# Newbie



## Guest (Aug 8, 2005)

Okay, let’s start from beginning.
My name is Henry and I don't know what I want.  
Now I’ll try to make this statement more clear. 
I want a dish a receiver and TV to watch tv, movies etc...But the problem is that I don't know where to start and what is what, what are my options?
I've got an 18" dish and an LNB, as well as a receiver (multistar).I bought those as a starter to learn and play around.  

Could you please anyone tell me what are my options with this configuration? What can I do more to get the most? I live in Canada and we don’t have DirectTV, DishNET. Only ExpressVu which drives me crazy as a company (bell). If it is necessary I can go with another configuration, better and advanced toys maybe??

Thanks in advance.


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## kevision (Mar 30, 2004)

Hello Henry.

If you are interested in satellite TV and movies, you have 2 choices in Canada:

http://www.starchoice.ca/english/default.asp
http://www.bell.ca/shop/PrsShpTvSna_Landing.page

With the equipment you have now, you can use the 18" dish and lnb for Expressvu (though it is a 3 satellite system so for full funtionality, you will need a second 18" dish, or a 20" dish). As you have mentioned you are not fond of Bell, your other choice is StarChoice, which will require new equipment. In both cases, you will need a new receiver.

If you are interested in FTA, you should start by familiarizing yourself with what it is. Here is a starting link: http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/FAQ.htm

With an FTA receiver (im not sure what it is you have, it might be an FTA receiver), you can watch various formats of TV programming, much of it non-english language, US TV networks, and news and sports feeds. There is not much in the way of movies. see: www.ftalist.com

All FTA has in common a transient nature. That is, channels go in and out of encryption or are transmitted on a temporary basis. No channel should ever be relied upon to be around on a permanent basis. It makes for an interesting hobby.

As for equipment, you will need a larger dish, at least 30". most FTA programming is at a lower power than commercial DBS systems.

Finally, a few notes for your future postings, as you have described youself as a 'newbie'. Any mention of reception of dishnetwork, directv, expressvu, etc in the context of FTA is looked upon with extreme suspicion if not extreme anger. the best way to view those services is to get their equipment and subscribe. there are no 'configuration' options. As you mention you are in canada, discussion of getting US providers like Dish and DTV will also be viewed with some suspicion. These are topics of an illegal nature and are not permitted based on my understanding of the forum's rules.

A final final point on getting the most from a discussion board: be as specific as possible in your subject line. you are likely to get more answers if you say what it is you want in the subject rather than 'newbie'

hope this helps


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## FTA Michael (Jul 21, 2002)

kenglish summed it up well. As a Canadian viewer, you'll never get HBO, but there are a lot of interesting channels on StarChoice.

Here's another link to get you up to speed on FTA: http://www.global-cm.net/mpeg2basics.html


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## W_Tracy_Parnell (Sep 27, 2004)

If I was in Canada, I would get Starchoice. Heck, I would get it anyway except for my wife. Now that I have FTA about the only thing I watch on cable is Fox News and my local channels.


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