Free upgrade for Thompson sky+hd box owners

NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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I posted this on the sky user site earlier and thought I best post it here as well.

Owners of the Thompson Sky+HD box can receive a free upgrade to a new Sky+HD box under sky's Better Box Scheme so that they can benefit from sky's newest service such as: increased storage space, Sky 3D, On demand & Catchup, Sky Store and Undelete. Sky also state that "you may not be able to view HD channels through your Sky box" if you don't upgrade. And that this offer is for for "selected Thomson Sky+HD customers in receipt of an offer email/letter from Sky". Click Here to visit the upgrade website
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Comments

  • Mickey_TMickey_T Posts: 4,962
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    Sky also state that "you may not be able to view HD channels through your Sky box" if you don't upgrade.
    Bit strange. :confused:
  • chenkschenks Posts: 13,231
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    Mickey_T wrote: »
    Bit strange. :confused:

    why strange?
    the old Thomson boxes are no longer supported, and it has long been thought that the next round of card replacements will kill these boxes completely.

    sky are being creative with the wording in order to finally get these dead boxes out of circulation.
  • Mickey_TMickey_T Posts: 4,962
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    In that case I'd have thought 'all your subscription channels could be inaccessible' would be a little more accurate and more likely to get people motivated to upgrade?

    Anyway, not that it matters. You can't argue with a free upgrade to a better box. :)
  • Tinky-WinkyTinky-Winky Posts: 95
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    Hi,

    Sounds like Sky could be going to change the format/encoding of HD broadcasts in an up and coming EPG software update, hence the Thomson not being able to view HD content.

    TW
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,225
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    My elderly neighbour has an old white sky plus box but if she was asked to swap for a newer box bless her I think the new layout would confuse her there's a lot to look at her box although slow when she presses TV guide it comes up in the very old format in blue an yellow with white writing
    I'm surprised sky haven't called her
  • ProDaveProDave Posts: 11,398
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    chenks wrote: »
    why strange?
    the old Thomson boxes are no longer supported, and it has long been thought that the next round of card replacements will kill these boxes completely.

    sky are being creative with the wording in order to finally get these dead boxes out of circulation.

    Yes I can see that happening. Traditionally a software update has been sent to all boxes at card swap time to enable them to work with the new card. So yes I can see thomson boxes no longer able to receive any subscription channels after the next card swap.

    But I can't see why they would not continue to receive the FTA channels, both HD and SD

    I also can't see why those with an old blue card receiving and recording the FTA channels would be affected. About the only thing I can see that would stop that would be if broadcast standards changed drastically to parameters that the thomson boxes don't support.
  • Mark AMark A Posts: 7,687
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    Sky are probably still getting lots of pressure to remove the security hole that is component out from the content suppliers.

    Regards

    Mark
  • coopermanyorkscoopermanyorks Posts: 21,215
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    Sky know who actually own these boxes so it should be easy to target them and get them to upgrade , I suspect a lot of those still hanging onto the Thomson boxes are using them for the component connection,these customers will hang on until the last moment
  • Jaycee DoveJaycee Dove Posts: 18,762
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    Sky know who actually own these boxes so it should be easy to target them and get them to upgrade , I suspect a lot of those still hanging onto the Thomson boxes are using them for the component connection,these customers will hang on until the last moment

    The frustrating thing is that I have a Thomson in its box but as I bought my own Pace box at full shop price to replace it Sky say I am not entitled to an upgrade at a reduced price. I have never paid under £280 for a Sky HD box and I thought everyone was entitled to one £49 box.

    Given that Sky are taking forever to fix the sound problems on the Pace created by the new EPG I would gladly upgrade but by choosing to replace the Thomson at my expense - even though I still own it - I qualify for no offer at all.

    C'est la vie (a la Sky anyhoo). :) Just bad luck really, as the Pace box is (was) great prior to the new EPG arriving.
  • Mickey_TMickey_T Posts: 4,962
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    ProDave wrote: »
    But I can't see why they would not continue to receive the FTA channels, both HD and SD.
    They undoubtedly will be able to continue receiving the FTA SD and HD channels, which is why I queried Sky's wording as being strange.
  • tycho-magtycho-mag Posts: 8,650
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    The frustrating thing is that I have a Thomson in its box but as I bought my own Pace box at full shop price to replace it Sky say I am not entitled to an upgrade at a reduced price. I have never paid under £280 for a Sky HD box and I thought everyone was entitled to one £49 box.

    Given that Sky are taking forever to fix the sound problems on the Pace created by the new EPG I would gladly upgrade but by choosing to replace the Thomson at my expense - even though I still own it - I qualify for no offer at all.

    C'est la vie (a la Sky anyhoo). :) Just bad luck really, as the Pace box is (was) great prior to the new EPG arriving.

    I feel your pain - I also had a full price Thomson, back in 2007, then I got fed up with the slowdown/crashing and bought a full price Pace in around 2010.

