New to SKY: Help using the Sky remote please

tibolt

I recently switched from UPC (mmds) to Sky. I have a Sky+Hd box and a Samsung (Saorview) TV. There are 2 issues I hope you can help me with:

1. Switching between the TV (Saorview) and Sky channels

The Sky manual says:
Press TV on the remote to switch control to the TV and
Press Sky to go back to controlling the Sky box.

When I press the TV button I can indeed control the TV channels, Great, but if I want to go back to Sky, pressing the Sky button does nothing. I have to press the “Help” button, scroll down, select the HDMI input, press select, and then press the Sky button. Pretty cumbersome. Now I could handle this but my wife is not tech savy and she gets confused. And I get the fallout!!
Why does pressing the Sky button not automatically switch back to Sky as the manual suggests, or am I missing something?

2. Reordering the Channel list to favourite stations.
With the UPC remote I could create a list of favourite stations AND reorder them in any order I wanted.
Then, when I pressed UP/Down on the UPC remote, it brought up the stations one by one in the order that I had set, e.g RTE1, RTE2, TV3, TG4, BBC1, BBC2, UTV, etc.
Likewise if I pressed button 1 on the remote, the picture switched to RTE1, button 2 = RTE2, …. 5 =BBC1, 6 = BBC2 7 = UTV. You get the idea. It was a dream to switch between stations. There doesn’t seem to be anything like this with Sky.

I know there is a Favourites option on Sky but it doesn’t seem to allow me to reorder the stations and when I use the Up/Down buttons it reverts to the full (default) listing, not my favourites list.
The blue button seems to move up (only?) through the favourites but it sometimes lists the previous station. Confusing.
Now if I want BBC1, instead of just pressing 6 on the remote, I have to scroll down through pages of listings or try to remember that it’s channel 141 or something. And if I want UTV, I can’t just press 7 on the remote, I have to take the scenic route, and try to remember that it’s under, is it Options, Other Channels, or something like that. I better be ready to run after I try to “explain” this to my wife! I can hear the questions: Where’s “Options”? Where’s “Other Channels”? Where are the divorce papers? I jest.

I thought The Sky remote was supposed to be brilliant. Can you make my life easier? Thanks!

biffontour

tibolt wrote: »

I recently switched from UPC (mmds) to Sky. I have a Sky+Hd box and a Samsung (Saorview) TV. There are 2 issues I hope you can help me with:

1. Switching between the TV (Saorview) and Sky channels

The Sky manual says:
Press TV on the remote to switch control to the TV and
Press Sky to go back to controlling the Sky box.

When I press the TV button I can indeed control the TV channels, Great, but if I want to go back to Sky, pressing the Sky button does nothing. I have to press the “Help” button, scroll down, select the HDMI input, press select, and then press the Sky button. Pretty cumbersome. Now I could handle this but my wife is not tech savy and she gets confused. And I get the fallout!!
Why does pressing the Sky button not automatically switch back to Sky as the manual suggests, or am I missing something?

2. Reordering the Channel list to favourite stations.
With the UPC remote I could create a list of favourite stations AND reorder them in any order I wanted.
Then, when I pressed UP/Down on the UPC remote, it brought up the stations one by one in the order that I had set, e.g RTE1, RTE2, TV3, TG4, BBC1, BBC2, UTV, etc.
Likewise if I pressed button 1 on the remote, the picture switched to RTE1, button 2 = RTE2, …. 5 =BBC1, 6 = BBC2 7 = UTV. You get the idea. It was a dream to switch between stations. There doesn’t seem to be anything like this with Sky.

I know there is a Favourites option on Sky but it doesn’t seem to allow me to reorder the stations and when I use the Up/Down buttons it reverts to the full (default) listing, not my favourites list.
The blue button seems to move up (only?) through the favourites but it sometimes lists the previous station. Confusing.
Now if I want BBC1, instead of just pressing 6 on the remote, I have to scroll down through pages of listings or try to remember that it’s channel 141 or something. And if I want UTV, I can’t just press 7 on the remote, I have to take the scenic route, and try to remember that it’s under, is it Options, Other Channels, or something like that. I better be ready to run after I try to “explain” this to my wife! I can hear the questions: Where’s “Options”? Where’s “Other Channels”? Where are the divorce papers? I jest.

I thought The Sky remote was supposed to be brilliant. Can you make my life easier? Thanks!

Easiest thing for you could be to write down the numbers of the channels,

All the Irish channels are on Sky anyways so no need to use the Saorview channels.

If you put it through a scart lead and turn on scart control, that will bring up Sky when you press the Sky buttton. but you wont have as good as picture as HDMI

Its just one of these things, it takes time and a little bit of playing around to get used to it but once you master it, it is a very smart piece of technology.

