Metropol

Here we got then.

I want Sky Digital. My DTT picture goes off whenever there is a spot of rain and I have an, er.. issue with the cable people.

Sky are offering the family deally for £13.00 a month, installation and box free. They also are giving the first three months at half price. I'd be an idiot not to take it up. BUT! I need a landline (they say) or installation cannot go ahead. I don't have one and I'm not getting one.

I've done a bit of reading and am informed that I could 'fake it' and give a number and explain on installation day that there is a fault on the line. Apparently the box doesn't actually have to dial up to operate. If it *had* to connect then I could use my skype number as and when required. I'm not fussed with voting interactively or similar nonsense and won't be using premium channels or pay per view.

I thought about taking one of the available direct dial numbers from the office and diverting it to my mobile for the purposes of 'authenticity'.

What would you do? Little white lie or leave it be? Cable and BT are non options.

Get Sky+. You can have it for £99 and although it's an extra £10 a month, it's worth it. I was sceptical, and while I still think there is no justification for charging £10 a month for recording facilities, I couldn't be without it now. Make sure you get a Pace version (not the shitty Amstrad one which has a habit of overheating from what I hear) because it's easy to upgrade the hard drive in it to 160GB (80 hrs) for about £50 should you want to (as opposed to buying the 160GB version from Sky at about £300).

As for the phone line, yes, you could fake it. Buy a phone socket and a length of cable, which you can hide into running nowhere. The only time (as far as I know) Sky care about the phone connection is if you have multiroom, where you get a duplicate Sky card for £10 for another box at the same address. Both boxes must be connected to the same phone line to prevent you from giving your mate a £10pm card which gives him £42 worth of tv channels.

AFAIK you can still get an instalation, but it'll cost you more.

All because you don't have a landline.

That and Sky might start moaning at you. It is part of the contract that it is connected to the phone line for the first 12/18 months which you can't do.

Doesn't need to be connected anyways except for Box Office movies :roll:

Sky do send a signal to the box, telling it to dial out, to 'touch-base'. This ensures you're charged for any box office movies that are stored on your card, and to check to see if you're connected.

I've heard of several people receiving letters from Sky because their box hasn't been plugged in to the phone line.

I believe you can still purchase a box from Sky without the connection, but you lose the £200 discount on the box.

Me and the family have the full Sky Digital package - both in the living room and in my bedroom.....

Katherine wrote:Me and the family have the full Sky Digital package - both in the living room and in my bedroom.....

Lucky you

fusionlad wrote:Sky do send a signal to the box, telling it to dial out, to 'touch-base'. This ensures you're charged for any box office movies that are stored on your card, and to check to see if you're connected.

I've heard of several people receiving letters from Sky because their box hasn't been plugged in to the phone line.

I believe you can still purchase a box from Sky without the connection, but you lose the £200 discount on the box.

I've had one before now. They get snotty when you're still under the interactive discount contract, which if you want a discounted install, you have to sign.

You could always offer to pay full whack, or get a second hand box off eBay ... Or spoof the phone line by talking nicely to your neighbours and using a long bit of cable.

Uncle Bruce wrote:

Katherine wrote:Me and the family have the full Sky Digital package - both in the living room and in my bedroom.....

Lucky you

I'd also like to offer my sincere congratulations.

Katherine wrote:Me and the family have the full Sky Digital package - both in the living room and in my bedroom.....

don't families with a down's syndrome child get free sky multiroom and a wide parking space free ?

If you're getting Sky then go for the 'Starter Pack' box you get from shops - currently £4.97 where I work (Tesco).

Gives you free installation, free box, and either a month's subscription to Sky World, or 3 months to the Sky Family Pack. the remote is in the box along with the contract and everything, you just buy it and phone Sky to arrange installation. Easy!

For £4.97, you really can't go wrong!! Don't know how long it will stay at that price though, may have even already changed back to what it used to be (don't know how much that was, sorry!)