JonnyBravo

Firstly I'm guessing some people on here are using Sky HD so hopefully the info I need will be on here.

Basically we have SKy downstairs in the living room which is then sent via the normal cable upstairs and into my own sitting room which I control with one of those Magic eye things.

The first problem is the loss in picture quality I get as I have a big tv and it really is night and day between normal tv viewing and a normal dvd for example.

I fancied getting Sky HD fitted directly into my room but then if we do that whenever anyone is downstairs they will only have 4 channels so thats not going to work out either so Multiroom seems the best option for us.

In short basically if a Sky HD box is fitted downstairs does it require another to be fitted in my room as well ? I think the box is free at the minute from Sky but I guess thats just the one box and the other will be chargable ?

Sky HD is £10 more a month and last time I checked Multiroom was another £10 as well which we can more than cope with paying, I don't need the movies or sports at the minute, thats just more expense.

So whats needed to do all this, does it run to a lot of money to install Sky HD in 2 rooms or is it half sensible ?

Any info from people that have it would be great as I'd like to get this sorted this week

Cheers

R4N SS

iTrader: (6)

right, we have sky hd downstairs, which replaced our Sky+ box.

The Sky+ box is now in my bedroom via multiroom @ £10 per month - includes all Sky channels you have downstairs except Hd ones

R4N SS

iTrader: (6)

they may have special offers on for sky hd and also multiroom.

i would phone up say you mate down the road was called by Sky and offered Sky HD free for 6 months and then continue to say you want that offer too and if they cant do it threaten to cancel.

My mate done the above and got it - but then my old man tried and couldnt blag his way out his arse and consequently got charged for it

Paddy

I had Sky+ Multiroom, a box downstairs and one upstairs.

I upgraded to SkyHD downstairs and cancelled the multiroom, kept the Sky+ box upstairs and it now works as a free sat box. So yes, it's possibly to have one HD box and one normal box if that's what you meant?

AFAIK, you'd have to be on Sky+ for the nonHD box as the HD signal requires the + installation and cabling. So if you're on the old fashioned Sky, you'll probably get stung for 2 times the installation cost? Ring them and ask them.

Graceland

Got Sky HD+ in my bedroom and Sky+ in the living room for the parents downstairs - Tenner a month extra over the HD susbscription and for the packs I havem works out at £43 a month

cjwood555

The short answer is that yes you do need 2 boxes.

However, you could cheat this and run Component + Audio cables to your bedroom (assuming your skyHD box has component out). that way you would get full HD upstairs and downstairs (assumign downstairs on HDMI) without the issues associated with long HDMI leads.

HTH
Chris

JonnyBravo

Thats a thought, tbh mums not even got a HD tv so little point having HD installed down there, all she needs ( for when she comes to stay ) is the normal Sky channels.

What package have you got for it to be £43 a month ?

Thanks for all the other replies, will be giving Sky a ring later today

GUZZLER

iTrader: (3)

i've been thinking of doing this, we have sky+ in the bedroom but want HD, i take it a magic eye would still be needed to change channel?

rubinsbin

sky hates bad weather--you get something between your dish and that sat in the sky !!-
and skys after sales service is crap to say the least-go to the forums to confirm---

JonnyBravo

ah thats a point Guzzler, if your using components I can't see how you could use a magic eye

Ke1th

There's an offer on just now when you upgrade to HD with multiroom. Multiroom would only be £5 per month.

Mark_

i havent got multiroom but i do have sky+ HD and all channels except sport for £25 a month. i got through a guy on here, its half price for 12mths.

saph4be

we had hd in bedroom and normal in room we don't pay the extra tenner for hd either our lass got out off that some how!

cjwood555

You just use an additional cable for the magic eye:

3x RG6 or WF100 for Component
1x RG6 or WF100 for magic eye
2x RG6 or WF100 for analogue audio

By far the cheapest way of getting sufficient quality. Max run for HD ~25m.
Posh cables will be beneficial for distances over about 15m.

Another option is CAT5 + a converter that includes IR and audio with the component. However, it's bound to be more expensive than RF cable!!

Chris

Smit

iTrader: (5)

I've been told by a source that all the new 'smaller' 250gig sky+HD boxes have an HDMI socket and no component.. Mine is under a year old Pace and does not have component...

Plus if you want Sky+HD downstairs and upstairs usually the downstairs box is free, but upstairs is £150. I'm not 100% sure on that but seen somewhere that's the cost.

cjwood555

You are correct that they are dispensing with the component output. The Amstrad and Thompson boxes have it.

Rob493

I agree totaly sky is a waste of money we have hd and pay alot of money each mnth our skyplus works when it wants to and will not even record in hd box keeps frezing had them out loads of times always say its due to weather or planes cant wait to get rid

Jim Galbally

if you want to save money they dont get multiroom and just put the extra box in and get the free to view channels. if you really want the extra channels take your card out of the main box and put it in the other box! the 10quid a month is to get the 2nd viewing card...

you cant get the sports and movies channels this way tho as they are linked to the box, but the rest will work on any box

JonnyBravo

If for example then I do what Graceland has does that require 2 cards ?

There is no point having HD downstairs as there isn't even a HD tv in the living room, however there still needs to be Sky down there for when my mum comes home and she wants to sit and watch tv.

