SKY HD - Leads, Transferring, Recording Quality, etc..

[Kev1000]

Hi guys

I'm thinking about buying a SKY HD Box and I have some questions, hopefully you guys could help me out with.

1. The box will be connected either by an HDMI to DVI lead or an HDMI/DVI adaptor. I think I read somewhere that the box comes with an HDMI to HDMI lead. This would mean, with me already having a lead..an adaptor would be the right choice. Does it matter which of these ways it's connected and will I lose any quality over an HDMI to HDMI lead?

2. I understand you can record SKY to the built in HD. Is there currently a way of transferring this content to DVD disc, or my laptop?

3. If I buy the box '3rd party' (seen it £100 cheaper). Is a technician call out still needed?

4. Assuming there's currently no way to transfer content from the HD. Will I lose any quality while using a DVD Recorder..to record to DVD disc?

Here is my TV:
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/televisions/0,39030217,39189241,00.htm

720p, 1080i. I don't understand much about these, but I think they are important for receiving HD signals. Do they look ok to go?

Thanks for reading guys and any advice would be much appreciated

Kev

 

[Kev1000]

Ok guys, I just read some of the stickys.

About question 3.

I now understand it can be installed yourself, although I'm useless at stuff like this..so I'd rather someone in the know did it. Also, I have Sky Digibox (not +), which I think means I need a double wire thingy and a lbm??..or something like that, lol!

New question. Can the box be bought '3rd party', then installed by a SKY engineer?

 

[CARLOS]

1. shouldn't make any difference other than DVI doesn't carry sound.

2. you can transfer to a seperate DVD recorder but only in standard definition, no way to transfer in HD.

3. you can install yourself very easily if you already have Sky+, if you only have standard Sky then you will need a quad LNB fitting to the dish and another cable running to the box, which would probably be better done by a proffesional.

4. see answer to 2

You should get a very good picture with Sky HD and your Hitachi Plasma

Enjoy

 

[CARLOS]

Ok guys, I just read some of the stickys.

About question 3.

I now understand it can be installed yourself, although I'm useless at stuff like this..so I'd rather someone in the know did it. Also, I have Sky Digibox (not +), which I think means I need a double wire thingy and a lbm??..or something like that, lol!

New question. Can the box be bought '3rd party', then installed by a SKY engineer?

It can be bought 3rd party but i would recommend getting a local aerial installer to do the work rather than Sky.

 

[Kev1000]

Hi CARLOS

Thanks for the reply

About the transferring. I just don't understand why they add a USB port, yet it is inactive If it were active, I would then just plug my EHD in and the content would be on my laptop in no time..eliminating the need to record to disc first.

Just out of curiosity. If the above was possible, would I get HD recordings to my laptop this way?

Another thought..If the DVD Recorder was also connected via HDMI..would this not mean HD recordings?...or is it the disc that it's recorded on that's the problem?

LOL!..sorry if the above doesn't make sense...getting carried away here

 

[Broadz]

Another thought..If the DVD Recorder was also connected via HDMI..would this not mean HD recordings?...or is it the disc that it's recorded on that's the problem?

Do you have a HD DVD Recorder? Unlikely, seeing as they don't exist in the UK yet, and when they do they will be thousands of pounds. A standard DVD recorder cannot record in high def. Even if you feed its input via HDMI - and I thought HDMI on standard DVD recorders was for outputting an upscaled image to a HD Ready TV, not for inputting a HD signal.

 

[DJMS]

720p, 1080i. I don't understand much about these, but I think they are important for receiving HD signals. Do they look ok to go?

I have got the same screen. You need to set the output resolution on the Sky box to 1080i and the screen isnt compatible with 720p. Picture is great

 

[Paul_HDLover]

All recordings to DVD made using a DVD writer regardless of whether its connected with HDMI are transferred in SD format. Its impossible at the moment to get it to write onto a DVD in HD.

If you connected to a PC though i dont see any reason why you couldnt record in pure HD providing you are using DVI or HDMI. What does everyone reckon?

 

[CaffeineJunkie]

You cant record HD to a PC or any other device using the HDMI port as all HDMI capture solutions support HDCP and this is enabled on the SKY box.

Somebody has tested this with an HDMI capture card on the PC.

It is possible to capture HD via component though. You're talking high spec equipment though.

There is an HDDVD recorder on the market, but as someone else posted I dont believe its on the market in the UK yet, and I would expect a +£1000 price tag when it does.

 

[Joe Fernand]

Hello Kev1000

The issue surrounding recording the HD signal is not about the technicalities its about the content rights owners not wanting you to have the ability to record and duplicate the HD signal.

HDMI carries an encryption layer called HDCP that's designed to control what happens with the HD signal once it arrives in your SKY HD box and currently no HD capable recorders have been licensed to make 1.1 recordings of HD Broadcasts or Discs.

There are HDMI enabled capture Cards for PC's that will record an HD signal - but only non HDCP encrypted signals; everything coming out of the HDMI port on your SKY HD box is HDCP encrypted.

Joe

 

[Paul_HDLover]

Milky bar for whoever cracks the encryption then

 

[CaffeineJunkie]

cracking the encryption isn't the issue.

It's that HDCP devices must comply with the rules or get their keys revoked.
The HDMI capture card manufacturers choose to not allow capture on broadcasts with HDCP enabled.

 

[Kev1000]

Thanks for the replies, guys

I'm new to all this HD stuff...but I have a better understanding, now

It's still stupid, Sky not activating the USB. If it were, at least I could've transferred SD to my laptop.

 

[CaffeineJunkie]

Something similar to that may be possible in the future.

On the NDS website they describe the XTV platform (which Sky+ and HD are based on).

There is talk of being able to move content onto a DRM enabled device for mobile viewing.

Will sky ever implement this functionality? Who knows, and what will be the implications of the DRM. It will probably make the files expire after 7 days or something.