Effect of frequent interchange of Sky Cards

jez

I have three digiboxes on the go at the moment with three cards. One Irish Sub card ,One FTV Card and One ex UK Sky sub card.All P2 cards. This is a very handy set up for recording. However,with the Beeb having gone FTA I was thinking of parking one of the digiboxes as a spare and maybe interchanging the Irish card and one of the other cards when I needed to watch ITV/C4 or C5. At least when one digibox eventually gave trouble I'd have a back up. However,there is a note on the back of the card advising against frequently taking out/reinserting the card . Is that an issue? Does it wear the chip? I assume its a case of being careful??

Appreciate feedback.

Tony_ire

Well before Sky replaced all the cars we were swapping between a FTV card and Sky sub card atleast once a day for over a year and we had no problems although the cards looked a little worn.

John R

I swapped analoge videocrypt cards for years and apart from a single sky card which failed soon after it was issued I had no problem with cards wearing out, they are the same design as other smart cards that are supposed to be continuously inserted/removed in readers such as credit cards, rechargeable phone cards and so on.

TVDX

Jez, you should know that there is increasing speculation that P2 FTV/Ex Sky cards are going down soon as well.

jez

Ozzie, the speculation is only being created by people who don't really have any idea what is going to happen. I am optimistic that the P2 cards already out there as FTV or ex sky sub will continue to work. The BBC is a reliable source of information and this link has what I believe to be reliable information.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/dsat_add_channels.shtml

Also people/Media in the UK react to situations such as Sky charging them for free channels so I would safely say there is no way the existing P2 cards will be deactivated. There would be uproar over there...

TVDX

Well Jez, the thing is there is already uproar, i dont think many people were able to sort out a P2 card in time, so very little people have them in comparison to P1 cards.

In fact many people were told on the phone by Sky when asking that they didnt need to get a replacement FTV card for their P1.
This shows the amont of misinformation that was going on at the time.

It wouldnt make sense to cut off all P1 FTV cards and then leave the others on, for example Channel 4 said they were becoming part of the Sky package, pay only, so how will they remain on the P2 cards?.

watty

Originally posted by jez :
Also people/Media in the UK react to situations such as Sky charging them for free channels so I would safely say there is no way the existing P2 cards will be deactivated. There would be uproar over there...

Yes there is uproar in UK because only about 10% or less of the non-curreent Sub cards are P2. Most of those 1 Million FTV viewers are P1

* FTV centre did not replace any P1 cards unless told they where broken/lost

* Sky was / is only replacing current subscriber cards, not cancelled sub cards at all.

Perhaps actual P2 FTV cards might only be 5%. Some cancelled sub p2 UK viewers have had the "Message of death"

But I agree there is much speculation and not much facts..

I wouldn't quote Beeb as Gospel except regarding BBC.

Perhaps it is no co-incidence the "Great P1 Switch off" will be while UK MPs are on holiday.

No-one can predict what sky will do except it usually involves as little as possible and charging more.

There is no reason whatsoever to switch of existing P1 cards used as FTV. No matter what "new" scheme there is for Pay TV. So by that logic, there is no reason to keep the tiny number of P2 FTV cards going either, if the P1 are turned off.

The P1 may yet be reprieved or ITV may go FTA. Who knows. The BBC certinally don't, they are well out of it! Smart move.

jez

I have three digiboxes,with three P2 cards. I was thinking of resting one box to preserve for emergency breakdown.How often does anyone think I would need to insert the card I'm using in this box into one of the other boxes to maintain the signal or does it matter. This card is an ex SKy uk sub.

Thanks