An information appliance ( IA ) is an appliance that is designed to easily perform a specific electronic function such as playing music , photography , or editing text .
47-649: The Digibox is a device marketed by Sky UK in the UK and Ireland to enable home users to receive digital satellite television broadcasts (satellite receiver) from the Astra satellites at 28.2° east . An Internet service was also available through the device, similar in some ways to the American MSN TV , before being discontinued in 2015. The first Digiboxes shipped to consumers in October 1998 when Sky Digital
94-620: A deposit before 6 April 2006 were the first to receive the service, with installations starting on 21 May 2006 following over 40,000 advance orders of the service; the number of Sky+HD pre-orders surpassed the total sales in the first year of Sky+. The HD package launched with a one-year minimum subscription duration. The launch line-up consisted of Sky One HD , Sky Arts HD , Sky Movies 9 HD , Sky Movies 10 HD , Sky Sports HD , Discovery HD , National Geographic Channel HD , Sky Box Office HD 1 and Sky Box Office HD 2 (now Sky Movies Box Office). In January 2010, customers started being offered
141-503: A combined way. All of the boxes are VOD-ready, so we'll be able to roll it out to all of the box population." Sky Anytime+ began a staggered roll out from 26 October 2010. In March 2011 it was confirmed by Sky that the Thomson Sky HD boxes would not be suitable for the new Anytime+ service. Customers with Thomson boxes were being offered New boxes. On 1 February 2011, BSkyB introduced a new EPG for Sky HD subscribers which switched
188-630: A long period of time in 2004 and 2005, only one Digibox was in production, the Pace DS430N, but Amstrad and Thomson have resumed production with the DRX500 and DSi4212 boxes respectively. Digiboxes for new customers are assigned randomly, and cannot be chosen, creating an after market for specific boxes due to their individual features. Sky bought out Amstrad satellite production in 2007 and now only distribute boxes which initially appeared as Amstrad models but are now badged merely as Sky. In late 2005, it
235-484: A month in addition to the standard Sky subscription, allowing customers to view HD channels corresponding to the channel packs subscribed to. Additional Pay-Per-View events on Sky Box Office HD are not available to customers unless they subscribe to the Sky HD pack. As of June 2014, subscription numbers for Sky+HD stood at over 5.2 million, an increase from 4.8 million the year before. From October 2016, Sky+ HD
282-607: A new version of Sky remote control being produced every year, to support the addition of new televisions to its universal remote control capabilities. The units are DVB-S compatible, and usually carry the DVB logo on the front. However, their use as a DVB-S receiver for anything other than Sky services is seriously limited by their reduced choice of symbol rates (22,000 and 27,500; additionally 28,250 and 29,000 on Sky+ HD ), and their inability to store more than 50 (fewer still on some models) non-EPG channels without losing them. Following
329-468: A separate HD pack subscription, priced at £5.25 per month. Sky+ recording facilities are included as part of a standard Sky TV subscription package, yet entails a fee of £10.25/month if a customer does not subscribe to any Sky TV package. Viewers who do not take a subscription Sky TV package or the Sky+ service will still receive all free SD and HD channels, but cannot use the recording facilities. Uptakers of
376-648: A short while during the mid- and late 1980s, there were a few models of simple electronic typewriters with screens and some form of memory storage. These dedicated word processor machines had some of the attributes of an information appliance, and Raskin designed one of them, the Canon Cat . He described some properties of his definition of information appliance in his book The Humane Interface . Larry Ellison , Oracle Corporation CEO, predicted that information appliances and network computers would supersede personal computers (PCs). Sky%2B HD Sky+ HD
423-488: A software "upgrade" the Digibox will not display programmes from non 28.2 East Satellites. Additionally, once any form of parental controls are enabled, the "Other Channels" menu requires PIN entry on every use. The box also refuses to let users view channels which are free-to-air but displaying flags claiming encryption, which locks out some channels even on the satellites Sky use themselves, such as Free to View channels and
