Which Sky+HD boxes are able to receive On Demand and BBC IPlayer services

Which Sky+HD boxes are able to receive On Demand and BBC IPlayer services

Which Sky boxes are compatible with On Demand?

A selection of On Demand TV is available on all Sky+HD boxes. Our full On Demand service is accessible from all Sky+HD boxes, except Thomson boxes and you will need to connect your Sky+HD box to your broadband router.

Sky are also in the process of updating the Sky Guide on these Sky+HD boxes to enable Catch Up TV and rebrand Anytime to On Demand. The rollout of the update is done in phases with the latest Sky+HD boxes now updated and more to be done in the next month.

To find out which Sky+HD box you have and when it will be updated, press Services on your Sky Remote, then press 0 to highlight Settings. Press 3 to highlight System Details. Note down the version Number 2nd line from the top of the screen.

If you have a version beginning with 4F31, then you have an Amstrad DRX890 or DRX895. You should already have the new Sky Guide.

If you have a version beginning with 4F30, then you have a Amstrad DRX780. You will receive the new Sky Guide in the next few weeks.

If you have a version beginning with 9730, then you have a Samsung. Subject to final testing, you will receive the new Sky Guide by the end of November.

If you have a version beginning with 9F30, then you have a Pace. Subject to final testing, you will receive the new Sky Guide by the end of November.

If you have a version beginning with 4E30, then you have a Thomson. Unfortunately, we are not updating this box with the new Sky Guide.

Help I've lost my Sky TV signal again and only getting “No Satellite Signal is being received” messages. Has anyone got any new frequency please?

Help I've lost my Sky TV signal again and only getting “No Satellite Signal is being received” messages. Has anyone got any new frequency please?

In some difficult reception areas such as Spain, you needed to use an alternate frequency to help the box download from the satellite critical information it required to function.

Normally this should be set to frequency 11778, which carries the Sky Guide & day EPG Programme Synopsis Information. But in many areas of Spain this 11778 frequency, may not be available all day on small satellite dishes in Spain.

And is usually required when the Sky box has been disconnected from the power, usually by one of the frequency power cuts that happen in Spain!

Changing the default transponder frequency gets the Sky box to download a small amount, not the full 7 days worth, of EPG data, enough to get the Sky box working again.

Whereas frequency 11778 carries the full 7 day EPG Sky Guide information and programme synopsis, all other frequencies use by Sky boxes carry limited EPG Sky Guide information. This information is limited to blocks of 6 hours.

There are around 50 frequencies available that can be used to help to boot a sky box up. There is no "best" or "exclusive" one to use.

Popular frequencies to use are 12207 V 27.5 2/3 and 12051 V 27.5 2/3.

Once you have been through the process to change the default transponder:

Sky Standard digiboxes: http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/sky_satellite_default_transponder_frequency_settings_costa_blanca_spain.php
Sky HD digiboxes:  http://www.satandpcguy.com/Site/sky_satellite_default_transponder_frequency_settings_new_hd_epg_costa_blanca_spain.php

And the EPG Sky Guide information has loaded, you will see the programme banner at the foot of the screen populate with Sky Channel 998 information.  In many cases the channel itself may be unavailable and show “no signal messages”, but as long as the programme banner has been populated with information then your channels should all be up and working again.

It is also important to note that changing the default transponder frequency does not improve individual channel reception. Changing the default transponder frequency only helps the sky box boot up.  Once the EPG Sky Guide information has loaded and you have channel, then your manually input default transponder frequency is ignored, and the Sky box will use whichever of the 100plus frequencies it needs to use for the channel you have selected to watch.

"Help my Sky box is getting no signal" - buy a new box say the cowboy installer...but easily solved with a quick phone call

I get many emails and phone calls from people all around Spain, asking for help and advice. It is nice to feel appreciated and that people trust my advice that I can give them. This is highlighted by the many "It's a shame you dont work in our area" comments I receive.

In a recent case, my advice highlights what some other installers will do just “to make a sale” and not really care about the clients.

I received a telephone call from someone in the south Alicante area. They had had a power cut and, no matter what, they could not get their Sky digibox to start up, always getting the dreaded “no satellite signal is being received” messages. Assuming the worse they called a “satellite tv engineering company” in that area to see if they could diagnose the problem, and propose a solution.

The “installer” arrives, and, according to the client, took a look at the box, didn’t even turn it on, and proclaimed the box was dead and that they would need to buy a a new Sky box. "Luckily" he had a "second hand" Sky+HD box in the van, which could be theirs for 400 euros – in addition to the call out charge of 50 euros!

(The clients did not really need the more expensive Sky+HD box, as they only wanted the "free to air" channels, and with no Sky subscription would not be able to take advantage of the hard drive recording functions of the Sky+HD box!)

The clients asked the installers if the signal was OK, and the installer said yes, everything is fine with the signal from the dish. The client was a bit confused as the installer had done nothing to test the signal from the satellite dish and LNB at all.

Being overcautious, the client said OK they will have to think about the new box, as it was a bit more than they would have like to pay, paid the 50 euros call out charge, and the “installer” left.

The client found my website details from a quick Google search, and called me for advice.

After about the first 2 minutes of our conversation, they commented that “I had already told them more than the installer had told them”.

A few questions and the Sky box was turned on, and I talked them through the routine to change the Sky box’s default transponder frequency.

This process they knew.

However, they were still using the frequency of 12.129. Since May 2012, it has been impossible to boot a Sky box up using 12.129 as thedefault transponder frequency setting.

