Using a German TV set with an English Sky box

I am an Englander shortly moving to Berlin and would like to receive Sky TV. I already have Sky boxes but was thinking of "treating" myself to a nice new Tele!. Will a TV bought in Germany be fully compatible with an English Sky box or will I have to bring one with me? (I seem to remember there is some difference between the 2 countries with picture and sound frequencies)

All help and advice would be appreciated.

Sky boxes work no problems with any PAL TV. You need a fairly big dish in Berlin, though, so your choice of accommodation may preclude you being able to set it up. Basically you need a large enough balcony for a large dish (90cm to 1m probably, though I'm sure someone who knows better will be able to confirm) with a clear view to the south east. Otherwise you are dependent on permission from landlords, building owners etc to mount dishes.

When finding your new accommodation look at this site to get a feeling of what is required.
www.dishpointer.com, a nice use of google maps.
I have to agree with Owain looks like ~1m but best to get some local feedback on that.
See piccy
Astra 2D footprint

Note. while as Auslander we are in our rights to have satellite, always talk to your landlord.

chumbawumba, everyone has the right to receive information (including TV) anyway they chose, whether German or foreigner, however, there is in reality little you can do to enforce this right if the landlord is against you unless you have your own balcony and can install the dish within the confines of it. Even if the landlord/building owner is willing to allow you to install a dish he/she has the right to define how and where the dish should be installed and by whom, so this could make the whole thing so costly you might not want to bother. Furthermore, if you live in a historical building you may also not be allowed by law to install a dish. Also you may be reliant on placing the dish on someone else's property if you don't have a clear line of sight to the satellite, to which you have absolutely no "right" whatsoever and purely reliant on the goodwill of that person.

As I mentioned above, the only 100% certain way of being able to put up a satellite dish is within the confines of a balcony (or terrasse if you are on the ground floor) that has a clear line of sight to the satellite in the sky (generally south-east-ish). Anything else and there are ifs and buts.

.. bigger than that in Berlin if he wants BBC and ITV - around 1.8-2metres.

I know Yorkyboy doesn't believe me but I get all BBC, ITV SKy chaneels etc on a 60cm dish in Delitzsch (same sat footpront as Berlin). No problems whatsoever. Friends in Leipzig have 80cm dishes which do the job. Maybe some research/experimentation before you invest in a big dish? Then give us some feedback.

Regarding the DSL/phone question. I think the cable companies offer the best deals at the moment.

Deilitisch is a little bit closer to the centre of the footprint than Berlin so I'd expect you could get away with a slightly smaller dish but I also wouldn't believe 60cm until i saw it. From what i recall from seeing a map of the footprints, the drop off is quite drastic in some areas, so it goes from a 60 to a 100+ quite quickly, although having said that, those maps generally aren't reliable.



this map isn't that accurate either since you can get away with a 90cm dish in Munich whereas this shows 1,50cm

this maps shows MINIMUM dish sizes for certain cities in Germany based on actual experience of BBC viewers:




it seems more accurate. 90-100 is about right for munich. It shows 1,50cm OR MORE for Berlin which ties in with YL6s 1,8m

My point is before you set up NASA in your garden it may be worth trying out different solutions.


Tricky one to spell I'll give you that.

how do you propose "trying out different solutions" without shelling out for equipment that might not work? Wouldn't it better to just go with the size of dish the EXPERTS suggest to prevent unnecessary expense?

Ok this is a bit of a grey area for me..

However... In Landsberg (West of munich) Astra 2d Romps in on a 90 dish

Munich City.. 90cm is the smalest dish we need

Erding, Just east of Munich, we need a dish at least 1m for Astra 2d.

Go to Salzburg, then its 1.25 Minumum.

Fringe area reception is a bit of a black art...

How important is the type of digibox? I noticed a big improvement in reception when replaced my old digiboxes.


Ask the neighbour what he has?

that would assume the neighbour has satellite TV pointed at Astra 2D. Liklihood? Probably less than 1 in 1,000.

Same here - I get a better BBC reception on my Sky+ box than on my older regular sky box.

I also read on a UK forum that there is a difference in the signal strength between the various BBC regions, and that people in europe were getting some regions but not others. I was sceptical about this, but I tried it, and whilst I was getting some break up on my regular BBC1 (North east), BBC South and some of the others were perfect, and even when getting nothing at all on ITV Tyne Tees, I got a reception on ITV London. For anyone wanting to try this, the other BBC regions start from channel 971 or 972 i think.

If your neighbour is not a keen Eastenders fan, Why not try going to the Berlin English speaking wife swapping club? Or Berlin's under 25 women's rugby club? Or maybe the local Irish pub if you're not so adventurous. In short it shouldn't be a friggin problem to find someone in your part of Berlin who's set up a satelite system for Astra 2D unless, of course, you really do need a 2m dish. In which case, only sad single men with gardens would be your target group.

Another idea you could go to 3 different experts and get 3 different quotes. Only pay when they have the system up and running for you.

Remembering how I got my system going. I gave my local satman my digibox and he got the system working at his shop. I presumed he tried it on a 60cm dish it worked and then he transferred it to my place.

Help needed to put an end to silly discussion .
Silly poll if you ask me.

Indeedy OG. Ed Bob was right about me hinting in that direction.

You really need a garden or a huge flat roof for a 1.80 cm dish, the cash for both, and a desire for UK TV greater than some massive eyesore in your garden. There is also a less international feel to Berlin and a greater tendency for those of us here in the long term to simpy go native.

"You really need a garden or a huge flat roof for a 1.80 cm dish,"

1.80 cm dish?? Where do they use those? I have seen 1.80 m dishes but not many are used anymore.

Yes I have found the same thing, during bad weather I can't get regular ITV/BBC South East, but can get various other regions.

on the skybox I find these other regions from channel 971 upwards. Will give them a whirl next time I lose the picture.

I am using a 1m dish at the mo in Berlin, but sacrifice a lot of channels ... It did however keep my landlord happy.

My TV was bought here and my box is from the UK .... Absolutely no problems with this

Presumably meaning you don't get BBC, ITV or Channel 4 for example. In which case you could keep your landlord even happier with a much smaller dish. 70-80cm would be fine for the channels you can currently receive...

Exactly, but strangely I do get channels 4 and 5. I have just asked if I can site a larger dish on the roof ... Awaiting a reply in anticipation!!!

My tips for a better reception from the heavens :

1. Stop that rather disgusting habit on Friday evenings. (I think we both know what I mean)
2 Go to church more regularly.
3. Check your digibox. Some brands are much better for weak signals from the Gods.
4. I hardly watch BBC at the moment. Stick to Channels 4 and 5.

I never mentioned five. When did you last look at Channel 4?

Not sure ... can check tonight ... But I´m guessing I´ve lost that as well ....!!!