Re-activate FTV house card?

redmart

Is there anyway I can re-activate one of these cards? It has been out of the Digibox for a while. Nothing happened when I left it in the Digibox for a few days.
Thanks

4dbennett

OK place card in the stb while holding backup button in switch off stb then switch back on all the while holding in the backup button, keep backup button depressed until all lights on front of stb illuminate, your tv should show message :- downloading latest software blah blah blah
when completed switch stb back on if card is not activated and leave card in overnight, on standby should be ok all the best!!

deep joy

dave

billnot

What message do you get on screen from your card? If it says "call ----- to upgrade" then leaving it in the box should do the trick. There's no harm in doing what dave says either.

If it says "This card is not authorised" then it has been completely turned off by Sky and cannot be woken up nio matter what you do.

redmart

It actually says "This viewing card is not authorised. Call the broadcaster for assistance" so perhaps it is the end. I had this card in a Dreambox for a while. I wonder when they decide to kill a card.

billnot

When somebody cancels a subscription in the proper way, their card changes to a FTV card. This is presumably in the hope that one day they will resubscribe.

Sky will kill a card (rather than convert it) if:

(1) There is a breach of the T&C (i.e. they get to know the card is being used outside of the UK). I have, not surprisingly, seen a lot of this.

(2) The card is reported damaged, lost or not working and a duplicate requested. The card is killed immediately - before the subscriber gets their new one - to avoid any possibility of both cards being used at the same time.

(3) Sometimes when the subscriber simply stops paying (as opposed to cancelling properly). I don't know Sky's rules on this; all I know is that sometimes it happens and sometimes the card just goes FTV.

In the world at large (as opposed to my little corner), (2) is the most common reason.

Using the card in a Dreambox won't affect it - Sky have no way of knowing where, or if a card is being used except when it's in a digibox which makes a callback. Even then, unless you have multiroom where you must display the number to Sky and it's noted, a callback only confirms it is in use, not where.

redmart

but this card went from working FTV to "This card is not authorised". What circumstances would they kill an FTV card?

2cvbloke

To make you buy a new one?

PaulR

What source was the card originally? Was it a true FTV card or an expired subscription card? If the latter how was the subs terminated?

PaulR As I get older I find myself thinking about the hereafter - I go into a room and then wonder what I'm here after.

billnot

It could be that the registered owner gave something away to Sky about no longer having it. You are not allowed to transfer a card; that could be another reason for Sky killing it.

redmart

I have 2 FTV cards and the one that got killed I don't know its background because it was from Ebay. I did use if for over a year and it was from NW England. Perhaps the original owner moved or registered a new subscription at that address.

rolfw

Yes, that's probably the case.

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