Sky 2TB box + three Mini Boxes all viewing at same time?

[Wurst1]

We have a busy household, with people on different schedules etc. We now have an elderly relative staying with us who has their own room/tv.

Our current setup is:

1 x Sky Q 2TB (main box) in the living room

2 x Sky Q Mini Box in two separate bedrooms

All three of these are quite often in use at the same time, especially in the evenings/late at night. We have a Sky Q Hub with 500mb fibre.

We really want to put another Sky Q Mini Box in another room (so we would have 3 x Mini Boxes + the 2TB box).

I understand at the moment Sky allows you to have the main 2TB box in use, as well as two Mini Boxes in use all at the same time.

Is there any way at all around this so that we could potentially have the main box and three Mini Boxes in use at the same time (so four separate rooms viewing Sky at the same time)? 

Obviously we are happy to pay extra if necessary. 

Thanks

[oldfella]

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@Wurst1 wrote:

We have a busy household, with people on different schedules etc. We now have an elderly relative staying with us who has their own room/tv.

Our current setup is:

1 x Sky Q 2TB (main box) in the living room

2 x Sky Q Mini Box in two separate bedrooms

All three of these are quite often in use at the same time, especially in the evenings/late at night. We have a Sky Q Hub with 500mb fibre.

We really want to put another Sky Q Mini Box in another room (so we would have 3 x Mini Boxes + the 2TB box).

I understand at the moment Sky allows you to have the main 2TB box in use, as well as two Mini Boxes in use all at the same time.

Is there any way at all around this so that we could potentially have the main box and three Mini Boxes in use at the same time (so four separate rooms viewing Sky at the same time)? 

Obviously we are happy to pay extra if necessary. 

Thanks

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Hi @Wurst1 

You can have up to four minis installed on loan each subject to a one off upfront charge and all under by one single Q monthly Multiscreen subscription
However only two minis can be used simultaneously on all 2 TB boxes and the 1 TB UHD Main boxes to watch Sky Q content.  No way to get over this with Sky content.
The original 1 TB non UHD box (32Cxxx) only permits the use of one mini at a time.
If Sky Apps are already being used on some of the minis these will not normally be counted as in Q use and therefore can be used in addition to the above limits.
See the following link for the Versions of main Q box referred to above.
https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-software-updates.
Subject to the above limits Sky Q minis can be used completely independently of the main Q box and the same or different program or recording can be viewed on each Q box. Even if viewing the same content it is completely independent and can be viewed at the same or different point.
Minis can do all the features same as the main Q box and can set or delete recordings on the main Q box hard drive. There is one single storage area on the main Q box with no profiles and no indication of which Q box has set a recording. (Unlike Sky+HD Multiroom which has independent storage and planners).
It should also be remembered that minis cannot view UHD recordings or content.

[Daniel0210]

@Wurst1 
You can have a maximum of 4 mini boxes loaned to you by Sky. You can watch Sky content on two minis and the main box at the same time. You may be able to use a third mini box if the first one in use is being used for a streaming app ie: Netflix or DIsney+.

All 2TBs and the UHD/HDR 1TB permit two mini boxes. Each mini box which is loaned to you may be subject to a one off upfront charge but you only need one Sky Q monthly Multiscreen subscription.

[MightyQuinn]

Hi @Wurst1   I'm afraid that is not possible, the hardware does not support it. It is possible, if one of the Mini boxes is is using the streaming services only, like Netflix.

[Wurst1]

So there is no way around it? 

Could we watch Sky Go via a games console at the same time as the main box and two mini boxes were all in use, in effect making the Sky Go games console a third "box"?

[nigea99 · Accepted solution]

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@Wurst1 wrote:

So there is no way around it? 

Could we watch Sky Go via a games console at the same time as the main box and two mini boxes were all in use, in effect making the Sky Go games console a third "box"?

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hi @Wurst1 

I believe you can watch via SKY Go as well as the minis

The 2 mini limit is a hardware limitation of the main boxes that provide the content

[Wurst1]

Thanks nige. Lastly - do you know if you can watch 3 Mini Boxes at the same time if the main 2TB box is not in use, or is it strictly 2 mini boxes regardless of whether the main box is in use or not?

[nigea99]

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@Wurst1 wrote:

Thanks nige. Lastly - do you know if you can watch 3 Mini Boxes at the same time if the main 2TB box is not in use, or is it strictly 2 mini boxes regardless of whether the main box is in use or not?

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hi @Wurst1 

No, unfortunately it is Main box + 2 minis only and does not change if the main box is in standby

[TimmyBGood]

@Wurst1 

Sky chose to arbitrarily allocate tuners within the main Q box with fixed limits: two for Mini box use, two for Go app use and the remainder for the main box itself.

[Wurst1]

Thanks for that @TimmyBGood 

Could we get around this by using the Sky Go app on Apple TV 4K as well?

So theoretically we could have the main 2TB box being watched, at the same time as both Mini Boxes and then a fourth tv viewing Sky Go all at the same time? 

[Chodley]

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@Wurst1 wrote:

Thanks for that @TimmyBGood 

Could we get around this by using the Sky Go app on Apple TV 4K as well?

So theoretically we could have the main 2TB box being watched, at the same time as both Mini Boxes and then a fourth tv viewing Sky Go all at the same time? 

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Yes