Hope this helps

Kristopherus

I'm in a similar boat to the OP. Changed from UPC MMDS to $ky. Purely to avail of their half price offer for 12 months:D. I have a LG tv hooked up to the $ky box via HDMI and when I hit the $ky button it goes straight to the HDMI source and voila a $ky station.. The installer set it up for me. OP, have you tuned in the exact model of your Sammy to the $ky remote?

tibolt

Biffontour, thanks.
The TV (Saorview) has a few stations,e.g RTÉ One + 1, RTÉ News Now & RTÉjr which Sky doesn't have. That's why I need to switch between the TV & Sky inputs.

Kristopherus. Yeah, I got the 12 month Sky deal as well. T'was sweet.
The installer input 0060, which I understand is the code for Samsung TVs. Any list of codes I've seen online seem to have generic codes for each brand, e.g LG, Samsung, etc. Are there specific codes for individual TV models as well?
So you have your LG connected to the Sky box via HDMI and it switched automatically when you hit the Sky button on the remote. That's all I want to happen with my TV!

Kristopherus

When you go into Interactive/$ky customer Service - you will see an option "Program your $ky Remote" Select that and then "I don't know my remote" Follow the hints and a list of all models will load up. Scroll down to Samsung and then find your specific model. The Samsung code 0060 has been around since God was a boy, and I'm not sure if its still that for specific models. Apologies for sending you on a wild goose chase if it still turns out to be 0060:)

John mac

services, 9 , 5 ,select . is a short (ish ) way of getting to other channels. (itv etc.)
if you write down your most used channels you will not be long remembering the numbers..

Dave_Dublin

tibolt wrote: »

I know there is a Favourites option on Sky but it doesn’t seem to allow me to reorder the stations and when I use the Up/Down buttons it reverts to the full (default) listing, not my favourites list.
The blue button seems to move up (only?) through the favourites but it sometimes lists the previous station. Confusing.

The blue button has TWO functions during normal viewing . . .

-- Pushing it once goes to the last channel viewed (as you've noticed)

-- Pushing it again cycles through your "favourites" going forward only

As mentioned above Services - 9 - 5 gets to "Other Channels" without messing with menus etc...

tibolt

1.Using Services - 9 - 5 is indeed a shortish way of getting to the "Other Channels." Thanks.

2. So the blue button goes tru favourites, but always going forward, presumably because they (Sky) can't find reverse!

3. I came across this page:
sky.com/helpcentre/tv/remote-controls/operate-tv-with-sky-remote/
which lists the Sky remote codes for various TVs. [Going to Interactive/Sky customer Service, as you advised Kristopherus, also provided codes]. My TV (it's a Samsung UE46EH5000K model) is pretty new, so a specific code wasn't given using either method, although I was given a few codes that "should work".

Most of the codes work. The Sky remote controls volume, changing channel etc. But I'm still left with the same problem namely:

To get from TV (Saorview) channels to Sky I have to press the “Help” button, scroll down, select the HDMI input, press select, and then press the Sky button, every time. Yet the Sky manual says that pressing the Sky button (only) should bring control back to the Sky box. It's as if the Sky box doesn't know how it's connected to the TV.

If I could sort that issue out, I'd be happy.

Kristopherus

You should post on the $ky Help forum. Copy & paste your OP to there and see what solution the $ky boffins come up with. They do answer pretty quickly.Stay away from CS. They are no better than useless for a problem like yours. Only other suggestion I can advise is to contact the Samsung Help Centre.

Cantona's Collars

I see your S key is still broken kristopherous;)

I never bother switching to saorview on my tv as all the channels I need are available on Sky,RTE2 shows RTEjr in the mornings plus we've loads of other kids channels,RTE1+1 is pretty useless & redundant thanks to Sky+,News Now is the same.

The codes for tuning the remote into the tv is available through the interactive button & is easy to follow (remember if the code isn't there,try one that is similar)

@the op,you'll get the hang of all the tricks that are available with Sky & won't go back to MMDS again (it'll be shelved in a year or so anyway)

To get the likes of ITV & Ch4 Hd etc on the epg have a look at the thread with instructions on how to do it.Saves the hassle of pressing services/other channels every time.

tibolt

Thanks for the reply. I'm ok with the Sky codes. I tried 3 different codes and they each worked, in that the remote changes the volume, channel selection etc .

My issue is that some users with HDMI connection seem to be able to switch control between the Sky box and TV by simply pressing the "TV" or "Sky" buttons on the remote. Where as I have to go a roundabout route each time (by press the "help" button, and selecting the HDMI input, etc). Pleeese, can someone sort it for me!

