Ok, so you signed up to SkyDigital, the installer came and stuck a dish upon your wall and a digibox on top of your video recorder. You read the manual and then went off to search the Internet for anything interesting that it didn't tell you. Perhaps the manual didn't tell you the code to control your TV with your SkyDigital remote control, perhaps it didn't tell you how to change the UHF output channel, or perhaps you didn't bother with the manual anyway. But you've arrived here, which is a good start, because on this page I aim to collect together all of the information that they can't be bothered to tell you, don't put in the manual, or simply don't want you to know.
But this isn't a Frequently Asked Questions list, oh no, there already is a SkyDigital FAQ so I'm not about to repeat everything you'll find there. You won't find a walkthrough of how to use your box on these pages, If you want to read about these please visit the FAQ here. This page is purely about information. Be it updated or omitted, useful or trivial, but one way or another it isn't in the manual. This is "skydigital undocumented".
The information on this page is entirely within the public domain. I'm not associated with British Sky Broadcasting or any of the digital equipment manufacturers, and nor is this page. None has been supplied by anyone associated with these companies. Some of the information is pretty obvious, some may already be in your manual if it's newer than mine, some has been contributed by readers of the guide (as credited), a fair amount is now common knowledge repeated here without anyone in particular to credit, but also much has resulted from my own research.
The information is correct to the best of my knowledge and is provided in good faith. However, please be aware that messing with some of the settings can have an adverse affect on your equipment. It's even possible to render your system unusable if you alter something which you shouldn't. So, if you decide to experiment with anything you read here then you do so entirely at your own risk. Don't go flaming me if you end up having to call out an engineer to fix your stuff, ok?
Good, right now that little formality is out of the way please read on and enjoy.
As mentioned in the manual, pressing the i key when you have a programme highlighted in the EPG will display an Information Banner which details the name of the programme together with up to four lines of description.
Thanks to a software upgrade, the banner now also tells the exact start time of a programme, and can be displayed whilst watching a programme. To display the Information Banner for the programme that you're currently watching simply press i. The banner can be removed by pressing back up or i again, or will disappear by itself after awhile. If you have 'Search & Scan Banner Timeout' set to 5 seconds then the Information Banner will stay displayed for 20 seconds, with a setting of 10 seconds the Information Banner will remain for 40 seconds. If you have 'Search & Scan Banner Timeout' disabled (0 seconds) then the Information Banner is also disabled whilst watching programmes; the Information Banner timeout is 4 times the 'Search & Scan Banner Timeout'.
Whilst watching a programme it's only possible to view the Information Banner for the current programme. If you press the arrow keys to find out what programmes are on other channels or at different times, pressing i will still show you the information about the current programme. You need to enter the EPG to find out about any others.
Following the most recent software upgrade, it's now possible to jump randomly between channels in the TV Guide listings (EPG). To do this, press tv guide and then choose one of the TV Guide sections. At any time, you can update the display to begin with a particular channel by simply dialling the 3-digit channel number for the channel that you want to see listed. The display will then change to show the chosen channel at the top of the screen, followed by up to the next 9 channels in the same section of the TV Guide. For instance, to jump straight to the music television channels dial 440.
Note, however, that you are still limited to the TV Guide section that you selected from the EPG main menu. So for full access to all of the channels choose option "1 ALL CHANNELS". Otherwise when you dial a channel number which is valid but lies outside the chosen section, the display will show "Unavailable"; if the number you enter is invalid but there are some channels with higher numbers then these are displayed instead.
There is now an option on the main menu of the TV Guide listings (EPG) which allows you to browse the listings in an A-Z format, and a similar new Box Office ordering system which allows you to browse the available movies and events on an A-Z basis, as well as by categories such as 'Start Time', 'New Movies', 'Sports & Events', 'Specialist' (adult) and 'Free Previews'. It's not worth describing these features in full here but they are all fairly simple to use, except for the lack of 'page up' and 'page down' controls. When you select A-Z listings you must then choose a TV Guide section as usual, however the colour buttons cannot be used to navigate the display. The colour buttons are instead used to select different types of programme within a section, such as 'Comedy' (red), 'Drama' (green), 'Factual' (yellow) and 'Sci-Fi' (blue) in the Entertainment section, with even more programme types revealed when you press the left and right arrow keys. In the ALL PROGRAMMES A-Z the colour buttons aren't used at all.
