Sky TV On Demand - Query

ceetee

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I have the On-Demand service - brill. However will it still work OK if I lose satellite signal, e.g. in a thunderstorm as often happens here in N.Yorks? Or if for some reason the satellte dish became disconnected? i.e. an interruption long enough to lose the EPG.
Thanks,
Carole.
 

rolfw

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Best way of testing is to try it, just remove the dish inputs or block the dish with something. Alternatively, you obviously have access to Sky Go, so can always watch via a PC or laptop connected to the TV.
 

ceetee

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rolfw said:
Best way of testing is to try it, just remove the dish inputs or block the dish with something. Alternatively, you obviously have access to Sky Go, so can always watch via a PC or laptop connected to the TV.
Thanks. I had thought of that, but the PC only has one Ethernet conector which connects to the broadband primary router.
The Digibox and Smart TV are both connected to a secondary WRT54GL router via ethernet cables. The secondary router connects to the
primary router also via an ethernet cable.

I have tried disconnecting the dish as you suggest, once the EPG had "timed out" I lost the "On Demand service.
Any other ideas?

Carole
 

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Bigger dish maybe - less drop out during bad weather.
 

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It depends on how much of the signal is lost - sometimes although there is insufficient signal to give channel reception there is sufficient to verify the subscription details are valid. All functions on the Sky box of viewing or playback of any programming (broadcast, recording or on demand downloads) requires that the digibox verifies the validity of subscription levels. So if there is insufficent signal to allow playback of recordins then on demand will also be a no go.
 

ceetee

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It depends on how much of the signal is lost - sometimes although there is insufficient signal to give channel reception there is sufficient to verify the subscription details are valid. All functions on the Sky box of viewing or playback of any programming (broadcast, recording or on demand downloads) requires that the digibox verifies the validity of subscription levels. So if there is insufficent signal to allow playback of recordins then on demand will also be a no go.
Many thanks for that.
I think Analoguesat was right when he suggested a bigger dish, I plan to go for a 1m one, they are quite cheap.
Carole
 

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Carole, 1m is significant overkill for BSkyB >> Not only is it unnecessarily unwieldy, but the narrower beamwidth that is an innate feature of bigger dish sizes means alignment needs to be more precise.

Is your current dish the diddy Zone 1 or the larger and probably optimal Zone2 ?

I live only thirty miles from you and use a Zone 1 dish without issue (Although I reckon my DiY installation exceeds Sky Installer efforts!).

I suggest you settle on something between 60 and 80cm to strike a compromise between having adequate rain margin and minimal visual impact etc.
 

ceetee

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Carole, 1m is significant overkill for BSkyB >> Not only is it unnecessarily unwieldy, but the narrower beamwidth that is an innate feature of bigger dish sizes means alignment needs to be more precise.

Is your current dish the diddy Zone 1 or the larger and probably optimal Zone2 ?

I live only thirty miles from you and use a Zone 1 dish without issue (Although I reckon my DiY installation exceeds Sky Installer efforts!).

I suggest you settle on something between 60 and 80cm to strike a compromise between having adequate rain margin and minimal visual impact etc.
It is the diddy Z1 one. Thanks or that, I'll go for the Z2 one then, even cheaper!
Whilst on, when I select 5OD on the On-Demand menu I can only get Ch5 progs, no 5US or 5*, although it says all 3 are available.
I don#t know why this is, could it be due to the weak signal?
Carole
 

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1M for 28E?! - faaaar too big in the UK.!


I use an (ex analogue) circular 60cm dish here in southern Scotland and thats fine for anything except torrential rain. (Or me standing in front of it when Im tinkering with the adjacent 53E dish!)

You might just n eed to tweak the alignment of your existing dish, especially if its been up a few years in the North Yorks winter storms.

Re the missing channels - what make of box is it? Not a Grundig / Thompson by any chance??
 

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ceetee said:
It is the diddy Z1 one. Thanks or that, I'll go for the Z2 one then, even cheaper!
Whilst on, when I select 5OD on the On-Demand menu I can only get Ch5 progs, no 5US or 5*, although it says all 3 are available.
I don#t know why this is, could it be due to the weak signal?
Carole
There are only programmes from 5 and 5HD - I have never seen any from 5* or 5US
 

ceetee

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Analoguesat said:
1M for 28E?! - faaaar too big in the UK.!


I use an (ex analogue) circular 60cm dish here in southern Scotland and thats fine for anything except torrential rain. (Or me standing in front of it when Im tinkering with the adjacent 53E dish!)

You might just n eed to tweak the alignment of your existing dish, especially if its been up a few years in the North Yorks winter storms.

Re the missing channels - what make of box is it? Not a Grundig / Thompson by any chance??

Thanks for your post.
My box is a SKY 1TB 3D Anytime+
Fairly recent one, should be OK, is OK in every other respect.
I had my friendly electrician/sat guy round yesterday, 10 quid and he realignd my dish, wow, what a
difference in signal!
Carole
 

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Ten quid? Excellent result.


PS: I've fixed the dodgy Quote. New Forum Software can be a tad quirky!
 

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ceetee said:
Thanks for your post.
My box is a SKY 1TB 3D Anytime+
Fairly recent one, should be OK, is OK in every other respect.
I had my friendly electrician/sat guy round yesterday, 10 quid and he realignd my dish, wow, what a
difference in signal!
Carole
Result! :D
 
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