As an aside, after I switched to Sky, I phoned UPC about my old MMDS account. They offered me 2 months free and a NICE discount off future monthly payments, if I stayed with them. At my request they've suspended my account. The special offer will stand for 2 months. But I doubt I'll go back to them. MMDS seems doomed and UPC are unlikely replace it with a satellite service, (which they apparently use in some other countries.)

Zerks, you mentioned getting ITV on the epg. I would really luv to know how to do that. I read about the card trick. Is that what you had in mind or are there other instructions? (In my opinion not having UTV on the epg and not being able to order the channels in the order you want them are two huge drawbacks to $ky. But hey, few things are perfect.)

Cantona's Collars

tibolt wrote: »

Thanks for the reply. I'm ok with the Sky codes. I tried 3 different codes and they each worked, in that the remote changes the volume, channel selection etc .

My issue is that some users with HDMI connection seem to be able to switch control between the Sky box and TV by simply pressing the "TV" or "Sky" buttons on the remote. Where as I have to go a roundabout route each time (by press the "help" button, and selecting the HDMI input, etc). Pleeese, can someone sort it for me!

As an aside, after I switched to Sky, I phoned UPC about my old MMDS account. They offered me 2 months free and a NICE discount off future monthly payments, if I stayed with them. At my request they've suspended my account. The special offer will stand for 2 months. But I doubt I'll go back to them. MMDS seems doomed and UPC are unlikely replace it with a satellite service, (which they apparently use in some other countries.)

Zerks, you mentioned getting ITV on the epg. I would really luv to know how to do that. I read about the card trick. Is that what you had in mind or are there other instructions? (In my opinion not having UTV on the epg and not being able to order the channels in the order you want them are two huge drawbacks to Sky. But hey, few things are perfect.)

It's a pain,as a lot of tv's won't automatically switch from tv mode to hdmi.Scart usually does-I find if the power goes then my tv automatically switches to the scart input from a fta box I use for Astra 1.
I'm afraid it's nothing to do with Sky so you'll have to put up with it or do as I do & don't bother with saorview & watch Irish tv via the Skybox.

On the subject of getting a ftv card you can get a relation in England to order one & post it to you as Sky don't send them to Ireland or contact Setanta & ask them to send you one as part of the BAI scheme.(they may be getting a bit stricter on this lately due to so many doing it)
I got mine through Setanta & have ITVHD etc on my EPG,don't bother with UTV as it's still in SD & ITV tend to have better movies etc. on it.

BTW don't refer to Sky as $ky,it's a bit childish & is looked down on by most posters here in the satellite forum.

muffler

zerks wrote: »

BTW don't refer to Sky as $ky,it's a bit childish & is looked down on by most posters here in the satellite forum.

Have to agree. Its a bit hypocritical given this

Kristopherus wrote: »

I'm in a similar boat to the OP. Changed from UPC MMDS to $ky. Purely to avail of their half price offer for 12 months

Kristopherus

@Zerks :D:D

@ Muffler. For dragging me into ridicule, I'm not going to tell you how to get the cheapo upgrades from $ky.:D:D:D. I use the the $ key because IMHO I cannot for the life of me see how the said outfit can offer cheapo deals to a large proportion of their customers and milk their loyal customers. Their not the only ones at this racket, but they were the first. And don't get me started on their tactics to obtain the PL rights. :rolleyes:

Apologies for going off topic.

Cantona's Collars

Kristopherus wrote: »

@Zerks :D:D

@ Muffler. For dragging me into ridicule, I'm not going to tell you how to get the cheapo upgrades from $ky.:D:D:D. I use the the $ key because IMHO I cannot for the life of me see how the said outfit can offer cheapo deals to a large proportion of their customers and milk their loyal customers. Their not the only ones at this racket, but they were the first. And don't get me started on their tactics to obtain the PL rights. :rolleyes:

Apologies for going off topic.

And UPC don't:rolleyes:

I think my last post has cleared things up for the op-it's nothing to do with the Skybox but it's the tv.
They could connect a scart lead which should automatically switch using the remote but that'd be a step backwards,a bit pointless using a HD tv & not using a HDMI lead.

tibolt

Agreed, using a scart would be a step backwards.

Incidentally for anyone else with a Samsung, I found code 2079 works well. (I have a version 9 remote.) Doesn't solve the switching issue, guess I'll just have to live with that.

@ Zerks Thanks for your advice on the ftv card.

Capt'n Midnight

find the remote code - http://www.sky.com/helpcentre/tv/remote-controls/operate-tv-with-sky-remote/

FAQ's
http://www.satcure.co.uk/tech/digicode1.htm
There are at least FIVE versions of the remote control in use.
Older remotes won't have codes for newer TV's

I don't know what revision the pound shop 'sky' remote is as I don't have a new enough TV to test it on. (it's a cheap replacement even if the buttons are in the wrong place)