
When you place an order for any product with a subscription card
we will ask questions relating to your installation and desired package level,
we are happy to do this via email but understand you may wish to give us all
relevant information in advance - for
this purpose we have an experimental order form page, if you wish to use this
form then please click here - you can also print the page and then
fax it to us completed on -- FAX: +44 (0) 870 4904270
General
Notes about subscription cards add on channels and billing including additional
terms and conditions can be found here. Some
goods are sent VAT free, see our terms and conditions for details.
General notes about subscription packages and pricing can be found here.
General channel information can be found here.
Brief pricing information summary on sky subscriptions can be found here.
Click here to send us a message
more products and accessories to enhance your sky digital experience coming soon.
nif you want a trade deal or to purchase more than one unit in a tailored offer please contact us for an individual quote.
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