television

Hi All


I am wondering if anyone has linked up their sky box to the television. I read on a thread that someone was going to do this, Will it work, is it a free view box? i am no expert but for a sky box to work you need a sat dish. 
Please anyone any info let me know as i am going out at new year and would like to get it sorted.

cheers   

stuart

Hi Stuart,

Your right, 'freeview' is UK only, if you have a digital TV or STB you should be able to pick up TDT which is the Spanish version.  We are all waiting to see if/when PW will provide a satellite feed to CdA.  Has anyone heard? I have a spare sky box just waiting to back it's way over.

Phil

Apparently the Polaris TV system will be available from the 13th of November. One off purchase of their decoder (about 400 Euros) and no subscription charges will give you the main terrestrial UK channels.

I am taking my spare Sky box over on Dec 6th, to pick up  the Free To Air channels that don't need a viewing card such as BBC, ITV, Channel 4, news channels etc.  From what I have read on the PW Telecom webpage, and assuming they have set up a communal dish on site, this should work.  At this stage I see no need to shell out on a box sold by Polaris World.

I don't know whether I'll be the first to try it out or not, but I'll report back with my findings !  But as I said in a thread last week, Customer Service in the portacabin on-site said that the English TV was not now likely to be ready in November.  Cappielow, when did you last speak to them ?

Chris




This message was last edited by rockstarphotograph on 11/4/2008.

Hi Chris,

Has anyone else noticed that the PW website has been updated and all the detailed info on internet/tv removed!.

You can still find the info at http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.polarisworld.com/polarisworld/servlet/serviciostelecomfront%3Fcomando%3Dbuscar&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsky%2B%2522polaris%2Btelecom%2522%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:*:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7GGLR%26sa%3DG%26pwst%3D1

So the real question is will PW be providing the feed to CdA that will allow us to sue our own Sky boxes, as La Torre, or will we be forced to use thier box?

Anyone seen any definitive statements on this?

Phil 

Hi Chris,

We were out there last week and were given the date of 13th November for TV, telephone and internet connection. Not sure if that date will actually be achieved but I did see some guys working on junction boxes and stuff outside so there does seem to be some activity.

George. 

Hi

When I was there last week there 6 Polaris World Telecom vans about, Wed/Thurs doin underground work at the entrance when I was leaving Friday morning they had moved up to Jardine One.

Asked the question to PW Customer services PW yesturday , they emailed me back the following:-

As for the telecom services, we are sorry to inform you that they are not available yet in Condado, we are working on it and they will be available within the next few weeks.

This is for anyone thinking of taking their own Sky box over to Condado - everyone else, just ignore it !

As the apartment's Satellite wall socket is a Co-axial female socket and the back of the Sky box is a female F-connector socket, a normal TV Co-ax cable will not suffice.

If you have a normal Co-ax cable spare, you will need one of these.  If you don't have a cable spare, you will need one of these.

OK I'll just remove my anorak now

Chris

We have also been told that its not available yet on Condado.

If you take your sky box over, in La Torre the signal was blocked to ITV & BBC but you could get CH4 & 5, where as if you bought the Polaris system you could get ITV & BBC but not CH4 & 5. They somehow managed to block the sky signal to these channels so you have to get there box.

You will also need an adapter to connect your threaded sky aerial connection lead to a standard arial socket. You can buy these for a few quid. 

Hi Chris

You've completely bamboozled me now with regard to Sky Box.I have a spare Sky Box at home and was wondering if it was worth taking it over to Murcia.Friends of our in other parts of Spain and Majorca have done this when they bought their apartments last year but they have been told that they can't get Sky now because signal was being obtained illegally frrom Sky.Have you heard about this?If I can take box over can you get aerial socket and cable you mentioned in the UK?

Apologies for avalanche of questions. You can tell I'm a real whiz with anything technical||||

Any info much appreciated. Thanks Lyn

 

Hi Lyn,

as you can tell from this thread, it's not certain yet as to whether the Sky boxes from the UK will work or not !  We won't actually know till the signal is available and someone tries it.  There used to be a lot of technical info on the Polaris World website which did state we could use our own Sky boxes. But as Ptan/Phil has spotted, these pages have now been removed.

My understanding is that Polaris World are going to feed the Sky signal through to the apartments unaltered and 'as is', ie with the signal unscrambled for the Free To Air channels, and scrambled for the pay channels. That way they are not breaking any Sky copyrights etc. It is then down to the apartment owner as to whether they bring their box, and possibly their viewing card over to unscramble the signal.

The other situation you mention with your friends is totally different. These companies that have been shut down were unscrambling and then rebroadcasting Sky channels (Sport, movies, Sky 1, UK Gold, music channels etc) over their own micro-mesh dish networks, for a monthly charge.  Polaris World are doing nothing at all like this.

So at this stage I am still taking my box over in December, but without a viewing card, for BBC, ITV, Ch4, 5, and all the other free channels you get from a Sky box when the card is removed. I already have my cable adaptor ready.

You can get the cable and adaptor from Maplin (hi de hi !) in the UK. I wouldn't like to have to search for them in Murcia.

Hope this makes sense !

Chris  

Hi Lyn,

What your friends are talking about is called mesh TV, i.e a company encrypts the SKY channels then illegally retransmits them and charges it's customers to recieve them. As you say there has been a recent blitz in spain on these type of companies and a large number have been shut down.

At PW they are providing a legal satellite feed into your apartment, so if you have the right equipment you can get UK TV.  At other resorts they have either offered thier own box for 400euros or allowed you to use your own SKY box, for a 30euro fee to connection to the feed.

Still not entirely sure what is on offer at CdA, but if they do provide just the feed then bringing out your own SKY box ok.  
As Micheal and Chris have said, the apartments have a normal ariel socket on the wall and the SKY box has a threaded F connector on the back so you will need a cable with an F at one end and an coax at the other like this  or a normal arial cable and a convertor like this -both available from Maplins for a couple of quid.

Phil




This message was last edited by ptan on 11/4/2008.

Sorry for just repeating what Chris said, looks like we were both typing away at the same time.    Back to Stargate

Phil

Phil

Very impressed with pictures, just what I needed thanks.  How does everyone have a spare sky box? and where can I get one if it works.

Allison

Cheers Chris and Phil for all your info.Makes more sense now.Will try and get connections before I go back over in a couple of weeks.Will let you know how it goes.Thanks again. Lyn

Hi Alison,

Talk a friend into upgrading to SKY+ and then giving you thier old box .  
Failing that there are 100's going cheap on ebay.

Phil 

Thanks Phil

Seem to remember us keeping ours when we upgraded but think its lost forever in the black hole that is our shed!

Allison

Had to bring this thread back up as its a topic causing lots of discussion at home. If we take a SKY box to the apartment- do we need a dish?

Hi Jan

From what I know about the other Polaris resorts - no dish is required.

You should be able to get the signal from the Polaris aerials when they are up and running.  Polaris have been known to block the signal to some of the popular English television channels so you have to buy their system. 

 

Thanks Mike and Dawn,

We had heard that PW scramble the signal but then keep seeing on the threads that a spare SKY box might be usable. Going to be trial and error probably. Either way sons and husband are hoping that one bar on Condado will be a sports bar -so they can watch the footy.