Sky+HD Viewing Card (Blue type with Yellow House)

[Mugwa]

Hi

Does anyone know where I can get a Sky Vie Card for Sky+HD - The Blue type with a Yellow House on it?

Thank You!

 

[Analoguesat]

Those are years out of production - the only way would be to find one second hand. Any particular reason its got to be that particular type?

 

[davemurgtroyd]

Does Sky+ on FTA channels still work on them (In certain HD+ boxes)?

 

[ozumo]

What's special about these cards? I have one in an old white Sky+ box, it does nothing other than select the correct region.

 

[Analoguesat]

Does Sky+ on FTA channels still work on them (In certain HD+ boxes)?

Loads of them will never have been in Sky+ boxes so will never have had the entitlements added

 

[davemurgtroyd]

If the card was replaced with a later version card while sub was active then Sky never cancelled the Sky+ access (in HD boxes) completely - they corrected this in a firmware upgrade to the Amstrad DRX890/895. My card is in a Pace HD+ which is not in use at this moment awaiting new cables to bedroom

 

[ozumo]

I'm pretty sure that would be the case with mine then. I have an old Thomson HD box in the cupboard, it may be dead but I'll try it.

 

[ozumo]

Hmm I'd placed a do not use sticker over the power connector. Anyway it powered up slowly, & eventually turned on (inc. original HD EPG colours). I tried to do a planner rebuild & system reset but it just said 'house keeping' for a second & didn't carry out the actions. Trying to access any recordings or pressing pause just resulted in 'system fault' message appearing.

Inserting the card regionalised the box but nothing else. I'll see if I can find a replacement hard disk as this one seems to be cooked. I was also reminded of the annoying de-interlacing on these boxes. It you watch Sky News the ticker goes from normal scrolling to judder judder depending what else on the screen.

Did the card have to be originally paired to the box for this to work? I only used this Thomson for FTA channels, it was bought used so would have previously been paired with someone else's card.

 

[Captain Jack]

Save your time with this box. They are no longer supported by Sky and pretty sure that they won't work with all the encryption updates of late.

They are notorious for failing PSUs as well, so that would the first thing to repair.

And they are S-L-O-W.

 

[ozumo]

I've no intention of using it, just trying to see if my yellow house card works for recording. I've already replaced the PSU twice

 

[davemurgtroyd]

When this anomaly first appeared it would not work in my Thomson box but would in my Pace and Amstrad boxes. The Amstrad DRX890/895 boxes stopped working after a later opdate but the Pace was still working a year or so ago when I last tried it. IIRC none of the encryption worked (inc FTV) and only record and playback old recordings of FTA channels and did not require pairing so for a time used a card to test second hand boxes

 

[scottishskyboxguy]

I've no intention of using it, just trying to see if my yellow house card works for recording. I've already replaced the PSU twice

if it works, i will buy it

 

[ozumo]

When this anomaly first appeared it would not work in my Thomson box but would in my Pace and Amstrad boxes. The Amstrad DRX890/895 boxes stopped working after a later opdate but the Pace was still working a year or so ago when I last tried it. IIRC none of the encryption worked (inc FTV) and only record and playback old recordings of FTA channels and did not require pairing so for a time used a card to test second hand boxes

Just got hold of a Pace HD 850 and it works! Thanks for the tip

 

[scottishskyboxguy]

Just got hold of a Pace HD 850 and it works! Thanks for the tip

are you willing to sell

 

[ozumo]

are you willing to sell

Sorry this box is going to my parents

 

[scottishskyboxguy]

Sorry this box is going to my parents

ok

 

[Analoguesat]

Having got the old Sky box semi operational, Ive been having at look at the regions Ive got cards for. Central (1) Border (at least 3) & STV (2). Goodness knows where the STV ones came from, that area starts quite a long way north of here!

The 2 really old pale blue cards seem to deactivate the box which is interesting - it wont boot with them in! I cant remember seeing that mentioned before.

 

[ozumo]

Just to add - my recording capable yellow house card only regionalises my white Sky+ box - it does not allow recording or playback.

 

[Channel Hopper]

I don't think any card/receiver combination will enable hard drive content to be viewed, it would allow the box to be used as a storage device of copyrighted entertainment, which could then be sent to any part of the planet.

 

[ozumo]

I don't think any card/receiver combination will enable hard drive content to be viewed, it would allow the box to be used as a storage device of copyrighted entertainment, which could then be sent to any part of the planet.

Using my yellow house card in the Pace HD box I was given, I can playback the previous owners recordings of FTA channels.