Advice Sky + HD

[SheepCow]

I've had this happen a year or so ago, when the power came back it must have booted up as it had recorded stuff when I got home. The power must have been out for a while though as some things earlier on weren't recorded and were marked Failed/Power cut.

 

[sayward]

managed to delete Walking Dead by mistake. but there's a deleted section, how long's that been there? I never noticed it.

 

[Edmond]

managed to delete Walking Dead by mistake. but there's a deleted section, how long's that been there? I never noticed it.

There is...where?

 

[Zenith.UK]

It's been there since the new update that changed the font and appearance of the EPG.

Go to "TV Guide", press Green for "Planner", tap left and the "Deleted" section should be showing.
Go down the list and press Green to Restore what you'd deleted by accident, or Yellow to make sure it's gone for good.

 

[sayward]

Trouble is I've deleted so much since then I think it's been bumped off cos it's definitely not there.

 

[sayward]

Have bitten the bullet and ordered a Sky+ box with a bigger memory. Now I just need to clear this one before it arrives.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Why did you do that?
You can upgrade the drive of a Sky+HD box fairly easily. Use a program like ExPVR to move your recordings from one disk to another without losing the programme info.
I've routed the SATA and power cables out of the back of the Sky box so I can unplug the drive whenever I like without having to open up the box again.

 

[sayward]

Because I'm totally totally untechnical and the other half is even worse so I'm afraid I took the option of least resistance. I know I'm a total coward. Most of what you IT knowlegeable people talk about may as well be in Swahili. And at this moment I can't even spell.

 

[sayward]

P.s if this happens is there anything I can do with the first box apart from scrapping it? I don't suppose you can just plug it into another set up and record on it without Sky?

 

[Zenith.UK]

Get yourself a FreeSat card and you can use it as a recorder without paying an ongoing subscription.

 

[DaGaffer]

Get yourself a FreeSat card and you can use it as a recorder without paying an ongoing subscription.

Freesat still doesn't have a particularly good channel selection, particularly HD channels. I have Freesat and Sky and Sky is still worth it for me (for all the kids channels and Sport mainly).

 

[caLLous]

I hope you let your kids watch the kids channels as well.

I hate the idea of lining Murdoch's pockets but Sky is worth it for Sports (and sometimes Docs) alone.

 

[Deebs]

I hate the new EPG, the font and look is shit.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Freesat still doesn't have a particularly good channel selection, particularly HD channels. I have Freesat and Sky and Sky is still worth it for me (for all the kids channels and Sport mainly).

Same for me. I have Sky mainly for the kids channels, but I also catch "Watch" and "SyFy" a lot, which you can't get on FreeSat. I mentioned FreeSat earlier as an option, nothing more.

I hate the new EPG, the font and look is shit.

I don't like the panels layout or the changes to Anytime/OnDemand. I do however quite like the font and icons changes. They can't please all the people all the time.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

It's much better, but hardly new? Had it about 6 months.

 

[sayward]

Got my new box. Just plug it in? Yeh right. Two blokes took the best part of an hour. Couldn't get the old box unplugged, what a performance. Then it kept saying this is not the right card. Long phone call. Then a 10 minute wait while it re booted and updated. If I'd got it in the post I'd've never managed it!

 

[Zenith.UK]

Seriously?
Unscrew the 2 F-connectors of the coax cables, phone line and power lead. Remove card from old box.
Put in new box and slot in the card. Connect up the F-connectors, phone line and power. Optionally plug in a network cable to your router to enable the On Demand service.
Perform these tasks to force a software update -> http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-HD-SkyHD-Sky-3D/Software-Update-How-to/ta-p/609798
Any problem at this point, you can call up Sky and they'll activate/pair your card with your box in 5-10 minutes.

It was all over and done in about 15-20 mins for me when my old Thomson was upgraded to an Amstrad. I guess you got unlucky.

 

[sayward]

Gave old box to my daughter but she can't seem to record despite having a freesat card. Any ideas?

 

[Zenith.UK]

I got it wrong a few weeks ago. I'm afraid Sky have their equipment set in such a way so you can't record unless you have an active Sky subscription. That bollocks up FreeSat recording.
The only way to get around it would be to buy a FreeSat recorder STB.
Sorry for misleading you.

 

[sayward]

Oh well at least we know and won't keep searching for it. She's quite pleased cos it makes her HD channels better. Thanx anyway.

 

[Zenith.UK]

Another possibility would be to get a Dreambox for satellite recording. The warning is that there's some serious tinkering and it isn't for the faint-hearted.

It's a Linux based satellite decoder that can do some other functions. Apart from viewing channels, you can also use a softcam to "copy" your Sky box and Sky card ID's and decode Sky TV without actually having your card in the box. Then there's the record feature. It can not only record, but output the decrypted MPEG2 to a NAS or Windows share on your home network. Sky box records the encrypted stream and decrypts it with your card each time you view it. Dreambox decrypts the stream THEN records it. You can view your recording on any digital device... so that sounds like +1 for XBMC again.
You can also view your satellite TV live on any device on your network as well.

 

[sayward]

Yikes!

 

[sayward]

Bigger box seems to work ok. I've been away for 3 weeks and only used 14%. That might be because there's been nothing on. It even includes approx 6 rugby games.

 

[PLightstar]

I know this isn't a Virgin discussion but has anyone tried (or is it even possible) linking their TiVo box to their home network. I noticed it has an Ethernet connection.

 

[sayward]

I will get my tv system sorted eventually! I have 4 tv's running from my Sky+ box the one in the bedroom has a little mouse connected. Can I put mouses on the others? So I can at least change channels in the kitchen? Or won't that work?
I'm the idiot who's paying for HD despite the HD tv still being in its box because no one can move the behemoth that's in the lounge.

 

[sayward]

Bought a mouse but haven't tried it yet.

Now what's this 'dongle' my son tells me I need for the back of the tv so it's connected to the internet? So I can programme from my mobile? And get i player on the tv?

 

[SheepCow]

Bought a mouse but haven't tried it yet.

Now what's this 'dongle' my son tells me I need for the back of the tv so it's connected to the internet? So I can programme from my mobile? And get i player on the tv?

Erm. AFAIK you don't need it connected to the net to use the remote record - the On Demand stuff (formerly Sky+ Anytime) aka catch-up requires the Sky+HD box itself to be connected to your network and that's it

 

[sayward]

Can you not connect it remotely to the broadband?

 

[SheepCow]

Can you not connect it remotely to the broadband?

Not sure what you mean.

There's a "Sky Remote" application (and the sky.com TV guide) that lets you set things to be recorded when you're not near your TV - that doesn't require the Sky box to be connected to the Internet.

On the Sky box itself (TV Guide -> red button) there's "On Demand" TV, to use that you'll need your Sky box connected to the internet (i.e. to your network/router).

There are also "Sky Go" applications for tablets, phones, etc. That doesn't use your Sky box at all, it's Sky's version of iPlayer and downloads from t'Internet.

 

[sayward]

I have 'on demand' ok and Sky go. What I was trying to set up is when you can watch i player on your tv. I'm sure that's what my son has done on his..

Also would like to be able to set my Sky box to record when I am away from home from my mobile? It's all getting too much for me.

Have just tried to put a 'mouse' on a third tv and I can't even get that to work.