druddle

heading says it all really !!

dave

Christian_Driver

Technically, they don't (unless you use any of the Sky Interactive stuff or order any of the Box Office channels) - although I think there is something in the contract that they can stop your subscription if they repeatedly ask you to connect it to a phone line and you don't.

I've had my Digibox for 6 months now, and the only time it was connected to a phone line was when it was installed. Having spoken to a few mates about this, they never have their boxes connected either...

Fosters

So your box can talk to sky. Anything that goes out, goes via the phone.

purchases via open, email, box office purchases, the occasional **** channel nightly subscription

camk

Its rumoured that they occasionally call your box up to talk to it, if its repeatedly unanswered you can expect a call from SKY. The reason the box is "free" is that there is a 150 quid subsidy from and interactive TV company. Obviously if your not connected your unlikely to use the interactive bit. This is ONLY valid for the first 12 months after that you can do what you like.

Regards
Cammy

chelsie_uk

Yes i agree you dont have to plug it in the phone box, thats only if you want to use sky cheap calls and the email and some games are played on line,
a part from that we dont plug ours in and never do

chel

jjones

after the install of my digi dish i removed the phone line (coz it trailed across the floor). about 6 months later sky phoned asking if their was a problem - it old them i had kicked and snapped the connector and would get it fixed. theyrang about a week latr and offered to send an engineer around. at this point i wired it in.

12 months is up now so might remove it coz i never buy anything through the thing

John Catlin

Installed 15 months ago, removed telephone link from day one, no problem.

Do not use any inter active that requires telephone.

Do not vote etc, therefore no problem.

No one from Sky has phoned me up about it, so why connect.

dsmith

If you had the digibox-free/installation £40 deal then you signed an extra contract with open. They subsidise the boxes and installation in return you agree to keep the phone line plugged in for a year.

I can only speak for my installation, but the telephone extension cable the sky engineer left me had no ring line so no indication to the box that there was an incoming call so Sky cannot call the box. - prepared to be corrected by a knoweldegable phone person.

The box rings out once a month if you've made any Sky Box office purchases e.g. films or hmmm additional entertainment features . Lots of the Open stuff rings out at the drop of a hat so I refuse it to use most of it on principle (except Beehive Bedlam - nearly as addictive as C/S !)

Deano

Hos

iTrader: (1)

we have 3 digital boxes going from the 1 dish. we didn't have enough phonelines for all 3 so we looked into it.

Basically like an above post says. you only need it connected if you want to do things with your account. i.e pay for movies, shop, send email, . you don't need it for anything else..

Robertio

iTrader: (1)

Rumour had it when they first came out that Sky could download updates to the software in the box via the telephone connection, don't know whether this is done or not, but my NTL box has been remotely upgraded twice in the last 2 months.

dsmith

I *beleive* s/w updates come via the satellite. It is after all just a large digital pipe that happens to carry mostly digitally encoded sound and pictures.

John Catlin

My updates etc have been via the satellite and not via the telephone line.

Line used for purchaase, voting etc etc

BarryK

Ours is connected up.

What is the big deal in this country over "ooh I'm not connecting it to the phone". What dark vile images are you watching on TV that you don't want "them" to know about?

Beehive Bedlam eh? Is there an aimbot available for it?

[This message has been edited by BarryK (edited 12 September 2001).]