Dodgy Sky boxes

TAFKAlawhec · 11-07-2013 10:13PM

smee again wrote: »

Not correct, you should be able to watch any channel on the same transponder. I have an Amiko Alien2 with 2x sat inputs, I can record 2x sources and watch a third on the same transponder as the other 2

But how many Sky customers know what other services are on the same transponder as the one(s) they are recording from?

The idea is fine for receivers aimed at enthusiasts or those with primitive PVR functions e.g. Saorview STB's with a USB port to record on from a single tuner. With Sky it's a case of KISS.

lertsnim · 12-07-2013 10:36AM

TAFKAlawhec wrote: »

But how many Sky customers know what other services are on the same transponder as the one(s) they are recording from?

The idea is fine for receivers aimed at enthusiasts or those with primitive PVR functions e.g. Saorview STB's with a USB port to record on from a single tuner. With Sky it's a case of KISS.

Sky could implement a system where available channels are highlighted and those on other transponders are greyed out. Works fine on other receivers.

excollier · 12-07-2013 11:15AM

lertsnim wrote: »

Sky could implement a system where available channels are highlighted and those on other transponders are greyed out. Works fine on other receivers.

They wouldn't be able to resist the urge to charge for it though, would they?

TAFKAlawhec · 12-07-2013 02:30PM

lertsnim wrote: »

Sky could implement a system where available channels are highlighted and those on other transponders are greyed out. Works fine on other receivers.

And then customers will wonder why they can watch a few select channels but not any others based on what they're recording? It's a recipe for confusion. Most people in Ireland that use "other receivers" tend to either be enthusiasts, engaged in c**d s*****g or have satellite reception as part of a combo system where the targeted channels are from the main four UK broadcasters. The vast majority of Sky subscribers want something that "just works" and are not into the technical end of things.

Sky have now put a lot into making catch up services through Sky On Demand available on all post-Thomson HD receivers whereby subscribers can less rely on recording facilities to cover all their time-shifted viewing bases. UK subscribers can access BBC iPlayer, ITV player, 4OD, Demand 5 and Sky's own catch up services. Clearly they feel that's better to move forward with where it can offer it to its customers without requiring new receivers in many cases over releasing a new receiver with a third tuner. I'd be pretty certain that somewhere down the line RTÉ & TV3's catch up services will be available through Sky for RoI subscribers in a similar fashion.

SteM · 16-07-2013 12:36PM

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Sky need to sort the issue where you can only record 2 things at the same time you cant even watch something if its on dual record, Do the UPC boxes do that?

The new Horizon UPC box allows you to record 4 channels at once.

bigbob · 18-07-2013 05:31PM

watty wrote: »

Sky will be 100% MPEG4 on SD maybe 10 years before Freesat is 100% MPEG4. Freesat & Freeview will have to maintain MPEG2 for a LOOOOONG time.

Possible solution for BBC to change to MPEG4/DVB-S2 in a shorter time scale:-

1. Keep one legacy BBC transponder in DVB-S mode or move the freesat epg data from European wide beam to a more focused UK transponder.

2. Place 2 must carry public service channels to the freesat/legacy BBC transponder in standard definition (MPEG2 DVB-S):- BBC1 London & BBC2 England. These are provided for DVB-S SD Freesat/sky/FTA set top boxes. The BBC channels available on SD boxes is limited to one region of BBC1 & one nation of BBC2 but users with DVB-S set top boxes still get a BBC1 & BBC2. Users who want more than BBC PSB channels or their correct region & nation can upgrade their set top box to a DVB-S2 box at their convenience.

3. Put all 18 BBC1 regions on one DVB-S2 transponder in Standard Definition encoded in MPEG4.*

4. All 4 BBC2 Nations could be transmitted along with BBC3/cbbc, BBC4/cbeebies, BBC News, BBC Parliament & RED Button streams in HD with space to spare on the remaining transponders freed up by redeploying all BBC DVB-S transponders as DVB-S2.

*Not sure if technically possible but as 95%+ of BBC1 content is common to multiple regions, when the content is common the transponder should be set up to dynamically switch the PID from the individual SD (MPEG4) stream to a common HD stream. The users set top box would seamlessly change from SD to HD & back again as all switches are internal to the transport stream. This would allow most content on BBC1 satellite to be HD with the exception of local news & idents.

