barneybrendan Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 We still have the old type sky box as they want £90 to replace it with sky plus box.I have now been given a sky plus hd box and wonderd would it just be a case of telling sky i want a different card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Should be yes. Cards are linked to boxes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneybrendan Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 so do i need the old card that went with the sky plus box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I wouldnt think so. I cant remember how it worked, I think i just phoned them and told them i have a sky+ box, they sent a card then you put it in the box and phone them up and they set it up from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneybrendan Posted November 2, 2011 Author Share Posted November 2, 2011 been reading bits and it seems you need a quad lnb thingy and different coax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 You will definitely need a different line to make use of the sky+ as it uses twin tuners which the stock box doesn't have. Not sure on the HD functionality though. You should just call them up, say what you want and when they tell you the installation costs just threaten to leave. It's what everyone else does. I hear of half price etc deals all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rookey Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I was advised by my recent sky engineer that if I wanted changes, ie getting sky+ hd, then it's cheaper and easier to cancel the subscription then re-sign up as you get it all for free then...If you plug your new box into the Internet (cable at the back) then you get anytime+ which is awesome Also you'd only need any extra line if you wanted to record something on one channel and watch something on a different one. The card does need to be paired with the box though, sp you'd need to call sky and ask them to pair your card with a new sky+ box and they should do that straight away. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noz Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Should be yes. Cards are linked to boxes cards are registered to the owner not the box. you can record and use a card with any sky plus box as long as the card's pin is verified with sky. the box only checks the server if the card's pin is allowed to view channels and have the record function. when i used to repair sky boxes for a living we could use any card to test any box, we had a subscription card and used to share it around to check the boxes were working. it might have changed since HD has been out for a while, but I remember repairing HD boxes and this was still the case. been reading bits and it seems you need a quad lnb thingy and different coax. You could get away with using a twin lnb rather than a quad, as this is just repeating the number of signals you can receive. if your not going to use sky in different rooms you could just use a twin tuner. you need another cable running through like scott said so you can record one channel, and view another. technology currently cant run 2 different channel signals down 1 cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 The Sky HD software allows you to use it with a single feed, its an option withing the installer menu. If you call Sky and tell them your box has died and you have another, they will just need to know the version number and serial number of the new HD box and then they can pair the new box with your card. However, this will only give you the same service as you have now with your existing box, ie. no HD and no + features. If you want to make use of the HD and/or Plus features you will need the second feed and will be charged for HD, I seem to recall that they dropped the £10 pcm charge for plus features though, so you could get the benefits of plus and keep your sub at the same level as present. If you need a quad LNB let me know as we have a shelf full of them that will never be used. However generally speaking as the man says, call them up and say you are going to leave to go to virgin and they will roll over and most likely give you a new box and either free or subsidised instal. They will make you sign up to a new contract though and insist that your new box is plugged into an active phone line for the duration of the new contract. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 cards are registered to the owner not the box. you can record and use a card with any sky plus box as long as the card's pin is verified with sky. the box only checks the server if the card's pin is allowed to view channels and have the record function. when i used to repair sky boxes for a living we could use any card to test any box, we had a subscription card and used to share it around to check the boxes were working. it might have changed since HD has been out for a while, but I remember repairing HD boxes and this was still the case. You could get away with using a twin lnb rather than a quad, as this is just repeating the number of signals you can receive. if your not going to use sky in different rooms you could just use a twin tuner. you need another cable running through like scott said so you can record one channel, and view another. technology currently cant run 2 different channel signals down 1 cable. Thats not quite the case. There are three levels of encryption running, and unless your card is paired with the box, it will not decode the higher level, this is all Sports and Movies and any PPV Also, you can now run 2 i/f signals down one cable, you need bit of kit called a Stacker at the dish end and a De-stacker at the RX end, these are available from Alltrade and have been on the market now for around 6 years. The current ones work well, earlier ones were a bit naff. Here you are: http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/stacker.htm However, if it's not too much effort to throw a second run of coax in for the second feed, do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozz Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I was advised by my recent sky engineer that if I wanted changes, ie getting sky+ hd, then it's cheaper and easier to cancel the subscription then re-sign up as you get it all for free then...If you