Sky+ HD box not responding to remote

[No-One]

Just wondered if someone could suggest whcih might be the cause of this problem. My dads Sky+ HD has stopped responding to remote control commands. He has 2 remotes (no idea why) the red LED on the remote flashes but the box does nothing. Occationally the remote light on the box flashes. They still operate the TV fine. I've tried his remotes on my box which worked, and my remote on his box which didn't work. His box will still respond when you use the buttons on the box itself. I've tried the obvious reboots, housekeeping etc. After a reboot it did briefly work but then stopped again. He phoned Sky but they just kept trying to push a Q box which he doesn't want as he's on the old HD package which includes F1 for free which he'll likely lose. Would a forced software download be work trying? Also he has the USB wifi adapter connected which I've not experimented with removing yet

Any ideas?

 

[No-One]

Could just be that the IR sensor has packed in. His two remotes and yours don't get a response then you've done all you can to troubleshoot. IR dying isn't a common fault but I have seen this with projectors in the past, so it does happen.

The next stage then is to replace the box. That then raises the question about what happens to the recordings on the old box. Some of us here can either transfer the hard drive as a whole unit or move the recordings drive-to-drive. The hardware for linking two drives is easily available. However, the files won't show up under Windows. They require a special bit of software to transfer then correctly. LMK if you want this doing.

Suspected as much. He has a dvd/hdd recorder so can just record his recorded programmes onto that. Do sky even replace HD boxes these days or only is it only Q boxes? I guess the boxes online are either new old stock or refurbs.

 

[No-One]

Sky don't supply any HD boxes anymore. They'll push really hard to get folk over to Q.

Any existing boxes for sale are secondhand, whether just taken from under the TV and sold on when a user has upgraded to Q, or occasionally taken by someone who gives it a wipe over, checks the basic functions are working, and then sells it as a 'refurb' where it hasn't really been refurbished. There are no 'new old stock' boxes. Any suppliers such as Pace or Amstrad long since burned through their stocks, and besides, I'd be incredibly surprised if Sky's supply contracts with them allowed them to sell direct as NOS. The boxes were always heavily subsidised off the back of the contract. No, the only proper source for boxes would have been Sky, and they haven't been in a position to supply for a good couple of years now.

If we presume that he still wants access to the channels that aren't available via Freeview or Freesat, then the idea of recording onto an external DVD/HDD device doesn't really solve the control issue. He still has to change the Sky box channels manually, because even if the DVD/HDD has an IR emitter to control an external sat receiver, the Sky box still isn't going to respond to that if it won't work with the standard remotes.

Important question: Does his box have the RF2 Out?

If so, then you could try a Sky Eye as a simple way of providing an alternative IR receiver.

No it doesn’t have the RF2. I only mentioned the dvd recorder as means to save his existing recordings when he sources a replacement box

 

[No-One]

It might seem obvious but is anything covering the front of the box? newspaper, magazine, box of tissues? Check the remotes control the TV volume. If they do then it does sound like the IR receiver on the front of the box has packed in.

Regarding recordings it used to be possible to transfer recordings but involves much faffing about, disassembling both boxes, connecting both Hard drives to a PC, copying the data and putting the new Hard Drive back into the Sky Box. I'd only recommend doing so if any of the recordings are of the utmost importance, at which point I'd wonder why he's using the Sky+HD box as long term storage with no other back or solution?

It sounds like a decent excuse to upgrade to Q, assuming he has a Sky Sub. The Q box is vstly superior to evben the latest Sky+HD box.

No, nothing covering the front of the box. The remotes control the tv fine as well as my own box so the problem is definitely with the box itself. Most of his recording are just a backlog of stuff we wants to watch. I should think a lot could be downloaded via on demand anyway. As for Q, most reports from other people suggest that it would mean moving to a newer channel package which doesn’t include Sky Sports F1.