Recreate Sky+ Multiroom with HDMI splitter or go with SkyQ?

[Jon Weaver]

Following my earlier questions about SkyQ, I wonder if I should be thinking about this even more, so I hope you don't mind me asking another question.

I am a Sky customer since day one and have always had Sky in some form (even before it was Sky).

I used to use COAX and Magic Eyes to get TV and IR around the house.. But I started to move to HDMI splitters and CAT5 adaptors..

And my finished and current setup works brilliantly for me.

I have a Sky+ box into an HDMI splitter.. 1 goes to my Amp and ultimatly feeds the TV, the other goes into a CAT5 converter, and up to the loft where it is reconverted back to HDMI.. Then into a 8 way splitter and then finally down to each room (either directly as HDMI) or again via CAT5 converters.

This is gives me 1080p Sky into every room. and I left the Magic Eyes in place for the IR... And its faultless.

My Sky+ box died a while back, so I just picked up a replacement on eBay for £30 and I was back up and running again in a few days..

This is ideal for me and I have never considered moving or changing and certainly am not interested in SkyQ!

But in the last few months, everything changed.. Due to the behavour of some inconsiderate neighbours, my other half convinced me that we can do better.. And to cut a long story, we are both selling up and are going to upgrade...

So now we are in the process of buying a new house whihc is easily 50% bigger than mine and I need to re-create my Sky setup.

My initialy thoguht was that I should go down the CAT5/HDMI route again, but this time buy some splitters that will also pass IR (I am sure they exist), so I remove COAX/Magic eyes from teh equation.. Then I thought that perhaps there is now a wireless option?

But today I decided that its time to just bite the bullet.. Go for SkyQ, pay the Multiroom subscription and get 4 Mini boxes...

Then I started reading and realised that ll is still not well in the SkyQ world.. And many people still don't like it.

Considering I am fussed and am thrilled with my Sky+ setup, I fear that will be me... And I worry that if I take SkyQ, there will be no way back.


So I have a whole bunch of questions, that I hope some of you might be able to answer.

1. Will a modern HDMI splitter also Pass IR? Did I make that up? or is it a thing?
2. Any good/reliable Wireless solutions for distributing HDMI around the house?
3. Lets assume I stay with Sky+, I guess I will have to stay as a customer, move house, and just change my address?
4. and i guess that if I cancel, move and try to get new subscription, they will force SkyQ on me and won't let me back to Sky+
5. If I do go down the Sky+/HDMI route, is there any talk of Sky+ being killed off permenantly.. Will there be a time when Sky+ will simply stop working?

Now onto SkyQ

6. Is SkyQ as bad as people say? What reasons do people have for wanting to go back to Sky+

Thats about it for now, but I am sure I wwill think of more.

I am just a bit worried about going to for SkyQ and hating it and having no way back.. But at the same time, going down the Sky+ route and spending a fortune in time and money getting it installed to find out down the road that it will be discontinued.

I would appreciate any views you have.. Pro Sky+ or SkyQ... I am happy to hear from anyone who has experience in this area.

Jon

 

[teeveedee]

Hold your horses until later in the year. The long overdue Sky Q via broadband rather than satellite dish is currently in the final stages of testing & is expected to launch within 4-6 months. It’ll hopefully have more reliable hardware than the current Q boxes, and enable multi room without excessive cabling.

 

[Jon Weaver]

Interesting. The problem is, I will need a solution in the next few months.

The more I think about it, the more I think I might stick with my current Sky+ setup.. And simply "upgrade" my HDMI splitters, to the type that have CAT5/6 built in.. So feeding out to CAT5 in every room and a converter behind the TV going back to HDMI.. I am pretty sure distribute IR/Remote too, so I wouldn't need the magic eye any more...

My only worry is how I keep this solution without Sky forcing me to go to Q... I guess i Just take my kit.. Self install and tell them of the address change?

 

[cossie]

I have Sky distributed to three TV's and a projector via a HDMI splitter and long HDMI leads, one 5M, two 15M, and one fibre version 35M long, and have controlled via magic eye for years. However this year I changed to a Sky Q box when my old HD box finally died.

Magic eye doesn't work with the Q box so I ripped it out and now control the Q box via an remote APP on my mobile phone.

 

[chenks]

I guess i Just take my kit.. Self install and tell them of the address change?

yes, you don't need to do anything other than tell sky you've moved.

 

[Fazer6]

I have Sky distributed to three TV's and a projector via a HDMI splitter and long HDMI leads, one 5M, two 15M, and one fibre version 35M long, and have controlled via magic eye for years. However this year I changed to a Sky Q box when my old HD box finally died.

Magic eye doesn't work with the Q box so I ripped it out and now control the Q box via an remote APP on my mobile phone.

May I ask which app did you use and was it successful?

TIA.

Fazer6.

 

[cossie]

It's just called "Sky Q Free Remote". I have the Android version. It's basic but has never failed and the response is instant.