Gordon Ellis, at Crosschannel TV explains in two parts the various set-ups for television and computing in France. Part 1.
UK TV IN FRANCE
Whether you live in, or have a maison secondaire, in France you will probably still want to keep up with events back home or follow your old favourites! It is not hard to stay in touch, as all your usual UK channels are available throughout France. To receive UK TV in France you will need a satellite receiver and its dish.
Digiboxes
To keep all your viewing options open as far as ‘pay-to-view’, you need to go for a Sky Digibox. All the standard Free-To-Air (FTA) channels can be received with any decent non-Sky digital satellite receiver, regardless of whether it is bought in France or the UK. These include all the BBC radio and TV channels, ITV channels, Channel 4 and 5 and several news channels like BBC News 24, CNN, Sky News and Euronews. However, if you want any of the additional subscription Sky channels, then a Sky Digibox is the only way forward. There are several ways of getting a Sky/Freesat Digibox. You may already have one that you used in the UK, or you can find a used one – just be a bit wary and try and check it functions properly before bringing to France! You can also buy them new from any UK satellite specialist store. Expect to pay a little more if you buy in France as all Sky/Freesat boxes start off life in the UK and have to be imported anywhere else. Freesat, started by BBC/ITV, is the satellite version of the terrestrial Freeview service available in the UK for those not able to access via aerial due to the Analog-to-Digital switchover, and will be receivable in France. The Freesat Digiboxes (satellite receivers) give the full range of interactive services. Existing FTA style receivers will generally be re-tuneable for the new channel additions. Channel 4, E4, More 4 and Channel 5 are now available FTA as well since their arrival on Freesat. Channel 5 offshoots are coming in due course.
Dishes
Once you have your chosen box you will need a dish. This will need to be carefully installed with a clear view to the southeast. If you live at the bottom of a cliff, are penned-in with higher buildings or behind very tall trees then you may have some trouble. However, it is quite rare to be in a no-hope location. Astra 2 at 28.2° is the satellite carrying the required Sky channel. In the majority of France a 60cm dish will be perfectly adequate. Locations near the extreme south may need an 80cm dish to be a more reliable option in bad weather. Generally the Sky grey elliptical/oval dishes that are so prolific in the UK are typically only seen on ‘UK owned’ properties out here – just an observation from living and working here – and whilst may not be too much of an issue for permanent residents, we would advise against these for a rarely occupied maison secondaire. A standard French supplied 60cm dish would be the recommendation. Replacement components are also readily available in France.
General
The instruction manual supplied with your Digibox shows all the equipment connection details. Basically these are all via Scart or HDMI leads (one is normally supplied with the box) for the connections between the VCR/DVD-RW, Digibox and TV. Your UK TV will work perfectly well with a Digibox as will any TV bought in France as long as you use Scart (Péritel ) or HDMI leads for the connections.
Furthermore, most Digiboxes can be connected to HiFi units with an available input to allow radio listening without the need for the TV to be switched on. Most of the BBC and FTV channel output is in wide-screen so it may be worthwhile investigating a widescreen model if you are buying a new TV although most are these days anyway. A TV licence system exists in France and anyone with any sort of TV is supposed to pay the licence fee, regardless of whether they watch French TV or not. If you a buy a new television in France, the supplier can ask you to complete a form which is sent off to the equivalent of the ‘TV licensing authority’ and is charged as Redevance Audiovisuelle with your Taxe d’Habitation.
Once everything is working well then you should generally leave the Digibox connected to the mains and the dish at all times. The only exceptions are during nearby electrical storms or if you leave the property for more than a week or so. If you do go away or during storms, then just disconnect from the mains. It’s best to leave all the other plugs and leads alone. If applicable, leave the card in the slot also. You may find after a long period of disconnection that the card no longer decodes the encrypted channels even if the free channels like the BBC and Sky News are working fine. Don’t worry. 
Just leave it all connected and on the ‘green’ light for a day or so and everything will come back to life. If the Digibox stops working properly then before condemning anything just try unplugging it at the mains and reconnecting it again after a few seconds. This solves most problems. It can take probably half a minute to let it re-boot before allowing it to come out of standby after doing this however.