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Sky allowing recording on subscription free HD box |
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#101 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 994
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Quote:
What make and model of Sky HD box are they working in?
I have two old "blue" cards that are still working to record and playback FTA channels but they will not work in the latest Amstrad/Sky DRX890 boxes - only in my Pace 850 and Thompson HD+ boxes. |
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#102 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 994
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Quote:
Amstrad Drx890 -C, with the original white card in my case.
That is pretty well the history of My box, as I understood it. |
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#103 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Wrexham
Posts: 12,102
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Quote:
I was talking with a Sky technical expert today, he confirmed that ANY ex-contract recording box, that was taken out of use EG unplugged before the "Turn card off" signal had been received - say for a month or so after subscription expiry (he suggested give it 3 months), will record & play without an subscription, provided you keep[ the original card & box paired. It is a quirk of their software.
That is pretty well the history of My box, as I understood it. It worked on the previous card (had a picture of a house on it), but not on the white cards. Some get lucky, like yourself, but that is for a different reason (yet unknown), but the Sky+ feature is now enabled on the card, and auto expires if it does not get it's enable signal (which an expired card won't - unless you are lucky). On the old blue cards, they had to disable the Sky+ feature from the card, thus removing it before the signal was sent, and leaving it out for about 3 months (this is usually when they stopped sending the disable signal), meant the Sky+ feature never got turned off. |
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#104 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Oxford
Posts: 12,689
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Quote:
The Sky technical expert would be wrong then, as that no longer works, ever since the white card was introduced, was it 5 years ago now?
It worked on the previous card (had a picture of a house on it), but not on the white cards. Some get lucky, like yourself, but that is for a different reason (yet unknown), but the Sky+ feature is now enabled on the card, and auto expires if it does not get it's enable signal (which an expired card won't - unless you are lucky). On the old blue cards, they had to disable the Sky+ feature from the card, thus removing it before the signal was sent, and leaving it out for about 3 months (this is usually when they stopped sending the disable signal), meant the Sky+ feature never got turned off. |
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#105 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Cheshire england
Posts: 417
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Sellers on eBay are selling Sky HD boxes which are able to record Freesat channels,how do the get the boxes to record?
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#106 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 6,288
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Quote:
Also when the blue cards were replaced by the newer white cards Sky apparently did not send the "kill signal" to all the old blue cards and they continued working for Sky+ features - I have two such cards both recording FTA content.
I wonder if I need to keep it in for longer to revalidate it! |
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#107 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 994
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Quote:
Sellers on eBay are selling Sky HD boxes which are able to record Freesat channels,how do the get the boxes to record?
Like this one - they must have learnt the same trick?? |
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#108 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Oxford
Posts: 12,689
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Quote:
Very strange! I also have a blue Sky card which used to make and play recordings on FTA channels only. It stopped working recently and I presumed that some software update had stopped the box from using this card (or it had run out of some refresh timer!)
I wonder if I need to keep it in for longer to revalidate it! It does not neef reactivating - these functions on the blue cards do not "go to sleep". |
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#109 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,425
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Quote:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sky-Plus-H...cAAOSwPcVViR55
Like this one - they must have learnt the same trick?? ![]() Also charging £89.99 for a second hand Samsung box is a rip-off, especially when you can get a refurbished Humax Freetime box for a tenner more, with all the major catch-up players available, a 500Gb hard drive, guaranteed recording for the lifetime of the box and a years manufacturer warranty. I know where my money would be going, and it wouldn't be to some dodgy bloke on ebay!
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#110 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,460
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Quote:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sky-Plus-H...cAAOSwPcVViR55
Like this one - they must have learnt the same trick?? .
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#111 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Gloucestershire
Posts: 994
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Quote:
Reading that it seems dubious to say the least, and rather misleading seeing as he's claiming recording will continue for as long as you use it.
![]() Also charging £89.99 for a second hand Samsung box is a rip-off, especially when you can get a refurbished Humax Freetime box for a tenner more, with all the major catch-up players available, a 500Gb hard drive, guaranteed recording for the lifetime of the box and a years manufacturer warranty. I know where my money would be going, and it wouldn't be to some dodgy bloke on ebay! ![]() Cash converters usually sell them at £30 ish. |
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#112 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northampton
Posts: 388
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Help!
I'm seriously considering stopping my subs to sky - but have loads of programmes on the planner to watch (mostly BBC, ITV, Ch4).
