Why does Sky HD Require two wall outlets?

[admin_exported]

I'd like to get HDTV, either Sky or Freesat (and possibly both).

I live in a flat on the ground floor of purpose built, about 10 years old, flats. Fittingly enough they're in the grounds of the (also converted into flats) one-time local looney-bin. Also, I rent, so hacking holes in the walls is NOT an option.

I have regular Sky and terrestrial digital (Aberdeenshire was one of the first areas to get switched over). I only have one satellite outlet on the wall socket, plus the standard co-axial FM/TV outlet.

In the USA my satellite service (the one that isn't Dish) didn't need two outlets, but did have three LNBs on the dish (and needed an HD box to decode the signals naturally).

So questions:

1, Why does the Sky system here need two wall outlets?

2, How do I, can I even, get HDTV?

3, Without being silly, how do I know I'm seeing a pukka HD broadcast? It's not like watching B&W vs colour, not least because a lot of the programs broadcast on HD channels are still old fashioned 625-line.

3, When I move back to the USA I want to give my parents my Sky box (which I own) and any HD satellite receiver I buy. They live in the South of France when they're not walloping little white balls round Florida through the winter. I know the standard Sky boxes work (they've got one), but will the HD boxes? France terrestrial TV is now PAL, SECAM a mange' le dust longtemps (a bit like my French language skills lol), BTW.

My Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV has analogue and digital Freeview digital tuners built in and my Denon DVD upscales to full HD. I shunt the DVD audio through a Cyrus AV Master 8 processor and into the stereo for the front channels. Front centre, rear and subwoofer are taken off the Cyrus AV-8 Master, which works fine in my 15 x 12 living room.

 

[Andrew Everard]

1. Because the service has two tuners, each requiring a separate LNB feed from the dish

2. Yes, but you won't be able to watch one channel while recording another

(The same applies to Freesat, BTW)

3. Yes, should work in the South of France - see the footprint maps here

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Andrew So if I go out and buy a SkyHD box, I can watch HD okay? Will I need a different Sky card? Is Freesat a better idea?

Not fussed about recording stuff, notwithstanding I don't have any kind of recorder, because Sky repeats so often there really is no need

Anyway, remember what Doulgas Adams said about VCRs? Something along the lines of "machines designed to watch TV programmes you can't be bothered to watch yourself".

 

[Dave_]

Darren Heal: So if I go out and buy a SkyHD box, I can watch HD okay? Yes, though some SkyHD boxes dont handle only being fed from a single feed that well.Darren Heal: Will I need a different Sky card? No,Darren Heal: Is Freesat a better idea?That's a judgement call only you can make!