plug your new box into the Internet (cable at the back) then you get anytime+ which is awesome Dave I tried this and was told by Sky it was illegal to try and obtain cheap deals by leaving sky and coming back. I did argue with them for a while as it didn't sound right but in the end I just bought a Sky+ box off ebay, wired it in myself and called them up to activate, which they did over the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I tried this and was told by Sky it was illegal to try and obtain cheap deals by leaving sky and coming back. I did argue with them for a while as it didn't sound right but in the end I just bought a Sky+ box off ebay, wired it in myself and called them up to activate, which they did over the phone. Dont think it is illegal, but I think Sky say that you cant apply for a new deal if you have been a customer in the last 12 months at the same address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandan Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 They will make you sign up to a new contract though and insist that your new box is plugged into an active phone line for the duration of the new contract. What's the reason for that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 What's the reason for that? To guarantee that you aren't getting the cheap deal for someone else or for an establishment I would guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 To guarantee that you aren't getting the cheap deal for someone else or for an establishment I would guess. Yes that and also to get you started and hooked on PPV and other online services that provide a gret deal of Sky's income. They call it "Interactive discount" and that's a condition of you getting free hardware. If you dont opt for the interactive discount you will not be eligible for a free box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rookey Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Thats not quite the case. There are three levels of encryption running, and unless your card is paired with the box, it will not decode the higher level, this is all Sports and Movies and any PPV Also, you can now run 2 i/f signals down one cable, you need bit of kit called a Stacker at the dish end and a De-stacker at the RX end, these are available from Alltrade and have been on the market now for around 6 years. The current ones work well, earlier ones were a bit naff. Here you are: http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/stacker.htm However, if it's not too much effort to throw a second run of coax in for the second feed, do that. Well that's interesting! I'm in an apartment which has only been set up with a single feed... There are no more spare slots in the junction box so currently I can't record one thing and watch another... Will this stacker thing enable me to do this? Sorry for the thread hi-jack!! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 No I am afraid not. You will most likely be connected to a i/f (intermediate frequency) distribution system and connected to a port of a switch, so I am guessing when they say no spare slots left they are meaning there are no ports left on the switch. For the stacker to work you need 2 available ports either from a switch or an LNB. Most systems if designed properly in accordance with Skyhomes spec or CAI guidelines and built within the past 5 or so years should be easily expandable and many use cascadeable switches so it is normally an easy job to introduce another load of ports by inserting an extra throughline switch. It all depends how the system has been designed and how it has evolved since being built. Who maintains the building's distribution system? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 We still have the old type sky box as they want £90 to replace it with sky plus box.I have now been given a sky plus hd box and wonderd would it just be a case of telling sky i want a different card. You can use your existing card. Call up SKY and get then to pair it with the new BOX - takes upto 24hrs. In our case this happened in under 2 hrs - very impressive. Mention that you now have a SKY HD box and they will then enable the SKY plus feature - if you dont mention that you want this feature on, then you will not be able to record or even live pause. You DONT need to change your cable for HD, the same Co-ax is fine. Also, for recording TWIN LNB is required, the only exception to this is if you have one of the newed SKH HD boxes that can record using a single LNB (the older ones always recorded from LNB2 - which obviously you wouldnt have with a single LNB connection and hence it would fail - there were workaround but they are a PITA). The new HD boxes will also give you access to SKY Anytime (as mentioned above) ONLY if you take broadband from SKY, the older HD boxes do NOT support this feature. Hope that helps. imi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imi Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Well that's interesting! I'm in an apartment which has only been set up with a single feed Me too, and my less than one year old SKY HD box records perfectly fine using a single LNB, obviously I cant watch another channel while recording a different one. The SKY HD box I had before this was a 4 year old one and didnt support recording from a single LNB (explained this in my previous post). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 How to set up your HD box with a single feed: http://www1.sky.com/HDGuide/pdf/812_20952_HD_EPG_DM_INS_UK.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barneybrendan Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 cheers guys im on the case,shane link dont work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 cheers guys im on the case,shane link dont work. Barney, try this and then assuming it takes you to the webpage, click on the link within that webpage on the right. http://www1.sky.com/HDGuide/ If you PM me your address I will stick a quad LNB and universal mini-dish mounting kit in the post for you. EDIT: actually, I just tried it again and still doesnt take you to exactly where you need to be. So, click on that link, then click on "Sky+ HD in flats", and then click on link on right of page. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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