Sky Digital satellite TV

Sky Digital is a British company which broadcast a group of satellite TV channels. The vast majority of these channels are, of course, English language. They include Sky News, Sky Sports, BBC, Channels 4 and 5, ITV, FilmFour, QVC, and other Asian, adult, and radio channels.

Sky have been broadcasting since October 1998 from the Astra 2 constellation of satellites at 28.2 degrees east of south. The system is technically capable of carrying over 500 channels; something like 200 are currently available.

It is technically possible to pick up signals from these Astra 2 satellites within Germany including Munich. According to licensing restrictions, however, no-one is supposed to watch them. Many of the channels are available to subscribers only and to become a subscriber you should be resident in the U.K.. There are ways around this though. If you live in Germany and wish to watch Sky TV, you need to subscribe not to Sky direct, but via a third party reseller who will register a U.K. address on your behalf.

To get set up with a complete Sky TV system there are two components you need to think about. First is the physical satellite dish which needs to be mounted on your roof or an outside wall. A satellite dish needs to be pointed directly at the satellite. To do this correctly is a complicated business and requires expensive testing and alignment equipment. Theoretically it is possible to do yourself. But installation by a professional engineer is the option that most people choose if they want to save themselves a lot of time, effort, and frustration. In addition to the dish itself, you also need a 'digibox' (a receiver box which decodes the transmissions), a 'viewing card' (a piece of card which carries your subscription information), and a monthly subscription for the channels of your choice.

For satellite dish purchases and installations in and around Munich, TT recommends: Bavaria Satellites

See also:

Television