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JEDENZED

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#169844 27-Mar-2015 19:55
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Hey geeks,

So I'm having SKY installed tomorrow morning and am wondering what experience other customers have had with installers around doing "extra" work?

Specifically, if I were to ask the installer to split the signal from my SKY decoder to two or three other TV's around the house (so that I could mirror whatever channel the decoder is currently tuned to), is it likely they'd do it for me?

I believe that I have most, perhaps all, the cabling I need installed in the roof space currently but what other additional gear might be required to achieve what I'm after and would the contractor be open to doing it?

Any input gratefully received! 

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MikeB4
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  #1269235 27-Mar-2015 19:58
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My understanding is they are contracted by Sky to do a basic install and set up so I would guess that they will not do "extras"



surfisup1000
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  #1269238 27-Mar-2015 20:02
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yep, they do the bare minimum. 

andrewNZ
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  #1269242 27-Mar-2015 20:07
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I wouldn't let a sky installer touch my house. Don't think I'd even let them on the property without an escort.

You're about to learn the meaning of quick and dirty.



Inphinity
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  #1269261 27-Mar-2015 20:29
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I would not get them to do the extra work, get it done properly.

wingbat45
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  #1269368 27-Mar-2015 23:27
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As a sky tech let me just say yes we (well some) do extra work. Also Don't abuse me please I am new here.

Depending on the install I tend to do extra work where I can as long as it is within the timeframe allowed by sky.

If your having a mysky installed a modulator would be needed, its uhf. What I run into is digital modulators (very $$) or HDMI distribution systems (even more $$) (I personally would avoid them but thats just me LOTS of people have good experiences with them).

If its a digital decoder install (or modulator for that matter) 2 options pop to mind.

1 combine and backfeed uhf up sky cable to roof and decombine and inject uhf into the uhf system from there.

2 run new cable to uhf "hub" (where the points are for the tv) and go from there.


those are the most common ways to do it, the digital boxes have the modulator built into them.

if it was me I would also inject freeview into it incase of snow or lab failure so you have something to watch. then again I am different to other installers



We don't all need escorts. Believe it or not we have an idea what we are unto and I take pride in my work. I treat it like my house, would I like to live with the install once its done, things like that.

wingbat45
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  #1269371 27-Mar-2015 23:32
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Inphinity: I would not get them to do the extra work, get it done properly.


Honestly I have seen some works done by non sky techs that would make your skin crawl.

No phone/internet after tech left? Reason turned out to be the chocolate block the customer installed for the phone system shorted out, clearly a non sky fault but I got it going it until chorus could have a look at it, no charge to customer there.

WENT BACK a few months later and chorus did nothing.

NZSpides
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  #1269393 28-Mar-2015 02:13
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When I moved to my new house 18 months ago I purchased the RJ6 cable and ran it where I wanted the cable to go rather than have the sky guy try and run it down the inside wall or something (I have seen this).

I even terminated the cable and mounted it on a wall plate.

6 Months after it was done we cancelled Sky, we don't watch TV much in the new place.

To be honest we don't watch much NZ TV at all, I don't remember the last time I even watched the news...

We have the TV for movies and streaming services. (love Netflix)

Our kids were asked at school what they thought of ads on TV, they don't see them.
We had to tune in Freeview so they could watch an ad, hilarious.

 
 
 

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.
Lurch
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  #1269405 28-Mar-2015 08:24
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New Sky install? Advice, don't do it.

JEDENZED

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  #1269421 28-Mar-2015 09:21
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Thanks everyone... I think... ;)

Will have a chat with the guy this morning and size him up. Good to hear from an actual sky tech, thanks for your input.

$48 per month for basic package with mysky+, movies and sport on 6 month contract with pricing locked for 12 is the only reason I'm getting it installed. Will cover me for the remainder of the super rugby, formula 1, Wimbledon and the rugby world cup among others. Very likely to cancel thereafter

Sideface
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  #1269426 28-Mar-2015 09:42
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NZSpides: ... To be honest we don't watch much NZ TV at all, I don't remember the last time I even watched the news ...


You haven't missed much.
Mostly "human interest" trivia, sports, weather.
If you want real TV news, you have to look outside NZ




Sideface


JEDENZED

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  #1269464 28-Mar-2015 11:26
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Well, all installed by a thorough professional. On time, efficient, friendly, knowledgable. Checked my other TV's after install to ensure freeview feed hadn't been disturbed.

He advised that, because of my existing cabling setup, to feed the signal from the decoder to all the TV's in the house just needs the modulator (as mentioned by our sky tech geek earlier, thanks again!). Need to order that from sky though for $50 including install and setup, gave me his ID# to request that he do the job, said it will take 5 minutes.

Just goes to show, not all installer experiences are equal and shouldn't be judged so. I for one am happy!


richms
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  #1271510 28-Mar-2015 16:08
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Good to hear. But just remember that with a modulator you will get the worst possible picture on the other TV's compared to sending the HDMI instead.




Richard rich.ms

JEDENZED

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  #1272617 28-Mar-2015 23:07
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richms: Good to hear. But just remember that with a modulator you will get the worst possible picture on the other TV's compared to sending the HDMI instead.


Wouldn't an HDMI splitter require additional HDMI cable to be run throughout my house to each TV display though? I'm looking to utilize the existing cabling that is already wired in the roof space and to wall outlets which the sky tech advised me the modulator would do...

richms
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  #1272625 28-Mar-2015 23:15
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JEDENZED:
richms: Good to hear. But just remember that with a modulator you will get the worst possible picture on the other TV's compared to sending the HDMI instead.


Wouldn't an HDMI splitter require additional HDMI cable to be run throughout my house to each TV display though? I'm looking to utilize the existing cabling that is already wired in the roof space and to wall outlets which the sky tech advised me the modulator would do...


Or wireless HDMI is an option.

Analog modulators will be terrible, and sky are not supplying digital ones because their customers are typically very tight.




Richard rich.ms

JEDENZED

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  #1272632 28-Mar-2015 23:31
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richms:
JEDENZED:
richms: Good to hear. But just remember that with a modulator you will get the worst possible picture on the other TV's compared to sending the HDMI instead.


Wouldn't an HDMI splitter require additional HDMI cable to be run throughout my house to each TV display though? I'm looking to utilize the existing cabling that is already wired in the roof space and to wall outlets which the sky tech advised me the modulator would do...


Or wireless HDMI is an option.

Analog modulators will be terrible, and sky are not supplying digital ones because their customers are typically very tight.


Apologies for the quote stacking, on my iPhone and it's too fiddly to edit...

HDMI wireless option sounds like it might be expensive, plus, my bedroom TV is a good 20 metres (direct line through walls) so likely would suffer major degradation? If the only sky supplied option is the $50 modulator which presumably is an analog version, where would I get a digital one from and at what likely cost?

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