- Further TV and radio services delist from older Freesat receivers as ebay sellers try to flog worthless boxes.
Older Freesat boxes have moved closer to becoming completely obsolete with numerous TV and radio services ceasing to be available.
Users of older Freesat SD satellite receivers can no longer receive any UK radio stations, after services including Capital Xtra, BFBS and TalkSport ceased to be available on Tuesday.
In addition, shopping channel TJC and religious channel Sonlife have ceased to be available on SD boxes.
Other affected radio stations include Smooth Radio and Virgin Radio.
It follows the closure of all BBC SD TV channels and some ITV-owned channels at the beginning of the year. Those changes mean many viewers can’t even access their regional news service on Freesat SD boxes anymore.
BBC radio is no longer available on older Freesat boxes due to technical reasons related to the way the BBC broadcasts its TV services on satellite. Broadcasters are not only switching to HD, they’re also switching to the DVB-S2 standard. Older Freesat boxes don’t support DVB-S2.
At present, users of older Freesat boxes can only access Ireland’s RTÉ radio stations.
All affected services are still available on newer Freesat receivers, including the platform’s flagship 4K box.
Some channels, including GB News and Sky Mix (Sky’s free-to-air entertainment channel) have only ever broadcast in HD on satellite, meaning older Freesat boxes have never been able to receive these channels.
It’s expected that further channels will cease to be receivable on older Freesat boxes in due course as further technical changes to the satellite signals are made, meaning they are of little to no use to users and of little value second-hand.
Ebay non-bargains
That’s not stopped ebay sellers putting up old Goodmans, Grundig and Bush-branded Freesat boxes on the website. Typical prices are around £12.50 plus postage.
However, anyone buying the boxes hoping to be able to use them perhaps as a second multiroom will be disappointed. Not only can they no longer be used to receive many popular channels, these Freesat boxes won’t work on installations used by Sky Q boxes, either. That’s due to differences in the way the Sky Q LNB works (the small unit at the end of the arm in front of the satellite dish).
By: Marc Thornham | Image: old Freesat SD box on sale on eBay