Skip to content
Sky

Help & Support

How to set up your own Sky+HD box

  • It's easy to set-up your Sky+HD box if you're upgrading from your white Sky+ box or changing your existing Sky+HD box. Follow our video guides and you'll be watching HD TV in approximately 30 minutes.

     

    If you prefer to follow written instructions, you can choose to read through the user guides in PDF format, or alternatively follow the links below the video for a step-by-step guide to setting up your new Sky+HD box. 

     

    Please note, you can choose a video to watch by  scrolling through topics using the arrows and selecting one of the picture buttons.

    • 1. Getting started - the first steps


      GettingStarted These self-help instructions apply only if you are upgrading from a Sky+ box to a Sky+HD box in the same home location.

      If you have Sky Multiroom and wish to enjoy your existing Sky+ box in another room please contact us on 08442 41 41 41
      as additional wiring and set-up may be required.

      The estimated set-up time is 30 minutes.
      This includes a 10 minute software download that you’ll need to activate.

      Getting started

      First, make sure you have room to access
      the back of your Sky+HD box, TV, and that
      no cables are pulled out or overstretched. Once you can reach all of the connections at the rear switch off and unplug your existing Sky+ box, as well as any devices like DVD players and gaming consoles.

       

      You’ll also need to:

      • Completely remove the SCART cable that connects your Sky+ box to your TV
      • Disconnect the two satellite cables from the back of your Sky+ box
      • Unplug the telephone line from the back of your Sky+ box
      • Remove the viewing card from your existing Sky+ box. This can be found behind the flap on the front

      Now unpack your box and make sure you have received all of the essential components from Sky:

      • Sky+HD box
      • Sky+HD remote control and batteries
      • Sky+HD user guide
      • Power cable
      • HDMI cable (essential in order to enjoy HD TV)
       

    • 2. Getting connected - the right leads in the right sockets

      The next step is replace your current Sky+ box with your brand new Sky+HD box.

        All_Cables        

      1. Connect telephone line (orange socket)

      Note: Be careful to not insert your telephone line into the green Ethernet socket.
      This is the existing telephone line that was used to connect your Sky+ box. If this is currently not in place, please ensure you connect a telephone line so that you can activate your viewing card and channels.


      2. Connect HDMI cable (pink socket)

      Plug the pink end of your new HDMI cable into the pink socket on your Sky+HD box and the black end into the HDMI 1 socket (or another available HDMI socket) on the back of your TV. This is to get high definition pictures. If you don’t have an HD ready TV, use your old SCART cable.

      3. Connect satellite cables (brown sockets)

      These are the existing satellite cables that were used to connect your Sky+ box to your satellite dish. It does not matter which satellite cable is connected to Dish Input 1 or Dish Input 2. Ensure you do not bend the copper wire in the middle of these connections and that you screw the satellite cable all the way onto the back of the box until it is secured tightly.
      Note: If you have one satellite connection, please refer to the " I only have one satellite connection from the dish to my Sky+HD box" link in the Troubleshooting section below.

      4. Connect power cable (blue socket)

      Plug the blue end of your new power cable into the blue socket of your Sky+HD box and switch on at the mains.

      Once you have completed all of the above steps, the connections at the back of your Sky+HD box should match the final set-up image.

      5. Put batteries into your Sky+HD remote

      Insert batteries into the back of your new Sky+HD remote control.

      Connecting other devices
      If you want to connect a surround sound system or gaming console to your Sky+HD box, please consult the       Sky+HD user guide .

    • 3. Updating your Sky+HD software

      This is the important bit. Just like a computer, you should make sure your Sky+HD box has the latest software available for it, which you can download by following the steps below. Before you begin, you should ensure the power cable of your Sky+HD box is plugged in and has been switched on for at least 3 minutes.

      1. Press sky on your Sky remote control to turn your Sky+HD box on. The standby light will be green when your Sky+HD box is switched on.
      2. Press and hold the standby button on your Sky remote control until the standby light on your Sky+HD box turns red.
      3. Press and hold down the back up button on the top of your Sky+HD box, and with back up still pressed down, press sky on your remote control once.
      4. The standby light on your Sky+HD box will change from red to amber. Keep holding down back up, and you will see the Sky+HD Please wait... message.
      5. Continue to hold down the back up button until all of the lights on the front of your Sky+HD box are lit, at which point you can release the back up button. If after 40 seconds, the lights have not come on, start this process again. UpdatingSoftware
      6. Wait for ten minutes, during which time you will see a message on your TV screen, "UPDATING SYSTEM SOFTWARE - do not disconnect from the mains supply or satellite dish. This may take up to 10 minutes."
      7. When the download is complete, you will see the Sky Intro channel.
       

    • 4. Your viewing card - how to insert your viewing card

      Now you’ve updated the software in your new Sky+HD box, insert your existing viewing card.

      YourViewingCard

      1. Open the flap on the right hand side of
        your Sky+HD box and insert the card with the Sky logo facing upwards.
      2. Make sure the card is inserted firmly, then close the flap.

