HD box without HD subscription
 

I don't yet have a HD television but possibly will have in the not too
distant future. Is it possible to subscribe to Sky and buy the HD box
without subscribing to the HD service - using the HD box as a Sky+ box?

HD box without HD subscription
 

Hi,

In article ,
wrote:
I don't yet have a HD television but possibly will have in the not too
distant future. Is it possible to subscribe to Sky and buy the HD box
without subscribing to the HD service - using the HD box as a Sky+ box?

Yes. I bought mine through an independant and installed it myself (already
had Sky+). You just phone Sky and ask them to pair your viewing card to the
new box.

Don't know if you'll be able to get it direct from Sky without and HD sub
though.

Andy

HD box without HD subscription
 

Andy Hawkins wrote:
: Yes. I bought mine through an independant and installed it myself (already
: had Sky+). You just phone Sky and ask them to pair your viewing card to the
: new box.

: Don't know if you'll be able to get it direct from Sky without and HD sub
: though.

Only for £399 (last time I looked!). All Sky discounts depend on a Sky-HD
subscription. eBay or an independent are where people have gone.

HD box without HD subscription
 

"Brian McIlwrath" wrote in message
...
Andy Hawkins wrote:
: Yes. I bought mine through an independant and installed it myself
(already
: had Sky+). You just phone Sky and ask them to pair your viewing card to
the
: new box.

: Don't know if you'll be able to get it direct from Sky without and HD
sub
: though.

Only for £399 (last time I looked!). All Sky discounts depend on a Sky-HD
subscription. eBay or an independent are where people have gone.

Thanks Andy and Brian. Yes, it's £399 from Sky without a HD subscription -
which means it's cheaper to buy it from Sky with a HD subscription even if
you don't plan to use the HD facility for a few months (or even a year).

I may look in to the independent option but I guess that would be more
expensive than installation via Sky.

I wonder if having Sky+ installed (dish and other hardware) through Sky
would then make it easier (and cheaper) to obtain a subsequent multi-room
installation from an independent (with a HD box)? As compared to an
independent installing the whole system? I'll try to make some enquiries
today but the enquiries I've made already seem to suggest that the cost of
installation through Sky is heavily subsidised.

I looked in to Virgin's V+ service but aside from initial installation costs
and cost of basic multi-room hardware (which is just rented from Virgin)
there's surprisingly very little (virtually zero) in the price of equivalent
services between the 2 providers. Virgin's HD service through V+ is cheaper
than Sky's - £5 a month cheaper but Virgin doesn't offer a non HD pvr
service like Sky+. The V+ box, at least technically, has better pvr
functions than the Sky+ box but the V+ box hasn't received a good press in
terms of software bugs which, following the takeover of NTL, Virgin is only
just starting to get to grips with. Sky seems to have a polished software
system in terms of serious bugs.

HD box without HD subscription
 

"Brian McIlwrath" wrote in message
...
Andy Hawkins wrote:
: Yes. I bought mine through an independant and installed it myself
(already
: had Sky+). You just phone Sky and ask them to pair your viewing card to
the
: new box.

: Don't know if you'll be able to get it direct from Sky without and HD
sub
: though.

Only for £399 (last time I looked!). All Sky discounts depend on a Sky-HD
subscription. eBay or an independent are where people have gone.

Could anyone offer advice on this? I think it's the best way of opening up
the future option of HD:

Buy a Sky+ install with multi-room and use a standard Sky box (no extra
purchase fee) as the multi-room box. At a later date buy a Sky HD box via an
independent or eBay and use it in place of the Sky+ box moving the Sky+ box
to the location of the standard box.

Also, is it the case that it's possible to access BBC HD using a Sky HD box
without paying the £10 HD subscription?

HD box without HD subscription
 

Hi,
In article ,
wrote:
Buy a Sky+ install with multi-room and use a standard Sky box (no extra
purchase fee) as the multi-room box. At a later date buy a Sky HD box via an
independent or eBay and use it in place of the Sky+ box moving the Sky+ box
to the location of the standard box.

You'd need a second dish feed to the box that used to only require a single
feed.

Also, is it the case that it's possible to access BBC HD using a Sky HD box
without paying the £10 HD subscription?

I believe so.

Andy

HD box without HD subscription
 

"Gareth" wrote in message
...


"Brian McIlwrath" wrote in message
...
Andy Hawkins wrote:
: Yes. I bought mine through an independant and installed it myself
(already
: had Sky+). You just phone Sky and ask them to pair your viewing card to
the
: new box.

: Don't know if you'll be able to get it direct from Sky without and HD
sub
: though.

Only for £399 (last time I looked!). All Sky discounts depend on a Sky-HD
subscription. eBay or an independent are where people have gone.

Could anyone offer advice on this? I think it's the best way of opening up
the future option of HD:

Buy a Sky+ install with multi-room and use a standard Sky box (no extra
purchase fee) as the multi-room box. At a later date buy a Sky HD box via
an independent or eBay and use it in place of the Sky+ box moving the Sky+
box to the location of the standard box.

Also, is it the case that it's possible to access BBC HD using a Sky HD
box without paying the £10 HD subscription?



All the FTV HD channels can be seen, including Channel4 HD, and others which
will arrive as BBC Freesat takes off. Thankfully it isn't like SKY+ where
you needed to pay to enable SKY+ functions. The £10 isn't to enable HD
decoding, it's to subscribe to SKY's own HD channels. You will need an
ordinary Film or Sports subscription as well to access the HD versions of
those channels.

HD box without HD subscription
 

In article , Gareth
writes


Also, is it the case that it's possible to access BBC HD using a Sky HD
box without paying the £10 HD subscription?


Yes and also any other free to air HD channels that may become
available, C4HD is on there now too, not sure if that's free to air or
not though.
--
Sean Black

HD box without HD subscription
 

"Andy Hawkins" wrote in message
...
Hi,
In article ,
wrote:
Buy a Sky+ install with multi-room and use a standard Sky box (no extra
purchase fee) as the multi-room box. At a later date buy a Sky HD box via
an
independent or eBay and use it in place of the Sky+ box moving the Sky+
box
to the location of the standard box.

You'd need a second dish feed to the box that used to only require a
single
feed.

Oh right - so it would have to be Sky+ boxes in that case.

At least it seems fairly easy to buy a second hand HD box.

Gareth.

HD box without HD subscription
 

it is generaqlly being discusse that the BBC's new hd freesat service will
launch as early as the 5th of May at which time a gradually emerging
economical and interesting and diverse arrange of HD as well as non HD kit
will gradually become more and more avaiable - all one off cost and all non
subscription.

it therefore follows that it would make good sense to avoid buying existing
apperatus with or without subscrition with only roughly a month to go.

hope this helps

jb
"Sean Black" wrote in message
...
In article , Gareth
writes


Also, is it the case that it's possible to access BBC HD using a Sky HD
box without paying the £10 HD subscription?


Yes and also any other free to air HD channels that may become available,
C4HD is on there now too, not sure if that's free to air or not though.
--
Sean Black