Sky recordings

[Cornish Jack]

Possibly the wrong place but please move if inappropriate.
For our sins, we have a Sky box installed. The North Sea air and the last two days gales have 'dismantled' the dish and lnb holder.. Obviously no 'live' input available but SWMBO would like to look at some of her (many) recordings. No joy!!! I would have supposed that the recordings would be on an internal HD, accessible via the Planner selector - not so! It looks as though the recordings require dish access just like live reception. Can anyone confirm, please, and any suggestions for SWMBO to access her 'Death in Paradise' etc.?
TIA

[Ancient Observer]

Certainly in this house,when the Sky signal does not work, for some reason the Recordings do not work. Clearly, the recordings are somehow "mediated" ?? by having a sky signal. It isn't just a simple hard drive.

[PDR1]

It *is* a simple hard drive - but the box will not allow recordings to be played unless the box has a valid satellite signal and a correctly-paired viewing card in the slot. This is to prevent people "loading up" a box with lots of subscribed programmes and then lending the box around to non-subscribers. Similarly if you just use the box as a freesat box (no sky subscription*) you don't get any of the recording/pause functions. If you want to watch sky programmes when there is no satellite signal you have to use the web-app (sky Go).

Actually all the above applies to the Sky+/SkyHD boxes - I don't know how much of it applies to the more internet-based SkyQ system.

PDR

* Sky will sell you a freesat card to use with surplus sky boxes if you ask them

[Cornish Jack]

A O and Pdr1 - thank you for that info. Unsurprising that Sky would insist on their 'pound of flesh'! Temporary fix by recovering the Humax from the loft - recordings from happier days! Local 'leccy' shop reckons new dish by tomorrow at the latest! Good service is not dead!