        

    • 5. Confirm your installation

      To confirm your Sky+HD installation you need to complete the following steps

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Press 0 (zero), then 1, followed by select to access the Installer Setup menu, with Setup highlighted (this menu is not listed on the Settings menu options).
      4. Use the left/right arrows to highlight Install (this will change to New Install when reached) and press select.
      5. Follow the on-screen instructions until "Installation Complete" is displayed, then press select to continue. 

      You're now ready to move onto the final step and activate your channels.
        InstallationComplete

    • 6. Activate your channels

      To make sure you're enjoying all the right channels, you now need to activate your channels through the Sky Guide.

      Important: If you've chosen to take the HD Pack, you must complete this step otherwise you will not receive your HD channels but you will be charged for them.

      1. Press interactive on your Sky remote control.
      2. Press the down arrow to highlight Sky Active, then press select.
      3. Use the up/down arrows to highlight My Sky Account, then press select.
      4. Use the up/down arrows to highlight Activate self set-up and press select.
      5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete your set-up.

        ActivateYourChannels

    • 7. Your Sky remote - one remote for your TV and Sky box

      Insert the batteries provided into your new Sky+HD remote. You should be able to operate your TV set and your Sky box with it, but if you have any problems, or if you have changed the batteries or bought a new TV recently, you may need to program your Sky remote to work with your TV. You'll find instructions on how to do this in our remote control help section.

  •  

    • Troubleshooting - I'm seeing the "No satellite signal is being received" message

      Check to see if you only have one satellite connection at the back of your box. If so, please refer to the ' I only have one satellite connection from the dish to my Sky+HD box' link further down the page.

      If you have two satellite connections, please follow the instructions below.

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Use the left/right arrows to scroll to Signal and press select.
      4. The grey bars displayed will show you the strength of the signal to your Sky+HD box.

        Checking signal strength and quality
      5. If you do not have any signal strength or quality, switch the Sky+HD box and TV to standby, leave for a couple of minutes, then switch any connected items off and unplug from the mains.
      6. Disconnect and then reconnect the cables coming from your satellite to Dish Input 1 and Dish Input 2 (brown sockets) at the back of your box. These are screw connectors; turn clockwise to tighten and anti-clockwise to loosen. Do not bend the copper wire in the middle of the satellite cable and ensure you screw the connection onto the back of the box until it is secured tightly.

        Reconnecting your satellite cables to your box
      7. Plug in and switch all products on again and confirm that the signal test screen shows the correct results by following the instructions in steps 1-4 again.

    • Troubleshooting - I cannot see the "Installation Complete" message

      If you cannot see the "Installation Complete" message when confirming your Sky+HD installation, there may be a problem with the connection between your Sky+HD box and your telephone line. You can check this connection by following the steps below.

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Use the left/right arrows to navigate to Signal, and press select.
      4. Press ch- on your remote to select page 2 and check to see if the telephone line is connected.
      5. If the message tells you your telephone line is not connected, switch the Sky+HD box and TV to standby, leave for a couple of minutes, then switch all the connected items off and unplug from the mains. Disconnect and reconnect the telephone line to the socket marked Tel Line (red).
      6. Plug in and switch all attached items on again and confirm that the telephone line is now connected by following steps 1-4 again.

      Check that your telephone line is connected to the Tel Line socket

    • Troubleshooting - I only have one satellite connection from the dish to my Sky+HD box

      If you only have one satellite connection from your satellite dish to your Sky+HD box, you will need to activate single feed mode. Please ensure the dish input cable is connected to Dish Input 1 at the back of your Sky+HD box and that no recordings are currently in progress before following the steps below.

      One satallite connection

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Press 0 (zero), 1 then select to access the Installer Setup menu (this menu is not listed on the Settings menu options).
      4. Press select to access the Setup menu. Low Band Lo Frequency will be highlighted.
      5. Highlight Single Feed Mode using the down arrow button.
      6. Toggle the setting to ON using the left/right arrows.
      7. Press the green button to save your changes.
      8. You will see a warning message "Single Feed Mode - Caution. This will take a few minutes to complete. Pressing select will reboot your Sky+, and current recordings will be stopped. It will then mean you can only record one programme at a time; and anytime will be unavailable. Press select to continue or back up to cancel."
      9. Press select to reboot your Sky+HD box.

    • Troubleshooting - Connecting tvLINK

      If you want to connect a tvLINK, you will need to switch the RF power supply to on, which you can do by following the steps below:

      1. Press services on your Sky remote control and you will see the main menu with Options highlighted.
      2. Highlight the Settings menu using the right arrow button and press select.
      3. Press 0 (zero), 1, then select to access the Installer Setup menu (this menu is not listed on the Settings menu options).
      4. Use the left/right arrows to highlight RF Out (this will change to RF Outlets when reached) and press select.
      5. Press the down arrow to highlight RF Outlet Power Supply and toggle the setting to ON using the left/right arrows.
      6. Press the green button to save your changes and press sky to return to normal viewing.

  • Yes     No

    Please select a choice from above

      Submit

    To help us improve our service, please let us know whether you found the answer to your question, or successfully resolved your issue, using this article.

    Thank you for your feedback.

    Need more assistance?

    If you have any additional comments, require further assistance or a specific response to any particular issue you have encountered, please Contact Us . 

    Would you like further help?

    Or Contact Us

    UK
    Ireland