UK: Sky+ box switching itself off!

[condyk]

My Amstrad Sky+ box has started switching itself off (green to red) when watching channels. All is fine but then after 3 minutes or so it just stops. After a few minutes I can then switch it back on to green, but then the same thing happens. Plenty of ventilation. Is fine if I just watch the start up Sky Guide stuff, but not any channels.

Was desperate to watch the Liverpool v Man United game this PM :-( but looks like it ain't gonna happen. Been doing this for last few days and I was hoping it was just the weather ... seems not!

Any help gratefully accepted.

[Dandaman_24]

Watch it down the pub, you can drown your sorrows with a couple of pints and a packet of bacon fries then.

[condyk]

Thanks Dandy ... that is good advice: at least as far as the pint ;-)

[JCR]

They all go that way eventually, its why sky try selling the warranties, if you subscribe to a modicum service (ie £20 package +) fone sky and tell them it's broke they will likely schpeil the repair charge, at this point you tell them you will just switch to a local cable co.
Every time I have done this sky appears with a new box.

Try and get one of the Grundig's they seem to last longest out of the sky freebie boxes.

Can also try removing power from wall and disconnect the dish cable from box for 10 mins (this drains the LNB outside) Could be a faulty LNB, but ill put money on the box.

[condyk]

Cheers JC ... I tried forcing a download and update and no joy - problem remained. Also tried keeping it unplugged as you suggested for 30 minutes or so and no joy either. I think it is bu**ered.

It has always been a bit cr*p, like rarely managing to record anything all they way through. Problem is you try and call and are just left waiting, when they do answer they they don't follow up with an engineer appointment, as promised, and email doesn't get a response; so, I gave up eventually after first few months and mainly the basics work and I stuck with it because of the football.

I think I will cancel. I rang early today to do that and they said they'd send an engineer out for free and would call with a weekend appointment within 30 minutes. Naturally, no callback ... as Dandy says I can always go down the pub for games. My TV does Freeview anyway!

[kevin_c]

Mmm... Amstrad... :rolleyes:

I think the pub might be the best bet Dave :-)
Sounds like an engineer visit to me, although I've heard about a lot of people with sky+ boxes having problems , mainly with not recording all the program though.

[JCR]

have you tried disconnecting the fone connection? It could be your adsl interfereing (if you use adsl)
pull fone line connection then do the 10 min unplug.

[condyk]

Mmm... Amstrad... :rolleyes:

I think the pub might be the best bet Dave :-)
Sounds like an engineer visit to me, although I've heard about a lot of people with sky+ boxes having problems , mainly with not recording all the program though.

I may be tempting fate but I have watched the last 35 minutes of first half OK and all is fine so far. Problem of last 48 hours seems to have gone, for the time being at least :confused:

have you tried disconnecting the fone connection? It could be your adsl interfereing (if you use adsl)
pull fone line connection then do the 10 min unplug.

Will try if it returns ... tho' ADSL, wireless and connections been exactly the same the last 15 months.

Also, use of "Services" "System setup" "0" "1" "Select" takes you to hidden installers menu which I can try if it returns :confused:

[Dave_G]

can't believe after being held for 91 minutes United scored! argh

sorry I'm no help with the Sky box though ;) I'm a suffering NTL/Virgin customer

[condyk]

Wasn't even a case of being held. LFC dominated the game and should have won by 2-3 goals, but it was a typical Liverpool lost goal in the air from a free kick.

[Dave_G]

yeah Liverpool won't get a better chance to spank them.

on the flipside, Virgin seem to have buggered my Prem Plus seaon ticket, so am listening to the Chelsea match on my DAB. Aaaaaaaaaargh. Do you think I can get hold of them? NEIN!

[Mike]

Bloody United winning in "Ferguson time"! :mad:

When are Leicester gonna win the premiership???

[kevin_c]

Dave - I assume the sky+ box held up ok for the match then? - we must have fixed it for you :-)

We couldn't fix the result though...

[condyk]

It was truly a miracle ... it seems to have just cured itself after 48 hours of being a pain in the a*se :-) I fancy it is a case of one Swallow doesn't make a Summer tho'. I think I will cancel my subscription when I move. Their customer support sucks badly and I got better things to do than watch TV anyway ... esp.as the football season ends in a couple of months ;-)

[steved110]

I'm a cable customer, now with Virgin ( was NTL) - some of you may know that Sky has pulled various channels from Virgin in some sort of petty turf war.

Given the strangle hold Murdoch has over the media , I'm happily exploring other channels and not really missing sky One at all. Except for the simpsons and Star Trek - but I guess everyone has to grow up some time.

I'm interested to hear that sky's customer service sucks as bad as NTL's - hopefully now that Mr Branson is in charge of my TV the service will improve. I've never had any problems with them that weren't fixed quickly but what drove me wild was the fact that they had no weekend customer service - at exactly the time when a problem hurts the most!

I'm quite pissed at sky so am unloading my premium channels in protest. Don't have the time to watch that much anyway, since I discovered POTN....

[condyk]

I was always happy with Freeview where I used to live, but I had friends there and we would watch football in the pub if a good game on. I don't know anyone in Birmingham, at least that I would want to have a beer with, so got Sky Sports as I don't like going into pubs on my own that much ... too boring! Also, I don't have a 'local' here as such. I don't watch all the other Sky channels much. When I move in a few weeks I can go watch football in the pub again as I know people ;-) So, cash saved, back to Freeview I reckon, more time to waste doing useful stuff. problem solved.

[steved110]

I live in a wedge of a valley, just below the sight-line of the local transmitter, so Freeview is a non starter. Alas. It's certainly the best option for the casual viewer - but as I get all my entertainment and communication needs met by Virgin - landline, mobile, broadband and TV - I'm fairly happy with their service generally. They've just brought out their own version of Sky Plus - you can record 2 channels same time as watching a third...

Only question I have is why?