470-447: Is expected to include movies, entertainment and sport. Existing Sky+ HD receivers will automatically be compatible with the new 3D service, although customers will require a new 3D compatible HDTV set to view in 3D. A 3D trailer has been in circulation in UK cinemas for the new service. It is thought that it will use the new MVC video codec. The first programme that was broadcast by Sky in 3D
517-566: Is halting SD channels' launch applications, with over 100 awaiting launch, over 600 existing channels, and an average closure rate of 1 per week. The Digibox remote control comes in four physical designs - blue with new Sky logo, blue with old Sky logo (this version was being issued from around the first year of the Sky service, although that logo fell out of use before it launched), black with new Sky logo (Sony boxes only) and silver with new Sky logo. However, all have multiple variations at present with
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#1732782885271564-473: Is known as the "Flow" design. A second generation of Digibox exists, marketed as Sky+ . These PVR units have three versions: the 40 GB PVR1, the 40 GB PVR2, and the PVR3 which is fitted with a 160 GB HDD with 80GB available for user recordings, and the remaining 80 GB reserved for use by Sky Anytime. All have dual LNB inputs and an optical digital audio output, as well as all other features of
611-484: Is no longer being offered as it was replaced by Sky Q . Existing customers can continue their subscription with Sky+ HD. Launched in May 2006, Sky HD brought high-definition television to the consumer market, initially consisting of nine HD channels. Prices on launch were announced as £299 for a HD set-top box, with an additional £10 a month HD subscription on top of any existing packages. Customers who pre-ordered by paying
658-412: Is no longer included. Traditional standard-definition (SD) connections are available via SCART and S-Video . All programming is currently output from both HDMI and SD connections, although individual broadcasters have the option to require HDCP (and therefore HDMI) in the future. All HD channels are broadcast in 1080i format (though the box can be set to scale this to 720p if the user wishes), using
705-441: The H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compression standard, from Astra 2A , Astra 2E , Astra 2F and Eutelsat 28A satellites at 28.2°E and 28.5°E in a new DVB transmission standard, DVB-S2 . BBC HD was initially broadcast using DVB-S but switched to DVB-S2 on 6 June 2011. The Version 5 EPG ( electronic program guide ) is almost identical to the one found on Sky+, with the exception being that by pressing TV Guide and then number 2 on
752-508: The Sky Anytime+ service. As well as requiring a Sky+ subscription or any subscription, HD versions of the subscription channels require the payment of an additional £10.25 (or €15) per month, although HD channels can be viewed on free-to-air services such as BBC One HD , BBC Two HD , BBC Four HD , CBBC HD, ITV HD , ITVBe HD , Channel 4 HD , NHK World HD and with a Freesat from Sky card, Channel 5 HD . On 16 March 2011, Sky launched
799-511: The Sky Gnome and Sky Talker. The Sky Gamepad sends data to the box via the serial port. Uniquely, the second RF port outputs a 9 V power signal which is used to power 'tvLINK' devices that can be attached to the RF cable next to a TV in a remote room. The tvLINK has an IR detector and sends commands from the remote control back to the Digibox on a 6 MHz carrier on the RF cable. This allows
846-580: The remote control , listings for only the HD channels are shown. An update was sent to the HD boxes early on 20 March 2007, which also included code for Sky Anytime (now OnDemand). Version 8 of the Sky Guide, dubbed the Sky+ HD guide, included a Mini TV, improved search functions and a refreshed interface. On 1 October 2010, Sky began the process of downloading open-source software to Sky+ HD receivers. Unlike
893-477: The "EPG Background Audio" channel. Digiboxes have been made by Amstrad , Sony , Thomson , Panasonic , Grundig , and most commonly, Pace . Although the reference designs were identical, a number of digibox lines have specific faults or traits, such as failing modems on Grundig units, and unstable tuners on older model Pace boxes. Some units add features not found on other models, such as S-Video sockets on some Grundig units, and TOSLINK output on Sony's. For
