Question re sky tv
 

People on here know everything

So the wife is asking me to look at getting satellite TV as the stuff of free view is pretty dire.

Question when i was looking at the stuff they say I need a BT telephone. Why? I use voip, why should I have to rent a phone line?

Re: Question re sky tv
 

sky uses the phone line to update the box and get the tv guide. it wont work without it! it doesnt plug into a router or anything but directly into the wall through a broadband filter. I suspect it has some form of built in router/modem to dial out.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

And it's needed if you want to order up movies or sports extras.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

And they need it to keep tabs on what your watching and when !

Re: Question re sky tv
 

All is it does is communicate with the sky server for billing etc, it's complete Bolox about not working without it, had mine about 10 years, been plugged in about 10 times tops, just for pay for view movies.

Don't order anything you don't need it.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

+1. Ours has never been plugged in since approx 30 seconds after the installer left the house approx 2 years ago. Never had it plugged in at my previous address either, however I have known people have all sorts of problems getting Sky to install when they've explained they don't have a landline... :rolleyes:

Re: Question re sky tv
 

you only need to plug into a phone line when you get your "free" box direct from Sky - check out the evil bay and buy yourself a box suited to your needs and then just enter a contract with Sky for the viewing card only.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

apologies then!

Re: Question re sky tv
 

it's seriously worth considering getting Sky+ - record a series or watch a channel whilst recording another.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Sorry mate, although I quoted you, I didn't mean for that to come across like that, it's just that I have heard loads of people say that about not working without a phone line, I was replying generally :)

Re: Question re sky tv
 

It has some built in modem, it downloads info via it however I haven't had mine plugged into a phone line for a long time...

Though I would bother with sky it isn't all that I don't its worth the money, moves aren't worth it, I don't bother with sport I get what i want from a free variety packs, but then at full price I wouldn't bother.

Freesat works just fine, I gave my dad a dish with cable and works just fine if you wsnt to record tv.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

When you have the box, get the app to set recordings wherever you are via your Ipad!

I was sceptical of the whole thing at first, but the deal I was offered on HD TV, Broadband and calls was waaaaay cheaper than the BT guff I had, even when including still paying the BT line rental.

The broadband is more stable than BT. Customer service is very good too.

On Monday, our Sky router packed in. One phone call, five minutes of "try this, try that" and they sent me a new router for free, even though we are outside the first twelve months.

Arrived today, plug in, enter code - job done.

The documentary channels are great, Overhaulin', Wrecks to Riches, Hows it's made, all familly faves!

Pete ;)

Re: Question re sky tv
 

It will work without it. Mine did for a very long time.

Eventually and this happened to Liz's parents, Sky will send you a p*ssy letter saying they'll terminate your contract if you dont plug it into a phone line.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Also when you stop paying you won't be to record anymore either, if you want a sky box I have several which I will sell one is a HD box.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Yep, it'll work without the phone line and you can get movies and sport over a normal landline, not sure about VOIP though Tim

You could get a Freesat box, which will give you more channels than you have now, without the Sky subscriptrion!

Although I wouldn't be without Sky+ now, its great, but 2 boxes on multiroom is £57 a month!

Re: Question re sky tv
 

You got lucky. When my router broke (wireless transceiver packed after a couple of years years) it took me 3 calls of about 45 minute each to convince them it wasn't my computer.

Also, trying to get through to the TV side of things for anything other than paying for something and they put you on hold for a minimum of 40 minutes (at 0845 rates) - seriously, I tried several times when my digibox gave up and ended up timing the calls. All were answered at approx 40 minutes.


I got that very letter a couple of days ago. I also got one last year, and the year before, and the ... well you get the idea.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

+1, love the docs :)

Sky+ rocks as well, I had cable before, I found it crap with a lot less channels.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Thats a lor of money to watch tv!

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Got Sky+HD. Brilliant.

Got the phone included for £11 per month, including BB.

BB speed was rubbish compared to the BT BB I have on another line for work.

Took weeks for them to get the BB speed up to something close to BT but to quote SKY customer services, "yeh, our equipment isn't as good as BT and in truth we can't match their speeds."

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Yes, but when you have 2 children, a wife, a SkyHD+ & a Sky+ box with movie subscription will cost a bit.

But its my only pleasure as we don't get out to the Cinema like we used to, so having movies on tap is great.

I was pleased to see that pub landlady win her case against Sky, as they do have a monopoly on Satellite broadcasting. So they can get away with charging what they do

If I could get the same stuff with another provider I might be temped, but we've no cable and poor Freeview reception here. So I'm stuck with Sky

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Or you could just get a free to air satellite reciever. Screwfix were doing a kit including the dish for £69

Then you'll be able to get loads of free foreign language German (no soft porn on Saturdays now :cool:) Polish, Russian, Arabic ;)

Not sure what English channels are Free to Air these days, but a lot of these FTA channels have multi language feeds.

