Essentials package

[Woodst]

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month.  Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box?  I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

[oldfella · Accepted solution]

---

@Woodst wrote:

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month.  Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box?  I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

---

Hi @Woodst 

See following link

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials

Anything on your Q box that you no longer have a Subscription for will not be accessible 

The Sky basic package comes with your general Freeview channels alongside the Sky TV channels. See the list of the most popular Sky channels below:  All the following will be in SD only

• Sky Atlantic
• Sky Showcase
• Sky Max 
• Sky Comedy
• Sky Sci-Fi
• Sky Witness
• Sky History
• Sky Documentaries 
• Sky Crime
• Sky Nature
• Comedy Central
• Peacock
• Alibi 
• Nickelodeon 

[nigea99]

---

@Woodst wrote:

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month.  Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box?  I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

---

hi @Woodst 

Essentials is effectively Freesat via SKY Q so the channel list is here:

https://www.freesat.co.uk/channels

Any recordings you have from any 'subscription' channel (i.e. any not included above) will not be accessible after you downgrade (which include any SKY branded channels including SKY Cinema)

BTW At one time you could not have multiscreen with Essentials but I believe that may have changed

[Woodst]

Ahh that's disappointing about the films.  So hard to know what to do.

many thanks for your time.

[Woodst]

Ps wow that's a lot of channels. My son loves challenge tv and that's on the list. I thought this was under entertainment package only so that's great news.

[nigea99]

@Woodst 

One minor word of caution - some channels  available via Esentials/Freesat may be in SD only & their HD counterparts being subscription (W being one) so any existing HD recordings from such channels may be inaccessible after a downgrade

[Woodst]

Thank you for the warning that's really helpful. 

[MattyBoy567]

Can I please ask regarding the essentials pack with a Q box, are the basics channels (bbc 1, ITV etc) in HD?  Or are all of the channels in SD?

[Mister_Dalek]

---

@MattyBoy567 wrote:

Can I please ask regarding the essentials pack with a Q box, are the basics channels (bbc 1, ITV etc) in HD?  Or are all of the channels in SD?

---

The 'basics' channels are in HD. It's the same channel list that you get on FreeSat.

[TimmyBGood]

@MattyBoy567 

Sky advises that for some reason C4 and C5 catch-up service on Essentials is in SD.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials 

[breamish22]

Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know  how to overcome. Thanks 

[PandJ2020]

---

@breamish22 wrote:

Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know  how to overcome. Thanks 

---

It's one of the 'free' channels that doesn't work in HD on Essentials.

You would need to subscribe to base HD pack as well to restore it.

[SKY1992bf]

@breamish22  You would need to revert back to the previous base package you had along with adding the hd add on back 

---

@breamish22 wrote:

Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know  how to overcome. Thanks 

---

[kingkenny12]

I signed up for sky essentials record rewind pause (ech) yesterday i got a black Friday deal and I have a sky+Hd box I told sky I have no intentions of changing over to sky Q as I have zero interest in it. She told me thats fine it will be a rolling contract I can leave whenever I want.  It's all up and running.  So if anyone who thinks that sky arnt bothered about activating Sky+Hd boxes they most certainly are.  give them a ring £5 a month the user friendly interface it suits me great and it has all the channels I want to watch.

[SKY1992bf]

---

@kingkenny12 wrote:

I signed up for sky essentials record rewind pause (ech) yesterday i got a black Friday deal and I have a sky+Hd box I told sky I have no intentions of changing over to sky Q as I have zero interest in it. She told me thats fine it will be a rolling contract I can leave whenever I want.  It's all up and running.  So if anyone who thinks that sky arnt bothered about activating Sky+Hd boxes they most certainly are.  give them a ring £5 a month the user friendly interface it suits me great and it has all the channels I want to watch.

---

@kingkenny12  you can certainly do what you have done if you downgrade an existing active package 

but they won't do so if you don't currently have an active subscription