Introduction to Windmill TV
All Windmill apartments can now connect to Saorview and Freesat Digital TV, following the installation of a new communal TV and Satellite distribution system (completed October 2013).

This means each apartment now has the following TV options:

Saorview / Freesat: Access to all free Saorview Irish and UK digital TV & radio channels for a one-off installation charge; no further payment is needed.

Sky TV Ireland: Access to a variety of Sky TV packages bundling free and premium TV channels; installation is free, but a monthly subscription charge applies.

Virgin Media Cable: Access to Virgin's cable TV service for a monthly subscription charge (if are an existing subscriber and don't wish to change, the new alternatives won't affect you).

Pricing for Saorview / Freesat
There are multiple installation options, depending on how many TV points you wish and whether you will be supplying your own digital receiver box or would like one provided. For best results, a combi-receiver is recommended which can tune in both Saorview and Freesat channels.

The prices listed below are for the initial installation. There is no monthly charge - all channels remain freely available indefinitely.

Type of installation	Wall point only	Wall point + non Saorview approved Combi receiver	Wall point + Saorview approved Combi receiver
Single Point	€ 85	€ 150	€ 210
Second Point	+ € 60	+ € 125	+ € 180
Third Point	+ € 50	+ € 100	+ € 170

A ‘point’ is a wall socket with one Saorview and one Satellite connection socket

Pricing for Sky TV
If you wish to subscribe to Sky TV, installation is free with a 12 month contract (as of September 2015). The Windmill is registered with Sky Ireland as complying with their requirements for communal dishes. You pay a monthly charge to access a range of free and premium channels.

Check the Sky Ireland website for information on current subscription offers.

How do I get connected?
To get Sky, call Sky Ireland directly at

Sky Ireland - (0818) 762 888

to arrange installation. You should give your address as "Apt xx, The Windmill, Lime Street, Dublin 2". A Sky engineer will call out within seven days to connect you to our shared satellite dish.

To schedule a Saorview/Freesat installation, please contact Greg Kinsella at Armstrong Electronics:

Armstrong Electronics - (01) 450 9480

Most installation work is carried out by Kevin McGill. If you have a scheduled installation and need to contact Kevin, his mobile is (086) 814 6641.

What channels can I receive?
On Saorview, you can receive all Irish digital TV and radio channels, including RTE1, RTE2, TV3, TG4, 3E, RTE Junior, RTE News and RTE1 + 1. A full list is here.

On Freesat, you can receive BBC1-4, ITV1-4, Channel 4, Channel 5, E4, More4, BBC News, and an assortment of other UK satellite channels, along with most UK radio stations. A full list is here.

With Sky TV, your channel selection depends on your subscription package; it typically includes most of the channels listed above plus a variety of premium channels. See Sky's Irish website for a full channel list.

What's the difference between approved and non-approved Saorview boxes?
The approved receivers have undergone compatibility testing with the Saorview TV service and passed all tests. They can receive the full electronic program guide information and digital teletext, and are guaranteed to work with future encrypted services.

The non-approved receivers can receive all current Saorview TV channels but may have more limited electronic program guide information. These are often labelled Saorview-compatible rather than Saorview-approved.

It is legal to connect either type of box to the Saorview service.

Can my TV receive Saorview / Freesat without a separate box?
Many newer TVs are directly compatible with Saorview. If all you want are the Irish TV and radio channels, then you can connect your Saorview-compatible TV directly to the Saorview wall socket, and you won't need a separate set-top box.

Some advanced TVs can receive both Saorview and Freesat channels without a separate box. If yours is one of these, it will be clearly described in the manual. Again, in this case, you would only require a wall point to be installed.

If I install Saorview / Freesat now, can I subscribe to Sky later on?
Yes, the wall sockets installed are the same for both services so after initial installation, you can subscribe to Sky at any point in the future.

If I subscribe to Sky now, can I switch to Saorview / Freesat later on?
Yes, as long as you abide by the terms of the Sky contract - most Sky packages require you to sign up for at least 12 months. After that, you can switch to a free service if you prefer. You would need to buy a set-top box to receive free channels, unless your TV is already suitably equipped.

Can I subscribe to Virgin Media and also access Saorview/Freesat channels?
Yes, with some restrictions. The internal apartment wiring provides a single co-ax TV cable to the living room and another to the master bedroom. If you have a Virgin Media connection in one room, you could connect Saorview/Freesat or Sky to the other room.

Alternatively, the installation engineer could install a second run of co-ax cable from the hall to the living room, though this would be surface-mounted. You should speak directly to the installation engineer to establish pricing, since the layout of each apartment can vary.

If you use Virgin Media for broadband Internet only, the above information still applies since Virgin's broadband uses the same cable as their TV service.

Can I use my own set-top box?
Yes, many Irish retail shops now sell Saorview-compatible set-top boxes. The cheapest will receive Saorview-only, so you won't get access to the UK satellite channels. The combination receivers with both Saorview and Satellite are preferred since you get a much wider range of channels.

If you don't already have a set-top box, however, the installation pricing offered by our agent is competitive and convenient.

Will I receive hi-definition channels on Saroview and Freesat?
The signal broadcast on Saorview and Freesat includes many hi-definition channels. Whether or not you can view them in high-definition depends on your TV, and its connection to your set-top box.

Most TVs sold in the last few years are fully high-definition compatible. As long as you use a modern HDMI cable to connect the TV to your set-top box (or use the TV's own decoder), you will be able to view channels in the highest definition possible.

Some low-to-mid range TVs, especially older models, claim to be "hi-def ready". This usually means a picture resolution of 1366 x 720 pixels, which is good but not as good as full high-definition at 1920 x 1080 pixels. In that case, the picture will be sized to fit your TV screen.

If you have an older TV that does not support high-definition, the set-top box will resize the picture accordingly. In that case, you can connect to the box using a standard SCART cable and picture quality will be similar to what you have seen in the past, though probably a little clearer.

Regardless of the type of TV you have, you will be able to view all TV and radio channels available through Saorview and Freesat.

My question wasn't answered above
Email tv@windmillmc.com with further questions and we'll add the answers here if relevant to everyone.

We are also interested in hearing feedback on how straightforward you found the installation process, and if you encountered any problems.

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