Sky....

[keef247]

never had it before... want a tv/internet package with music and variety and 8mb 40gb limit possibly 16mb unlimited if my road can get it which i don't think it can...

few questions...

do i need a dish? does it come with one if so in the package?

is it worth getting sky hd box? haha it'd look very nice on my expensive glass stand alongside my xbox 360 elite (both black remember) I will only be able to get bbc hd, skyone hd and channel 4 hd... but is it worth getting incase they start broadcasting all channels in hd or would they probably ask an aditional fee for this?

has the skyhd box got a bigger hdd?

i think theres a contract... how long for?

whats their service like for both tv and internet?

can i make my linksys ag241v2 work with sky instead of their router?

is their router any good? does it have 4 ethernets and a good set of features such as filtering certain keywords/urls?

when the subscription runs out would i get a new box or keep using mine as I'm paying for it so surely its my property?

oh and can i record 2+ different things that are on at the same time?

cheers

[jackvdbuk]

if you do take the plunge, might i just say that quidco are giving £130 for online signups?

[Jay]

Originally Posted by keef247

never had it before... want a tv/internet package with music and variety and 8mb 40gb limit possibly 16mb unlimited if my road can get it which i don't think it can...

few questions...

Originally Posted by keef247

do i need a dish? does it come with one if so in the package?

For Sky TV you need a dish, they should fit this for you and its included in your setup fee

Originally Posted by keef247

is it worth getting sky hd box? haha it'd look very nice on my expensive glass stand alongside my xbox 360 elite (both black remember) I will only be able to get bbc hd, skyone hd and channel 4 hd... but is it worth getting incase they start broadcasting all channels in hd or would they probably ask an aditional fee for this?

Sky HD is about £10 a month I think, HD looks fantastic on a HD TV but its a matter of cost. I think the box is also about £299

Originally Posted by keef247

has the skyhd box got a bigger hdd?

Sky HD has a much bigger hard drive, I think its 300GB, standard Sky+ is 160GB

Originally Posted by keef247

i think theres a contract... how long for?

Yes there will be a contract, its normlly 12 months

Originally Posted by keef247

whats their service like for both tv and internet?

I don't have sky but my friend does and he loves it, he has never had Telewest/NTL etc.

Originally Posted by keef247

can i make my linksys ag241v2 work with sky instead of their router?

I am sure all DSL routers should work with Sky BroadBand

Originally Posted by keef247

is their router any good? does it have 4 ethernets and a good set of features such as filtering certain keywords/urls?

Sorry, I couldn't tell you.

Originally Posted by keef247

when the subscription runs out would i get a new box or keep using mine as I'm paying for it so surely its my property?

You keep using yours as you own it.

Originally Posted by keef247

oh and can i record 2+ different things that are on at the same time?

Yes you can record 2 different things at the same time.

[keef247]

cheers for the imput... i was under the impression you have to use their routers...

[Rev_Hill]

You are contracted to use the Sky supplied router but it is possible to connect using another router.

See SkyUser - The Unofficial Help and Support Forum for everything Sky! for help.

REV

[Jay]

I hope it helped.

Also I am told that Sky HD boxes don't upscale the standard picture but i'm not to sure how reliable this is.

[chrestomanci]

Originally Posted by jay_oasis

Originally Posted by keef247

has the skyhd box got a bigger hdd?

Sky HD has a much bigger hard drive, I think its 300GB, standard Sky+ is 160GB

It will fill up much faster though if you record any HD programs, as they take up around 4x the space of standard def programs. Also Sky take a certain amount (140Gb I think), for their own use.

The good news is that if you don't mind voiding the warranty, then it is easy to upgrade the HD to a larger one. Sky HD boxes use standard SATA drives. Once you upgrade you will get all the extra space for your own recordings.

[keef247]

what about formatting? or could i simply do the equivalent of a "first time installation" and it would format.
and yeah cheers mate i was aware of the reserved data for streaming/pausing/rewindind tv gathered with the hd file size.cheers though
hopefully will provide usefull for those not in the know

[dave87]

The Sky Router is a DG834 with a custom firmware which you can easily flash back, so its not too much of a problem

[keef247]

no i meant formatting the hdd in the sky hd box...

[dave87]

Mine was a response to the earlier question about the router, but heyho.

I'm sure there is a guide on the internet somewhere about upgrading sky boxes, so head over to google.

[bigblue]

Originally Posted by Keef247

what about formatting? or could i simply do the equivalent of a "first time installation" and it would format.

No, I don't think so. I don't imagine you can avoid the forced firmware updates, and when you get one, the 160g/b limit will be in play. The only real option is to fit a larger HDD which isn't without complications, and obviously screws your warranty if you leave any evidence ! There's a huuuuawge thread about doing just this on AVF Upgraded to 1 Terabyte without removing warranty sticker - AVForums

and yeah cheers mate i was aware of the reserved data for streaming/pausing/rewindind tv gathered with the hd file size.cheers though

It's mainly for their "anytime" service, which is much loathed, but I actually quite like.

Originally Posted by jay_oasis

Also I am told that Sky HD boxes don't upscale the standard picture but i'm not to sure how reliable this is.

They do upscale Whether or not this is a good thing is open to question.

You can either set the box to display everything at 720p/1080i (your choice, though 1080i is usually considered the best option, as this is how it's carried) or set it to "Auto", which means (presuming you're hooking up with HDMI) SD stuff will be shown at 576p, HD stuff at 720p/1080i.

It doesn't upscale to 1080p though, but from current rumours that'll be coming shortly. Whether or not on existing boxes, I know not !