"Pairing" Cards to boxes

Mredmond · 09-01-2002 10:25am #1

Does the phrase "pairing" cards to boxes mean that viewing cards cannot be moved from box to box?
(Years ago I had an analogue dish and decoder, and used to bring the card to the pub with me so that everyone could watch the football!)

What about the UK FTV Cards? I had been thinking about getting 2 digiboxes, and then sourcing a single FTV card to switch between the two - is this a runner?

mr

MrAnarchy · 09-01-2002 11:44am

The viewing card is specific to one Digital Receiver with a unique
Serial number.
Hence switching the card from one box to the other wont work.
There is a way around this though.
Pace engineers have a special software kit which allows one to change the serial number of the decoder at will.
Hence you could give both boxes the same serial number and not connect them to the telephone line so Sky wont detect it.
This way you could swap the card.

09-01-2002 1:12pm

Well I didn't know about that piece of pace kit-wonder what it costs.
A Sky BBC FTV card will work in a box it's not paired to.
It will load up an EPG, and give you on that EPG access to CH4 , CH5, and the ITV region for that Card.Only the BBC channels are blocked when it's not paired.
mm

rovingrover · 09-01-2002 1:46pm

>>>>>>
Pace engineers have a special software kit which allows one to change the serial number of the decoder at will.

Hence you could give both boxes the same serial number and not connect them to the telephone line so Sky wontdetect it. This way you could swap the card.
>>>>>>

Can you provide more details here?

1) Do both boxes have to be Pace or just the one being changed?

2) How much does it cost?

Mredmond · 09-01-2002 2:22pm

"A Sky BBC FTV card will work in a box it's not paired to.
It will load up an EPG, and give you on that EPG access to CH4 , CH5, and the ITV region for that Card.Only the BBC channels are blocked when it's not paired."

Madman

That's good news to me - those are the main channels I need.

Two further questions:
1. Do Sky Digital cards themselves need to be paired with a box, or are they mobile also?

2. If i buy a Digibox and FTV card from e-bay, and use a Sky Digital card on this box also, what probs will I run into?

Thanks,

MR

MrAnarchy · 09-01-2002 2:56pm

To answer your questions RovingGrover

1.I presume only the box being changed has to be Pace.
and
2.How much does it cost ?
It isnt for sale.
Youll have to bribe someone to get it I'd say.
I know it exists that all.

09-01-2002 4:17pm

In answer to mredmond:

You cannot swap boxes with a card that has an Irish sub on it, without getting it paired with the new box, as For subscription channels there has to be a pairing.

Now, if you want to ring Sky and tell them to match your Irish card up with the serial number of the box thet you got from e-bay You must not tell them , about it's BBC Sky card .
They will allow your Sky card to work on the new box ( and stop it on your old box).You can then take out the Irish card and reinsert the BBC one (they look exactly the same,except for the phone number),then you will have the UK EPG and channels with that.

You will have no probs with Sky turning on your card in the E_Bay box, but don't tell them where you got it-just say a friend or something.

You will not have to contact sky at all regarding the BBC card-that should be working when you get it.

mm

rovingrover · 09-01-2002 4:34pm

I'm hearing 2 different things here.

I have an Irish sub with Sports.

Will my card work in a friend's box who
doesn't have an Irish sub for the regular channels?

I'm assuming it doesn't work for the Sky Sports channels.

Mredmond · 09-01-2002 5:07pm

Its certainly a little confusing.

It would help a lot if someone - armed with the relevant knowledge - would put together the various steps required in obtaining and utilising an FTV card from the UK, both in combination with an Irish Sub card and otherwise.

Also, what exactly do SKY use the telephone link for? If I have the system installed and then remove the telephone connection, how will my service suffer?

A FAQ section at the top of the forum might be worthwhile. I know I've asked some questions that do the rounds regularly - most of us want the same things from SKY digital, with varying configurations.

MR

09-01-2002 7:13pm

Lets clear up the confusion then:
1. A UK Sky card with a Sky sub will work in any box-it loads up the UK EPG. This is exactly the same as the Irish EPG except, it starts at 101-BBC 1,102,BBC2,103,ITV(the region the card is from),
104 is channel four and 105 is channel five.
The rest of the numbers on the UK EPG are the same as on the Irish one then ie 106 is Sky one etc.
Except there is no 214 and 215 on the UK EPG and the UK EPG has all the BBC 2 regions in the 900's.

The only channels that will work if the card is in the wrong box are ITV/CH4 and CH5 and of course the channels that work with no card.

Theres no point in putting a UK card on which some one is paying a subscription into someon elses digibox as the channels that are paid for will be blocked due to the box having the wrong serial number.

