Not been into them for some time, since the dish days. If you get Sky Q now
one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
for a dish as well? How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?Is it
over naff powerline adaptors? Not for me, but a friend who finds their
description a bit confusing.
Brian

--

This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
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Brian Gaff wrote:

> If you get Sky Q now one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or
> is there an option for a dish as well?

Sky Q uses a dish with a different type of LNB, it has numerous (12?) tuners to
allow recording, live viewing, multi-room etc, no doubt it uses internet for
on-demand stuff.

Their dishless product is the "Sky Glass" which is a TV that's internet based.

On Saturday, 9 April 2022 at 09:56:21 UTC+1, Andy Burns wrote:
> Brian Gaff wrote:
>
> > If you get Sky Q now one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or
> > is there an option for a dish as well?
> Sky Q uses a dish with a different type of LNB,

This is anti-competitive practice to lock customers in by $ky. There is NO technical reason for it. Existing LNB's receive 4k transponders and a more advanced LNB allowing all transponders to be received would be: -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibre_satellite_distribution

This also makes multi-satellite reception simpler, but $ky don't want customers doing that either.

> it
the receiver
>has numerous (12?) tuners to
> allow recording, live viewing, multi-room etc, no doubt it uses internet for
> on-demand stuff.
>
> Their dishless product is the "Sky Glass" which is a TV that's internet based.

In article <t2rg39$nnk$1@dont-email.me>,
Brian Gaff (Sofa) says...

> If you get Sky Q now
> one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
> for a dish as well? How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?Is it
> over naff powerline adaptors?
>

I've had Sky Q for a couple of months, the only option is a dish.

When I moved into my flat years ago there was on old Sky dish
installed and I had been using that to receive Freesat.

The Sky installer removed the old dish and replaced it with a shiny
new one fitted with a 6 outlet Wideband LNB. He also was happy to add an
extra cable to feed the Freesat STB.

The STB reports the new LNB gives exactly the same signal strength
as the old setup.

The Sky Q mini box uses either wi-fi or wired connection.

--
Ken

R. Mark Clayton wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Sky Q uses a dish with a different type of LNB,
>
> This is anti-competitive practice to lock customers in by $ky. There is NO technical reason for it.

Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at once for just
two downleads, doesn't it?

It's not a sky proprietary type of LNB, but certainly it's far less common on
non-Sky equipment.

On 09/04/2022 13:14, Andy Burns wrote:
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> Sky Q uses a dish with a different type of LNB,
>>
>> This is anti-competitive practice to lock customers in by $ky. There
>> is NO technical reason for it.
>
> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at once
> for just two downleads, doesn't it?

Alternative unicable II LNBs can have simultaneous 32 transponder
reception down one cable.

>
> It's not a sky proprietary type of LNB, but certainly it's far less
> common on non-Sky equipment.
>

Does any other company use the Sky technology, in the way they have
implemented it? At one time you could replace a sky box with any other
box to receive non-subcription services ... until the sky Q LNB.

Some other box manufactures are now including Sky Q LNB support but many
more have already supported unicable LNBs.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/04/2022 09:28 am, Brian Gaff (Sofa) wrote:

> Not been into them for some time, since the dish days. If you get Sky Q now
> one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
> for a dish as well?

Yes. The Q box works off a dish. It will record four channels at the
same time from a suitably upgraded dish and LNB.
We had it for a while, but sent it back for other reasons.

> How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?

Yes, each communicates with the Q box (not with each other as far as I
am aware).

> Is it
> over naff powerline adaptors? Not for me, but a friend who finds their
> description a bit confusing.

It works well on wi-fi. No need for a powerline.

I do have a Humax recorder and catch-up box (on a bedroom TV) which
won't work over wi-fi and needs an ethernet connection or powerline to
deliver its full range of services. But the Sky Q "slaves" work on wi-fi.

alan_m wrote:

> Does any other company use the Sky technology, in the way they have implemented it?