Eurosport is a good example, on my FTA reciver I can change the language feed to English commentary.

There was a big lie put out by a certain satellite broadcaster that all the FTA channels would disappear overnight so you'd better have this new box and subscribe, otherwise no Eurosport.

But it was still FTA last time I checked :smt019

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Buy a dreambox :D

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Yeah but if you have their Sky talk phone package too, it's a free call

Re: Question re sky tv
 

+1

Re: Question re sky tv
 

what's one of them?

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Had Sky for about 13 years now and wouldn't do without it.
Because O2 have decided to increase the price of their home phone and BB, i've decided to go with Sky. This means for variety and chikdrens package, Unlimited BB and home phone it works out to £31.75.
I'll be getting basically the same as what i'm currently getting now, but paying £10 cheaper than if I continue with O2 for Phone/BB.
Downside, will have to pay for 0870/0845 numbers, but considering I don't tend to use those numbers i'm not that bothered.
If there is a cheaper way of getting all this i'll certainly be interested.
As for Sky having bad equipment compared to Bt is quite funny. The reason is that BT own the exchanges/lines that Sky uses. Unless of course it's the router ( any evidence to the contrary is welcomed ).

Ste.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

The router is a Netgear. It's not even re-branded.

Good kit.

Pete ;)

Re: Question re sky tv
 

the only problems we had with sky was, 1, in bad wheather the picture would break up, well it would wouldn't it, and 2, for broadband the speed depends on where you live , in our case pay for 8 meg get 2-4 meg :(, that's why we now have virgin tv phone, and 50 meg broadband, not cheap though £70 a month, but sky's not cheap when you add on movies or sports.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

The telly is good, sky plus is good but not as good as V+ box.

On V+ you can watch one channel and record 2 others, sky plus you have to be watching one of the channels to record 2 channels.

The sky broadband is terrible pay for 16mbps get 2mbps, the netgear router is carp and drops out so often so any big downloads get reset.

Get cable instead 20mbps all day long (can go up to 100mbps) what you pay for is what you get, the telly is not quite as good as cable (no atlantic channel, no 3d and less movie / sport channels) but the internet more than makes up for it.

Oh and HD channels are free on Virgin but you pay extra on Sky

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Ste, I can forward you the email from Sky if you want the evidence of Sky customer services saying that BT do have differing levels of eqpt.

And as an ex-BT engineer I do know that there is a multitude of differing types/manufacturers/ages of eqpt in the exchanges. And 3rd party suppliers of service certainly used to 'rent' the cheaper/older kit if they felt it would still do the job, even if BT had better/faster eqpt available.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

People stop praising/dissin sky.

Answer my question, why do i need to purchase a land line to have sky tv. I do not want a wired phone, I cannot get their minimal internet so is their advertising wrong. a sky tv package costs 12 quid or so a month more than they advertise because you have to but an old fashioned land line.

People why do you pay line rental. your operator gets a connection fee every time somebody phones you. and even worse you get charged every time somebody picks up your call. and then they charge you to give you the ability to be charged. I know many of you do not see this simply because you have paid your operator to hide you from the truth. (fixed monthly charge)

all I want is tv not phone, not internet.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

I'd never needed to 'purchase' a landline off Sky, I use my BT line.

Sky want you to have a landline because the Sky box has a modem in it which 'talks' to Sky, saves a bit of hassle when you want to 'Buy' a Box office movie, as the process is all done on the remote in seconds.

If your phone line isn't connected or working like mine, then its a bit more faffing about using the automated telephone service. ie please press 1 if you'd like etc, etc, etc.

Firmware upgrades are also done using the landline, but they can also be done over the air.

They really want you to have a landline so they can monitor your buying habits

Cheers Bri for the info, more knowledge is good. :-)

Ste.
Tapatalk

I also have worked in BT exchanges for 8 years as a contractor and can back up what Bri is saying.

Funnily enough I now work in Virgin Media exchanges!

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Landline is for pay pre view, updates ,setting up remote recording via mobile devices.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Simply because it is part of their terms and conditions. There isn't really much justification for it but them's the rules :smt091

When I first set sky up over the phone they also said that the phone line must be plugged in to the box as it's used to track where the box is for the 12 month duration that you are tied in with them. But I unplugged it straight away and never heard anything from them.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

Yep satellite tv is only one way, so unlike cable where the box can send and receive data. the satellite box can not unless you connect it to the phone line. Its not needed for normal tv.

Your best bet is take out a phone line and cancel within the cancellation period once the sky engineer has been round.

Re: Question re sky tv
 

I've had sky for ten years, in that time, I'm not sure its ever been plugged into the phone line, apart from in the beginning. I've never had a crappy letter off em either to tell me to plug it in! The cable isn't long enough to reach the phone LOL