There doesn't seem to be a way to scroll through the new displays a screenful at a time (even if you have an open keypad, the PgUp and PgDn buttons have no affect). However, you can jump through the displays to the start of listings for a particular letter. For instance, if you have an open keypad pressing S will jump to the first screenful of listings which begin with S. You can also do this by pressing the number keys on the remote control, but will need to press button 7 four times to reach S. The display is updated when you do not press any key for three seconds.
Sadly you can't choose to renumber or reorder the channels to suit yourself with SkyDigital but thanks to one of the early upgrades you can tell the box which channels you watch the most. This is achieved through the 'FAVOURITE CHANNELS' option in services. Once selected a list of all channels will appear which can be scrolled using the cursor keys and red (page up) / green (page down). For each of up to 20 channels that you watch the most you can press yellow to toggle the tick next to the channel name, and then select when finished.
Once set up, you can browse through just your favourite channels (missing out any that you didn't tick) by pressing the blue button on the remote control. Each time you press blue whilst watching any channel the search & scan banner will appear for your next favourite, and when you find a programme that want to watch on a favourite channel press select to view it. A tick next to the channel name on the search & scan banner indicates that a channel is selected as favourite.
At mentioned briefly in some editions of the manual, the digibox has a subtitle menu option in the system setup. For a long time this option had no effect, because the subtitle software was not available, however the software has now been released as part of the recent upgrade. As a result, subtitles can be turned on using services and then displayed on any television which is connected to the box, irrespective of whether or not the television has its own teletext/subtitles. Even more usefully, the subtitles will be permanently recorded on any video recordings that you make from SkyDigital.
Since launch, Sky has started to offer a number of interactive broadcasting services including Sky News Active on Sky News (501), interactive sports such as football, rugby and cricket on Sky Sports (usually on Sky Sports Extra - 404) and interactive advertising. The shopping channel QVC (630) also now provides an interactive directory service.
In all cases, the services are accessed by pressing the red button when viewing a channel with an interactive service. Usually a tiny graphic will be displayed in the corner of the screen to invite you to start the interactive service, or to remind you that it is already active. The graphics can be remove by pressing back up once or twice, or press the sky button to exit the service.
The interactive services are generally fairly easy to use, so won't be described in full here. Most are navigated by using the colour buttons and number keys, although the response times for each service are somewhat variable. If you switch to a channel which should have interactive content but find that you cannot activate it, you may need to reboot your digibox by turning off at the plug, waiting for a minute, turning back on and then trying the channel again once the box is up and running.
In addition to the interactive content of some channels, a full interactive service is now provided by Open... (a consortium majority owned by Sky in which BT also have a stake holding; previously HSBC also owned a share). To access the Open... service simply press the interactive button.
When using Sky News Active, if you find the news ticker at the bottom of the screen to be distracting this can be switched off by pressing the blue button. The message "Ticker Off: Press blue button to resume." will appear; press blue again to restart the ticker.
E-mail notification is quite useful if you're a user of the Open... e-mail service and would like to know in advance whether or not you have an e-mail waiting rather than going online to find out. A handy use for the 'Message' indicator on the front of the digibox, perhaps, but unfortunately that isn't implemented. However, if you have a digital mobile phone then you can configure your e-mail account so that an SMS (Short Message Service) notification message is automatically sent to your phone whenever you receive a new e-mail.
To do this you'll need to access your Open... e-mail account over the Internet to initially set up the SMS notifications, because the facility isn't configurable using the digibox. The set up procedure is as follows, firstly go to the website www.talk21.com and login using your usual e-mail username and password. Then click on 'preferences' and choose 'set up SMS Notification'. Next enter your mobile phone number and click the 'request' button - you'll then receive an SMS message containing a PIN number which should be entered back into the 'PIN number' box on the web page. Finally, tick 'Activate SMS' and complete the process by clicking the 'save' button.