ITV, Channel4 & Channel5 could also implement similar schemes as they switch to HD over time.

watty · 18-07-2013 06:43PM

Non-HD boxes will not do DVB-S2
virtually no SD only box does MPEG4

You can't force non-subscribing FTA viewers to upgrade. Freeview and Freesat have to keep MPEG2 SD for years, only their HD can be in MPEG4, and unlike Saorview they have to simulcast SD.
Saorview & Saorsat could be 100% HD tomorrow (already 100% MPEG4) with NO SD and it makes no difference.
Sky could go 100% MPEG4 in a few months (mix of SD & HD). Freeview and Freesat have to simulcast SD MPEG2 for years yet.

bigbob · 18-07-2013 08:13PM

watty wrote: »

Non-HD boxes will not do DVB-S2
virtually no SD only box does MPEG4

That is why suggestion was to keep 2 legacy SD (MPEG2) channels on a DVB-S transponder.

watty wrote: »

You can't force non-subscribing FTA viewers to upgrade.

You encourage... different to force.

TAFKAlawhec · 18-07-2013 08:20PM

Freesat have now for a while been phasing out their SD products. On their website now they only mention the Bush SD receiver and even then are promoting it as a bedroom or second set receiver.

Has there been a breakdown published of what proportion of Freesat users use SD only? All integrated TV's with Freesat have been HD IIRC.

Commercial and financial pressures, including the launching of HD regional versions of BBC & ITV stations, will dictate when these broadcasters will drop their MPEG2 SD "simulcasts", or at least keep a sustaining service running temporarily i.e. a single national BBC1 or ITV1 without regional differences. I'd see this happen in around five years time or less myself, it's a safe bet to say that the proportion of people with satellite receivers in the UK that have HD capabilities (with DVB-S2) is higher than that for terrestrial reception where in homes which only have Freeview, only 1 in 5 have at least one receiver capable of viewing Freeview HD broadcasts at present.

Welsh_man69 · 14-10-2013 10:33PM

Hi, I know of someone selling sky box f5's with one year subscriptions. They also run their own server. How do you go about stopping this?

miller50841 · 14-10-2013 10:36PM

Welsh_man69 wrote: »

Hi, I know of someone selling sky box f5's with one year subscriptions. They also run their own server. How do you go about stopping this?

Report to the Gardai.

Welsh_man69 · 14-10-2013 11:03PM

Thanks for your reply. I have just googled them. They are asking for my details. I would like to be anonymous. Also it says on the site they find people. I know the person details. Do the gardia report them? Im not familiar with their services.

miller50841 · 14-10-2013 11:06PM

Welsh_man69 wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. I have just googled them. They are asking for my details. I would like to be anonymous. Also it says on the site they find people. I know the person details. Do the gardia report them? Im not familiar with their services.

It's the Irish police force otherwise you could report to revenue as I would say he is working on cash in hand so no no tax been paid.

Welsh_man69 · 14-10-2013 11:08PM

Thats great i will do that. Thanks for your help

Kristopherus · 15-10-2013 12:33AM

Welsh_man69 wrote: »

Thats great i will do that. Thanks for your help

Maybe if you minded your own business, you might be serving the country better. Do you really think the Gardai give a flying f**k about that kind of thing. In all probability the server is actually located overseas.:rolleyes:

smee again · 15-10-2013 07:11AM

Kristopherus wrote: »

Maybe if you minded your own business, you might be serving the country better. Do you really think the Gardai give a flying f**k about that kind of thing. In all probability the server is actually located overseas.:rolleyes:

Yeah, Most likely the Garda you complain to sits at home in his spare time watching Sky Movies on a Dreambox

Robxxx7 · 15-10-2013 07:15AM

Kristopherus wrote: »

Maybe if you minded your own business, you might be serving the country better. Do you really think the Gardai give a flying f**k about that kind of thing. In all probability the server is actually located overseas.:rolleyes:

Yep thats the spirit let the payservers carry on and ruin this hobby

smee again · 15-10-2013 07:37AM

Robxxx7 wrote: »

Yep thats the spirit let the payservers carry on and ruin this hobby

Ruin what hobby?

tallaghtmick · 15-10-2013 07:51AM

smee again wrote: »

Ruin what hobby?

Overpaying for Sky and UPC :pac:

icdg · 15-10-2013 07:59AM

Kristophous you can pick up a warning for the tone of that post. The rest of you this conversation ends now. I am minded to close this thread and will do so given the smallest reason from any future poster

Robxxx7 · 15-10-2013 08:04AM

smee again wrote: »

Ruin what hobby?