    Only just passed that on to some friends (as a free-to-air box) as I bought one of the new Sky/Amstrad ones from eBay - much cheaper!! :)
  • chenkschenks Posts: 13,231
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    The frustrating thing is that I have a Thomson in its box but as I bought my own Pace box at full shop price to replace it Sky say I am not entitled to an upgrade at a reduced price. I have never paid under £280 for a Sky HD box and I thought everyone was entitled to one £49 box.

    i got my thomson from elsewhere, not sky, and i was given an offer to replace it some time ago with a 1TB box, wasn't free but discounted.

    i then sold the thomson box on ebay :)
  • Tinky-WinkyTinky-Winky Posts: 95
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    Hi,

    No mention of HDCP in that device and no DD5.1 so it does not look too good.

    TW
  • NsewellNsewell Posts: 824
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    webbie wrote: »

    Does it support hdcp though. If not it won't work with a sky+hd box. Theres a device called HDFury that supports hdcp and would work with a sky+hd box.
  • webbiewebbie Posts: 1,614
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    yes it supports hdcp. The 5.1 audio you will need to get from the optical out connector of your sky HD box.
  • RestorerRestorer Posts: 2,092
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    webbie wrote: »
    yes it supports hdcp. The 5.1 audio you will need to get from the optical out connector of your sky HD box.

    Anyone tried one of these on a Slingbox?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 46
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    Restorer wrote: »
    Anyone tried one of these on a Slingbox?

    Hey Restorer,

    I haven't tried one of these on a sling box but I have used a HDFury2 for the past 2 years daily with a slingbox HD Pro without any faults or problems what so ever.

    Personally I would rather pay more for kit and know it works than take a risk on cheap kit. At work I use some "cheap" CYP hdmi kit and the HDCP gives me a nightmare of problems loosing sync and over heating etc.

    Si
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    So a HDMI to component YPrPb with L and R Audio out like HDFury or the one available here:
    www.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2FHDMI-To-RGB-5RCA-Component-YPbPr-Stereo-Audio-HD-Video-Converter-Fr-PS3-Apple-TV-%2F190685306090%3Fpt%3DUK_Sound_Vision_Other%26hash%3Ditem2c65badcea&xguid=dbc19498359af1119e68f82dbf7a5959&xcreo=0&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.digitalspy.co.uk%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1810359&pref=http%3A%2F%2Fforums.digitalspy.co.uk%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D1813421
    can make any Sky HD or Sky+HD box work like a Thompson box, allowing you to get a PVR that has Component YPrPb in and record HD content from subscription channels with no encryption.
    Which means potentially you can put that content on a Blue Ray disk!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 347
    Forum Member
    daft question alert! :)

    we have a Samsung Sky+ HD box & an old Thomson Sky+ box on multiroom, got the letter today for an upgrade.

    at first i thought the letter had been sent by mistake as it refers to 'upgrade your Thomson Sky+ HD box', when we have a Samsung. but am i reading it wrong & are they offering to upgrade our old Thomson Sky+ ?

    i've probably completely mis-understood, i seem to be doing a lot of this recently! :D

    if anyone could clarify please. thanks.
  • Tinky-WinkyTinky-Winky Posts: 95
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    Hi,

    Sky are upgrading all Thomson HD boxes whether they are primary or multiroom boxes as they may not be able to decode HD broadcasts in the future.

    TW
  • sodafountainsodafountain Posts: 16,828
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    Lexxy_703 wrote: »
    daft question alert! :)

    we have a Samsung Sky+ HD box & an old Thomson Sky+ box on multiroom, got the letter today for an upgrade.

    at first i thought the letter had been sent by mistake as it refers to 'upgrade your Thomson Sky+ HD box', when we have a Samsung. but am i reading it wrong & are they offering to upgrade our old Thomson Sky+ ?

    i've probably completely mis-understood, i seem to be doing a lot of this recently! :D

    if anyone could clarify please. thanks.

    Is the Thomson box a white Sd box then, not a black HD one?

    If so, they have probably sent you the letter in error. If so, ring the number (or do it online) and see what happens, who knows, you might be able to swap the white one instead, their mistake for sending you the letter.
  • sodafountainsodafountain Posts: 16,828
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    Hi,

    Sky are upgrading all Thomson HD boxes whether they are primary or multiroom boxes as they may not be able to decode HD broadcasts in the future.

    TW

    I read it that their multiroom box was a white Thomson SD box, not a black HD box, although i could be wrong.
  • DWA9ISDWA9IS Posts: 10,557
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    Is the Thomson box a white Sd box then, not a black HD one?

    If so, they have probably sent you the letter in error. If so, ring the number (or do it online) and see what happens, who knows, you might be able to swap the white one instead, their mistake for sending you the letter.

    lol yes if its a mistake by sky there could be a free upgrade from SD to HD in store then Lexxy_703 would get HD subs in both rooms as the multi-room dupes your subs to all boxes!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 347
    Forum Member
    sorry for any confusion, yes the multiroom is an old white SD Thomson box. we only have 1 HD box & that's a Samsung.

    i'm tempted to complete the registration details for the offer & see what happens, it's their fault for sending me the letter! :D

    knowing my luck, the Samsung will be 'deleted' & i'll lose all my content! :rolleyes:
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