Once set up you'll receive an SMS notification whenever you receive a new e-mail message, and can read the message either using Open... or the www.talk21.com website (or by calling Speechmail). Notification messages don't tell you the subjects of your e-mails, or who they are from, but the service is free of charge (if you choose to call Speechmail this is an 0870 number charged at national rate). E-mail notification can be turned off at any time using the www.talk21.com website.
So you tried to make your SkyDigital remote control able to operate your television by entering the appropriate 4-digit brand code from the manual, but it didn't work. No need to fret, simply try the codes for other brands as usually one of them will work. Manufacturers often share the same remote controllers, or offer televisions for sale which are actually the same underlying product as another brand. For instance, if you have an Alba television which didn't respond to the Alba code 0043 it would be worth trying the codes for Goodmans, Grundig and Bush. If you have a Ferguson set then also try the codes for Thomson, Thorn and Thorn-Ferguson.
Its worth trying several codes, but trying them all isn't really recommended as that can take hours and get very frustrating. If you have no luck after awhile then you can either try calling Sky for help or try finding yourself a 3-digit code (see Setting & Reading 3-Digit TV Codes).
Note that although the manual only describes testing each TV code by pressing the POWER button you can test with most other buttons too. Use a channel number button if you don't want to turn off your TV.
In addition to the 4-digit brand codes, the SkyDigital remote control can also be configured to operate your television using 3-digit model codes. By using the correct 3-digit code you can immediately begin using the remote control without the lengthy set up and testing described in the manual.
To find a 3-digit code you can either refer to one of the lists of SkyDigital remote codes found on the Internet Or you can use a One-4-All code and convert it for use with a SkyDigital remote control by adding 028 (also discard the initial zero if the One-4-All code has 4 digits). A list of most One-4-All codes are supplied with their remote controls, or can be obtained from the support section of the One-4-All website. For example, the One-4-All code for my cheapy Goodmans television is 037, therefore to convert this to a SkyDigital code I simply add 028 to get code 065. This can be set using the procedure given below.
To set up your SkyDigital remote control using a 3-digit code begin by pressing tv and then press and hold select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial your 3-digit code.
That's all; there's no need to press select again or to press POWER. If the code is accepted then the red light will blink twice when you enter the third digit; alternatively if the light only blinks once then the code is not known and cannot be used. Therefore, if the code is equivalent to a One-4-All code which you're sure is correct for your TV, but isn't accepted, then unfortunately your SkyDigital remote control cannot be used with your TV. For example, requests for the code to control widescreen THOMSON TVs are pretty common but the correct code 653 is unknown to all but the newest SkyDigital remotes (it also works with open keypads).
Once your SkyDigital remote control is correctly set up for your television, you can find out which 3-digit code it is using. To do this begin by pressing tv and then press and hold select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial 990 (red light blinks twice). To read off the code press 1 and count how many times the red light flashes. The number of flashes is the same as the first digit of the code. Press 2 and count the flashes to get the second digit of the code. Finally press 3 and count the flashes to get the third and final digit.
The procedures for setting and reading 3-digit codes are slightly different for the open keypad, see Open Keypad.
As documented in the digibox manual, the remote control can be programmed with a macro to be replayed whenever sky, tv guide, box office, services or interactive is pressed. The idea is to set the macro to change the TV channel to the channel which is tuned to SkyDigital, if necessary. But in fact more than one key can be included in the macro if desired, up to a maximum of 4 keys.
To set the macro, begin by pressing tv and then press and hold select and green together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Enter your macro of up to 4 key presses, followed by select (red light blinks twice).
To delete the macro press tv and then hold select and green together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Then press select again (red light blinks twice).
