TV and Internet

[TechSupp]

Been given a TV that was going to put in daughters bedroom, have a digital ariel socket but I also have SKY. Got multiroom but no spare boxes. Whats the best current option to use so she can get Sky channels etc and possibly record as well and maybe the internet on it. Got SkyGo access so some kind of 'box' I suppose (Recording is only a 'nice to have' option). She already has a tablet which she watches alot of the time but thought a TV might be a better option to watch. Open to suggestions.

[LosOjos]

If she's happy with her current setup with the tablet, then could you get her a HDMI lead for the tablet? Most tablets have one available that will mirror the screen so she can keep using it as normal.

 

Other than that, it really depends on how much you want to spend...

 

You could get Sky multi-room for £10 extra per month which will give her all the same Sky channels as you have on the main box plus the ability to record.

 

You could build her a media centre based on XBMC, which I believe you can get a Sky Go app for now.

 

If she/you have a Netflix/Lovefilm subscription, you could go for a Roku box or similar.

 

Then there's the new Chromecast, which theoretically allows you to air anything on your PC/Android Tablet on the TV wirelessly... (I say theoretically as support is not there for all sites yet, best Googling streaming sites you want to use to see if they work first)

 

There are lots of options, really depends what you want and how much you want to spend! The only way you're going to get recordable Sky channels though is with Sky Multi-Room; AFAIK, there's no decoder other than an official Sky box that can decrypt their channels (I'd happily be proven wrong though!)

[teejay]

IIRC Sky Go doesn't support HDMI from a tablet, or streaming to another device. Only way of getting Sky Go would be to attach a PC to the TV. Other alternative is a Now TV box, but you would have to pay £8.99 subscription.

[TechSupp]

Hmmm, pay...not much, already pay too much to Sky, have multiroom already and two boxes, didnt think I could have more which is why I thought of sometbing different. A mini pc maybe an option, raspberry pi?

[Marci]

Are your existing two boxes both Sky+ boxes? If so, then you're maxed out on adding additional boxes unless you replace your LNB for one with more than 4 sockets (as each Sky+ box consumes 2x sockets, so you'd need to upgrade to a 6 port or 8 port LNB). Once you've done that, you can just purchase another Sky+ box (used) off eBay, and ring Sky for another card (which may incur a small fee).

 

If on the other hand you have 1x Sky+ box and 1x standard (white) Sky box, then you should have a single socket leftover for a further standard (white) Sky box. Again, just buy a used box from eBay and call Sky to have a further viewing card issued.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Marci

[Danp]

I have just put a TV in my daughter's room, I did think about a Sky setup but instead the Xbox is in there with YouTube and Netflix working for now.

 

edit - I have a 'spare' Sky+ (non-hd, larger hard drive fitted) box for sale if needed.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Danp

[HarryMonkey]

The LNB at my last place (which is a few years old now) is an 8 port so it may be worth checking what you already have.

[LosOjos]

You could try a Raspberry Pi, they're cheap and cheerful but my family found it a little too slow to respond in XBMC, though a friend of mine uses his as his main "HTPC" and loves it, so perhaps I just needed to spend more time tweaking mine

 

Maybe an Acer "Net-top" or an Intel NUC? They're considerably more expensive than an R-Pi, but they're "proper" PCs so if you're looking to get her a PC at some point anyway, these could potentially be good all-rounders. Personally, I'd go for one of the Intel NUCs, though you're looking around the £300 mark once you add in a HDD/SSD/SSHD

Edited May 13, 2014 by LosOjos
Update bug

[abillybob]

My HTPC cost me around £50 for everything. Keep your eye on ebay, I bought an old desktop computer for about £35 and then a new case that looked nice as the Mobo was MATX. Since buying that I have installed a Satellite PCI card inside it and made it into a DVBViewer server so it will distribute Satellite channels around our LAN and other people can watch different channels. I have also since invested in 1GB DDR2 Ram and a better GPU with HDMI output that all came to £25 so all in all cost me £75 for a full HTPC and it's been working now for over a year!

[TechSupp]

Are your existing two boxes both Sky+ boxes? If so, then you're maxed out on adding additional boxes unless you replace your LNB for one with more than 4 sockets (as each Sky+ box consumes 2x sockets, so you'd need to upgrade to a 6 port or 8 port LNB). Once you've done that, you can just purchase another Sky+ box (used) off eBay, and ring Sky for another card (which may incur a small fee).

 

If on the other hand you have 1x Sky+ box and 1x standard (white) Sky box, then you should have a single socket leftover for a further standard (white) Sky box. Again, just buy a used box from eBay and call Sky to have a further viewing card issued.

 

Usual, both are Sky+ and it's a 4 port LNB.