Yes, newest FreeSat STBs support wideband (aka Sky Q) LNBs/cabling.

On 09/04/2022 01:08 pm, Unsteadyken wrote:
> In article <t2rg39$nnk$1@dont-email.me>,
>
> Brian Gaff (Sofa) says...
>
>> If you get Sky Q now
>> one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
>> for a dish as well? How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?Is it
>> over naff powerline adaptors?
>>
>
> I've had Sky Q for a couple of months, the only option is a dish.

???

If connected via, Sky Q will certainly download catch-up TV as well as
the Sky Cinema channels and other on-demand services (even Netflix and
Prime Video, as well as YouTube). This is just a continuation of what
Sky+HD does.

> When I moved into my flat years ago there was on old Sky dish
> installed and I had been using that to receive Freesat.
>
> The Sky installer removed the old dish and replaced it with a shiny
> new one fitted with a 6 outlet Wideband LNB. He also was happy to add an
> extra cable to feed the Freesat STB.
>
> The STB reports the new LNB gives exactly the same signal strength
> as the old setup.
>
> The Sky Q mini box uses either wi-fi or wired connection.
>

On 09/04/2022 01:14 pm, Andy Burns wrote:
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> Sky Q uses a dish with a different type of LNB,
>>
>> This is anti-competitive practice to lock customers in by $ky. There
>> is NO technical reason for it.
>
> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at once
> for just two downleads, doesn't it?

Four at once, IIRC (we had it but sent it back).

> It's not a sky proprietary type of LNB, but certainly it's far less
> common on non-Sky equipment.

On 09/04/2022 13:08, Unsteadyken wrote:
> In article <t2rg39$nnk$1@dont-email.me>,
>
> Brian Gaff (Sofa) says...
>
>> If you get Sky Q now
>> one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
>> for a dish as well? How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?Is it
>> over naff powerline adaptors?
>>
>
> I've had Sky Q for a couple of months, the only option is a dish.
>
> When I moved into my flat years ago there was on old Sky dish
> installed and I had been using that to receive Freesat.
>
> The Sky installer removed the old dish and replaced it with a shiny
> new one fitted with a 6 outlet Wideband LNB. He also was happy to add an
> extra cable to feed the Freesat STB.

There is nothing special about the dish - he possibly could have fitted
the new LNB to the older dish but if it was one of earlier dishes he may
have had to faf around with an adapter so a new dish was possibly the
easier or/and cheaper option.

You appear to have a wideband sky Q LNB with 4 legacy universal LNB
outputs. On a new installation this is not normal unless you ask for it.
They will fit a wideband Q LNB with just the two outputs and until VERY
recently you couldn't use this on a Freesat banded receiver.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

JNugent wrote:

>> How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?
>
> Yes, each communicates with the Q box (not with each other as far as I am aware).

I thought Sky Q *did* create its own mesh wifi for the mini-boxes to talk to the
main box?

On 09/04/2022 04:52 pm, Andy Burns wrote:

> JNugent wrote:

>>> How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?

>> Yes, each communicates with the Q box (not with each other as far as I
>> am aware).

> I thought Sky Q *did* create its own mesh wifi for the mini-boxes to
> talk to the main box?

I won't pretend that I know what mesh wi-fi is, but as I said, each
mini-box certainly does communicate with the main ("Q") box. When they
replay or programme a recording, the source of the recording is on the Q
box's hard drive.

JNugent wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at once for
>> just two downleads, doesn't it?
>
> Four at once, IIRC

Seems some are dedicated for specific purposes, which seems a bit odd

"The Sky 2TB box has a whooping 12 tuners, this allows four for recordings, five
for watching live TV including one for your main 2TB box, two for your Sky Q
mini-boxes, two for mobile devices, one tuner is used for the mini TV screen
that you see within now-and-next mini TV guide"

the 1TB box only has 8 tuners.

