Can anyone suggest how to get HD (and SD) video from a Sky+ box into a computer?
I currently have Sky+ HD which I'm planning to dump soon. Naturally there is loads of stuff recorded on the box with SWMBO wants to keep. I'm aware most of this will no longer be accessable once the subscription has terminated - and I don't really want the box hanging round for playback anyway.
Ideally I'd like to export the lot into a computer in a digital format for later processing and storing for playback via it or standalone player over UPNP.
Is there any devices out there that will connect a computer via HDMI to the sky box, and not get tripped up by the copy protection stuff, and allow me to do this?
I have Mac, Windows and Linux systems available. Prefer to use the Mac if possible, as it's got the most grunt of my computers.
I thought the whole system was designed so that the most you could get was sd from hd due to the way the system detects what the cable has on the end of it. This is where you need someone who build things obviously! Brian
Careful when you do this. I just did a week or so ago. After they tried to downgrade my package to save me money, and then offered me ten bob a month discount to stay with them, they finally put me through to disconnections, who told me that I needed to give 31 days notice, which would terminate my subscription on the 12th November. They then relieved me of £22.74 on my cc in order to pay my subscription up to that date. I checked carefully with them that this totally cleared the account and that there would be no more to pay. Two days later, they cut me off, so I could no longer watch anything in my package, nor play back what was already recorded ...
There followed a half hour phone argument with customer services. I demanded that they put the service back on immediately. They told me that in order for them to do this. I would have to pay a whole month of 35 quid, and then any difference would be refunded at the end. I could not convince them that disconnections had taken 22 quid off me to make sure that the service ran to the termination date, so I told them that in that case, they had better pay my 22 quid back there and then. Again, they told me that they couldn't do this, and tried to say that there was 35 quid outstanding, and that it was not possible for disconnections to have taken that money, because I was disconnecting part way through a billing period, so the whole amount had to be paid, and then a refund given.
BUT THEY DID ! THEY DID ! THEY DID! I was screaming down the phone, but their only suggestion was that I emailed complaints. So I did the next day, and told them that they had either stolen over two weeks of service from me, or the money I had paid, and what were they going to do about it ? I guess they didn't like the word "stolen" as I got a reply in very short order. They tried to claim that I had been cut off because there was an outstanding amount of 12 quid ( ??!! ) on the account, but as disconnections had made no mention of this ( I wonder if that was down to "This call may be recorded for training purposes" ? ) they would waive this and reinstate the service until 12th November. Contrary to what they would have you believe is possible, it was back on within a couple of hours.
Anyway, bottom line on your original question, I have been trying to get stuff off my box as well, but as far as I can make out, the data is recorded on the disc in such a way that it can only be decoded by the box's software. You can get it out of the box using the 'copy' facility that it has hidden away, but it is of course analogue, so you would have to get it into the computer via a frame grabber. I tried this, but without much success. My Pace manufactured Sky + box has an S-Video socket on it, but my USB frame grabber did not seem to want to see anything on there, so maybe it's not active, like the ethernet socket on the box.
Good luck with your disconnection. In order to keep it simple, I would suggest that you wait until a bill date to do it ... :-)
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