A question for the Sky + installers
A question for the Sky + installers
Author
Discussion

Cider Andy

Original Poster:

1,889 posts

255 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Her who must be obeyed has decreed that we are having Sky+ with multiroom. As I'm averse to having cables tacked all over the outside of the house, I'm running them internally.

So, I'll be running a new cable from the dish to the site of the multiroom, or second decoder box. I'll also be replacing the existing cable from the dish to the main receiver (which will become the Sky+ box), but she's under the impression that you can watch one channel while recording two others, so do I run just one extra cable along the same route or two?

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Watch one, record one or record 2 watch 0, unless you want to watch what you're recording.

cotty

42,247 posts

314 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
unrepentant said:
Watch one, record one or record 2 watch 0, unless you want to watch what you're recording.


Thats the way mine works but i only have one box, I dont know if multiroom works differently as it has two boxes

scorp

8,783 posts

259 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those, this is because the Sky+ unit has 2 internal receivers (can view/record a max of 2 channels at once). This will not affect any other boxes you have (ie your second ordinary receiver).

The Sky+ unit requires 2 LNB inputs btw.

>> Edited by scorp on Friday 21st October 10:55

catretriever

2,090 posts

272 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
scorp said:
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those


...or something that you have previously recorded...

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
catretriever said:


scorp said:
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those




...or something that you have previously recorded...



Cant do that. It counts as a channel. You can watch terrestrial (sic?) of course.

>> Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 21st October 11:07

jonnie5

716 posts

283 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
unrepentant said:

catretriever said:



scorp said:
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those





...or something that you have previously recorded...




Cant do that. It counts as a channel. You can watch terrestrial (sic?) of course.

>> Edited by unrepentant on Friday 21st October 11:07


You can as long as the channel selected when you started watching your recording is one of those being recorded from. (if that makes sense )

adqt

93 posts

260 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
jonnie5 said:

unrepentant said:


catretriever said:




scorp said:
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those






...or something that you have previously recorded...





Cant do that. It counts as a channel. You can watch terrestrial (sic?) of course.

>> Edited by unrepentant on Friday 21st October 11:07



You can as long as the channel selected when you started watching your recording is one of those being recorded from. (if that makes sense )


I agree! You CAN record two channels at once and watch previously recorded programmes

scorp

8,783 posts

259 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Makes sense, the main limit is being able to decode only 2 channels at once. Playback of pre-recorded stuff shouldn't make a difference.

satman

2,455 posts

276 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Cider Andy said:
Her who must be obeyed has decreed that we are having Sky+ with multiroom. As I'm averse to having cables tacked all over the outside of the house, I'm running them internally.

So, I'll be running a new cable from the dish to the site of the multiroom, or second decoder box. I'll also be replacing the existing cable from the dish to the main receiver (which will become the Sky+ box), but she's under the impression that you can watch one channel while recording two others, so do I run just one extra cable along the same route or two?


Obviously you'll need a single coaxial cable for the 'multiroom box' (original receiver moved to new location), and the new Skyplus box will need two coaxial cables. The Sky engineer will replace the single LNB on the dish for a Quad LNB.
Use a good quality doubled screened coaxial cable,(CT100 or equivilent) avoid joining the cable if poss, and try not to kink the cables.

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
jonnie5 said:

unrepentant said:


catretriever said:




scorp said:
If recording 2 channels you are forced to watch either one of those






...or something that you have previously recorded...





Cant do that. It counts as a channel. You can watch terrestrial (sic?) of course.

>> Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 21st October 11:07



You can as long as the channel selected when you started watching your recording is one of those being recorded from. (if that makes sense )


OK. I see. Didn't know that, thanks.

andy_vtec

355 posts

271 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
I had sky plus installed last week.....

I installed the 2nd cable myself from inside loft by dish through to lounge as I didn't want any unsightly cables outside and I anticipated a problem with the engineer doing it.

Came to book, and Sky plus with Multiroom was a no brainer as compaired to just upgrading to Sky plus on it's own, so ordered multiroom.

Sky engineer arrived on the alloted day - 2 hours early, nice. Showed him the install details.

