Accessing Sky HDD

[tricky...@sky.com]

I have just upgraded to Q unfortunetly that has meant we have recordings saved on the Sky HD box which are not currently available On Demand. Is it possible to extract the HDD from the Sky box and insert it into a caddy and access the files using a PC or have Sky got it all sewn up through DRM?

Any other suggestions welcome.

Richard

[Angus Robertson - Magenta Systems Ltd]

> I have just upgraded to Q unfortunetly that has meant we have
> recordings saved on the Sky HD box which are not currently
> available On Demand. Is it possible to extract the HDD from the
> Sky box and insert it into a caddy and access the files using a
> PC or have Sky got it all sewn up through DRM?

No, essentially you've lost all the old recordings unless you still
have the old viewing card to replay them on the old box.

I don't believe the hard disks are compatible between HD and Q and
there are certainly no tools available yet to read Q disks on a PC.

If the old box still works, you can replay them through the SCART in SD
and capture onto DVD.

I kept my old HD box and card, and it continued to record and replay
free to air stuff for a while, but then stopped recording completely.
But it would not replay Sky channels after I got the Sky Q box.

Angus

[Richard Pawlowski]

Thanks Angus. I still have the the old viewing card but have not tried it to see if it still works, the Sky engineer said that usually the cards stop working as soon as Q is connected up. Can you still replay saved programmes without a viewing card and if it needs a card can a Freesat card work?

Richard

[Angus Robertson - Magenta Systems Ltd]

The old HD card will no longer allow viewing of subscription programmes
once it's cancelled, but should behave as a freesat card allowing
viewing of free to air encrypted stuff.

But recording is technically part of the subscription (Sky+) so you may
not be able to record and replay, mine continued working for some weeks
but then stopped, but I had a multi-room subscription.

Of course the old box is useless unless you have LNB cable feeds for it,
my Sky installer put in a six way multipurpose LNB that works with wide
and dual band receivers, so my old Humax Foxsat still work as well as
Sky Q.

Angus

[Richard Pawlowski]

I had the engineer install the 6 port LNB and will run some new cable to where I want to use the box.

I am reading you correctly that the Sky card will continue to function as a Freesat card after Sky have disowned it. Will it still allow me to view the recorded programmes or does that facility pass with the end of that Sky subscription?

Richard

[Angus Robertson - Magenta Systems Ltd]

> I am reading you correctly that the Sky card will continue to
> function as a Freesat card after Sky have disowned it. Will it
> still allow me to view the recorded programmes or does that
> facility pass with the end of that Sky subscription?

As I said twice before, it might, or might not, for free to air
programmes only. Mine did for a while, then stopped. The HD box is
still listed on my account as an extra.

Historically when I get a new box I keep the old one as well for a
while, unless I know the new one is reliable and does not lose or miss
recordings, as many early Sky boxes did. But Sky Q has proved
reasonably reliable, only lost a couple of recordings in a year, and
those might have been EPG issues. So stopped using the HD box.

Angus