Replacement sky box marrying card

[CeeJay]

Oh dear, oh dear oh dear, the start of the Rugby internationals and my sky box has blown up after a rather strong orage last weekend.

Have ordered a new one after exhaustive attempts to breathe new life into old one, but the system for marrying card to new box I am not sure about.

Apparently it is possible to do this through the Sky web site, but please excuse my ignorance in all things computer when I ask the question "Is it possible for Sky to know that the registering process would originate from a French ISP" and thereby giving them cause to refuse such request?

[Théière]

By no means my topic, but I seem to remember patients is required once the card is inserted it needs to be left for a while.

I remember telling similar to the rellys but they had a chap round who in the blink of an eye took down the dish removed the cables etc. They had lunch and it magically sorted itself.

[Chancer]

Are you paying for subscription or premium channels, a Sky package?

 

I dont use a card at all in my reciever (replaced a couple of years ago) and get far more channels than I could ever wish to watch.

[CeeJay]

Chancer

Yes, that's the whole point, I have Sky Sports and want to watch the upcoming Rugby Internationals!

[andyh4]

It is certainly possible for Sky to detect a non-UK/Eire ISP. (BBC and other TV companies do it all the time to refuse access to I-player/catch-up or whatever they call it.) Whether they do or not is another question, but I think it quite likely that they do.

[Théière]

[quote user="andyh4"]It is certainly possible for Sky to detect a non-UK/Eire ISP. (BBC and other TV companies do it all the time to refuse access to I-player/catch-up or whatever they call it.) Whether they do or not is another question, but I think it quite likely that they do.[/quote]

Were that to be true virtually all our family and their friends would be without Sky.

[Chancer]

I'm no expert as the paid channels etc dont interest me but the data exchange is by the phone line, the parabole is just to recieve the signals, if they can detect it would only be when the card is paired if it needs connecting to the phone line to do so or a phone call to Sky, this can I believe be avoided by doing the pairing in the UK, someone with experience will say if thats correct or not.

[andyh4]

Theiere wrote

Were that to be true virtually all our family and their friends would be without Sky.

I think you need to explain that since an ISP has nothing to do with receiving TV signals via a satellite. Unless of course they have also set up their internet connection via Sky/the Sky box - something I was told emphatically not to do.

[Department71]

Often the matches are shown on French tv, problem is maybe they are the ones you are not interested in. Yes I think there will be problems pairing card with receiver although I'm no expert on it, use freesat when in France. What about using a UK mobile number if you have to phone Sky in the UK would that work by hiding your location, not sure.

[AnOther]

What type of Sky box did you have ?

I ask because as I recall pre Sky+ there was no need to 'marry' a card - although you could - but with Sky+ you had to 'marry' the card in order to use the record function.

[Chancer]

That seems to be the case with my set up, the seller delivered 2 boxes by mistake, a Sky + which wont record and a Sky HD which I am using as its smaller and does everything that the sky+ box does without a card, bad description, without a card they have equal limited functionality.

[andyh4]

But CeeJay wants to watch Sky Sports and unless something has changed that definitely requires a card and subscription..

[CeeJay]

It's a basic HD box not HD+.

Reading the Sky web site it appears that all cards have to be matched with a box.

Haven't received box yet, due to arrive early next week but will see what happens when I just insert the card.

[Théière]

Be a bit patient and leave the card in the box for at least a few hours to see if it will sync up, before considering the phone call.

I vaguely remember this from a few years back. The cards and boxes were taken back to the UK to set them up. However the most recent card update I don't remember this being done.

Good luck.

[BJSLIV]

This seems to explain all you need to do, no phone calls required.

https://www.sky.com/help/diagnostics/sky-viewing-card/sky-viewing-card

[CeeJay]

BJSLIV

Please see my original posting!!!!!

[AnOther]

On second though regardless of box it's the movies and sports subscription which demands the marrying of the card, base packages such as I have (I spit on ALL sport !) do not.

[CeeJay]

OK, an update on my quest to fire up a replacement sky box.

Said box was delivered from UK very promptly through Amazon although it was a sky+HD and not a sky HD as ordered, ok that's a bonus!

I decided that I would use a UK sim in my phone to contact Sky which was seamless. Unfortunately the box could not be matched up with Sky records and therefore they could not pair it!! When the box was delivered there was no paperwork enclosed at all which made me a little suspicious.

Found the original advert on Amazon and contacted the company which, allegedly, it came from. They denied it was sent by them and were most concerned that some competitor was trying to rip them off somehow!

Contacted Amazon and arranged to send box back, however a few hours later and much to my amazement I found that the box was working properly and also that it had paired to the card somehow and giving me Sky Sports, certainly not through Sky, but I am delighted as I have also the benefits of a sky+ box.

Does this mean that a sky box will automatically pair? I still don't really know!!!!

[Chancer]

I thought that you could only use the functionality of the sky+box like recording if there was a telephone line connection?

 

I have one as a spare (Syk+), its extra bulk does not merit its place by the TV as it has no more (for me) usable functionality than the standard one.

[CeeJay]

I don't have any instructions but from what I have gleaned by fiddling it is possible to record only what you are watching, not another programme and also watch another one, if that makes sense, presumably because I have only one input from the dish. Also found a very useful gizmo on it that lets you rewind live tv, e.g. watching rugby and want to see the try scored again and again and again, no telephone line required. I am guessing that a telephone line would be required for On Demand stuff.

[Théière]

[quote user="CeeJay"] however a few hours later and much to my amazement I found that the box was working properly and also that it had paired to the card somehow and giving me Sky Sports, [/quote]

Clearly you didn't read my post x2. [geek][Www]

[quote user="Théière"]Be a bit patient and leave the card in the box for

at least a few hours to see if it will sync up, before considering the

phone call.

I vaguely remember this from a few years back. The cards

and boxes were taken back to the UK to set them up. However the most

recent card update I don't remember this being done.

Good luck.

[/quote]

[Chancer]

Maybe I didnt leave it long enough either, I have just found the card I have, it may be décades old, it is a blue one, I have put it in the box, the HDone not the Sky+ but its not displaying anything, what menu do you use to see if it has synced?

 

If I go into Box Office and then Search it says "your box is still initialising, please wait a short time to use this feature" I will give it 24 hours.

[Théière]

From my rusty memory the blue card with the yellow house on it is out of date by 4-5 years.

[CeeJay]

Yep, sorry Chancer that is an old card, as Thiere says, the current ones are white.

[Chancer]

Thanks, I doubt whether it would have brought me anything that I dont already get anyway without a card, the only slight gène with the box I have is that is was presumably once paired with a card and the regional settings set to the South West so I get the regional news from the Bristol area, no big deal.