2. If you put your Irish Sky card into someone elses digibox-all paid for channels are blocked due to the serial number being different.

3. A BBC free to View (FTV) card is a Sky card like your own,but it is one that all license payers in the UK are entitled to free of charge,to enable them to watch BBC,ITV etc on a digibox without a Sky Subscription.
This card loads up the full UK EPG as described above and unscrambles 101 to 105 on that EPG as well as BBC news 24 and BBC Knowledge.It also puts BBC parliament onto the EPG. ( although if you plug out your Irish digi box,take the card out and plug it back in without the card-you will have a small FTA(free to air) EPG which will have BBC parliament on it beside SKY NEWS)

For some reason at present only the BBC channels are scrambled in such a way as to be connected to a specefic serial number on one box.
So at present you can get channel four and five with any old bbc card.

The BBC Card as such is not affected by the phone line situation.
It works in either a digibox that it is "paired" to or in a limited way with one it's not paired to.

Regarding an FAQ on how to obtain a BBC card and marry it to your Irish box-there are several posts on this forum explaining how to do that.

The simplest way is to go the E-bay route and buy another box, with the card.

All cleared up now?
mm

bkehoe · 09-01-2002 10:26pm

madman, don't try and sweep the confusion into a corner.

If you put an Irish subscription card into another digibox most of the channels WILL work, except Movies & Sports. Not sure about BBC, but Sky 1, UK Gold, all family pack afaik, will work. I've noticed this myself, and have seen others mentioning it.

Brendan

09-01-2002 11:17pm

Thats amazing Brendan.
The things people try with their cards eh?
Some day some time , one of us will accidently find a backdoor to unlock all channels without a sub;)
mm

Mredmond · 09-01-2002 11:47pm

Is that a note of sarcasm I detect?

I don't think anyone mentioned not paying for any of the various cards mentioned in this thread. Obviously everyone on the forum wants to get the best service for the money that they are paying, hence the request for some help.

MR

byte · 09-01-2002 11:54pm

Originally posted by bkehoe

If you put an Irish subscription card into another digibox most of the channels WILL work, except Movies & Sports. Not sure about BBC, but Sky 1, UK Gold, all family pack afaik, will work. I've noticed this myself, and have seen others mentioning it.

Brendan

Yes, this is correct. All Family Pack channels work with exception of BBC1 and BBC2.

10-01-2002 1:45pm

Originally posted by Mredmond:

Is that a note of sarcasm I detect?

Actually my last comments were an answer to Brendan and not you at all-No sarcasm even dreamed of...!!

Some months ago Brendan pointed me in the direction a forum that gave out the codes for Hacking ITV digital without a sub.
No hack that I'm aware of exists for Sky as yet-but then if anyone knows...
mm

bkehoe · 10-01-2002 5:02pm

madman, if you were implying that I was trying to hack the system, then you are wrong. Anyone who gets a new digibox and puts their card in will notice all the family pack stuff works before they ring sky to re pair the card. As for hacking it, I've no idea, but I think chernobyl knows how to do it with other platforms.

Mredmond · 10-01-2002 5:34pm

No sarcasm even dreamed of...!!

Nuff said so.

I think I have it clear in my own head now. If I buy a UK DIGIBOX & UK Card , and pair an Irish Subbed card to this box, then there is absolutely no reason to mention the UK card, or source of the box, to SKY. I'll then be able to switch the cards in/out of the box, depending on the channel I want to watch.

Correct?

As I type another thought strickes me - is there digibox that can hold two cards simultaneously? It would suit the scenario above.

mr

bkehoe · 10-01-2002 5:53pm

You won't get any of the BBC channels, other than Parliament on your BBC card; this has already been mentioned.

No digibox has 2 viewing card slots.

Mredmond · 10-01-2002 6:15pm

You won't get any of the BBC channels, other than Parliament on your BBC card; this has already been mentioned.

Yeah I know. But BBC1 & BBC2 are available in the Irish Card anyway, so that's not a prob.

bkehoe · 10-01-2002 6:26pm

Only the NI versions though, and you'll be loosing Choice, Knowledge and News 24.

Brendan

10-01-2002 6:55pm

Originally posted by bkehoe:

madman, if you were implying that I was trying to hack the system, then you are wrong. Anyone who gets a new digibox and puts their card in will notice all the family pack stuff works before they ring sky to re pair the card. As for hacking it, I've no idea, but I think chernobyl knows how to do it with other platforms.

Brendan,
I was not suggesting that at all-merely making the point that judging from other forums,there are those trying and would give their eye teeth to hack it.
mm

"Pairing" Cards to boxes

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