JNugent wrote:

> I won't pretend that I know what mesh wi-fi is, but as I said, each mini-box
> certainly does communicate with the main ("Q") box.

The mesh means that a distant mini-box can "hop" via an intermediate mini-box on
its way to the main box ...

On 09/04/2022 04:58 pm, Andy Burns wrote:
> JNugent wrote:
>
>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>
>>> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at
>>> once for just two downleads, doesn't it?
>>
>> Four at once, IIRC
>
> Seems some are dedicated for specific purposes, which seems a bit odd
>
> "The Sky 2TB box has a whooping 12 tuners, this allows four for
> recordings, five for watching live TV including one for your main 2TB
> box, two for your Sky Q mini-boxes, two for mobile devices, one tuner is
> used for the mini TV screen that you see within now-and-next mini TV guide"
>
> the 1TB box only has 8 tuners.

Perhaps they've upgraded the platform since we had it (over three years
ago).

I thought that recording four at once (so useful for those 9pm
junctions) was pretty good!

I sent it back because of the lack of an analogue output.

On 09/04/2022 05:00 pm, Andy Burns wrote:

> JNugent wrote:

>> I won't pretend that I know what mesh wi-fi is, but as I said, each
>> mini-box certainly does communicate with the main ("Q") box.

> The mesh means that a distant mini-box can "hop" via an intermediate
> mini-box on its way to the main box ...

Ah... thanks. I have two wi-fi boosters placed at strategic points.

I can't remember whether we had two or three of the mini-boxes... ;-)

In article <jbdocvF773oU1@mid.individual.net>,
alan_m says...

> You appear to have a wideband sky Q LNB with 4 legacy universal LNB
> outputs. On a new installation this is not normal unless you ask for it.
>
I asked the installer for it and he was happy to comply.

--
Ken

JNugent wrote:

> Andy Burns wrote:
>
>> The mesh means that a distant mini-box can "hop" via an intermediate mini-box
>> on its way to the main box ...
>
> Ah... thanks. I have two wi-fi boosters placed at strategic points.

Not sure that will help "Q" from what I gather it does its own thing

> I can't remember whether we had two or three of the mini-boxes... ;-)

In message <jbdobsF763bU2@mid.individual.net>, JNugent
<jennings&co@fastmail.fm> writes
>On 09/04/2022 01:08 pm, Unsteadyken wrote:
>> In article <t2rg39$nnk$1@dont-email.me>,
>> Brian Gaff (Sofa) says...
>>
>>> If you get Sky Q now
>>> one assumes that the boxes simply use the internet, or is there an option
>>> for a dish as well? How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?Is it
>>> over naff powerline adaptors?
>>>
>> I've had Sky Q for a couple of months, the only option is a dish.
>
>???
>
>If connected via, Sky Q will certainly download catch-up TV as well as
>the Sky Cinema channels and other on-demand services (even Netflix and
>Prime Video, as well as YouTube). This is just a continuation of what
>Sky+HD does.

I imagine that he meant that Sky only offer a package that includes the
dish as well as the box.
--
John Hall
"Home is heaven and orgies are vile,
But you *need* an orgy, once in a while."
Ogden Nash (1902-1971)

In article <jbdosvF763bU6@mid.individual.net>,
JNugent <jennings&co@fastmail.fm> wrote:
> On 09/04/2022 04:58 pm, Andy Burns wrote:
> > JNugent wrote:
> >
> >> Andy Burns wrote:
> >>
> >>> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at
> >>> once for just two downleads, doesn't it?
> >>
> >> Four at once, IIRC
> >
> > Seems some are dedicated for specific purposes, which seems a bit odd
> >
> > "The Sky 2TB box has a whooping 12 tuners, this allows four for
> > recordings, five for watching live TV including one for your main 2TB
> > box, two for your Sky Q mini-boxes, two for mobile devices, one tuner is
> > used for the mini TV screen that you see within now-and-next mini TV guide"
> >
> > the 1TB box only has 8 tuners.

