sky+ box

I have a standard sky dish and box. If I buy a sky+ box can I just fit the cable from the dish into the new sky+ box. i.e. swap it over. If not what more need I do? Thanks

Yes, that will work. There are some things you'll need to do to get things working, and there may be some features you want that need a subscription...

1) pair the old viewing card with the new box - You just ring Sky and they'll sort that for you.

2) Sky+ recording features: Just swapping the box isn't enough to start making Sky recordings on a plus box. It used to be that the record feature was only activated if you paid for it. I think it comes as standard now with certain packages

3) record two channels at once, or watch one while recording another: There are two tuners in a Sky+ box, and on the back there are two satellite dish sockets. If you want to do anything more than record the channel playing on screen then your box needs those two dish connections. That might mean changing the LNB on the dish from one with a single output to one with 4 outputs. (They come in 1 - 4 - 8 output configurations. Look up Quad LNB for a 4-way version). Then bringing some extra cable down from the dish and in to the house.

Sky box has one connection to LNB and Sky+ although it will work with only one you can't watch one and record another without twin feed from LNB.

As already said needs setting up and registering with Sky to be able to record. Also phone line may be required.

The idea is if you set a film to record you don't pay for film until you watch it so if deleted without watching you don't pay. This means it is recorded encrypted complete with all the info so you can still use i button to find out what film is about.

Although you may never want to buy a movie the system is set up to allow you to so unless you have it correctly registered and are paying for package then it will not permit you to watch any programs recorded.

I had a problem with mine when first installed recorded a whole batch of programs which I then could not view after being sent a new sky card.

Unlike the stand alone hard drives you can't select the quality so with my stand alone I can record far more with a smaller hard drive. Also found the 1 hour live recording seems to corrupt as it catches up with point you went back from so now use the stand alone hard drive instead. Anyway stand alone allows 6 hours live recording not just one.

So what I am saying is unless you are going to subscribe to sky and have second connection to LNB then a stand alone recorder works better.

Once you go to Sky+ you lose the ability to get the box to auto change channel when the program you want comes on. It allows you to record it instead.

However one good point. After a power cut it still remembers all the programs you had set it to record.

If you do want to run the box with a single LNB feed then you will need to go into the setup menu and turn off the 2nd input (often done when installed in flats) otherwise it will think it can record two things and fail saying it lost the satellite signal.

ericmark said:

I had a problem with mine when first installed recorded a whole batch of programs which I then could not view after being sent a new sky card.

Unlike the stand alone hard drives you can't select the quality so with my stand alone I can record far more with a smaller hard drive. Also found the 1 hour live recording seems to corrupt as it catches up with point you went back from so now use the stand alone hard drive instead. Anyway stand alone allows 6 hours live recording not just one.

So what I am saying is unless you are going to subscribe to sky and have second connection to LNB then a stand alone recorder works better.

Once you go to Sky+ you lose the ability to get the box to auto change channel when the program you want comes on. It allows you to record it instead.

However one good point. After a power cut it still remembers all the programs you had set it to record.

Click to expand...

I think the problem there may be that the box needs a hard reset, by holding down the backup button on the box, then applying power, although there is a risk of losing stored programmes.

Also, the cost of a dual output LNB isn't great. I couldn't buy one, without receiving a free dish, from a radio rally. Was less than a tenner. brand new.