940-400: The "standby" setting merely mutes the sound and cuts off the picture, but internal signal processing continues at the same rate. Sky+ boxes are believed to reduce their power consumption more significantly in standby because they can spin down hard disks. Power consumption for the standard box varies from around 10 to 18 Watts. Most Sky+HD boxes consume up to 60W when active, falling to ~30W when
987-543: The 'marrying' or 'pairing' of a viewing card to one particular STB, thus preventing one card (and indeed subscription) being used on multiple digiboxes. During installation the engineer will initiate a 'callback' from the STB to Sky via modem and telephone line, transmitting details of the viewing card number and the box in which it is installed. Once this step has been completed it is no longer possible to view premium channels such as Movies or Sports on any other box besides that which
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#17327828852711034-465: The Ethernet port of existing Sky+ HD boxes. Sky's Anytime+ will only be available to Sky broadband at launch but sky say it will be on all service providers in the near future. Although the service may be similar to DirecTV 's VOD offering that also uses an operating system built by NDS Group . NDS Group was formally a Permira / News Corporation company, but currently part of Cisco . Sky have started
1081-403: The Sky HD box, primarily targeted at multiroom subscribers. and also used for Freesat from Sky installations. The Sky HD box is not a personal video recorder, meaning it has no hard disk and cannot support the Sky+ functionality. These were later replaced with Sky+HD boxes, which had both sets of functionality. All Sky boxes, whether Digiboxes, Sky+ or SkyHD incorporate card pairing. This involves
1128-431: The Sky box to be viewed and controlled from another room by running a single RF cable. All Digiboxes run on OpenTV (the latest HD boxes now use what is known internally as Project Darwin software) with Sky's EPG software and NDS VideoGuard conditional access. The Digibox receives software updates over the air, even when in standby mode should an update be available. The software features Sky-controlled channel numbering,
1175-412: The Sky box. These units are manufactured by Amstrad, Pace and Thomson only, and use a different remote control. USB ports are fitted to the PVR3. When Sky+ was launched, there was an additional £10 monthly charge to access the Sky+ functionality if two or more premium packages were not subscribed to. Sky have now removed this charge, effective 1 July 2007. Without a Sky+ Subscription, the Sky+ box reverts to
1222-533: The Sky+ HD box as standard, with the HD package being optional at the same subscription price. The Sky+ box was subsequently withdrawn, meaning the Sky+ HD became part of a standard installation. As of late 2013, the £10.25/month HD pack stopped being offered to new customers, instead suggesting customers subscribe to the Family package, then carrying a £5/month premium over the cost of the regular Variety package. Access to HD versions of Sky Sports and Sky Movies requires
1269-441: The Sky+ HD box, including BBC One HD , BBC Two HD and Channel 4 HD . On 27 March 2007, Sky launched its Sky Anytime on TV Push- Video on Demand service for owners of Sky+ HD set top boxes. Programmes in high definition and standard definition are recorded overnight to a reserved 140GB of disk space, to give the effect of video on demand. This has also been used to bring viewers high-definition programmes from channels that at
1316-451: The ability to view OpenTV or WapTV applications provided as "interactive" or "teletext" content on channels (with the full-Internet style service available at first via Open... and later Sky Active ), parental controls, the ability to order PPV events and some basic control over lists of favorite channels and show reminders. Early decoders seemingly support only 700 channels approximately in their channel listing, as Sky has announced it
1363-476: The card was paired with. The card can still be used to view non-premium channels such as Sky1 but will display an error message when attempting to watch a movie channel or sports channel with an unpaired box and card combination. A card can be 're-paired' in some instances such as STB replacement or multiroom relocation, however this must be initiated by Sky and cannot be completed by an end-user. Standard Digiboxes use almost as much power in standby as when active;
