New Vista PC - attaching to Sky+ box

[Daysleeper40]

Hi everyone - just after some technical advice if anyone can help please...

I have a shiny new Dell Inspiron PC running Windows Vista Home Premium Edition. I am loving what I have seen of the media centre in Vista and want to attach my PC to my Sky+ box so I can record onto my hard disc and burn DVD's etc.

I have the Dell instructions for this with:

1. Media Centre Remote control
2. Remote sensor which plugs into a USB port
3. Little sensor thingy that you are supposed to stick on the infra red signal on the Sky+ box.

I get that the sensor goes from the Sky+ box and plugs into the remote sensor, which in turn plugs into a USB port on the PC. My problem is that none of the wires are going to be long enough to reach and I can't move the PC nearer to the Sky box. Can I get an extension lead for the sensor and where would I buy one from if I can??

Sorry if that was long winded but I'm determined to get the most out of this PC and I can't be the only person with this problem!

 

[Richard Bruvofetc]

I probably need a little more information from you but what you appear to be saying (and apologies if I have interpreted things incorrectly) is that you have two wireless sensors (one for the Sky Box and one for the PC) with which you want to use to communicate between the two.

If this is so, why do you need to connect with a hardwire? However, having said that I would doubt that the wireless connectivity would have the bandwidth to record in realtime.

 

[Daysleeper40]

I'm probably not explaining this very well but in the instructions it says you have to stick one of the sensors (No. 3 in my previous post) onto the infra red signal on the front of the Sky box, this then connects via a wire to the sensor for the remote control (No. 2), which in turn is plugged into a USB port on the computor.

I already have the remote control sensor plugged into the USB port and that is working fine with the remote. Obviously I can stick the other sensor to the Sky box, but the wire from this is not long enough to reach and I cannot connect the jack to the remote control sensor.

I was actually thinking it might be easier to get a USB extension cable for the remote control sensor - only that would mean it would be positioned on the other side of the room to the PC which doesn't make much sense for using the remote...

Thankyou for trying to help - I know it's not easy when you can't see what I'm going on about!

 

[Jakey Rowling]

The usb port on every sky+ box is not functional.
On some variants you can get +5V for charging some usb devices but other than that it was a future upgrade which has not been developed and unlikely to be so as far as I understand it.

This forum is a good information point for sky+ and this thread one of many for usb questions.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=709243&highlight=usb