Fed up with Sky Q box locking up

[SomAshman]

My Sky Q box keeps freezing while watching recorded material, it clears when powered off and turned back on, but it is too regular.  I've done a reset (and had to re-subcribe to all subscribed channels) but it is still an annoying problem.

[Brill+Gill]

Hi there, I’ve escalated your post to our Community Messaging team who will invite you to a private chat shortly and help you with this. 

Just look out for the colourful bubble to start the conversation. Please be aware conversations automatically close if there is no response within 48 hours.

Here's more information on how Community Messaging works - https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Did-you-know/Escalating-a-post-to-a-Sky-expert/ba-p/3711147
 

[Chodley]

By "subscribed channels" do you mean favourites?

[Tom-W19]

Thanks for escalating. We've sent an invite to @SomAshman.

[GardenZen]

Mine keeps freezing and there doesn't seem to be any pattern to it. Then I try to switch to stand by - sometimes that works, or doesn't and the light stays green and doesn't go amber. The Sky Q box is just frozen. Sometimes I plug out and plug back in and that is hit or miss, it might try to start up, you get the black screen with white text, then the blue screen with white text, and at any stage it might just freeze again. Then I will rinse and repeat and try plugging in and out again - it might come back up. Usually, on the second attempt it works. 

I am a new subscriber to Sky TV, never had it before in any form, so decided to start with Sky Q as I like to record,  and have only been using it for about a week. But for every single day, I might watch tv for an hour or two and then it freezes. So it defeats the purpose of TV which is to relax... how can you relax when having to do 8-12 restarts a week?

For anyone here who has been a Sky Q customer for longer than I have, am I doing anything wrong? Should I change some setting or other? I have Sky Q 1TB UHD main box, and 2 minboxes. Maybe recording in HD is too much for the box? Could I have a faulty box? Did anyone experience the same as me, and if so how did you address the problem? 

[GardenZen]

Another thing that has happened a few times during the week, I am watching live tv, but am then stuck on whatever channel I happen to be watching, and no matter what button I press either on the box or on the remote nothing happens. At the same time the sky q miniboxes cease working and seemt o lose their connection to the dish. However, the main sky q box is still playing but stuck on the one channel. Then, unplugging, plugging back in the box, multiple restarts, plugging out, holding down the stand by button and plugging back in for the software update, etc etc.... and then everything works again, and then an hour or two later it is gone again. 

[Chodley]

@GardenZen Your box sounds faulty.

It should be able to record multiple HD streams simultaneously no problem.

I would go through the online box troubleshooter and get a replacement sent out

do not leave your viewing card in the old box when you swap it. And swap the power cable too. There are two incompatible types.

I guess it's worth trying a factory reset first, just in case that helps.

[GardenZen]

I contacted Sky and was advised to update software. I had been plugging out, holding power button and then plugging back in until power button is flashing  amber/red, then the 'software update step 1/2 screen etc. so I figured that was the same thing, but apparently going into settings and then selecting update software must have worked. It has improved but still giving trouble at startup. It might freeze a few minutes into when I first start watching TV, then I plug out and in again - I might have to rince and repeat than process and run software update again and after about 20 mins effort it works perfectly then until it goes off at night and then when I go to watch TV again the next day, the same routine to get it working again. 

I will call them again and get the engineer sent out / a replacement box. I gather they just send out the engineer to check the box and if he takes it away he just leaves a replacement. Quite frustrating though. 

Does it take them long to get an engineer out or replace a box? It's a pity the boxes seem a bit antiguated compared to modern devices like Apple TV, as Sky do provide a good product in terms of the channels and boxsets. 

[JohnBradlum]

Sky Q Box less than a year old. Three problems (so far):

1. Screen goes black with no notice. Recycling the power via the romete gets it back straight away.

2. New feature today. It can only pause for about 2 minutes befiore it starts again by itself.

3. Gets stuck in pause. Can scroll back and forth along teh time line and select other channels but it wont play - remains stuck on the paused picture. Classic off and on at the mains for a full restart.

Had an engineer visist as that all the telephone service would offer . He diagnosed a weak signal and he tweaked the dish but it still persists and is getting to be a multiple daily occurance. It smacks of a software fault but everyone should be getting this problem. It should at leats report the fault but it doesn't appear to do that in general judging by all the problems reported.

So new box? I don't have much in the stored recordings. Internet is not brilliant but I'm stuck with it though I can do catch up OK.

[PandJ2020]

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@JohnBradlum wrote:

So new box?

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Probably but bear in mind as this stage of Q's lifecycle you are unlikely to get a 'new' box.  (More likely a refurbished one)

[JohnBradlum]

So how do I go about getting the box replaced? The Help system just seems to send me round in circles as does the phone number i have.

[JohnBradlum]

Sorry it;s the new type of box that you can talk to. Sky Plus? We had the old type until last year and only replaced it when it started acting up.

[GardenZen]

Not correct. If a Sky engineer calls and assesses that you need a replacement Q box, you will get a brand new box. There are plenty of them and all of these boxes are made in China and extremely cheaply.

From above definitely sounds like you need to book a free (unless you need a call out on eg Saturday) engineer visit. I got. Replacement box and it had worked perfectly ever since. 

[nigea99]

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@JohnBradlum wrote:

Sky Q Box less than a year old. Three problems (so far):

1. Screen goes black with no notice. Recycling the power via the romete gets it back straight away.

2. New feature today. It can only pause for about 2 minutes befiore it starts again by itself.

3. Gets stuck in pause. Can scroll back and forth along teh time line and select other channels but it wont play - remains stuck on the paused picture. Classic off and on at the mains for a full restart.

Had an engineer visist as that all the telephone service would offer . He diagnosed a weak signal and he tweaked the dish but it still persists and is getting to be a multiple daily occurance. It smacks of a software fault but everyone should be getting this problem. It should at leats report the fault but it doesn't appear to do that in general judging by all the problems reported.

So new box? I don't have much in the stored recordings. Internet is not brilliant but I'm stuck with it though I can do catch up OK.

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hi @JohnBradlum 

I have escalated your post to a SKY support team, who, hopefully, will be in touch.

Please see this link re the escalation and what you might see:
Escalation Info 

If you are using Safari I believe you must make sure that 'Hide IP address' is not checked in settings to be able to see it - if you have difficulty finding that setting then may be try accessing here with another browser

[nigea99]

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@GardenZen wrote:

Not correct. If a Sky engineer calls and assesses that you need a replacement Q box, you will get a brand new box. There are plenty of them and all of these boxes are made in China and extremely cheaply.

From above definitely sounds like you need to book a free (unless you need a call out on eg Saturday) engineer visit. I got. Replacement box and it had worked perfectly ever since. 

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We think that there have not been any new SKY Q boxes manufactured for a couple of years now, if not longer, and based on what we typically see here, I share @PandJ2020 's  view that any replacement may be a reconditioned one.   

There may still be some  new SKY Q boxes around but I think they are getting quite thin on the ground - especially 2TB versions