So I advised them of a few alternate frequencies to use, such as 12207 and 12051. Within a minute of doing this process with this revised default transponder frequency, they were watching their favourite UK TV channels via Sky TV digibox again.

Which just shows that the so called “installer”, whom I have heard of prior to this incident, was totally bullshitting (sorry but there is no other word to describe it) about the sky box being broken, will say anything just to try and make a sale, and has no problems in ripping off fellow expats. Businesswise...maybe. Morally...wrong.

Vintage TV changing frequency

Vintage TV is changing frequency.

According to reports Vintage TV will be chaning frequency on the 7th of May 2012.

Vintage TV's new frequency on the Eutelsat 28A satellite at 28 degrees east is 12.643 H, SR 27.500, FEC 2/3

Sky box and Freesat box users hosuld not have to do anything, as these boxes hsould automatically updte to the new frequency.

Any other box user will have to manually rescan the above frequency for continued reception of Vintage TV     

http://www.satandpcguy.com/forum/showthread.php?91374-Important-Sky-TV-and-Freesat-TV-Channel-Frequency-changes-and-updates

Lost Channel Five in Spain? No Satellite Signal is being receive for Channel Five in "other channels"? The solution is here

As of today, some of you may have lost "channel Five" that you have stored in your sky digiboxes "other channels" list.

That is because, as per this post http://costablancasatellite.blogspot.com/2011/11/channel-five-five-five-usa-change-of.html the Channel fives have changed frequency.

So if you try to access these "stored" channel fives in your "other channels" list you will receive the "no satellite signal" message.
This is becasuse the channel are no longer on that frequency.

You must now add the Channel Five on the new frequency to your other channels list:

Services
4
4 - add channels
input the new frequency details for channel five 10965 H 22000 5/6
Find channels
Press the yellow button that places a "tick" next to the chanenl five.
Press Select
That new Channel five is now stored in your "other channels" list access via the services button on oyur Sky remote control.

Have you lost BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament on a small satellite dish in Spain?

As discussed on

http://www.satandpcguy.com/forum/showthread.php?78664-BBC-News-Alba-and-Parliament-Red-Button-frequency-changes-in-September-and-October

the BBC are cost cutting and reducing the number of BBC satellite TV frequencies they use for their BBC satellite TV channels.

This means that BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament will no longer be available on a small satellite dish in Spain.

Freesat box users may already have noticed that if you try to watch BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament ona small satellite dish in Spain, then you may be getting a "no signal" message on your screen.

This is because your Freesat receiver has been updated to look at the new BBC TV frequencies for BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament. The new satellite tv frequencies for BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament are only available on "big 1.8m 1.9m 2.4m satellite dishes" in Spain and the Costa Blanca.

It is expected that Sky box users in Spain using a small satellite dish will notice they are getting a "no satellite signal being received" message from Monday 26th September, when Sky box frequencies for BBC News, BBC Alba and BBC Parliament are changed.

The new frequencies for BBC News BBC Alba and BBC Parliament are:

BBC News frequency 10803 H 22000 5/6
BBC Alba frequency 10818 V 22000 5/6
BBC Parliament frequency 10788 V 22000 5/6

CBS Action and Vintage TV frequency change

CBS Action frequency change
CBS Action has changed it frequency to 11222 H 27500 2/3

Vintage TV frequency change
Vintage TV has changed it frequency to 12523 H 27500 2/3

Sky box users will not have to do anything as the Sky boxes iwll automatically update.
Freesat box users may have to perform a scan to update their channel list.
"Generic" satellite reciever users will have to perform a scan (full or single transponder) to update their channel list.


The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

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Sky Boxes Switching Off Randomly

Sky Boxes Switching Off Randomly


Since the beginning of March 2010, some Sky boxes have been experiencing an issue where they are switching off at random times, even if you have turned off the Autostandby feature on the Sky box.

The Autostandby feature automatically puts the Sky box into Standby mode if the box has been switched on and no remote control buttons have been touched for 4 hours – supposedly helping you save some power by not having the box turned on all the time.

However, on the Pace 430N Sky receivers, a software update from Sky has been causing the boxes to shut down at random times. You can confirm your make of Sky box by looking at the sticker that should be on the bottom of your box. By pressing Services, 4, 5 and accessing the System Details, software version 3.8.8 is the one that is causing the issues. All other Sky boxes and software versions are at the moment OK.

You can correct this problem yourself, by performing a manual software update which rolls back the software to the previous working version.

This process should be done in the morning, and only if you are getting the background music playing when you enter the Sky menu system, as the frequency for the software download may not be available on small dishes or in the afternoon, and performing it when the frequency is not there could damage your Sky box.

1 Unplug your sky box from the power

2 Press and hold the BACKUP button on the Sky box – not the remote control.

3 Still pressing the Back up button, reapply the power.

4 Keep pressing the back up button on the Sky box until RED YELOW and GREEN light glow on the front panel of the box. A “Downloading” message may also appear on the screen

5 Once these lights have appeared you can release the Back up button, as the box has now started the software download.

6 The Sky box will reboot once the download has been completed. You can confirm if the correct software has been downloaded by going once again into the System Details (Service, 4, 5) and checking that the Software version is now 3.7.6

I should better reiterate that this process should only be down if you can get the download frequency (11778) indicated by the background music on the sky menu screen, that you may also have to re add those “extra” ITV1, C4 and Five channels you have added into your Other Channels lists, and that you perform this upgrade at your own risk and I cannot be held liable if it fails and / or damages your Sky box


For more information please visit:

The Sat and PC Guy - Digital Satellite and Terrestrial Installations and Maintenance for the Costa Blanca

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