How useful is SKY+

[lincsat]

Our Sky+ box came from a wholesaler just like any box for sale to the public. The signal is sent to the box via satellite and stored on the card not in the box hardware.

Sky can tell if your box has phoned home, I would guess that as a phone connection is a contractual requirement, the proceedure for activating the recording features on the card involves a check to ensure the box has already phoned sky.

As I said before it is technically possible to activate the recording features without a phone connection but CS are unlikely to do it.

 

[methos_de]

Interesting. Surely if the information was stored on the card and not in the box a card not meant for a SKY+ box would not allow the record facility to work as it would not have the required information on it. As I said I don't know if all of the channels worked but I definately know that I was able to record from some of them.
Methos.

 

[lincsat]

I have today tried a regular subscription card and a FTV card in the Sky+ box and neither of them would allow record or playback.

 

[methos_de]

Could this be since the new software came out ? I can't record premiership plus anymore either. I have only ever recorded from this channel once before and that was the second or third game during the first season so its quite a while ago now but it did used to work.
I can maybe understand only allowing one card to work the record function but why block PP+ ?

 

[Doodler]

Well I just got a sky+ box a couple of weeks ago and the whole activation of the card and the record facility as far as I can make out was done over the satellite to the card (unless 0800 numbers are accessible from overseas).

BTW I really like the way it works, it's way more intuitive than my topfield pvr

Doodler

 

[methos_de]

@doodler did you buy a used or new one ? Its possible that SKY activate over satellite if its a used box as they cant force you to have this on the telephone line. 0800 are accesible from overseas. I live in Germany and phone SKY regularly.
Did you have the box set up abroad and have the record facility activated ? If you never phoned up ypurself what did the person say who had the card activated ? Normally this is done via phone line and SKY would definately have tried this first and have noticed that it wasn't connected.

 

[Doodler]

New one. Phone line was connected, and maybe it phoned out - I did put in international and UK (44) prefix.

Doodler

 

[methos_de]

@doodler

If you bought a new box surely you have to have it connected to the phone line for the first 12 months ? The 12 months start from the day you receive the box and have it activated. Any previous sub time is not taken into consideration. Which means you will soon receive a letter from SKY telling you they have not received a call back signal.
I don't think adding 0044 to the prefix will help. This would just be too easy and I don't think SKY are that stupid.
Methos.

 

[Doodler]

Since then I found out that adding 0044 as a prefix doesn't work for 0800 numbers, you have to drop the zero (which is hard to do). This proved to me that the activation of the card and the sky+ record facility did not need callback.

However when I got a 2nd card for the old receiver it did need call-back in order to be activated; I had to use speed-dialfacilities of a pabx to get this working.

 

[BarMoo]

Dear All,

Thanks to the rule that doesn't allow SKY contractors to go beyond the standard issue 1.5 metre regulation ladder, my friend in London told him where to go.

The installation was carried out by an independent: a very accomodating chap by all accounts.

The SKY+ box is not connected to the phone. An authorisation request was, well, requested over the phone - and within the hour Richard was faffing around with his new toy.

He pays his extra GBP10.00 a month and can generally do what he wants (just like was expressed in a previous post).

As such, any ex-pat wishing to have a (albeit nasty) Pace SKY+ box - hark! with some decent features!!! - and is willing to suffer the extra outlay CAN .-)

I was always lead to believe that the box HAD to be connected to the phone - clearly it doesn't :-)

Conclusion: an actual phone connection has nothing to do with the box, beyond normal digibox functionality (i.e., interactive, movies, etc).

Have Fun,

Mark.

 

[rolfw]

Interesting one Mark, I can only add that with the last Sky+ installation I did, when requesting authorisation to swap the card to the new box, the person on the other end insisted that I had do the callback first for her to activate the card.

Its obviously one of those things that MUST be done, because they say so and for no technical reason.

