Sky Installers and media cupboards

chrissav

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We recently moved all our av kit to the cupboard under the stairs, along with the sky box. However, the sky HD box, a Thompson which was always dodgy has finally given up the ghost, but I have managed to get a free box and six months free HD from Sky and an engineer booked for next week. :clap:

Question is, do they have any issues with installing a box in these locations? As long as he's not 6' 6" and built like a brick *&^$ house, physically he shouldn't have a problem!

DSCF3467.jpg


Chris
 
Cant see what install really needs to be done, gonna be a straight box swap,
Undo wires from old box, pop into new one

DIY if a problem
 
The main issue with that installation (and possibly what has helped cause the failure of your present box) is that boxes are stacked on top of each other with insufficient ventilation space above and below them - heat is the most common cause of digibox failure. There should be a minimum of 2 inches ventilation space above each digibox. Any properly trained engineer should refuse to install in such a "stack" although Sky's installers may well do so.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Dave, the box was 'faulty' before being moved to the cupboard. I did try to think about temperature control when I set the cupboard up, particularly because the PS3 and PC are housed there too. The cupboard is vented and there is a thermostatically controlled fan that blows over the back of the stack venting out thru vents in the door. This keeps the temperature in the cupboard around or below 20C. The 'white' sky+ box was only placed there 'for the photo' before anything was connected up before being packed back up, so the HD box has plenty of space above it.

Cheers!

Chris
 
Assuming the sky HD box has a shelf to itself, consider standing it on some spacers (I use some large demijohn corks) so it has space above and below.

The only issue I can think of would be if you are presently using component video to feed your tv, the newer boxes don't have that. As you have gone to the trouble of laying in long cables you probably don't want to be changing that. If you are already using a long hdmi cable, then I can't see a problem.
 
Good idea about the spacer underneath, I will do that. Cabling is fine, all via hdmi.

Chris
 
I have managed to get a free box and six months free HD from Sky and an engineer booked
You certainly won't get an engineer, but why do you need anyone?:confused:
As dUnkle says, and as I'm sure you know, all there is to do is swap the dish cables.
 
You certainly won't get an engineer, but why do you need anyone?:confused:
As dUnkle says, and as I'm sure you know, all there is to do is swap the dish cables.

If the installation is free then at least the installer should check signal and quality levels and remedy any faults he finds particularly as the present installation would appear to be a couple of years old. Also if by any chance the supplied box is faulty then it can be immediately changed rather than waiting for a replacement to be supplied by post after returning the faulty one.
 
The only issue I can think of would be if you are presently using component video to feed your tv, the newer boxes don't have that.

Or, S-Video........... :mad:
 

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