> Perhaps they've upgraded the platform since we had it (over three years
> ago).

> I thought that recording four at once (so useful for those 9pm
> junctions) was pretty good!

> I sent it back because of the lack of an analogue output.

The current 2TB SkyQ main box can record 5 different things
simultaneously as standard. There is a setting (preferences) to
sacrifice the mini-screen to increase this to 6. So it is possible to
record 6 things at the same time.

Before they arrive to install you're told to have ready your Wi-Fi
password and the new viewing card sent through the post.

I had no intention of allowing them to use Wi-Fi at all and provided
ethernet connections back to my core switch at the the main box and
the one mini box we had. The installer just plugged in the ethernet
and to his surprise it worked fine, I never gave him the Wi-Fi
password.

After he'd left I noticed that the Wi-Fi was turned on on both boxes
though not used. I simply turned it all off on both boxes and checked
with a Wi-Fi tester that no signal was present.

Judging by the switch info, there is considerable constant traffic
between the mini and the main, glad that's not on my Wi-Fi.

Bob.

On 09/04/2022 16:52, Andy Burns wrote:
> JNugent wrote:
>
>>> How do the boxes in different rooms communicate?
>>
>> Yes, each communicates with the Q box (not with each other as far as
>> I am aware).
>
> I thought Sky Q *did* create its own mesh wifi for the mini-boxes to
> talk to the main box?
>
It does. A 5 GHz network. However, if you connect via wired LAN, they
can be part of your wider LAN network, your router just assigns the
boxes IP addresses, just like any other device (or you can manually
assign static IPs for them) and they chat away to each other, and the
main box streams its content to the minibox(es)

On 09/04/2022 17:00, JNugent wrote:
>
>
> I sent it back because of the lack of an analogue output.
>
Almost everything you buy from now onwards, you'll be sending back then !

On 09/04/2022 19:58, Bob Latham wrote:
> In article <jbdosvF763bU6@mid.individual.net>,
> JNugent <jennings&co@fastmail.fm> wrote:
>> On 09/04/2022 04:58 pm, Andy Burns wrote:
>>> JNugent wrote:
>>>
>>>> Andy Burns wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Technically it *does* allow more concurrent recordings/viewings at
>>>>> once for just two downleads, doesn't it?
>>>>
>>>> Four at once, IIRC
>>>
>>> Seems some are dedicated for specific purposes, which seems a bit odd
>>>
>>> "The Sky 2TB box has a whooping 12 tuners, this allows four for
>>> recordings, five for watching live TV including one for your main 2TB
>>> box, two for your Sky Q mini-boxes, two for mobile devices, one tuner is
>>> used for the mini TV screen that you see within now-and-next mini TV guide"
>>>
>>> the 1TB box only has 8 tuners.
>
>> Perhaps they've upgraded the platform since we had it (over three years
>> ago).
>
>> I thought that recording four at once (so useful for those 9pm
>> junctions) was pretty good!
>
>> I sent it back because of the lack of an analogue output.
>
> The current 2TB SkyQ main box can record 5 different things
> simultaneously as standard. There is a setting (preferences) to
> sacrifice the mini-screen to increase this to 6. So it is possible to
> record 6 things at the same time.

My current PVR can record more than 8 simultaneous programs with 2
tuners fed from two outputs from a quad universal LNB. The limitation
with two tuners is that all the channels/programs must be on the same
two transponders. At the same time I can watch live TV from those
transponders or watch anything recorded

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 09/04/2022 16:49, Andy Burns wrote:
> alan_m wrote:
>
>> Does any other company use the Sky technology, in the way they have
>> implemented it?
>
> Yes, newest FreeSat STBs support wideband (aka Sky Q) LNBs/cabling.

Sky Q LNB have been around some time and it's only recently that some
Freesat box have been able to support this type of LNB.

The alternative technology allows multiple boxes to have a satellite
feed by using cheap splitters on the one cable from the LNB.

--
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