Getting the most from your Sky Decoder
Sky is an extremely popular way of getting TV around New Zealand. This guide is to help you get the absolute most out your decoder.
If you are having problems with your sky decoder, check out our Troubleshooting Article.
One Sky Decoder to Multiple Rooms
Controlling the Sky Decoder from a separate room
Disable HDCP warnings
Easy ways to power reset your sky box
How to keep your sky box cool
Maximising Picture Quality
Replacement Remotes
One Sky Decoder to Multiple Rooms
Sky Multi-room is expensive, but if you only need the same channel through to multiple rooms, there are plenty of good options. This is usually much easier if decent cabling is in place, so if you are building or renovating, get in touch for recommendations.
A Typical RF Modulator
The most basic and cost effective method of distribution is called aerial backfeed or RF distribution. This involves taking any video source and creating a TV channel within your home that any TV can tune into.
This is the easiest to use system, but relies on a competent aerial system in your house. The picture quality is that of a basic Analogue TV station, which is fine for smaller TV’s or bedrooms, but not much more.
The next step is splitting a central HDMI source to many displays. This is very easy to use and quite cost effective. Combining this with HDMI baluns means that there is no need for long and expensive HDMI
cables. This relies on CAT6 or HDMI cabling from the Sky Decoder to the TV’s. Many nicer home theater amplifiers also have this functionality, such as the Yamaha RX-A2050 and RX-A3050 which have a second HDMI zone.
Blu-Stream’s 4 Way HDMI Splitter
Yamaha’s Multi-Zone Master: RX-A2050
Controlling the Sky Decoder from a Separate Room
If you’ve hidden the sky decoder away, or you have sky going through to a couple of rooms you now need a way to actually change channels!
X-Ray Remote Kit
The most cost effective way to do this is with an “X-Ray Remote Extender” This basically turns your Sky remote into a remote that works through walls. You have to install a small UFO shaped blaster near your sky decoder and change one of the batteries in your sky remote to the RF version.
Now your remote works through walls!. There are a couple of downsides to this: It doesn’t work with all of your remotes and it is possible for your neighbour with the same system to accidentally change sky channels for you!
The nicest way is to use a traditional “IR Repeating system” This involves a sensor stuck near the front of your TV and a hub and emitter near your sky decoder and other equipment. This will work with any remote you point towards the sensor.
One note: New Zealand’s Sky Decoders are notoriously fussy with IR emitters very easily overloading their sensors. The only one that we have found to work with 100% of sky boxes is the Blue-Eye system, which is made here in new Zealand specifically for our sky decoders.
A Blue-Eye Emitter – Works with Sky
How to disable HDCP warnings
These warnings usually do have a specific cause, so before disabling, make sure you have a decent HDMI cable and all of your devices support the resolution you are trying to pass through them.
To disable the warning in a standard MySky HDi:
Press Setup
Picture Settings
High Definition Picture Settings
HD Warnings set to “No Warnings”
Save New Settings
Now you should be away!
How to easily power reset your Sky Decoder
If your sky decoder has an issue or freezes up, often the only way to go back to normal would be to unplug your sky decoder from mains power. Getting to the back of the unit often leads to disconnected HDMI’s and aerial cables, and usually a bit of a mess.
It’s much easier to stay in your chair and do it remotely!
We sell and recommend the Thor Green Board, which is a filtering power board that is designed to easily reset any connecting components. It has a big green button which is super simple to use as a power reset.
Thor’s Excellent Green Board
Replacement Sky Remotes
We supply a slightly improved replacement remote for MySky which also allows you to easily control thhe basic functions of your TV : One For All Sky Remote. We also supply and install a range of full custom control products which can control your Sky Decoder.
How to keep your sky decoder cool
New Zealand’s MySky HDi boxes are notorious for running extremely hot. This reduces it’s lifetime and the lifetime of any equipment nearby.
We highly recommend as much ventilation as possible around the sky decoder. The Sky decoder cools by pulling air up from the bottom, so putting spacers below the Sky Decoder dramatically reduces it’s temperature. Other options include a small laptop cooling stand.
Richard