The macro isn't specific to the TV brand or model code used, so if you change your TV then an equivalent macro will be played out to your new TV. With the open keypad the initial step of pressing tv/sat isn't necessary.
Unable to access some functions of your TV using the SkyDigital remote control? No problem - the remote control is based on One-4-All technology, which allows use of their Key Magic codes for changing the assignments of the remote control buttons in TV mode.
Assuming that you have already set up your SkyDigital remote control with the correct brand or model code so that it correctly operates the basic functions of your TV, you just need to find out the Key Magic codes for the missing functions to programme them into the remote control. Or you can swap some of the original key assignments around if you wish.
To alter the original key assignments begin by pressing tv and then press and hold select and yellow together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial 994 (red light blinks twice). Then press the key you wish to copy followed by the button you wish to assign (red light blinks twice).
This copies the original assignment of the first key, even if you have used Key Magic to change it. Hence it is possible to exchange two or more keys without losing the original functions of any.
To access extra functions you'll need the correct Key Magic codes. If you have another One-4-All device and already know the codes that you need then great - the same codes can be used with the SkyDigital remote control. If not then you may be able to find them by searching the support section of the One-4-All website. Otherwise, you can try to guess them.
To set a new assignment using a Key Magic code begin by pressing tv and then press and hold select and yellow together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial 994 (red light blinks twice). Press select again and then enter the 3-digit Key Magic code followed by the key you wish to assign (red light blinks twice).
Key Magic codes are always quoted by One-4-All support within the range 200 to 899, however there are really only 256 different codes; the official codes are simply reordered and have multiples of 256 added to them at random. Hence Key Magic code 306, which is the Teletext code for my Goodmans TV, is equivalent to codes 050, 562 and 818.
To guess a code you can begin with 000 and work towards 255 until you find the code that you're looking for - it should be in there somewhere! And you'll probably discover many others along the way. Alternatively, you can try out codes from the table below (contributed by Guy Sprackland) and may discover that the codes which operate your TV are mostly clustered together within a few rows or columns of the table. However, please be aware that searching for Key Magic codes is risky! It's possible to send your TV infra-red signals which activate engineer functions and set up modes which are not intended for public use. So by using Key Magic indiscriminately you can inadvertently activate settings which cause damage to your TV or can only be cancelled by a TV service engineer. For this reason One-4-All technical support no longer issue complete lists of codes to members of the public. You have been warned!
| 522 | 264 | 267 | 521 | 394 | 648 | 651 | 393 | 330 | 584 | 587 | 329 | 714 | 456 | 459 | 713 |
| 234 | 488 | 491 | 233 | 618 | 360 | 363 | 617 | 554 | 296 | 299 | 553 | 426 | 680 | 683 | 425 |
| 282 | 536 | 539 | 281 | 666 | 408 | 411 | 665 | 602 | 344 | 347 | 601 | 474 | 728 | 731 | 473 |
| 506 | 248 | 251 | 505 | 378 | 632 | 635 | 377 | 314 | 568 | 571 | 313 | 698 | 440 | 443 | 697 |
| 526 | 268 | 271 | 525 | 398 | 652 | 655 | 397 | 334 | 588 | 591 | 333 | 718 | 460 | 463 | 717 |
| 238 | 492 | 495 | 237 | 622 | 364 | 367 | 621 | 558 | 300 | 303 | 557 | 430 | 684 | 687 | 429 |
| 286 | 540 | 543 | 285 | 670 | 412 | 415 | 669 | 606 | 348 | 351 | 605 | 478 | 732 | 735 | 477 |
| 510 | 252 | 255 | 509 | 382 | 636 | 639 | 381 | 318 | 572 | 575 | 317 | 702 | 444 | 447 | 701 |
| 258 | 512 | 515 | 257 | 642 | 384 | 387 | 641 | 578 | 320 | 323 | 577 | 450 | 704 | 707 | 449 |
| 738 | 480 | 483 | 737 | 354 | 608 | 611 | 353 | 546 | 288 | 291 | 545 | 418 | 672 | 675 | 417 |
| 274 | 528 | 531 | 273 | 658 | 400 | 403 | 657 | 594 | 336 | 339 | 593 | 466 | 720 | 723 | 465 |