We needed to install a 3rd cable (which I new), from dish to bedroom where the multiroom (original) receiver would be placed, pretty easy job, but Sky engineers aren't allowed in lofts unless they are completly boarded. Mine is only half boarded, so I said no worries dude, you stick the cable through the soffit board outside and I'll run it through the loft. If they were left to do it they would just run the cable outside and drill through the brickwork - nasty.

Anyway - install was fine - however...., my 2nd card had not arrived by the install day - sky engineer advised that they hardly ever arrive on time - he phoned base, and they only processed the extra card order there and then - arrived in post 3 days later, had to phone sky up to get the card "authorised".....

Now - I'm an intelligent bloke, but fk me, I have NEVER had to deal with a worse automated phone system in my 32 years on this planet.

andy_vtec

355 posts

271 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
2nd part of post...

No joke - it took 2 days and 8 attempts to get through to someone, I reckon Sky make a tidy profit out of phone calls to their service centre. I ended down dead ends that I couldn't get back from, then was advised my call would be answered in 25 minutes - hang up, then I got through to the correct place, the phone was auto answered, but the agent had obviously left and I could listen to the background activity of the call centre before hanging up. Finally I got through to someone - and it was all dealt with in 5 minutes, but "customer service" it certainly aint.

steve z

1,245 posts

252 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Cider Andy said:
Her who must be obeyed has decreed that we are having Sky+ with multiroom. As I'm averse to having cables tacked all over the outside of the house, I'm running them internally.

So, I'll be running a new cable from the dish to the site of the multiroom, or second decoder box. I'll also be replacing the existing cable from the dish to the main receiver (which will become the Sky+ box), but she's under the impression that you can watch one channel while recording two others, so do I run just one extra cable along the same route or two?


2 cables (coax)from dish to Sky+ box

1 cable (coax) from dish to 'Multiroom' box

catretriever

2,090 posts

272 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
steve z said:


2 cables (coax)from dish to Sky+ box

1 cable (coax) from dish to 'Multiroom' box


..and a lot of fannying around with telephone sockets!

Don't forget that both boxes need a phone connection, or Sky'll shaft you on your multiroom discount!

On a related note can anyone tell me if the maximum REN on a phone line is (or ever was) 4 ? I'm pretty sure I'm overloading mine with all these chuffing bits of kit....

cotty

42,247 posts

314 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
catretriever said:
Don't forget that both boxes need a phone connection, or Sky'll shaft you on your multiroom discount!


I dont think you need to have them connected at all.
Just dont tell them.
My sky would work perfectly without the telephone line but I keep it connected as i sometimes watch something on box office

anonymous-user

84 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
cotty said:

catretriever said:
Don't forget that both boxes need a phone connection, or Sky'll shaft you on your multiroom discount!



I dont think you need to have them connected at all.
Just dont tell them.
My sky would work perfectly without the telephone line but I keep it connected as i sometimes watch something on box office


You need it connected to install the SKY Plus. After that, who knows?

scorp

8,783 posts

259 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
cotty said:

catretriever said:
Don't forget that both boxes need a phone connection, or Sky'll shaft you on your multiroom discount!



I dont think you need to have them connected at all.
Just dont tell them.
My sky would work perfectly without the telephone line but I keep it connected as i sometimes watch something on box office


Sky check up periodically, and will threaten you after a while (i think the unit has to phone home every month or so). Ended up with me having to pay a BT engineer to come out and install an extension in my other room

skibum

1,032 posts

267 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
Cider Andy said:
she's under the impression that you can watch one channel while recording two others, so do I run just one extra cable along the same route or two?


She's right, You can record two different channels on your Sky plus and then watch a 3rd different channel on the multi room receiver. It comes in handy when there is F1, MotoGP and Footie on at the same time on a Sunday!

cotty

42,247 posts

314 months

Friday 21st October 2005
quotequote all
scorp said:

Sky check up periodically, and will threaten you after a while (i think the unit has to phone home every month or so). Ended up with me having to pay a BT engineer to come out and install an extension in my other room


If you read your contract it only needs to be connected for the first 12 months. If it doesnt need to be connected after 12 months then why does it need to be connected after 1 month.

They use it to see what people watch