Reverting from Sky Q to Sky +?

Bert Coules

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In a discussion with Sky about reducing my Sky+ subscription I've just been offered a free 1TB Q box ("normally £99"). Since the Sky+ EPG is very much to my taste, I asked if it would be possible to change back again if I didn't get on with the new version. Unfortunately, the person I was chatting with was uncertain and said I'd have to talk to the technical department. Before I do that (or try to do that) does anyone here know if it would be possible? Many thanks.
 
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I think sky are desperate to keep customers as there model is out dated and expensive to maintain. I seam to remember the sky is different for skyQ thu.
 
As you'd also need a new LNB I don't see how there'd be any point in changing.
 
Thanks. I just found out about the LNB swap myself. I was thrown by the Sky chat person telling me that it was simply a matter of replacing my existing Sky+HD box with the Q one and that was all. Unless I can find an opportunity to try the Q interface for myself and compare it to what I have now, I think I'll stay exactly where I am.
 
I don't think there is any route back to Sky+HD from Sky Q anymore. Since the Sky+HD boxes haven't been manufactured since 2015, I guess Sky regard is as EOL now bar a few updates.
 
Thanks. This has just occurred to me: at the moment, I have a quad LNB, supplied by Sky: two outputs feed my Sky+ box, two a Panasonic Freesat PVR. If I did upgrade the LNB for Q would the Freesat feeds still work?
 
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Thanks. This has just occurred to me: at the moment, I have a quad LNB, supplied by Sky: two outputs feed my Sky+ box, two a Panasonic Freesat PVR. If I did upgrade the LNB for Q would the Freesat feeds still work?
No, they wouldn’t. That’s the biggest hassle of downgrading Sky Q to Freesat. You’d need a hybrid LNB which would be able to feed both Sky Q (wideband) and the Freesat boxes.

That’s my understanding of it when I did my research. It turned out it was straightforward for me as I never upgraded to Q.
 
Thanks. Unless Sky are able and willing to supply a hybrid LNB, or unless I could obtain one myself and persuade a Sky installer to use it, then Q is out of the question for me.
 
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You can get a hybrid easily enough but I don't see any advantage in doing so.
A slightly changed EPG would be no advantage, and in any case Sky is almost unnecessary now.
 
Thanks for that. Very interesting.

You can get a hybrid easily enough but I don't see any advantage in doing so.
A slightly changed EPG would be no advantage, and in any case Sky is almost unnecessary now.
The current Sky+ EPG is almost the only thing keeping me subscribing: not only have I failed to find any other to match it for elegance and user-friendliness, I'm too used to it now to want to learn another.
 
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Thanks. Unless Sky are able and willing to supply a hybrid LNB, or unless I could obtain one myself and persuade a Sky installer to use it, then Q is out of the question for me.

You can tell sky that you use freesat and need a hybrid lnb when you are ordering. Ring them up a again, a few days before they arrive, to confirm that you’re having a hybrid lnb.
 
Thanks. If I do decide to move to Q - which I shan't consider until I've had a chance to try the user interface - I'll follow your advice.
 
Thanks. If I do decide to move to Q - which I shan't consider until I've had a chance to try the user interface - I'll follow your advice.
Very wise to try out Q before committing to it. The EPG is quite different to Sky+HD with several features missing (such as reminders), which a lot of long-term Sky+HD customers really miss.
 
Very wise to try out Q before committing to it. The EPG is quite different to Sky+HD with several features missing (such as reminders), which a lot of long-term Sky+HD customers really miss.
About the overall look, you confirm what I've seen in online videos, so thanks. I've not so far had a chance to try the functionality for myself. The Sky chap in my chat emphasised that the Sky+ EPG is now two decades old, to which my response was "What if it is? Newer doesn't automatically mean better".
 
Quite right!
Both are nearing their sell out date now though.
 
You can tell sky that you use freesat and need a hybrid lnb when you are ordering. Ring them up a again, a few days before they arrive, to confirm that you’re having a hybrid lnb.
The hybrid lnbs that we supply are different to the one that is linked it now has dedicated ports for hd and Q
 
The hybrid lnbs that we supply are different to the one that is linked it now has dedicated ports for hd and Q
Yeah, is it still EL028?

Op has a freesat box too, so I assume sky should be willing to connect the feeds to the legacy ports of a hybrid.
 
If you have an accessibility account with sky you can revert back from Sky Q to Sky + free of charge.
 
If you have an accessibility account with sky you can revert back from Sky Q to Sky + free of charge.
Thanks, but I don't know what an accessibility account is: I'll investigate.
 

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