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- Location
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- My Satellite Setup
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TM 5402HD
Sky+ UK.
- My Location
- Scottish Borders
Thought I would start a thread to collate information about the availability of basic cards from around Europe.
The main category of these is one off or not too expensive monthly fee and the card / cam lasts a few years and gives you access to a small set of channels - normally from the national broadcaster.
Normally these cards are only available to residents of the country concerned, and can be expensive if you have to use a foreign reseller.
Armenia
Shant TV HD 13E
a new bouquet due to start soon. Cost "from €5/month" Availability currently unknown outside Armenia.
Belgium
TV Vlaanderen 19E
For the Belgian psb channels.
Original cost seems to be around €80, but you need a Belgian address.
Hard to find from resellers.
Czech Republic / Slovakia
Czech Freesat 1W (cz.freesattv.tv)
A one off payment of CZK500 (~£20 at Jan 2017 exchange rates) plus a yearly fee of CZK500 seems to give access to about 30 channels on 1W. Probably local contacts only for this one, Ive not seen it anywhere on reseller sites.
Fotelka TV (www.fotelka.tv)
Multiple packages available with the "everything" full package being ~€120/year in Apr 2020 and giving access to 80 or so channels. Uses CI+ cams or dedicated receivers.
France
TNTSat 19E
Gives you around 20 channels including all the main PSB services - widely available from resellers but only as receiver / card bundles to start with, no cams available. Cards need replacing every 4 years. Cards may work in softcams with a bit of work.
Fransat 5W
Gives you around 20 channels - widely available from resellers. Cards & cams available, but requires CI+ slots.
BIS TV 13E
A bottom tier subscription to BIS gives access to all the main French PSB channels with several in HD. Annual fee is ~€75
Germany
HD+ 19E
Most of the German PSB channels are available in the clear in both SD & HD, but commercial channels have started encrypting their HD content. At the moment around a dozen channels are available.
HD+ cams or receivers are fairly easily available from resellers starting at around €100 for one years viewing, after this the service fee is €75. NOTE - You require a receiver with an CI+ cam slot - normal cam slots are not compatible.
Feb 2017 - subscriptions now available for smart tvs using a usb dongle rather than as CI+ cam. Yearly fee remains the same.
Yearly recharges seem to be available on the HD+site here
Italy
Tivusat 13E
Gives access to around a dozen encrypted channels including several RAI ones - widely available from resellers - UK prices start at around £100 for pre authorised cards
"Sky Italia freesat"
2 or 3 channels on the Sky Italia platform supposedly transmit ftv. Card availability is unknown - could well be expired subscription cards only
Poland
NC+ Telewizja na karte 13E
Available from online retailer satsklep.pl, which has an English option on its website. Seems to be mainly CI+ cams used.
Portugal
Meo TV 30W
National Portuguese channels are available free on satellite if you live outside the range of the terrestrial transmitters.
Availability probably only via local contacts as there is a requirement to provide a Citizen ID or tax number.
Romania
TVR 16E
A card costs around €70/year from the sole supplier Ive found so far (TV Corner in France) Gives you TVR 1, 2, TVR HD on 16E
Romanian on line shops selling them seem few & far between but there are one or two out there.
Romania Freesat 16E
Yearly fee in Romania is ~100Lei Plus a one off charge of 60Lei for the card, & can be added to a TVR card. On line availability seems to be limited
Serbia / Montenegro / Bosnia
Telekon Srbija
A new multi transponder service is due to launch in mid December 2018 via 23.5E. Encryption is Conax - availability & cost currently unknown
Slovenia
TV Slovenia 16E
~€20 if you can find a Slovenian contact!
RTV Slovenija via Satellite and across Europe :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija
Seems to be impossible to find from resellers so this one is probably via local contacts only.
Spain
TDT Sat 30W
Was virtually impossible to find in the past but now available from one or two retailers on line. A one off charge of ~€350 for a receiver from online sources.
Feb 2017 - reports say the satellite receivers are now available in stores in Spain for about €140
Switzerland
SRG 13E
2007 price was 60 CHF (plus you also have to pay an annual licence fee of 462 CHF). Gives you the 6 main Swiss channels
UK
FreesatfromSky 28E
costs around £25 from Sky and gives you half a dozen minor ftv channels. Plus the ultra local TV channels that have recently launched. Also regionalises the uk Sky digibox to the area the card is supplied to.
Widely available from resellers but expect to pay a hefty middleman fee.
Access to the BBC ITV C4 & C5 fta channels, but see the note on the Freesat entry below.
Freesat 28E
Free, no card required, just the equipment needed.Gives you access to all the BBC ITV C4 & C5 fta channels plus a host of others. You need to be inside the UK spotbeam coverage area for the PSB channels, so basically only of any use in north western Europe.
