New Sky cards on the way

gtg60

Looks like Sky are replacing their cards http://www.skyviewinghelp.com/index.html

Bad new for anyone over here who has a FTV card...

staker

that's the end of my 3 free hd channels:mad:

gtg60

staker wrote: »

that's the end of my 3 free hd channels:mad:

No, you only need the FTV card for Channel 4 HD (the best one if you ask me :mad: )

staker

didn't realise this. you're right,it is the best.

watty

I don't think anything needs a FTV card anymore.

HD is all payTV or FTA. Not FTV.


This doesn't matter anymore.

jkrowling

I'm a sky customer but getting pretty peed off not being able to get UTV et all and considered cance4lling and going to UPC. BUT then i read a few blogs here and realised they have pretty poor service so should probably stick with Sky. To cut to the point my question is 1. Is it possible to just buy a plus box without paying sky's rip off prices (even though I've been a customer +10 years and new customers can get it free) and 2. whats a FTV card (prob a silly question but I'm a tecno dumbass so dont hate!

slegs

watty wrote: »

I don't think anything needs a FTV card anymore.

HD is all payTV or FTA. Not FTV.


This doesn't matter anymore.

Ch4 HD is FTV

gtg60

watty wrote: »

I don't think anything needs a FTV card anymore.

HD is all payTV or FTA. Not FTV.

Sky 3, Five US and Fiver are FTV

Channel 4 HD is FTV

medoc

jkrowling wrote: »

I'm a sky customer but getting pretty peed off not being able to get UTV et all and considered cance4lling and going to UPC. BUT then i read a few blogs here and realised they have pretty poor service so should probably stick with Sky. To cut to the point my question is 1. Is it possible to just buy a plus box without paying sky's rip off prices (even though I've been a customer +10 years and new customers can get it free) and 2. whats a FTV card (prob a silly question but I'm a tecno dumbass so dont hate!

Hi the fact that utv etc. cannot be recorded with sky plus is annoyin but It is possible to view them on Sky via other channels. I had Chorus ages ago and not a day goes by that i dont regret leaving them. ( it was the MMDS version)

waster81

If they are sending new cards out to customers, what will happen to thoes subscribing just to setanta but using sky card ?

gtg60

waster81 wrote: »

If they are sending new cards out to customers, what will happen to thoes subscribing just to setanta but using sky card ?

You'll get a new one too.

stoneroses

Guys

This swapout. Is it for UK or Ireland and are all Sky customers impacted ? When is it hapening ?

gtg60

jkrowling wrote: »

I'm a sky customer but getting pretty peed off not being able to get UTV et all and considered cance4lling and going to UPC. BUT then i read a few blogs here and realised they have pretty poor service so should probably stick with Sky. To cut to the point my question is 1. Is it possible to just buy a plus box without paying sky's rip off prices (even though I've been a customer +10 years and new customers can get it free)

Get a Humax Freesat HD FOXSAT-HDR PVR, a bit pricey but once you've paid for it you'll never have any subscription charges and you'll get some HD plus the ability to record UTV and all the other Freesat channels

jkrowling wrote: »

and 2. whats a FTV card (prob a silly question but I'm a tecno dumbass so dont hate!

It's a one off payment to Sky for a card that allows you to watch a few extra channels, namely Sky 3, Channel 4 HD, Five US and Fiver

gtg60

stoneroses wrote: »

Guys

This swapout. Is it for UK or Ireland and are all Sky customers impacted ? When is it hapening ?

ALL Sky cards are being 'upgraded'

From experience this takes a few months so I personally expect my FTV cards to last until the summer

waster81

gtg60 wrote: »

You'll get a new one too.

will it matter that i bought the box off somebody on adverts.ie

byte

waster81 wrote: »

will it matter that i bought the box off somebody on adverts.ie

Is the viewing card in your name or the person you boght the box from?

If it's not in your name, there could be a problem, though possibly Setanta will tell Sky about customers they have that don't have active Sky accounts... time will tell, I guess.

Eurorunner

byte wrote: »

Is the viewing card in your name or the person you boght the box from?

If it's not in your name, there could be a problem, though possibly Setanta will tell Sky about customers they have that don't have active Sky accounts... time will tell, I guess.

Well, I've already mailed Setanta telling them i'm cancelling my sub now unless they come back to me and confirm that they can sort me out with a card (i bought a second hand box and card in order to get my sub up and running) or provide some other solution.

byte

Eurorunner wrote: »

Well, I've already mailed Setanta telling them i'm cancelling my sub now unless they come back to me and confirm that they can sort me out with a card (i bought a second hand box and card in order to get my sub up and running) or provide some other solution.

OK. I'd be interested in seeing what they reply with.

Eurorunner

byte wrote: »

OK. I'd be interested in seeing what they reply with.

No surprise really...still no reply. I sent them an email query in the past about a fairly straight forward matter and got ignored. I think I will ring up and cancel and have done with it.

snaps

Ring up and cancel anyway, they'll offer you 3 months at 10.99:D I did last month!

gtg60

Brother just subscribed to Sky and got his card today, it's still the Blue one with the Yellow house so quite likely it's not going to happen for a while yet.

von Smallhausen

The new cards will be issued from April so the blue House cards will still be given out

Widescreen

byte wrote: »

OK. I'd be interested in seeing what they reply with.

So will I. Good to see there are a few people with this problem. Unless they come up with a solution they could lose a lot of customers!

