Leee said:
are we saying here that if you were to get Sky+ for £199 from *somewhere* that you would have to have the thing connected to the phone line?
Yes, because that *somewhere* would be SKY. At that price a new SKY+ box can only be subsidised and, as such, SKY tie you to the phone connection for one year; albeit, not literally. After a full thirteen months you can throw the phone cable in the bin.
Leee said:
What about for installation? I am one of those slightly-not-on-UK-mainland - could I trot back to my house, connect to my dual/quad LNB, call Sky and have the new box married to my card?
You could, but, you would also have to live in the house if you were party to any discounts (see above).
If you bought the box outright you could sit it in its final resting place, phone SKY to set-up a subscription or shift an existing sub over to your SKY+ No need for an installation engineer come round in this case (unless known otherwise). This is precisely what I did with my ordinary digibox - a PVR (sic) isn't any different.
Rolf makes an important note. Return rates on faulty boxes are, IHHO, running a bit high.
Have Fun,
Mark.
P.S. Don't forget that you need a 'World' sub to qualify for the 'free' recording facilities.