The main category of these is one off or not too expensive monthly fee and the card / cam lasts a few years and gives you access to a small set of channels - normally from the national broadcaster.
Normally these cards are only available to residents of the country concerned, and can be expensive if you have to use a foreign reseller.
Armenia
Shant TV HD 13E
a new bouquet due to start soon. Cost "from €5/month" Availability currently unknown outside Armenia.
Belgium
TV Vlaanderen 19E
For the Belgian psb channels.
Original cost seems to be around €80, but you need a Belgian address.
Hard to find from resellers.
Czech Republic / Slovakia
Czech Freesat 1W (cz.freesattv.tv)
A one off payment of CZK500 (~£20 at Jan 2017 exchange rates) plus a yearly fee of CZK500 seems to give access to about 30 channels on 1W. Probably local contacts only for this one, Ive not seen it anywhere on reseller sites.
Fotelka TV (www.fotelka.tv)
Multiple packages available with the "everything" full package being ~€120/year in Apr 2020 and giving access to 80 or so channels. Uses CI+ cams or dedicated receivers.
France
TNTSat 19E
Gives you around 20 channels including all the main PSB services - widely available from resellers but only as receiver / card bundles to start with, no cams available. Cards need replacing every 4 years. Cards may work in softcams with a bit of work.
Fransat 5W
Gives you around 20 channels - widely available from resellers. Cards & cams available, but requires CI+ slots.
BIS TV 13E
A bottom tier subscription to BIS gives access to all the main French PSB channels with several in HD. Annual fee is ~€75
Germany
HD+ 19E
Most of the German PSB channels are available in the clear in both SD & HD, but commercial channels have started encrypting their HD content. At the moment around a dozen channels are available.
HD+ cams or receivers are fairly easily available from resellers starting at around €100 for one years viewing, after this the service fee is €75. NOTE - You require a receiver with an CI+ cam slot - normal cam slots are not compatible.
Feb 2017 - subscriptions now available for smart tvs using a usb dongle rather than as CI+ cam. Yearly fee remains the same.
Yearly recharges seem to be available on the HD+site here
Italy
Tivusat 13E
Gives access to around a dozen encrypted channels including several RAI ones - widely available from resellers - UK prices start at around £100 for pre authorised cards
"Sky Italia freesat"
2 or 3 channels on the Sky Italia platform supposedly transmit ftv. Card availability is unknown - could well be expired subscription cards only
Poland
NC+ Telewizja na karte 13E
Available from online retailer satsklep.pl, which has an English option on its website. Seems to be mainly CI+ cams used.
Portugal
Meo TV 30W
National Portuguese channels are available free on satellite if you live outside the range of the terrestrial transmitters.
Availability probably only via local contacts as there is a requirement to provide a Citizen ID or tax number.
Romania
TVR 16E
A card costs around €70/year from the sole supplier Ive found so far (TV Corner in France) Gives you TVR 1, 2, TVR HD on 16E
Romanian on line shops selling them seem few & far between but there are one or two out there.
Romania Freesat 16E
Yearly fee in Romania is ~100Lei Plus a one off charge of 60Lei for the card, & can be added to a TVR card. On line availability seems to be limited
Serbia / Montenegro / Bosnia
Telekon Srbija
A new multi transponder service is due to launch in mid December 2018 via 23.5E. Encryption is Conax - availability & cost currently unknown
Slovenia
TV Slovenia 16E
~€20 if you can find a Slovenian contact!
RTV Slovenija via Satellite and across Europe :: Prvi interaktivni multimedijski portal, MMC RTV Slovenija
Seems to be impossible to find from resellers so this one is probably via local contacts only.
Spain
TDT Sat 30W
Was virtually impossible to find in the past but now available from one or two retailers on line. A one off charge of ~€350 for a receiver from online sources.
Feb 2017 - reports say the satellite receivers are now available in stores in Spain for about €140
Switzerland
SRG 13E
2007 price was 60 CHF (plus you also have to pay an annual licence fee of 462 CHF). Gives you the 6 main Swiss channels
UK
FreesatfromSky 28E
costs around £25 from Sky and gives you half a dozen minor ftv channels. Plus the ultra local TV channels that have recently launched. Also regionalises the uk Sky digibox to the area the card is supplied to.
Widely available from resellers but expect to pay a hefty middleman fee.
Access to the BBC ITV C4 & C5 fta channels, but see the note on the Freesat entry below.
Freesat 28E
Free, no card required, just the equipment needed.Gives you access to all the BBC ITV C4 & C5 fta channels plus a host of others. You need to be inside the UK spotbeam coverage area for the PSB channels, so basically only of any use in north western Europe.
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