Hi, to cut a long story short I only have one 'sky port' on the wall and there is no way to get two installed, obviously because of this I can't watch one channel and record another. This is the reason I don't have sky now, but I'm still toying with the idea. At the moment I'm just using freesat HD and there isnt an amazing choice in channels. What would you do?
Would you get sky if you only had one input?
- Thread starter Andr3w
- Start date
I think its quite easy to install a second cable, either yourself if youre a dab hand at this kind of thing or get an installer to do it. You could trail the 2nd cable from the dish separate to the wall socket, it would be a big job to add the 2nd cable into the wall socket I think. Just drill a hole through the wall to the outside and trail the cable onlong the outside wall. Youre dish will need an LMB with at least 2 sockets which Im pretty sure the standard sky dish has.
Plus, you need two cables to get HD channels I think.
I'd recommend doing it if you think you would take advantage of Sky+, we certainly do.
Plus, you need two cables to get HD channels I think.
I'd recommend doing it if you think you would take advantage of Sky+, we certainly do.
A what?
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 8,968
- Location
- UK
borrow a neighbours?
Ahh, in that case Im stumped.
I think it depends on what you want Sky for. If its for premium channels then obviously its worth it over Freesat
I find theres rarely an occasion when i want to watch something and record another and to be honest a lot of the programs are repeated so often that if you miss something then you can easily catch up soon enough.
I was in a similar position in my previous flat where they had a communal dish and allowed each flat one connection. I still got Sky because it offered the channels i wanted to watch.
I find theres rarely an occasion when i want to watch something and record another and to be honest a lot of the programs are repeated so often that if you miss something then you can easily catch up soon enough.
I was in a similar position in my previous flat where they had a communal dish and allowed each flat one connection. I still got Sky because it offered the channels i wanted to watch.
Andr3w,
As I see it if you want Sky then you have three practical options:
1) Stick with the single cable and use a Sky+HD box in "Single Feed Mode". This means the box will play/pause/rewind and also record, but only record the live channel i.e. you won't have the "watch one while recording another" feature.
Single Feed Mode is designed exactly for situations like yours. It prevents the box swapping to the unconnected second LNB input which is what makes recordings fail when only one cable is connected.
2) Get an ordinary Sky box with a single LNB input and hook up a DVD recorder. This'll work but it isn't very elegant.
3) Get permission to add a Stacker/Destacker as others have suggested.
This will probably involve discussions with the aerial company that wired the block as well as whoever manages the building. The reason is that the satellite and aerial system will be a bit more complex for blocks of flats. There will be a big distribution amp feeding several apartments. If there is a free output on the amp then you might get agreement for them to add the necessary bits.
If this works then you'll have all the features of a regular Sky+/HD install.
The only caveats are that the stacker/destacker needs a really strong signal and very good cable from the amp to the apartment and inside too. With a communal install that is normally okay though. The second caveat is you'll probably have to pay for the bits of gear, the installers time and possibly have to grease a few wheels (
) to get things in motion too.
As I see it if you want Sky then you have three practical options:
1) Stick with the single cable and use a Sky+HD box in "Single Feed Mode". This means the box will play/pause/rewind and also record, but only record the live channel i.e. you won't have the "watch one while recording another" feature.
Single Feed Mode is designed exactly for situations like yours. It prevents the box swapping to the unconnected second LNB input which is what makes recordings fail when only one cable is connected.
2) Get an ordinary Sky box with a single LNB input and hook up a DVD recorder. This'll work but it isn't very elegant.
3) Get permission to add a Stacker/Destacker as others have suggested.
This will probably involve discussions with the aerial company that wired the block as well as whoever manages the building. The reason is that the satellite and aerial system will be a bit more complex for blocks of flats. There will be a big distribution amp feeding several apartments. If there is a free output on the amp then you might get agreement for them to add the necessary bits.
If this works then you'll have all the features of a regular Sky+/HD install.
The only caveats are that the stacker/destacker needs a really strong signal and very good cable from the amp to the apartment and inside too. With a communal install that is normally okay though. The second caveat is you'll probably have to pay for the bits of gear, the installers time and possibly have to grease a few wheels (
) to get things in motion too.we've only got 1 cable from a shared dish in our block of flats, it runs into where our fuse box is and there is a splitter like this:
http://www.xxion.co.uk/images/uploads/122_802.jpg
which then feeds the twin plate in the lounge. works fine with recording and watching at the same time.
i dont know if you have to tell sky youre using a shared dish or something to depend on what the install is like? we had to specify a shared dish at install.
http://www.xxion.co.uk/images/uploads/122_802.jpg
which then feeds the twin plate in the lounge. works fine with recording and watching at the same time.
i dont know if you have to tell sky youre using a shared dish or something to depend on what the install is like? we had to specify a shared dish at install.
I have to be careful here because you've been a little vague about the way your box works exactly, but that kind of splitter shouldn't work for a Sky twin feed box.
Just to be absolutely clear by what I mean.... You can't split a satellite signal cable direct from one LNB output or from one multi-switch output and hook it up to two LNB inputs on a Sky+ or Sky+HD box without the tuners clashing at some point.
The reason it doesn't work is that a Satellite tuner sends a voltage back up the cable to control the LNB. It is selecting Hi or Lo band and horizontal or vertical polarisation. The state changes according to the channel being watched or recorded. For reference, vertical polarisation requires 13 volts. horizontal needs 18 volts.
[Playback of a recording doesn't involve any control of the LNB. This is why a HD box in Single Feed Mode works fine with a single input to play one while recording another, but it won't let you watch one live while recording another.]
A Sky+ or Sky+HD Box has two tuners. If you try to feed both with a split signal then there will come a point where the two tuners clash because the channels are in different states. What happens is the higher voltage wins.
The splitter as neil_g suggests has been offered as a fudge, but it doesn't solve the tuner clash problem.
Now step back and think about the bigger picture for a moment....
If it was really possible to split and LNB feed then why would Sky installs need a double cable?
Could you post an image of the multiswitch where the splitters are attached?
It would be interesting to see how it is laid out compared to mine.
On mine it looks like it has 2 spare outputs at the bottom which could feed a couple of flats but cannot imagine how the cable could be ran though as it was put in when the building was being constructed.
(ignore the writing on the pic - was posted elsewhere for something else...)
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 May 2005
- Posts
- 5,622
- Location
- West London
splitting only works when you are watching/recording channels on the same polarisiation/position
Most our block use Virgin, so I was allowed to have 2 runs of shotgun cable into the flat as the multiswitch was unused
.
Most our block use Virgin, so I was allowed to have 2 runs of shotgun cable into the flat as the multiswitch was unused
.i dont know if there is a multi-switch, the only visible part in our flat is the splitter. whether there is something hidden in an access cupboard elsewhere in the block.
im not exactly choosey what i record or stick to the same channels, but like i say no issues have raised their head.
im not exactly choosey what i record or stick to the same channels, but like i say no issues have raised their head.
Soldato
- Joined
- 29 May 2005
- Posts
- 5,622
- Location
- West London
There will likely be a multiswitch, connected to Quad LNBs on the communal dish.