Sky+ box MUST be connected to phone line?

Hi folks,

Yes, I have to admit that after reading through this group here and other
forums on the net I am still confused when it comes to answering the
following question:

"If bought as a second hand box on ebay or somewhere else and then installed
by myself do I have to have the Sky+ box connected to the telephone line or
not if I want the box to be fully operational?"

Some people say: "Yes, otherwise SKY will block your viewing card." or
"Yes, because it says so in the toc." Others say: "You only have to connect
it to the telephone line if you get a subsidized box directly from Sky." or
"You have to but they wouldn´t notice if you didn´t." And so
forth...............

At the moment I am living outside the UK so I have no option to connect the
SKY+ box to the telephone line. Does it still make sense to buy one? What
about you? Do you have your Sky+ boxes connected to a tel-line?

Would be great to get your thoughts and comments on this.

Cheers

Tim

www.kernow-telecom.co.uk wrote:

If bought from Sky or anywhere else new - yes.

Second hand - no.

Not so. The Sky+ service T&Cs state that the phone must be connected
for the first 12 months of a Sky+ service contract and this should
apply whether or not the box has previously been used.

In practice there are currently no checks, nor do I expect there to be
any. Why should they, after all?

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

JonnySkyman wrote:

If you buy Second hand or from and independent retailer and install it
yourself (remember you need an LNB upgrade) then No you do not need the
phone line.

The T&Cs I saw said something different. Maybe they have changed. They
were extremely imprecise.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Tim wrote:

"If bought as a second hand box on ebay or somewhere else and then installed
by myself do I have to have the Sky+ box connected to the telephone line or
not if I want the box to be fully operational?"

The T&Cs for the Sky+ service (not for the Sky+ box which is sold
without any conditions) require the phone to be connected for the
first 12 months of Sky+ service or if the installation was performed
by Sky. This is very vague.

In practice the phone connection is not currently required for
activation or for service though a Sky installer may insist on making
the connection. Only on mirror subs is the phone connection policed.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

"Jomtien" wrote in message
...
www.kernow-telecom.co.uk wrote:

If bought from Sky or anywhere else new - yes.

Second hand - no.

Not so. The Sky+ service T&Cs state that the phone must be connected
for the first 12 months of a Sky+ service contract and this should
apply whether or not the box has previously been used.

My T&C's say that the phone line is required **IF** installed by Sky.

js

JonnySkyman wrote:

Not so. The Sky+ service T&Cs state that the phone must be connected
for the first 12 months of a Sky+ service contract and this should
apply whether or not the box has previously been used.

My T&C's say that the phone line is required **IF** installed by Sky.

The T&Cs that I saw were extremely vague and appeared to say "required
for the first 12 months of service or if installed by Sky".
As clear as mud though, I agree.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

If you buy from Sky or one it's agents and have it professionally installed
then you have to have the phone line connected.
If you buy Second hand or from and independent retailer and install it
yourself (remember you need an LNB upgrade) then No you do not need the
phone line.
You will not loose any funcionality by not connecting it, however you will
not be able to order PPV via the handset or use the Sky Active services.

Js

Hi
I also have some questions about using Sky+ outside UK:
If I buy a second hand Sky+, and decide NOT to pay the 10 GBP extra
subscription, can I still use the Optical Output (for DD5.1)?
Can I (or my UK contact) phone Sky and marry my current viewing card
to this Sky+ in order to get premium channels?
If I decide to PAY the extra subscription, can I still use my old
(series 2) viewing card?
In order to be able to record one channel while watching another, do I
also need a mirror sub. or just the extra sub.?
Can I do all this WITHOUT a phone connection?
Can anyone please tell me the dimensions and weight (with and without
package) of the new Sky+ (version 2- Pace3100)? (At sky.com the user
manual is from the version 1 of the Sky+)
I know that the standard HDD has 40Gb. Are there older models (from
series 1 of Sky+) with HDDs SMALLER then 40Gb, and if so, how can I
find out?
Any other useful info about using Sky+ outside UK (and ROI)?
Thanks,

Mike P.

if you buy a new one you will have to have the phone connected

Michael wrote:

If I buy a second hand Sky+, and decide NOT to pay the 10 GBP extra
subscription, can I still use the Optical Output (for DD5.1)?

Certainly. Without the Sky+ sub the Sky+ functions as a regular
digibox. The only exception is that the Personal Planner doesn't work.
If you have no Sky+ sub then you can disconnect the hard drive, thus
saving power and extending its life.


Can I (or my UK contact) phone Sky and marry my current viewing card
to this Sky+ in order to get premium channels?

Yes.


If I decide to PAY the extra subscription, can I still use my old
(series 2) viewing card?

Yes.


In order to be able to record one channel while watching another, do I
also need a mirror sub. or just the extra sub.?

Just the Sky+ sub though this does not allow you to watch both
channels at once. You cannot have a mirror sub without a phone
connection on both boxes.
If you want to watch two channels at once you always need two boxes.


Can I do all this WITHOUT a phone connection?

Yes.


Can anyone please tell me the dimensions and weight (with and without
package) of the new Sky+ (version 2- Pace3100)? (At sky.com the user
manual is from the version 1 of the Sky+)

You can surely find this on the Pace website.


I know that the standard HDD has 40Gb. Are there older models (from
series 1 of Sky+) with HDDs SMALLER then 40Gb,

No.


Any other useful info about using Sky+ outside UK (and ROI)?

It works fine without a phone connection and so will work anywhere
where you have an adequate signal on both LNB feeds.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Stevenatherton wrote:

if you buy a new one you will have to have the phone connected

Not so. The T&Cs rather vaguely state that the phone connection is
obligatory under certain circumstances but in practice it is not,
especially if you buy from an independent dealer. And who would buy
from Sky (with obligatory installation) if they intended using the box
outside the UK?

Think about it: each Sky+ sub is £10 of pure profit every month for
Sky. They provide nothing at all in return for this, apart from
perhaps some minor subsidy that surely is repaid in the first year.
Would you put such a lucrative and cost-efficient income in jeopardy
by insisting on a phone connection? I wouldn't.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.cjb.net/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)