| 498 | 240 | 243 | 497 | 370 | 624 | 627 | 369 | 306 | 560 | 563 | 305 | 690 | 432 | 435 | 689 |
| 262 | 516 | 519 | 261 | 646 | 388 | 391 | 645 | 582 | 324 | 327 | 581 | 454 | 708 | 711 | 453 |
| 486 | 228 | 231 | 485 | 358 | 612 | 615 | 357 | 294 | 548 | 551 | 293 | 678 | 420 | 423 | 677 |
| 534 | 276 | 279 | 533 | 406 | 660 | 663 | 405 | 342 | 596 | 599 | 341 | 726 | 468 | 471 | 725 |
| 246 | 500 | 503 | 245 | 630 | 372 | 375 | 629 | 566 | 308 | 311 | 565 | 438 | 692 | 695 | 437 |
After playing with Key Magic you can, of course, return any buttons you have altered to their original functions at any time. To do this press tv and then hold select and yellow together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial 994 (red light blinks twice). Finally press the key you wish to reset twice (red light blinks twice).
Key Magic cannot be used to change the keys tv, sky, tv guide, box office, services, interactive, or select. You can assign functions to the arrow keys of the SkyDigital remote control, but for some reason cannot assign the arrow keys of the open keypad (or any of its additional keys).
Any changes you make are specific to the TV brand or model code effective at the time, so if you change your TV the remote will still play out the Key Magic codes that you set up for your old TV. With the open keypad the initial step of pressing tv/sat isn't necessary.
To perform a reset press tv and then hold select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Now dial 999 (red light blinks once for a long time and then twice quickly).
For the SkyDigital remote control this changes the TV model code back to default 038, clears the macro and deletes any Key Magic changes that you have made. For the open keypad the initial step of pressing tv/sat isn't necessary and only the Key Magic changes are deleted; reset doesn't effect the TV code or macro.
The remote control is marked "Insert New Batteries Within 10 Minutes Of Removing The Old Ones" inside the battery compartment. Don't believe it - you need to leave the batteries out for much longer than this (nearly 24 hours) before it loses its memory.
But on the other hand, if you're removing the batteries to force the remote to forget all of your changes then you can achieve this much more quickly. If you have set up the remote to change the TV channel using the select and green procedure and want to undo this see Resetting TV Macro; or if you want to restore all factory defaults see Resetting Changes.
For the most part the open keypad exhibits the same behaviour as the SkyDigital remote control. It can transmit more key codes, of course, with separate key codes even for shifted and non-shifted presses of the keys (see One-4-All Remote Controls), but there are also a few minor operational differences. These are detailed in this section.
Setting & Reading 3-Digit TV Codes
The keypad can be set to control televisions using 4-digit codes using the same procedure as the SkyDigital remote control. However, the procedures for setting and reading 3-digit codes are slightly different for the keypad.
To set up your open keypad using a 3-digit code you don't need to press tv/sat. Begin by holding select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Then dial your 3-digit code and finish by pressing select (red light blinks twice). The keypad recognises some codes which are unknown to the SkyDigital remote control.
Once your keypad is correctly set up for your television, you can find out which 3-digit code it is using by holding select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Next dial 990 (red light blinks twice). To read off the code dial 12 and count how many times the red light flashes. The number of flashes is the same as the first digit of the code. Press 3 and count the flashes to get the second digit of the code. Finally press 4 and count the flashes to get the third and final digit.
Using Key Magic To Access Extra TV Functions
Key magic can be used to reconfigure some keys of the open keypad to perform different television functions, but fewer keys are configurable than on the SkyDigital remote control. It's not possible to use key magic to assign functions to the arrow keys. Also, none of the keys which only appear on the keypad can be configured - even the unmarked keys (which don't appear to do anything at all) refuse to respond to key magic.
