Is it possible to tape a scrambled Sky UHF channel, and replay through the decoder?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Is it possible to tape a scrambled Sky UHF channel, and replay through the decoder?

gyrogearloose

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#13319 3-May-2007 16:50

Hi everyone, greetings from a newbie to this forum.
Putting aside that this is probably prohibited by the Sky T&C, is it possible to tape a scrambled Sky UHF channel onto a videotape, and then play this back by connecting the UHF output to a Sky decoder (mine has a satellite and UHF input). Or would a syncronization or other error prohibit this? This question is about Sky UHF, not the satellite feed. Thanks.

sbiddle

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#69425 3-May-2007 17:07

It does work but not very well with the signal quite often dropping back to scrambled. It tends to depend on the quality of the video recorder and tape used and in my testing (many years ago) didn't work in LP mode.

This won't work on a satellite STB either - you need a Sky UHF box and need to program a channel to the VHF/UHF output channel of your VCR.

Regs

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Snowflake

#69428 3-May-2007 17:46

is it possible to tape a scrambled Sky UHF channel onto a videotape

why wouldnt you just connect the composite or s-video output from the sky box to the vhs machine and record the unscrambled content?

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hairy1

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#69431 3-May-2007 19:04

Is is so you can tape one channel while watching another?

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

gyrogearloose

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#69441 3-May-2007 20:31

Yes, to tape one of the UHF channels while using the decoder to watch a satellite channel. But perhaps the satellite STB that I have won't actually decode the UHF channels, I hadn't considered that. But the first reply above suggests the flutter of the videotape will cause the decoder to lose sync.

grant_k

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#69453 3-May-2007 21:10

gyrogearloose: Yes, to tape one of the UHF channels while using the decoder to watch a satellite channel...

You need to get MySky

Then you can record 2 channels at once, while watching a third that was previously recorded, or watch one channel live while recording another. Much easier than fiddling around with tapes etc, etc...

My 2c worth anyway.

Regs

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Snowflake

#69467 3-May-2007 22:45

gyrogearloose: Yes, to tape one of the UHF channels while using the decoder to watch a satellite channel. But perhaps the satellite STB that I have won't actually decode the UHF channels, I hadn't considered that. But the first reply above suggests the flutter of the videotape will cause the decoder to lose sync.

The encryption in the UHF signal is completely different to the encryption in the Satellite boxes. If you want to shell out a bit more cash you could get a UHF decoder (extra $9 per month), an extra Sat decoder ($25? per month) or MySky ($$?? per month). Forgive me if the prices are wrong... i dropped sky a long time ago - they should be on their website

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richms

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#69618 5-May-2007 16:33

Worked fine when we did it on dirty old vhs, FF and REW wont work properly of course.

Didn't work at all on a better svhs vcr with a timebase corrector in it however

Later we tried recording it when they activated the smart card to see if we could replay it to get it to reactivate once they had shut it down. That didn't work.

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Americancars

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#69634 5-May-2007 18:47

I didn't know that you could record SKY UHF and then play it back. Wow, I find that quite amazing.

Regs:
The encryption in the UHF signal is completely different to the encryption in the Satellite boxes. If you want to shell out a bit more cash you could get a UHF decoder (extra $9 per month), an extra Sat decoder ($25? per month) or MySky ($$?? per month). Forgive me if the prices are wrong... i dropped sky a long time ago - they should be on their website

MySky is $500 to get the decoder and then you don't have to pay any decoder rental each month.

Can't beat the burble of that American V8. Ohh yea!

Old Grey Geek

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#69796 7-May-2007 11:45

I have often thought about this and can't see why you can't record the "total" output of an antenna connection and replay that through a tuner, there's probably a very good reason that this will not work, ie. the bandwidth of the carrier + signal may be too great to be able to record or the resonant frequency of the carrier/tuner/antenna must be in play to even find the signal. I would be very interested to find out the facts on this. Even if the fact is that I am stupid and don't have a clue about the subject. ;-)

grant_k

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#69804 7-May-2007 12:32

Old Grey Geek: I have often thought about this and can't see why you can't record the "total" output of an antenna connection...

You would need a recording device with ENORMOUS bandwidth to cope with a huge number of simultaneous channels.

I have heard that in TV studios nowadays they have SANs with Terabytes or even Petabytes of Hard Disk storage available to cater for their entire video library, but this is the sort of storage capacity you would need, not to mention a recording device capable of digitising it all...

Maybe feasible inside IBM's research laboratories but I doubt that anybody else has deep enough pockets to afford it. Just wait a few more years, then you will be able to fit it inside a small box worn on your wrist bought at The Warehouse for $100

Americancars

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#69809 7-May-2007 12:57

Grant17:
Just wait a few more years, then you will be able to fit it inside a small box worn on your wrist bought at The Warehouse for $100

Too true, too true.

I heard an ad on the radio the other day saying that in the next two years, more data (or something along that line and that includes paper and film photos) was going to be created in the next two years than was created in the whole of the 20th century and most of it was going to be digital although it included other analogue forms as well.

Mind boggling isn't it.

Can't beat the burble of that American V8. Ohh yea!

execute22

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#71384 20-May-2007 12:43

Americancars:
I heard an ad on the radio the other day saying that in the next two years, more data (or something along that line and that includes paper and film photos) was going to be created in the next two years than was created in the whole of the 20th century.....

yeah and most of it worthless.