TV
July 5, 2007
Although Skye is a remote island, all features of modern life are available. So is TV… only a bit different from what we were used to.
First the only way to watch TV is to install a disc and aim for a satellite. There’s no cable on the island. Next you need to decide upon your service provider. Basically there’s not much choice but Sky, although it should be possible to track other satellites but that would require more expensive equipment.
To receive the signal from the Sky satellite (a geo-stationary satellite) you need - besides the dish - a Sky decoder and a Sky chip card. There are several decoder boxes available. The most modern boxes offer a hard disk recorder which allows for easy recording and playback of your favorite TV programs. For the computer buff: unfortunately it’s not possible to attach the box to your LAN and retrieve content from the Sky box…
The Sky chip card is a well known format: a plastic card with an ID chip that tells the decoder which channels you’re allowed to see. This is where the fun starts… You can’t watch everything you want from the long list of channels. For specific programs, like sports, box office movies or theme channels, you have to pay. If you want it all (hundreds of channels) you pay a hefty bill each month. If you’re satisfied with the free channels you still have well over a hundred channels to watch.
Besides any money you pay to Sky, you also have to buy your TV license! This one will cost you £140.00 per year. If you don’t pay, you’ll receive some nasty letters that you’re busy committing a criminal offense and that they’re about to sue you for a substantial fine of a couple of thousands pounds. We decided to be cowards and pay up… All in all, if you decide to go for the Full Monty, your TV license and paid content from Skye, you’ll be looking at an annual bill of around £700.00 to £800.00!! Otherwise you’re done for £140.00 per year.
Unfortunately there’s no easy way to receive Dutch TV channels. That would require another dish / decoder setup, and probably a paid subscription from a content provider. There’s no free lunch!
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