I want to buy a freeview box so I can get English channels at home in Spain, would anyone be able to give me any advice on boxes that work or what I need to do to set it up, or any reccommendations on which box to buy (the cheaper the better).

Thanks

once again: you cannot receive Freeview in Spain.
Freeview is a UK only digital TV system transmitted from the land based TV transmiters (like Emley Moor) and received via a TV aerial.
The nearest Freeview transmitter to Spain is based in Cornwall and that signal is not stromg enough to reach Spain!

Spain does have its own version of "freeview", called TDT - Television Digital Terrestrial.
You need a tv aerial, possibly amplifiers, and a digital terrestrial (TDT) receiver. You will receive around 30 digital spanish tv channels. (see tdt.es or tdt1.com for channels / availability in your area)

There are no UK TV channels available on TDT as TDT is a Spanish TV system. However many programmes on TDT are available in their own language - ie english - when the TDT channels provide this service (I am sure i saw Top Gear in Quatro or Sexta this week!)

A UK Freeview receiver used in Spain will only receive the Spanish TDT channels, it will NOT receive any UK TV channels.

Many of the channels on Freeview are also available for free via satellite - but some channels (like Dave and History) are PAY TV channels ie Sky package.

If you want to receive UK TV channels in Spain you will need either a satellite dish (80cm to 2.4m depending on location and desired channels) and a digital satellite receiver - either Sky, Freesat or a generic one (these are different to terrestrial (TDT / freeview) receivers) or via one of the "rebroadcaster" systems.

Thanks for your reply, the apartment I stayed in when I first got here had all the channels that you would get if you had Freeview in the UK so I thought it was the same. The apartment I am in has got a satellite as I have two boxes to recieve both Spanish and German TV but I would like to get the UK channels. Is there something I can buy to get these channels?

My neighbour gets those channels as well through a SKY box with no subscription, so maybe thats what you experienced.

The dish you have will need to be aligned for the UK TV channels, that are on a different satellite (Astra 2 at 28 degrees) to Spanish and German channels (that are on Astra 1 at 19 degrees). And depending on your location in Spain you may need to get a bigger dish (like up to a 2.4m dish) to receive the BBC and ITV channels.

So to get the UK TV channels i dare say you will need to buy / get installed a bigger dish, or go for one of the rebroadcaster systems in your area.

i live in a complex with a shared 3.1 dish that currently gets bbc123,c4 and 5.but bad reception sometimes in the evening.
i want to get a freeview box connected to the shared sattelite for SPANISH TV ONLY .if i buy one in spain or uk can i just remove the current aerial that goes into my tv and replace it with the freeview box and will it tune in and work?

"Freeview" TV in Spain is called TDT and uses the same (almost) system as the UK.

As the system does not use a satellite, you plug your ormal TV antenna into a TDT box (€25 or so) and connect that to the TV via a SCART cable (just like a Sky box or VCR).

Assuming you have a suitable antenna pointing in the right direction, it will auto tune to all the available channels and should work with no problems.

Is there a TV in Spain with built in TDT, so you don't have to get extra parts to watch TV programs in English?

Mine has (I think) I don't have a TDT box or anything, just plug the ariel into the back of the telly and I can change languages, etc.

Most new TV's these days have it as standard but it will say on the box if it does or not.
Be warned, there are only a very few progs that you can watch in english, it's a bit of a exaggerated myth.

my OH seems to find enough of them

There are quite a lot. We can choose just to watch English language programmes every night if we so wish. Will be watching Bones tonight, watched The Mentalist last night in English.

Of course the programme needs to have been made in English i.e. be a British or American programme or film. Plus as said on another threads it seems only stuff made in the last 10 years or so can be seen in English.

Plenty of documentry programmes on La Sexta on a Sunday in English.

and whilst flicking thru the other day even antndeczlistersinthe jungle was on one tdt channel - with english audio...

and i remember seeing some of the early reddwarfs on one channel, and the latest series of doctor who, and silent witness ,house , bones, and a load more....

a few TDT tv guides for you:
http://guiatv.orange.es/tele.asp
http://www.rtve.es/television/parril...ampliada.shtml

My tv, a Panasonic has a built in tuner but it only picks up about seven of the available tdt channels. Maybe the tv tuners are not quite sensitive enough
Rather than have another box under the tv I bought one of these and now get all the TDT tv and radio channels It is a mini tdt receiver made by Sunstech.





They are only around the size of your hand and plug directly into one of the scart sockets on the rear of the tv. Plug it in, connect the aerial, and job done.
I bought mine from the local ferreteria for about €35