Sky HD/Multiroom upgrade question

Texas


Joined: 22/09/2009
Posts: 634

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 18:36

I have Sky TV. I pay a monthly subscription from a UK address.



If I upgrade to Sky HD with Multi-room, can I give my current Sky box and card to a mate and let him install a 1.8m dish?



I believe Sky do not know if the "other" box is in another room, or even another country, am I correct?



Sky have confirmed that if I get a Sky HD box, and pay a £25 fee, I do NOT need any box to be connected to a land-line!

TimothyCadman


Joined: 13/12/2007
Posts: 1040

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:00

"If I upgrade to Sky HD with Multi-room, can I give my current Sky box and card to a mate and let him install a 1.8m dish? "

No is the short answer. As you need to change your box the engineer who installs your new Sky HD box will take the card out of your current box and put it in the new HD box. He will then phone Sky and they marry your new HD box serial numbers to your card.

Your present Sky box will then be redundant. You can give it to your mate or sell it to third party companies who buy them. When the box is connected to a dish it will only receive the Free to Air programmes that come from via the Sky platform...and that's not a lot. To get any reasonable programmes a subscription needs to be taken out with Sky and they will just forward a card to you if you have a box and then you call them to marry the card to the box.

TimothyCadman


Joined: 13/12/2007
Posts: 1040

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:12

"I believe Sky do not know if the "other" box is in another room, or even another country, am I correct?"

Not entirely true. They know it's not connected to an active telephone line. So therefore yes, it could be in any country which the foot print of the Astra satellites can be received.



After re reading your question I suddenly see what your thinking of.

The problem is that if you give your friend your box, you will be paying the multi room charge (£9.75 a month and likely to rise on 1st January to £9.99) so that your friend can watch for free. Is that what you really want? If you don't mind then go ahead and pay the extra. Just remember that if your friend falls out with you in the next 12 months and he was paying for the cheap option to get Sky, you will be liable till you can get Multi Room turned off after 12 months.

Texas


Joined: 22/09/2009
Posts: 634

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:27

Hi TimothyCadman.



I have a friend who is a Sky installer that works in the area that my subscription is based. He will "allocate" himself the job of installing my HD box. (All he will really do is deliver it for me, and get paid for the installation, so he's quite happy).



I will then get it installed over here, ring Sky on my SkypeIn Uk number and get the new card activated.



I appreciate your comment regarding "friends". It is always a risk. But my friend is willing to split my monthly subscription. So in effect, I get an upgrade and pay £30 instead of £60. He gets Sky, without finding a UK address, with all channels (not HD) for only £30, instead of £50. All amounts are per month.



I'm sure Sky know that some Multi-room subscribers have "lent" their original boxes to friends/relatives that are NOT in another room!

andy-f


Joined: 03/05/2009
Posts: 1256

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:45

our company install sky systems, you wont beleive how many multi-room boxs end up out side the uk, its so easy , they ask us to supply a second box , customer rings sky for second veiwing card ( called a mirror card as it will mirror the main one) card arrives a few days later we pop round activate it down the land phone line to the new second box, un plug and customer takes it where ever spain , cyprus or caravan in blackpool ! sky no longer bother about the connection to uk phone land line , this a lot of people dont know but sky are now to affraid to hassel customer over phone connection incase they tel them were to shove it. my second box has never been connected to the land line.

last week we sent seven to main land europe with accitvated cards , been doing it years and sky turn a blind eye to it, just think how much sky would loose if they deacivated every second box with no phone connection.

orangekazzie



Joined: 31/07/2007
Posts: 1091

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 20:57

We have a multi-room subscription (have had for over 6 years) and the second box has never been attached to a phone line. No-one ever mentioned it was a requirement so we never plugged it in. Never had a problem. We've got the full package and split the subscription with my daughter (who has one box, we have the other) so we both pay £25 per month.

Karen

Texas


Joined: 22/09/2009
Posts: 634

Message Posted:
24/12/2009 23:14

Thanks for your replies.



I thought I was so clever, and no one else had even thought of it!



So, anyone who wants Sky, find someone, anyone, anywhere, and you can save them and you a bundle.