Those people that are interested in the satellite hobby using non sky boxes.
That is what this thread is about ..

tallaghtmick · 15-10-2013 08:12AM

Robxxx7 wrote: »

Those people that are interested in the satellite hobby using non sky boxes.
That is what this thread is about ..

Is that picking up foreign channels or just freeview/saorview? If its the latter its a bad hobby

Robxxx7 · 15-10-2013 08:21AM

tallaghtmick wrote: »

Is that picking up foreign channels or just freeview/saorview? If its the latter its a bad hobby

Agree on the latter

Motorised hobby ... but seriously if i had a subscription card for say Sky UK and Bulsatcom for example ... i would use a box that would enable me to use a softcam to view channels via both these official cards. The payserver business causes these providers to look at ways to force people to use their boxes only (Card pairing etc because of lost revenue) thus creating more difficulties for the hobbyist who wants to use their own box to view these channels.

There are numerous reasons why people want to use their own box, for me its for dual official subscription cards, Quad tuner and flexibility to add in plugins etc.

Its very easy now for people to buy a box from a dodgy dealer with a years subscription ... and if people come across these then i would hope people do the same as the poster who asked how to report them ..

But again thats just my view

swoofer · 15-10-2013 09:14AM

this is just a wind up

tallaghtmick · 15-10-2013 11:26AM

Robxxx7 wrote: »

Agree on the latter

Motorised hobby ... but seriously if i had a subscription card for say Sky UK and Bulsatcom for example ... i would use a box that would enable me to use a softcam to view channels via both these official cards. The payserver business causes these providers to look at ways to force people to use their boxes only (Card pairing etc because of lost revenue) thus creating more difficulties for the hobbyist who wants to use their own box to view these channels.

There are numerous reasons why people want to use their own box, for me its for dual official subscription cards, Quad tuner and flexibility to add in plugins etc.

Its very easy now for people to buy a box from a dodgy dealer with a years subscription ... and if people come across these then i would hope people do the same as the poster who asked how to report them ..

But again thats just my view

Now thats a hobby! Sounds interesting id prob get lost easily :pac:

corklad32 · 17-10-2013 08:48AM

mad turnip wrote: »

I've heard that the reason sky are upgrading everyone to HD for free is to combat this issue as the older sky boxes that do standard definition TV are not capable of using the newer card techniques Sky want to introduce.

Hi just wondering is this the case? I am looking at getting the HD pack off sky but their giving me an offer of €7.50 for the first 12 months and then €15 per month after that?

radiowaves · 17-10-2013 08:28PM

corklad32 wrote: »

Hi just wondering is this the case? I am looking at getting the HD pack off sky but their giving me an offer of €7.50 for the first 12 months and then €15 per month after that?

He means upgrading the boxes for free - though because you'd be tied down to a new contract I would argue the definition of free.

network9 · 19-12-2013 09:29AM

A large consignment of "Skybox" branded receivers have been seized at point of entry into the uk.
Apparently this is over a copyright / Branding issue with them been branded as "skybox"

Importer has said the manufacturers have now or are in the process of rebranding the receivers to another name.

So this could be seen as a sign of things to come,

Sky acting the maggot

murpho999 · 19-12-2013 09:43AM

network9 wrote: »

A large consignment of "Skybox" branded receivers have been seized at point of entry into the uk.
Apparently this is over a copyright / Branding issue with them been branded as "skybox"

Importer has said the manufacturers have now or are in the process of rebranding the receivers to another name.

So this could be seen as a sign of things to come,

Sky acting the maggot

How can you call this Sky acting the maggot if they are trying to stop companies pretending to be them?

snaps · 19-12-2013 10:21AM

network9 wrote: »

A large consignment of "Skybox" branded receivers have been seized at point of entry into the uk.
Apparently this is over a copyright / Branding issue with them been branded as "skybox"

Importer has said the manufacturers have now or are in the process of rebranding the receivers to another name.

So this could be seen as a sign of things to come,

Sky acting the maggot

Why has BSkyB got a copyright on the word "skybox"? Are their receivers actually branded a skybox? I always thought they were called sky HD box or sky+........

These boxes are sold as free to air boxes anyway. Anything can be modified for a different purpose after its been sold!

Dodgy Sky boxes

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