Should I upgrade from Sky HD+ to Sky Q?

[tvcgm]

We have been with Sky since 2009. The first box failed in 2016 with frequent crashes. We have  DRX890 500Gb with the wireless adapter for on-demand which works great. The signal strength is 90-100% on all channels.

We have 2 rooms with the Sky box in one and a TV with Freesat in the other and freeview aerial points in each. The box is 90% full with mostly free to air recordings from BBC and Talking Pictures TV. I understand that I'd have to re-record the programmes on a new larger box. It's annoying that they don't make new Sky+HD boxes any more. It is the simplest and best PVR I have seen!

I don't like that Sky Q boxes are leased and that they have to be returned at the end of the subscription.

It would be good to renew the dish and cabling because it's 16 years old but they wouldn't connect them to a faceplate so I'd have to get an independent fitter back - an additional cost. I would also need a hybrid LNB for the Freesat TV which I don't think Sky will supply. Is there any benefit in upgrading to Sky Q? I flat out refuse Sky Stream and Sky Glass. I have a smart TV from 2024 that's perfectly good.

[Mark39]

If you're happy with Sky+ there's no real need to switch to Sky Q, in my opinion until the hard disk fails as eventually it will

[oj01]

@tvcgm Dish and cabling would only be changed if the installer deemed them no longer suitable.

The main reason for the current "push" of customers from Sky+HD to Q is that from August there will be extra Premier League football shown on the Sky Sports App, which isn't accessible on a Sky+HD Box, although you can view it on a tablet or mobile.

[TimmyBGood]

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@tvcgm wrote:

It's annoying that they don't make new Sky+HD boxes any more. 

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Perhaps worth noting that the Sky+ platform was already nearly 15 years old when it ceased manufacturing a decade ago.

[nigea99]

@tvcgm  you are correct that to use your Freesat tuner in the TV you would need a Hybrid LNB to work alongside SKY Q and SKY no longer provide these. 

If you got an independent installer to fit a Hybrid LNB there is no guarantee that SKY would install Q with one - I believe official policy is not to, although I think many engineers can be flexible on this.

A further note in case you were also thinking of using faceplates in any re-cabling - the wideband feeds from the LNB for SKY Q must not be in any 'combined' faceplate that has any filters  and would rely on independent unfiltered outputs.

[tvcgm]

Thanks for all the replies. I am in Scotland so I don't know if I have a Zone 2 dish (I haven't measured it) so I don't know which hybrid LNB I would buy. I think the collar is a different size depending on the arm on the dish so more research is required.

It is also a shame that I cannot replace the Sky+HD box because since October 2024 you cannot pair the viewing card to another box. My mother in law had her ancient Sky Box replaced with a DRX850 500Gb under extended warranty from D&G (it was a Sky Engineer that came out and fitted it) in 2022. The cabling was water logged and needed replaced too. Lucky it was before 2024.

I have triax faceplates which is straight 2x Type F faceplate, not one of those fancy MK ones with TV, DAB, 2xtype F and Ethernet. I don't know if that would cause signal loss which would affect the Sky Q box.

Out of interest, since I don't know anyone with Sky Q, is Talking Pictures TV still on 328 on Sky Q? Are all the channel numbers the same?