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Multiroom DIY

  • 10-04-2006 12:10pm
    #1
    Ballyman
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,822 ✭✭✭


    Hi

    I am moving house and intend to get in Sky, probably 2/4 mixes and the sport. The house I am moving into has a dish on the wall already and I presume the cable to the tv but I'm not sure. Would I be better off removing this dish and getting a complete system from Sky, seeing as it's free anyway and sell the dish on ebay? What would you recommend to do?

    Also, as I won't have C4, I was going to buy a cheap sky box and FTA card on ebay and set up FTA on another tv in the kitchen. Can I do this from the same dish seeing as the Sky sub will be using this dish? What would I need to do this? I read somewhere about Quad LnB's, do I get one of these from Sky when they install or do I need to source one myself and change the current one or Can I split the cable before it goes into the Sky sub box and take the signal to the other sky box for FTA??

    I'm a novice at this so sorry for the stupid questions!!

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks.


Comments

  • #2
    watty
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 32,417 ✭✭✭✭watty


    There is NO FTA card. FTA = Free To Air. Lots of channels that work without a card.

    FTV Card (Free To View) : £21 to a UK address. Enables C4, Five and Sky 3 ONLY, without a subscription.

    Sky generally only supply a Quad LNB if you order Mirror (Subscriptions for two Sky boxes) or Sky+.

    A S/H Sky dish is not worth much on Ebay as they rust and carriage cost is high.

    If you order Sky and the dish is suitable they will use it, if the dish is too rusted they fit a new one. YOu can take it down and have it as a spare. You can wirebrush the rust off and repaint it.

    You would need to get a Sky minidish compatible Quad LNB yourself. There are also good FTA receivers from about 80 Euro that will get all these channels:
    http://bytelive.com/wiki/tiki-index.php?page=Free+To+Air+on+Sky

    The same as a Sky Box with a FTV card, less C4, Five and Sky3. About €300 gets a Satellite PVR (like Sky+ but FTA channels and no Sky+ recording rental). Satellite PVR or Sky+ uses TWO LNB connections.

    You can't split LNB signal at all. Each Digital Receiver is really 1/2 a receiver, the front half is in the LNB. A Quad LNB will drive four ordinary recievers, or two Sky+/PVRs or one PVR/Sky+ and two ordinary receivers (Sky or FTA kind).

    Many of the ebay Sky boxes are old models that run Sky Interactive & Program guide very slowly or fail from PSU faults in a few months. There is also a scam on S/H UK sub cards / FTV card where a week or two after you get it, the seller reports it broken or lost to Sky. Sky turn it off and send him a replacement. The cards belong to Sky/NDS so can't legally be resold. However someone can act as a "proxy" to get one to a UK address and then technically it may b=not be reselling. If you want to be sure, order it yourself to a UK address. (A UK postcode address inc N.I. of course is the ONLY addresses Sky will send it to).


  • #3
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 23,279 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    About the second box. You have two choices:

    1) Buy a second hand Sky box.

    Pro:
    - Can use a FTV card with it (get C4, C5 and Sky 3)
    - Can get a sky mirro sub for it in future (€15 per month)

    2) Buy a FTA box.

    Pro:
    - Generally supports the FTA channels with a better interface then Sky box.
    - Can get a PVR model that can record the FTA channels without a sub.

    Con:
    - Can't get a FTV card
    - Can't get a Sky sub in future.

    BTW Watty are there any FTA boxes with a PVR that also have a standard aerial tuner and will allow you to record the aerial channels to the PVR? Any of the FTA PVR's support an EPG for the Irish OTA channels (maybe with a Northern Ireland hack)?


  • #4
    Gun Shy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 207 ✭✭Gun Shy


    watty wrote:
    However someone can act as a "proxy" to get one to a UK address and then technically it may b=not be reselling. If you want to be sure, order it yourself to a UK address. (A UK postcode address inc N.I. of course is the ONLY addresses Sky will send it to).


    Also a newbie

    Just supposing somebody got one sent to NI would the card have to be activated in NI or is the card live ??? (for CHN 4 etc.) or would you have to activate it down on your own box.


  • #5
    byte
    Moderators, Regional North West Moderators Posts: 19,158 Mod ✭✭✭✭byte
    byte


    Gun Shy wrote:
    Also a newbie

    Just supposing somebody got one sent to NI would the card have to be activated in NI or is the card live ??? (for CHN 4 etc.) or would you have to activate it down on your own box.
    It won't matter, as the channels in question will work, once activated, in any digibox. If activating from RoI however, make sure when ringing your Caller ID is blocked!


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