new sky decoder

piet

Hi, in the end of last year I got problems with my pace decoder, which I bought 4 years ago for £300,00 orso. The last years sky is giving these boxes for free. I rang sky when the box hardly worked anymore, telling them I wanted a new box or they could cancel my contract. After the person I spoke to,was talking a few times to her supervisor, she said they could not give me a new box. So I cancelled my contract. This was in januari.
Thursday I got a call from a sky rep. asking me for the reason I left sky? I told him about the broken box, he said they give me a new package if I would just restart my contract with them!
I asked him if i had to sign for a year or what? He said: no.
When I cancelled my last contract they first took a month cancelation time ou of my cc. So now I think they owe me a month for the money I paid them allready. However I first let them install the package, then before I sign anything I make sure I get it. They could have given me a new box that time!

A few people I know in the area had problems with pace boxes, what is the best decoder to ask for?

swoofer

go for panansonic but it is often the luck fo the draw when the SLY installler turns up. Talk sweetly to them.

gb--

byte

I would still say that the Panasonics are the most reliable.

Though I cannot comment on the new Pace boxes. I know they're faster than previous models but not sure about reliability. I don't know if they still use the same terrible ZIF tuners that they used in the 2500 series.

JimG

Are there any decoders on the market that output two or more channels simultaneously for viewing on different televisions in the one house?

byte

Originally posted by JimG
Are there any decoders on the market that output two or more channels simultaneously for viewing on different televisions in the one house?

Not really. Sky+ boxes can record one channel while you watch another one but it doesnt' output 2 different channels at the same time. They do come with quad LNB though so that your old sky box could be moved to a seperate room. UK viewers can obtain a "mirror" card which costs an extra STG£10 per month IIRC. Sky+ boxes aren't marketed in ROI yet though.

JimG

Thanks, Irishbyte. I guessed as much, but we live in hopes!

JimG

I have since done a Google search for "twin tuner decoder". Have a look at this site it found for me :- http://www.satshop.com/pdfs/8002s.pdf
The receiver mentioned here would not receive Sky channels - but would it be ok for FTA channels?

Mod edit: fixed link

JimG

Sorry - there seems to be a problem with the link above. You will find it easily enough if you do the same Google search as I did.

watty

If you understand what you are doing you can put multiple Satellite receiver cards in one PC the Technotrend "Premium" ( www.technotrend.de ) has MPEG decoder and CI interface and Multimedia bridge with real TV out, Digital and analog audio outs etc to feed TVs and Hifi. I have the Hauppauge DVBs PCI version now repackaged and sold in Irl/UK as Hauppauge Nexus PCI.

It records direct MPEG to disk and uses very little CPU power. An Analog Win TV card is much poorer, can't drive a TV set or VHS and requires enormous CPU power and disk space to record (The Digital satellite signal can be recorded directly, but analog terrestrial TV has to be converted to digital.


Or get a second Digibox. My 2nd Digibox S/H was 60 Euro and works fine (The original one now gets UTV / BBC and the S/H had the Sky ROI sub card transfered to it with a phone call to sky.).

JimG

Watty - thanks very much for all that.
The reason I asked the question in the first place is that I have always felt that Sky were ripping us all off by making it impossible for people in the one house to watch two or more different Sky channels at the same time. Then I got to wondering if all satellite receivers were designed in this way.

watty

Your VHS or TV can only tune one channel, as can your radio.
The most normal way to have multiple separate channels simultanously is multiple receivers (Radio, TV, VHs, Satellite all same principle)

JimG

In the case of UHF and VHF television signals, and even in the case of Chorus MMDS (in some places at least), it is possible to watch different channels on as many TVs as you have. They are all getting their signal from the one aerial. (The fact that each TV can tune only one channel at a time is irrelevant).
What I have been trying to say is that I think it is unfair to have this freedom taken from us by the Sky digibox system. A digibox with two tuners, outputting two channels for viewing, would help. I am certain the technology exists for other solutions.

Tony

Originally posted by JimG
What I have been trying to say is that I think it is unfair to have this freedom taken from us by the Sky digibox system.

In what way is freedom being eroded,?. Nobody is forced in to taking out a subscription. Sky has always been a one channel system and the mirror subscription soon to arrive will allow a second channel at a price, its your choice.

Tony

watty

Originally posted by JimG
In the case of UHF and VHF television signals, and even in the case of Chorus MMDS (in some places at least), it is possible to watch different channels on as many TVs as you have. They are all getting their signal from the one aerial. (The fact that each TV can tune only one channel at a time is irrelevant).
What I have been trying to say is that I think it is unfair to have this freedom taken from us by the Sky digibox system. A digibox with two tuners, outputting two channels for viewing, would help. I am certain the technology exists for other solutions.

If they are fre channels you want buy a second tuner. If pay channels, you need a second sub.

This is no different to Analog Satellite.

A VHS can only do one channel.


The problem is not Sky, the problem is that satellite reception is not built into every TV & VHS.

Like HiFi separates there may be displays (TV) with no tuner...

A video Projector is arguably better than TV, Plasma or Rear projection for mix of 4:3 and 16:9 in ig Screen, Never saw one with any tuner.

I have one subscription that was cancelled over a year, may cancell again soon.,

I have 2 Digiboxes
1 PC Digital Receiver with 4 Satellites
2 Analog Satellite receivers

All feed all the 6 TVs, as does the VHS and the S-VHS and the TV aerial.
Different Satellite channels can be watched on any TV.


What is problem?

I bearly want to pay for one sub, never mid two, but if I *REALLY* needed two different pay TV channels at same time I'm sure I can have a second full price sub.


I don't see problem, nor why a satellite receiver should be two receivers in one box. With two (or more) physically separate receivers I have more flexibility.

Satellite isn't analog Cable (Digital cable needs a receiver for each different channel).

JimG

Tony and Watty: Thanks for your replies - appreciated.
I guess I'm expecting too much from one subscription.
Over and out.