Resetting Changes
Performing a reset has a lesser effect upon the keypad than the remote control - it only affects any Key Magic changes that have been made; the TV code and macro are unaffected. To perform a reset press and hold select and red together for around two seconds (until the red light blinks twice). Then dial 999 (red light blinks twice).
Got a fairly recent One-4-All remote control which supports SAT devices? If so, then the odds are you can use it to control your Sky digibox if you want to. The SAT device code that you need to configure is 0847 no matter which brand of digibox you have (or 847 for older remotes which use 3-digit device codes). Remotes in the latest range already recognise this code, however for some remotes such as the Topline 5 and Topline 8 you'll need a telephone upgrade, which can be obtained by calling the One-4-All technical support line free on 0808 1000 306.
To set the device code press SAT on your One-4-All remote control and then hold MAGIC for around two seconds (until the light blinks twice). Then ender the device code 0847 (or 847).
Note that older One-4-All remote controls (typically those which use 3-digit device codes) might not be able to control your digibox through a One-4-All Remote Extender, due to minor imperfections in the IR signals which they produce. However, the newer One-4-All remote controls (such as URC-7540, URC-7541, URC-7550 and URC-7560), have an improved chipset which works fine with the One-4-All Remote Extender.
After setting up your One-4-All remote to control your digibox using code 0847 you might still find that it doesn't control all of the facilities you want, or perhaps you hate having to press MENU before the SELECT button works? No worries - simply use Key Magic to program any of the SkyDigital remote control and/or open keypad buttons that you want in exactly the way you want. Here's how.
Firstly, use the table below to find the Key Magic code for a button that you want to program. Then press SAT on your One-4-All remote control and hold MAGIC for around two seconds (until the light blinks twice). Now dial 994 using the keypad (light blinks twice) and press MAGIC again. Enter the Key Magic code that you looked up and then press the key that you want to assign it to (light blinks twice).
Note that some keys on some remotes are unable to receive Key Magic assignments, and if you run out of memory then you won't be able to make any more assignments (light stays on for a second).
| Key | Code | Key | Code | Key | Code | Key | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0£ | 274 | a | 382 | A | 655 | 0 | 381 |
| 1(space) | 522 | b | 630 | B | 391 | 1 | 629 |
| 2abc | 546 | c | 718 | C | 415 | 2 | 717 |
| 3def | 282 | d | 454 | D | 663 | 3 | 453 |
| 4ghi | 498 | e | 478 | E | 367 | 4 | 477 |
| 5jkl | 234 | f | 726 | F | 615 | 5 | 725 |
| 6mno | 258 | g | 430 | G | 639 | 6 | 429 |
| 7pqrs | 506 | h | 678 | H | 375 | 7 | 677 |
| 8tuv | 594 | i | 702 | I | 463 | 8 | 701 |
| 9wxyz | 330 | j | 438 | J | 711 | 9 | 437 |
| red | 257,553 | k | 271 | K | 735 | ! | 412 |
| green | 577 | l | 519 | L | 471 | % | 636 |
| yellow | 313,593 | m | 543 | M | 687 | $ | 612 |
| blue | 329,657 | n | 279 | N | 423 | €uro | 388 |
| tv | 238 | o | 495 | O | 447 | ^ | 372 |
| sky | 526 | p | 231 | P | 695 | \ | 397 |
| power | 306 | q | 255 | Q | 268 | / | 565 |
| text | 281,435 | r | 503 | R | 516 | ? | 317 |
| back up | 233,534,571 | s | 591 | S | 540 | { | 525 |
| help | 262,545 | t | 327 | T | 276 | } | 261 |
| up | 440,720 | u | 351 | U | 492 | : | 237 |
| down | 273,456 | v | 599 | V | 228 | [ | 285 |
| left | 680 | w | 303 | W | 252 | ] | 533 |
| right | 704,728 | x | 551 | X | 500 | " | 660 |
| left / back space | 480 | y | 575 | Y | 588 | ; | 485 |
| select | 432,521 | z | 311 | Z | 324 | ' | 245 |
| tv guide | 300 | # | 581 | ~ | 333 | = | 692 |
| box office | 425 | . | 293 | , | 557 | £ | 364 |
| services | 449 | & | 460 | < | 605 | ( | 732 |
| interactive | 357 | _ | 684 | > | 341 | ) | 468 |
| i | 497,596 | + | 444 | * | 708 | - | 420 |
| channel+ | 531 | @ | 509 | home | 334 | page up | 342 |
| channel- | 267 | ` | 669 | end | 606 | page down | 558 |
| back space | 398 | | | 645 | space | 646 | return | 566 |
The back quote symbol (code 669) can't be entered with the SkyDigital remote or the open keypad. It works in Open e-mail but not when using the interactive shops. I haven't been able to find the codes for Tab or Esc as these keys currently have no effect. The unmarked keypad keys don't appear to have any use since they don't transmit IR signals.