 

[methos_de]

Hi, you don't seem to be getting my point, i'm not debating the fact anymore that the card can be activated without being connected to the phone line. What i'm saying is, is that when you buy a new +box from SKY and change your sub to pay GBP10 more one of the terms and conditions of the SKY+ contract, which you have to sign, is that the box remain connected to the phone line for the first 12 months. Its all well and good having the card activated but whats the point if the card is deactivated a few months later as SKY have failed to get a call back signal ?
This isn't only done during activation, its done every month to the people who are still within their initial 12 months and if you've just bought a brand new box your 12 months start from the purchase date and any previous sub time is not taken into consideration.
Methos

 

[BarMoo]

Points taken ;)

Rolw: its quite possible that my friend wasn't standing over the technicians shoulder. I suppose the call-back process is concluded within seconds. I can only repeat what my friend said (because I made a point of getting to the bottom of that minor detail) that no attempt was made to connect the SKY+ box to a phone-line during the activation process and that it still isn't.

Methos_de: Sorry if I drifted in the thread ;) His news made me feel like a little puppy and I wanted to report back. In response to what you said, I will do my best to find out from this friend whether he receives any nasty post and I will report back if he does.

I can only apologise for not understanding the SKY+ activation process and relying on a friend's testimonial Since I don't have SKY+ I cannot be 100% sure of any details (except what I read in the contract; i.e., must be connected to a phone line) - c'est la vie.

Sorry if I have confused everyone.

Regards,

Mark

 

[ccc]

I see that the response to the original thread was that £100 was too cheap for a sky + receiver hence it must be of questionable provenance.
Well what is the right price?
I have sky + receiver that I wish to sell and I do not know what I should ask.
I have had the receive since new.
It has only been used with a BBC card
Never been near a phone line.
Never been near a sky card (i.e. a subscription card)
Never had a any recording enablisation.
(I have never signed any contacts or talked to sky)
ccc

 

[2old4this]

I guess people will first want to be assured it is legit and they might therefore be interested in why it is that you have the Sky+ box in the first place given that you've never activated the "+" functionality. Why is that? Why not a cheaper and more widely available standard digibox?

2old

 

[ccc]

2old4this:
Me thinks people will think you judge others by your own standards. But,
The unit was a replacement by insurance co
due to wipe out of just about everything electrical in the house
following an electrical supply fault.
The Sky + box was advertised as pvr and
I thought it was a pvr that could record sat generally.
i.e. I did not realise it was locked into sky.
I did not subscribe to RM and had no intention of doing so.
It has only ever been used for watch UK BBC/ITV/4&5.
but I could not record them or any fta/ftv so it was useless to me.
I bought another pvr sat rx veech veurks viv vot we reely vatch
hence it is redundant.
I have the full history to pass to a buyer,

but we digress,
the thread was:- what should I ask for it.

 

[2old4this]

This is not a question of judging people by any standards (and by the way I consider myself to have fairly high standards).

But this is a device which needs activation. The new owner will have to contact Sky and provide its serial number. I for one would hate to discover at that moment that it was blacklisted as stolen. Hence I would want to understand why the seller had dad it and why s/he was selling it. Especially where the circumstances were somewhat unusual.

2old

 

[rolfw]

With relevant documentation you should probably be looking for £150 to £170, bear in mind that a brand new boxed version comes with a quad LNB (They didn't for a short period of time).

 

[ccc]

Thanks rolfw, that gives me an idea.
I have the quad LNB
but it is probably easier to discount the price by a corresponding amount
than have to take the LNB down.
Cheers

 

[pietnoeck]

Would it be possible to use a Skyplus box with a normal sub (not paying the extra 10 GBP) and not connected to the phone ?

The reason is that i'm only interested in the digital output and the svhs output, and the Skyplus seems to be the only box to have both functions.
I'm not interested in recording.

So buying a ex-contract +Skyplus box, get somebody in the UK to take out a normal sub and activating the box and send both to me in Belgium will work as long as a pay the sub via cc ?