Sky hd software update !!

DELUCAS

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In an effort to lower subscriber energy bills as well as throw Mother Earth a bone, Sky is reportedly rolling out a software update to its set-top-boxes that will enable an automatic standby feature. In short, the update will force boxes that go unused for four hours during the day into standby, and that grace period gets cut in half (to two hours, for the mathematically challenged) at night. The update will supposedly hit all nine million or so Sky boxes by July, and the company estimates that the move will reduce its carbon footprint by around 90,000 tonnes each year. A little standby goes a long way, huh?
 
Sky boxes have been doing this for a while now :/

From the national carbon footpring point of view, YAY etc.

From your own electric bill point of view, bugger all difference.

have a think, an item like a DVD player, sky box etc in use may consume around 40-70watts. You pay around 10-14p per KILOwatt.

to give you a better idea, your oven is probably 2-3.5kw or possibly greater, thats 2000-3500 watts. Can you really see your Sky Box being put to standby mode making a difference to your bill bar literally a £1 a month if that much?...heh
 
I thought that arrived months ago.

It did!

DELUCAS said:
the update will force boxes that go unused for four hours during the day into standby.

Don't be silly - how does the box differentiate between "unused for four hours" and "watching the same channel for four hours". How much grief would Sky get if the box turned itself off while you were watching the cricket or wimbledon or something?

The autostandby feature gives you a warning and then turns the box off at 2am.- unless you turn the autostandby feature off of course :):):)
 
Are you sure you haven't picked this up from some thing written last year as its been some thing that's been on the boxes for along time, in fact they were advertising this "feature" some time last year.
 
In an effort to lower subscriber energy bills as well as throw Mother Earth a bone, Sky is reportedly rolling out a software update to its set-top-boxes that will enable an automatic standby feature. In short, the update will force boxes that go unused for four hours during the day into standby, and that grace period gets cut in half (to two hours, for the mathematically challenged) at night. The update will supposedly hit all nine million or so Sky boxes by July, and the company estimates that the move will reduce its carbon footprint by around 90,000 tonnes each year. A little standby goes a long way, huh?

and apparently, sky are developing HD boxes!! :rotfl::rotfl:
 
Sky extends auto-standby functionality
Friday, January 16 2009, 11:45 GMT

By James Welsh

Sky's fleet of digiboxes will go into auto-standby during the day as well as at night as part of a new environmental initiative.

A software update, which has already been downloaded to some models of digibox, will result in boxes that have not been used for four hours during the daytime to display a warning message and then go into standby. The auto-standby feature will continue to activate after only two hours during night time hours. The feature was first launched in 2007, and was only active at night.

The new software update will be rolled out to all 9m Sky TV homes by July, in a move that Sky estimates will reduce Sky's carbon footprint by 90,000 tonnes and save customers an estimated £20m each year on reduced energy bills. It is part of a new green technology push in which Sky plans to cut the energy use of new satellite dishes by approximately 10%, with new installations using low power LNBs.

"As Sky nears its 20th anniversary, we see a commitment to sustainability as a vital ingredient in long-term business success," said Sky CEO Jeremy Darroch. "People expect the brands they trust not just to deliver great quality and value but also to take clear and consistent action on the issues they care about. We know that customers expect us to play our part in creating a healthy environment, even in more challenging economic times, and these new commitments reflect that."

See more articles about Satellite
Previous story: Sky may open new HD launch queue
More on this story from around the web
 
Good grief!! Humble apologies and all that!!

It's not April 1st yet is it?
 
All very noble no doubt, except for the little, unpublicised fact, that you can turn this auto-shut down off, so how many of the 90,000 boxes have done this?

I have 2 HD boxes, and due to my set up at home, I have disabled this feature as my box is connected to my Amp and to a 2:1 HDMI splitter. It allows me to watch Sky on my TV and on my Screen/PJ. I had to turn it off because after 90 minutes of no action, the auto-switch off on the HD box turned off the system and interrupted the film I woudl be wacthing. So I switched it off.

Typical of Sky etc to treat us all like children.

And, sorry, but I won't be putting the auto-switch off feature back on again!

Per
 
I sussed this feature on my new Sky+ box last week as soon as I read it on the box - obviously Sky feel the need to push this feature as an added USP perhaps? Not that I'm against energy saving features; on the contrary, i just don't like having them rammed down my throat! And I always switched my old box off at night just to save wear and tear on the disk! Haven't disabled it on my HD box yet, but will do ASAP.
 
I sussed this feature on my new Sky+ box last week as soon as I read it on the box - obviously Sky feel the need to push this feature as an added USP perhaps? Not that I'm against energy saving features; on the contrary, i just don't like having them rammed down my throat! And I always switched my old box off at night just to save wear and tear on the disk! Haven't disabled it on my HD box yet, but will do ASAP.

You may need to be aware that most HD's designed for PVR's now are designed to be left on 24/7 and actually switching them off can over time damage the drives.
Generally the HD's inside the likes of SkyHD boxes are not the same design as PC drives (although can be used in PC's)
 
Are you sure they have not sent this out early, my box is always in standby! :mad:
 

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