On 2006-09-30 12:08:00 +0100, "Patty" said:

I want to pick up French TV channels. Do they have freeview over there
and, if so, could I receive those channels here? There is an old
satellite dish on the side of our house as the previous owners had Sky,
but we don't subscribe. Could I use that or would I need something
different?

Patty

The easiest way is to get a satellite dish directed for the Eutelsat
Hotbird satellites on a bearing of 13 degrees E.

http://www.eutelsat.com/satellites/3_2_1.html

These carry the largest number of French language channels, many of
which are FTA (free to air).

http://www.lyngsat.com/freetv/France.html


A Sky dish is not suitable as it is too small in most parts of the UK.
It could possibly be directed from its current direction of 28.2
degrees East, but this would need a satellite installer to do the work
and while you are paying for that you might as well get a decent dish
for the job.

A DVB receiver would be required as well - the Sky box is not really
suitable because it is quite tied to their particular system.

A decent satellite system installer should be able to supply all you
need. There are also sources of subscription cards if you need those
for any paid channels you might like.