I only want HD in my sitting room upstairs as this is where I spend most of time without messing up the living room with mates coming over and things like that.

Jim Galbally

if you need to watch the subscription chanlles simultaneously, you need multiroom, full stop.

i dont think it changes the price of multiroom if you have HD or not...

you also NEED to have both boxes connected to the phoneline withmultiroom. its how they chack youhavent given your 2nd card to a mate for cheap sky

dojj

iTrader: (3)

you have sky
then you have sky+
then you have sky+hd

with normal sky you only need one cable
with sky+ and sky+hd you need 2 cables

this is to be able to record one thing and watch something else as you will have 2 separate feeds coming in

if you only have normal sky then you will need to change the lnb on the dish to one that has 4 outputs, 2 for one box, 2 for another for multiroom

we used ot have just the sky+
then we did multiroom with just a normal box upstairs and the sky+ box downstairs
then we went hd with the 300gb hd box downstairs and moved the sky+ box upstairs
we currently have sky+hd (1tb) downstairs and the sky+hd box upstairs

the issues we had were that they (sky) require you to keep your "main" box paired with your "main" card, when you move boxes you lose all your recorded stuff, so this time around we kept the cards in the respective boxes

that failed when they kept the hd box paired with the hd registered card

so we had to get that switched over, which meant that all the stuff we had recorded, in hd, was unviewable as there was no hd availability on that card in that box

and for all this we pay around about £85 a month, but we do get sky world (movies, sports, etc) plus the hd (£10) plus the multiroom (£10) plus the phone (£9.50) plus internet (free) but their prices have recently gone up, or are about to so things could change

the offer they are currently doing, or were doing, was free instalation if you get the box, the new standard box is the hd box with a 500gb capacity to replace the older 300gb box, even if you don't go for the hd subscription because it comes ready to do hd and 3d

the 1tb box uses a different operating system and things are much quicker on it when you scroll through the menu's and channels etc, but no other obvious differences i can spot so far

dojj

iTrader: (3)

i almost forgot about the phone line thing, if you pull the phone line you lose the ability to do the anytime viewing, but seeing as it's not a big deal to leave a phone line plugged in, it's also the way they use to order movies and stuff on box office plus chraging you for the games you may be playing

JonnyBravo

I don't have a phone line upstairs so will I need one ?

dojj

iTrader: (3)

yes mate, you will keep getting a message to say you need to connect the line and to press back up to get rid of the message

easier to do it than get pissed off turning the bloody reminders off all the time

Smit

iTrader: (5)

You only need a phoneline in the second box to make the Sky+ recorder work, you can view but not record without a phoneline.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

one more thing, if you get the newer boxes, make sure that you can view the anytime stuff as most of it is now in hd so without a hd sub you won't be albe to watch anything

JonnyBravo

Cheers for the info Dojj

RS_JAY

I dont have a phone line and never have?? Mine records perfectly.

Ke1th

Who told you that?

You need a telephone line connected for the first 12 months of your contract or at all times when you subscribe to multiroom.

The telephone line is to enable a callback to Sky once per month and allow you to book box office films. It does not affect recordings or the likes.

saph4be

don't matter were phone line is they just connect it up they did with ours

Smit

iTrader: (5)

I stand corrected!

JonnyBravo

Right !

We now have Sky HD, well have had for a few weeks, seriously impressed with it

I had a plan to hook my tv up in the room next door, I wasn't fussed about the HD, just expected I could run a normal aerial lead and a magic eye in my room to switch the hd box.

However although the HD box has a rf out with 9v it will not power the magic eye, I've currently got it hooked up on the floor with 2 tv's but getting no where. I was suprised you can still view the HD channels on the tv with only the aerial connected but the picture isn't great, that said its fine for my bedroom and will stop the mrs moaning in the mornings !

Can this be done or have Sky removed the 9v output from the HD boxes ?

Jim Galbally

dont you have to goto the setup menu and enable the 9v output?

Rich_bloor

in the first 12 months of a new subscription with sky or taking out a multiroom with sky, ALL boxes have to be plugged in the phone lines. If you don't sky will charge you for the same price for both boxes, not £10 for the multiroom. Make sure your phone lines are plugged in !!!

you can get round this by paying a one off £25 fee when you take out your subscription, this means no boxes have to be in the phone lines, but you do loose some functions of the box without the phone line.

im an EX sky engineer.

dojj

iTrader: (3)

depends on which box you get, some have them and some don't

the narrower boxes tend not to

Jim Galbally

whats this one off £25 fee all about?

with that idea whats stopping me getting my mate with a full sky pack to buy multiroom and give me his card?

JonnyBravo

Sorted !

RF out needed to be switched on through Sky menu

Ke1th

The £25 charge is called a manual enablement fee and it's for customers who sign upto Sky with a single box who don't have a telephone line. If you have multiroom, you have to have all boxes connected to a line at all times.

Jim Galbally

ah yes thats what i thought!

1.9 xr2 on 40's

poor qualtiy could be down to the magic eye lead bein crap

if you have a good digi aerial into the sky but then you would have a good digi sig to both tv's too
thus if you are up or down you can choose

you could cancel sky, start in a new name and when they come round they can put the leads into you rbedroom, you old box can be reg'd to you new account on a multi room and bobs your gay lover

i have my hd magic eye'd to the bedroom, its still a very good pic considering, no worse than the plus box when scarted