Eurorunner

One mail - followed up with two others asking them to respond to the first one. No cash reward for guessing whether I got a response:mad:

Im going to keep sending them reminders every week that they have yet to answer my query. The race to the bottom with call centres happened a long time ago but I think they've hit rock bottom at this stage.

Phoning them is worse. When I first tried to subscribe I was told I had to be a current (as in active) sky subscriber. Then I was told that I could buy a sky free to air card (the call centre was in the north). When I asked her to double check, she said yeah - i could just go into any electrical store in the south and buy one for around £20 :rolleyes:

Anyone any thoughts on what I can threaten them with to get a simple answer to a simple question (and one by the way that I think will affect more setanta subscribers in ireland than you would imagine..)?

Eurorunner

Well, I did get contacted by someone who reckoned they couldnt actually find my original mail/query. So i've sent it on again and they promised to answer it within 5 days.

Will post their answer up here as there are bound to be a lot of subscribers in the same situation.

mburke

Just wondering why Sky would go to the bother of changing the card. It might lead to a black market with the new cards for people that want the ftv cards. Probably not as lucrative as the last time that now ch4 / 5 are fta.

Sam Radford

jkrowling wrote: »

Is it possible to just buy a plus box without paying sky's rip off prices

Yes, you can buy them used or new from independents. However, a Sky+ box will not record or play back without a subscription card and a satellite signal.

Berberis

Sam Radford wrote: »

Yes, you can buy them used or new from independents. However, a Sky+ box will not record or play back without a subscription card and a satellite signal.

When you say subscription card? Can that be just a normal Uk, FTV card or does it have to be a card that is subscribed to Sky+

gtg60

Berberis wrote: »

When you say subscription card? Can that be just a normal Uk, FTV card or does it have to be a card that is subscribed to Sky+

HAS to be a paid for SKY subscription card that you have told them is being used in a Sky+ box.

Headshot

why is this the end of the ftv card?

gtg60

Headshot wrote: »

why is this the end of the ftv card?

It won't be but it is highly likely you will have to get a new one...

gtg60

Came accross this bit of info from satshop.co.uk
http://www.satshop.co.uk/section38/product318/Sky-freesat-card.html?gclid=CKLsse-LhZkCFRaA3godQD4Mmg

Quoting that site:
There are no monthly charges just a one off payment and it lasts indefinately (subject to freesat terms and conditions)
Setanta can be added to the card but a Sky subscription upgrade may require a new card.

So good news for us FTV'ers and Setanta users, it looks like they will continue to use the old encryption hence the old cards

Need to confirm this but looking good!

byte

gtg60 wrote: »

Came accross this bit of info from satshop.co.uk
http://www.satshop.co.uk/section38/product318/Sky-freesat-card.html?gclid=CKLsse-LhZkCFRaA3godQD4Mmg

Quoting that site:
There are no monthly charges just a one off payment and it lasts indefinately (subject to freesat terms and conditions)
Setanta can be added to the card but a Sky subscription upgrade may require a new card.

So good news for us FTV'ers and Setanta users, it looks like they will continue to use the old encryption hence the old cards

Need to confirm this but looking good!

The important part is the bit in brackets!!

Freesat From Sky T&C

Your viewing card
You may only use your Viewing Card for private viewing purposes at your Address in the UK, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. For security reasons your Viewing Card may be replaced from time to time after it has first been enabled to receive Free to View Channels (normally when it is first used in the Box). If we replace Viewing Cards within 5 years (if you have paid £146.81) or 3 years (if you have paid £19.57) of your card’s first enablement, then a replacement Viewing Card will be provided to you free of charge, provided that you have complied with these Conditions. If we replace Viewing Cards after that period, you will need to purchase a new one by paying our then applicable charge (which shall not be more than £20).

gtg60

Damn you byte! Bursting my bubble!!

byte

gtg60 wrote: »

Damn you byte! Bursting my bubble!!

Couldn't have ye getting your hopes up too quick! Sure it shouldn't be too hard to get a new card?

I'd be pretty sure that ALL cards (FTV/Sky/Setanta) will need to be changed, similar to the last time there was a card swap.

gtg60

byte wrote: »

Sure it shouldn't be too hard to get a new card?

Yeah, I'll manage it but I'd rather have kept those few pounds in my pocket, there's a recession on ya know

Eurorunner

I've continued to send mails to setanta over 5 working day spacings (they claim to answer all queries within 5 working days).

This is the evasive response I got to my question:

"As long as you have your sky card inserted into your digibox you will still recieve our Setanta signal."
I've mailed them back - asking them to confirm if their customers will not have their cards upgraded (ie. setanta will retain the old encryption)...and if otherwise, are they prepared to send out cards themselves for cases like mine.

snaps

Any update on weather the old style cards will cease to receive setanta? Ive a few people now asking me & i cant really give them an honest answer. 2 people i know of are just using a sky card for Setanta with no sky sub so they are getting a bit worried as Setanta have not replied to them.

byte

snaps wrote: »

Any update on weather the old style cards will cease to receive setanta? Ive a few people now asking me & i cant really give them an honest answer. 2 people i know of are just using a sky card for Setanta with no sky sub so they are getting a bit worried as Setanta have not replied to them.

I'd be pretty sure that all channels that use the current cards for decryption will cease working after change over. That'd include cards used solely for Setanta, FTV, etc.

Eurorunner

Thats my view of it too snaps. I eventually got another bull$h1t answer from Setanta. Was worded in a way that suggested everythings fine but would leave me with no comeback when ultimately its not.
Should only be another month or so before we know for certain I think as some white cards out already.