Does anyone know if i can just get the record facility and the freeview channels? I read somewhere that there is a fee for the record facility but can't find this anywhere on the sky website... Also, would i have a new card and if so would pairing it wipe out all previous recordings? Thanks Ste |
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#113 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: England, E.Midlands & London
Posts: 7,692
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Quote:
I'm seriously considering stopping my subs to sky - but have loads of programmes on the planner to watch (mostly BBC, ITV, Ch4).
Does anyone know if i can just get the record facility and the freeview channels? I read somewhere that there is a fee for the record facility but can't find this anywhere on the sky website... Also, would i have a new card and if so would pairing it wipe out all previous recordings? Thanks Ste |
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#114 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Springfield
Posts: 64
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Quote:
Last time I tested my collection of white cards none of them did seem to record.
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#115 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Darn Sarf
Posts: 28,728
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Quote:
When you cancel, you can ask for the Sky+ function to be retained and it costs a tenner a month!
How Sky can get away with still doing this is almost beyond imagination. |
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#116 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Dumbarton,Scotland
Posts: 229
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Quote:
You can get BT TV for that, with more channels than the Sky £10 sub and yours to keep and record as Youview at £0 a month after your subscription has expired.
How Sky can get away with still doing this is almost beyond imagination. |
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#117 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northampton
Posts: 388
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Quote:
When you cancel, you can ask for the Sky+ function to be retained and it costs a tenner a month!
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#118 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: south west
Posts: 9,914
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Quote:
I'm seriously considering stopping my subs to sky - but have loads of programmes on the planner to watch (mostly BBC, ITV, Ch4).
Does anyone know if i can just get the record facility and the freeview channels? I read somewhere that there is a fee for the record facility but can't find this anywhere on the sky website... Also, would i have a new card and if so would pairing it wipe out all previous recordings? Thanks Ste You can then copy all your recordings from free channels, like BBC, ITV, Ch4 and Ch5, to your PC and from then burn them to a DVD ect. Then you could get yourself a Youview or freesat box, to make future recordings. |
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#119 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 488
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Quote:
I'm seriously considering stopping my subs to sky - but have loads of programmes on the planner to watch (mostly BBC, ITV, Ch4).
Does anyone know if i can just get the record facility and the freeview channels? I read somewhere that there is a fee for the record facility but can't find this anywhere on the sky website... Also, would i have a new card and if so would pairing it wipe out all previous recordings? Thanks Ste This method stops the box & it's paired card from receiving the "Turn off" recording & PB signal. Should you wish to watch Satellite signals in the meantime, use another Sky box - they are only a few £ s from car-boot fairs these days. |
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#120 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Oxford
Posts: 12,689
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Quote:
I believe the trick, is to cancel your subscription & then disconnect your box (& don't use your card) for about 3 months - then reconnect it, wait for your card to liven up & you should find it will act as a freesat recorder & also play back any non -encrypted recordings you have.
This method stops the box & it's paired card from receiving the "Turn off" recording & PB signal. Should you wish to watch Satellite signals in the meantime, use another Sky box - they are only a few £ s from car-boot fairs these days. |
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#121 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 488
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Quote:
Absolute rubbish - read post #103
Don't knock it, until you've tried it
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#122 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 405
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Quote:
It's not rubbish, because I too now have an ex contract recording box - by using that very method. With a WHITE CARD.
Don't knock it, until you've tried it ![]() |
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#123 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: England, E.Midlands & London
Posts: 7,692
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Quote:
It's not rubbish, because I too now have an ex contract recording box - by using that very method. With a WHITE CARD.
Don't knock it, until you've tried it ![]() The cards need a signal telling them to 'stay alive' and if they don't get that after a certain point, it cuts off ALL paid-for services! Sky+ is a paid-for service! So @davemurgatroyd was correct - Absolute rubbish!!! |
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#124 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Oxford
Posts: 12,689
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Quote:
It's not rubbish, because I too now have an ex contract recording box - by using that very method. With a WHITE CARD.
Don't knock it, until you've tried it ![]() |
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#125 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Darn Sarf
Posts: 28,728
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Quote:
I have BT TV and I think it is great. I did however, once had a fault with my Internet and I noticed that I couldn't play any Recordings of BT subscription channels even though they were on the recorders drive. But the Freeview recordings worked fine. So I suspect that any subscription content won't play after you cancel.
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