Hi
I have been given a quote by our local electrician to supply and install Satelite dish to access loads of channels - UK, US plus other countries. Please could anyone advise if this a reasonable quote?

thks

I bought our dish/dual LNB for about €50 and spent another €30 on coaxial cable. I climbed on the roof and bolted it to the existing antenna mast. I strung the cable and aimed the dish.

€700 seems a bit steep, unless they are including a receiver and subscription to a pay service with the antenna.

Are you getting Sky UK? That used to be the only way to get English language but now with Sky Italia you can watch most shows in English by just switching the language. Really, unless you have been here for a long time and had no choice years ago, there is no reason to get Sky UK. FreeSat from the UK will work but you do not get all the channels and things like ITV and BBC may not be received in Bologna without a pretty large dish. In Tuscany even with a 2 meter dish those who have it still don't get BBC and ITV or Channel 4.

There is really no way to get US channels unless they are streemed like MSNBC on a UK sat.

Go with Sky Italian, pay the 99 euro set up fee and the 15 per month and you should be set.

Cristina: what do we have to do to "switch to English"? Our telecommando hasn't got that red button, but is it a matter of the server package or the TV?

Do you not have Sky Italia? The Sky remote has the colored buttons (at least that is what I remember). I don't have Sky Italia but you should have something where you can change the language in services or something like that.

If you have SKY italy, in order to change the language you need to push the i (info) button on your remote. It is located near the top right of the control (next to the mute button).

This brings up a screen with the current programme info and down the bottom you will see lingua. The default is italiano but if you use the up and down arrows to scroll it will toggle between 'english' and italian. It is there you find the subtitle option as well (italian only)

This function does NOT work on the normal italian channels, only those from 110 upwards. Also it does not always change the language, especially if it is an older programme. You also have to do this every time you change the channel.

This should work with everyone who has SKY. I don't think it matter which TV/ receiver etc you have. The decoders and sky remotes should all be the same (we have just upgraded to My sky with HD and the remote and sky box are only v slightly different).

Sandra, unless you really cannot live without all the wonderful offerings on British TV ;p! I would ring the lovely people at SKY Italia and have them come down and install everything pretty much for free - about €99 including the parabola I think. I went to my local TV shop where they were authorised SKY dealers and they set up the contract for me there and then - if I had needed a parabola fitting they would have arranged that too.

€700 sounds like you are seen as an easy target!

I can't remember what we paid but it was something insignificant - nothing like 700euro.

A clarification on the SKY Italia as to changing the language.

If you want ALL programs that are available in English to play in English -

1) On the new SKY remote controls - click on the MENU button at the top of the remote control

2) scroll down to number 4 -Configurazione Ricevitore

3) then scroll down to number 3 - Lingua e sototitoli

4) the first box offers your language of preference - you must click on the arrow button at the top of your remote and to the right of the OK button. This will scroll thru the offered languages including French, Spanish, etc.

Once you have the language you want, click on OK. Then ESC which lets you out of the menu.

5) This same menu site allows you to have subtitles in English or Italian or to have the subtitles turned off completely.

6) If you want to change the language for individual programs - say you want to have all your programming in Italian but this one time you want to watch the movie in English - then - turn on the program you want - click on the "I" (information) button at the top of the remote control.

A screen will come up over the program you are watching. You will see the language offered at the bottom. Click on the arrow above or below the OK button to change the language. When you have the language you want (and is offered for the program you are watching) click OK and then ESC. You can do the same for the subtitles.

If the program is not offered in English - changing the language preference will not give you the English. This happens with older programs from the States - and, of course, with Italian programs.

*Another note - there are a couple of channels below 110 which offer English.

*As to price, I originally purchased the parabolla and the SKY package. Now, for 99 Euro, SKY gave me the decoder/recording box with the first 3 months free. SKY people came out and installed everything for me for free. I pay around 42 Euro per month for a full package (minus the sports stuff) and for the 80 hours of recording options.