Can I watch programmes previously recorded on Sky HD+ box without a dish being connected?

[MikeyjdXE]

I have had SKY HD+ for nearly 10 years. I am upgrading to Sky Q soon. I am able to keep my old HD box and there are a few programmes I have recorded in the past still on it. I would like to watch these programmes again in the future. Some of these were recorded from Sky chanels, others from normal TV chanels.

Will I be able to connect my old box via HDMI cable but no dish and watch the old programmes?

Note: as a test, I disconnected the dish cables and was still able to watch previously recorded items, (obviously nothing being streamed live from SKY), but I don't know if that is only a short term thing.

[Mark39]

@MikeyjdXE wrote:

I have had SKY HD+ for nearly 10 years. I am upgrading to Sky Q soon. I am able to keep my old HD box and there are a few programmes I have recorded in the past still on it. I would like to watch these programmes again in the future. Some of these were recorded from Sky chanels, others from normal TV chanels.

Will I be able to connect my old box via HDMI cable but no dish and watch the old programmes?

Note: as a test, I disconnected the dish cables and was still able to watch previously recorded items, (obviously nothing being streamed live from SKY), but I don't know if that is only a short term thing.

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I'm afraid not. Your Sky box needs a dish connection to initialise.  As you've guessed, it works temporarily to allow you to watch recordings when there's no signal (bad weather).

[oj01]

@MikeyjdXE And just to add. You also wouldn't be able to reconnect it up to the dish as the LNB on the dish will be changed to a Sky Q compatible one. 

[MikeyjdXE]

Is there any way I can transfer a programme from my Sky box to a computer? I do have one particular recording from a news item featuring a family member?

[SKY1992bf]

@MikeyjdXE  No as it's a breach of your contract 

[Annie+UK]

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@MikeyjdXE wrote:

Is there any way I can transfer a programme from my Sky box to a computer? I do have one particular recording from a news item featuring a family member?

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This is against Sky's terms and conditions so cannot be discussed here

[MikeyjdXE]

Thank you for your help and comments.

[Mark39]

@MikeyjdXE you can copy programmes in SD via the Sky box's scart socket (or RCA sockets if it has them) to a DVD recorder or to a computer if it has video/audio capture hardware and software.

You can't copy in HD, as the HDMI output is HDCP protected.

[Annie+UK]

Copying to a computer is more than likely to be used for  Archiving rather than indended timeshifting usage 😞

[David-Griffiths]

That's interesting. I've just been persuaded to upgrade to Sky Q and was told uncategorically that I would still be able to watch existing recordings. I asked twice just to be sure.

[Mark39]

Well I suppose you can until Sky Q is installed or your Sky+ subscription is disabled. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@David-Griffiths wrote:

 was told uncategorically that I would still be able to watch existing recordings.

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You definitely cannot do so once the subscription covering the Sky+ hardware ends: hard drive access is a subscription service, and that subscription moves to Sky Q

As @Mark39 indicates there's some ambiguity about exactly when this happens: in some cases users have been able to play back content for a quite some time until the box either initialises, receives an end-of-subscription signal or seeks subscription authentication by satellite signal and can't find a signal to do so.

[David-Griffiths]

Hmmm, appears I was misinformed then. The support person I spoke to even claimed that he himself had continued to watch recorded programs and made no mention of a time limit.

[Annie+UK]

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@David-Griffiths wrote:

Hmmm, appears I was misinformed then. The support person I spoke to even claimed that he himself had continued to watch recorded programs and made no mention of a time limit.

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Your dish gets upgrded to wideband thus your Sky+ will not be able to initialise and stop functioning, also any Sky+ viewing cards on your account get disabled

[SKY1992bf]

@David-Griffiths  It's quite possible the agent simply told you want you wanted to hear in order to get the sale as that is all some agents  may care about