Sky offer free HD box

[admin_exported]

I've just received a letter from Sky which says that since I have been a customer since the beginning of the HD service, they can offer me a brand new box in exchange for the box I have now. Free box and free installation. No strings.

The Thompson box I have now has been upgraded by Digifix with new power supply, capacitors and has 500gb.

250gb for me and 250gb for Sky Anytime. (I think....)

It has never given me any trouble of any kind and is working perfectly.

However, the offer of a free box is very tempting.

Any suggestions would be very welcome as the offer expires on 24th June.

Cheers, Rob

 

[daveh75]

If Anytime+ is of any interest to you then i'd say take the free box.

Thomson boxes aren't compatible with the 'Darwin' f/w update needed to add the neworking features required for Anytime+.

Sky have been contacting subscribers with Thomson boxes and offering free boxes for this very reason.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Dave, thanks for your reply.

What is Anytime+ ?

I don't use the standard version of Anytime; in fact I don't even have it enabled.

Do you know if a 1tb box is an option?

Memory size is far more important to me which is why I had my Thompson box upgraded.

Cheers, Rob

 

[daveh75]

Hi Dave, thanks for your reply.

What is Anytime+ ?

I don't use the standard version of Anytime; in fact I don't even have it enabled.

Anytime+ is Skys VOD/streaming service

Do you know if a 1tb box is an option?

Memory size is far more important to me which is why I had my Thompson box upgraded.

Cheers, Rob

From what i've seen subscribers are being offered 1TB boxes for anything between free and £99 atm. So it's probably worth giving them a ring and see what they offer, and if you don't get a decent deal ring back a few days later (persistance seems to pay off lately)

 

[Anonymous]

I'll call them first thing tomorrow, thanks for your input..... !

 

[AnotherJoe]

I'd have a look at just upgrading the box yourself with a 1.5TB drive for around £45

Unfortunately 2TB drives not seem to work correctly and u end up with only 1TB.

Google your box and 1.5TB/1TB and see which works best.

 

[Anonymous]

hi Daveh,i have been also received this offer,do you have to sign up to Sky broadband to avail of it and what type/make of HDbox do i get?

 

[Anonymous]

@ Willie, Yes there are strings attached unfortunately, You have to return your current box for recycling & the installation is only completely free if using a wired ethernet connection for the anytime+ side of things, Therefore i would expect your router needs to be close to your HD box, If not then you would need a wireless ethernet adapter bridge i believe, Which Sky will supply & charge you for, I am sure Daveh can confirm this.

I also asked about the 1TB box and was told £150, Though maybe that is because i do not have the full movies/sports pack.

@Hentoes, From the small print, For Sky TV customers with Sky Broadband in Sky network area only.
I do believe the box is an Amstrad DRX890, I am home right now waiting for my install, So will confirm afterwards.

 

[3937edwards]

well i got the 1tb box at a discounted price of £99 instead of a free replacement sky+hd box so ring them and see what they have to say

 

[3937edwards]

well i got the 1tb box at a discounted price of £99 instead of a free replacement sky+hd box so ring them and see what they have to say

 

[Anonymous]

@ Willie, They did not take my old box in the end even though this is stated in the small print on the flyer we all received.

@ Hentoes, Branded as a Sky+ HD box, Though with Amstrad innards according to the installation guy, So basically a DRX890 as i thought.

 

[Anonymous]

Update:

Spoke to Sky earlier today and they advised that if I wanted the 1.5TB box the charge would be £99 plus set-up fee or £45 if I was to take the multi-room service (using my current box.)

So the free deal would only be as per the flyer for a 500gb box which would be a brand-new unit with a 12 month guarantee.

The hic-up is that my router is in a different room to my Skybox with an Ethernet cable run of 60' or more to connect the two.

If I wanted a wireless connection Sky would charge me £60 for the additional equipment.

So it's a dilemma !

Do I replace a (working perfectly) very old upgraded Thompson box for a free Amstrad one just because it is available and which I am unlikely to benefit from as SkyAnytime is not of much use to me?

The offer expires (in my case) on 23rd June.

Cheers, Rob

 

[3937edwards]

if it was me i would take the 1tb box for £99 of course which i did apart from cosmetically a better looking box its also quieter more reliable and quicker but why they are charging £45 for installation i dont know i got mine installed for free

 

[Anonymous]

New SkyBox (Amstrad) 500gb installed today.

Huge increase in picture quality on HD.

Faster response compared to old Thomson box.

Sky Anytime+ not operating as router is very far from TV, and standard Anytime service is enough anyway.

Needless to say I'm delighted and would recommend the switch to anybody who is considering it....... !

Thank-you Sky....

 

[Pete Shields]

My son was in today and took delivery of the new box. I will check out tonight, but he said it's a lot faster and a lot smaller.

Did anybody get a new remote with it too? Engineer didn't leave one and the 5 year old one is well worn.

 

[sonycentre]

Yes pete,you should have got a new shiny black remote for you sky hd 1tb box.had mine for a good few months now and its a cracking little box.enjoy.