Thanks to Colm Moran for providing the codes for channel+ and channel- keys.
If you've got a problem with your SkyDigital system then by far and away the first thing to do, before even thinking about calling for an engineer, is to reboot the box. Simply turn it off at the plug, wait for at least a minute, and then turn it back on. Check for the problem again once the box is up and running (usually takes a few minutes).
Rebooting usually fixes missing interactive services, as well as lockups and various other strange behaviours.
Software upgrades have sometimes been known to reset PIN numbers to their default values. So if your PIN is being rejected then it might be worth trying the last 4 digits of your viewing card number. If that fails, you can always call Sky for help.
Sometimes the power supply for the TV-Link mysteriously becomes switched off. This will cause it to stop responding even though you can continue to watch SkyDigital on your second TV. The power supply setting can be checked and switched back on using the Installer Menu (see RF Outlets on the Installer Menu).
The installer menu provides access to settings which are not usually to be accessed by users. Includes 'LNB Setup', 'Default Transponder', 'Telephone Settings', 'RF Outlets', 'Manual Tuning' and 'New Installation'. Some of these are best left alone as they can cause your system to become unusable if altered inappropriately, however there are a couple of useful settings which can be changed with care.
To access the Installer Menu press services then dial 401 and press select. Proceed at your own risk.
Telephone Settings
If you have a BT telephone line but usually use a different carrier for your outgoing calls then you can enter your carriers access code here as a 'Dialling Prefix'. For example, enter 140 if you're registered for SkyTalk and would like the digibox to use SkyTalk for outgoing calls instead of BT (using SkyTalk for these calls provides a 52% saving compared to BT rates).
RF Outlets
This menu provides access to two useful facilities. Firstly, if you are installing a TV Link then you'll be directed here to turn on the 6V power supply which is used by the TV Link; but if you don't have a TV Link installed then the setting should be left OFF otherwise damage can be caused if a television is connected directly to the RF2 output of the digibox. Secondly, the RF Outlets menu allows you to change the RF output channel number from the default of 68. Change this setting to a free channel number if the RF output of the digibox clashes with UHF broadcasts in your areas, or with another any other device such as a video recorder or game console.
Software upgrades usually happen automatically (or may sometimes be activated when you reboot), so there's very little need to force an upgrade, but the facility does exist. The procedure is, however, quite risky, so force a software upgrade only if you're sure that it is necessary and are prepared for the fact that it may kill your digibox.
When you force an upgrade the underlying operating system of the digibox is overwritten - so if the process fails then it's possible that your box will not work any more. If the process is interrupted (e.g. by unplugging the box) then apparently the digibox will resume or restart the upgrade once power is restored.
If you want to proceed, turn the digibox off at the mains. Wait for a minute and then press and hold the back up button on the front panel of the box (not the remote control). Now turn the power back on and continue to hold back up for awhile; if you're viewing via SCART then a message will appear shortly to say that the software download is in progress. After reading the message you may let go of back up and go for a cup of tea. Do not press any more buttons, and ensure that the box is not disturbed for at least 10 minutes. Good luck!