1410-513: The disc is powered down. To some degree, this has been addressed with the latest DRX890/895 HD boxes. These have a power consumption of 45W max but now have a "deep sleep" mode consuming around 1/2 W. Information appliance Typical examples are smartphones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Information appliances partially overlap in definition with, or are sometimes referred to as, smart devices, embedded systems , mobile devices or wireless devices. The term information appliance
1457-433: The exception of Sky+ HD boxes which have used the new Sky+ HD Guide since early 2009. The DRX595 dropped the RF modulator outputs. A PC type interface was fitted internally to some early standard boxes but was never utilised by Sky. The latest HD boxes only have a single SCART socket but have a RCA/phono socket for composite video output. All Sky+ and HD boxes have an optical sound output. The serial port outputs data used for
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1504-469: The functionality of a normal Digibox, albeit without Autoview modes. The Sky+ 2TB box has 2 TB to record to and is manufactured solely by Thomson. This unit is also fitted with USB ports. (this unit has been discontinued) A third generation of Digibox also exists, with the additional ability to receive DVB-S2 HDTV signals in the MPEG-4 format. The initial sole manufacturer of these Sky+ HD boxes
1551-458: The inconvenience. For connectivity with HD ready televisions, the box outputs via a HDMI connector (adapters to Digital Visual Interface are available). The box is High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP) compliant. Sky boxes manufactured prior to January 2008 also had analogue component connections ( YPbPr ), but as the HDCP copy protection cannot be applied to this type of output it
1598-465: The majority of software upgrades made by Sky, the open source licences require Sky to notify customers that the download has taken place. Subscribers are notified with an on-screen message that refers them to a dedicated section of the Sky website. The website also includes a download of the open source components including the building environment. Sky says that it has found a number of Open Source Software developments that provide capabilities that benefit
1645-548: The number of HD channels available increased significantly, thus Sky+ HD was the world's largest HD offering outside North America. Sky brought an update to its Sky+ app, this features a similar looking design to the Sky+HD box bringing the services more in line with one another. On 30 July 2009, Sky confirmed the launch of a "pull" video-on-demand (VOD) service for 2010, adding to the current Sky Anytime "push" VOD service. The service, delivered by broadband internet, would utilise
1692-404: The phased roll-out of the new guide software for this service. On 29 April 2010, BSkyB revealed that their new video-on-demand service would be named Sky Anytime+ . "It will be a broad offering at launch with a large range of content across the range of content that we show," CEO Jeremy Darroch said. "[It will feature] progressive download using the broadband return pathway and the hard disc in
1739-460: The software used in the Sky+ HD box. Below is a list of boxes that have been manufactured for use with Sky+ HD. All boxes are now discontinued and no newer models are expected, since the launch of Sky Q. Sky also manufactured a standard Sky HD box without a hard drive, aimed primarily at customers subscribing to Sky Multiroom, as a cheaper alternative to receive HD channels if record and playback were not required. In over three years since launch,
1786-493: The standard definition channels with the high definition simulcast. For example, Sky News HD, which was on channel 517, switched to channel 501. The same happened for other non-regional HD channels, including Syfy, Comedy Central, Sky Sports, E4 and Sky1. Following demonstrations in December 2008, Sky announced on 30 July 2009 its intention to launch a 3D channel during 2010, featuring a broad selection of 3D programming, which
1833-405: The subscription-free Freesat from Sky service are provided with a recorder-less box branded 'SkyHD' rather than Sky+ HD, given SkyHD boxes provided by Freesat from Sky do not contain hardware for recording. As of November 2016, Sky offered over 50 HD channels, more than any competitor. Numerous FTA HD channels are available which do not require a subscription, only an HD capable digibox such as
1880-509: The system. All early boxes except the Pace Javelin feature dual SCART outputs, an RS-232 serial port, a dual-output RF modulator with passthrough, and RCA socketed audio outputs, as well as a 33.6 modem and an LNB cable socket. A VideoGuard card slot, as well as a second smart-card reader are fitted to the front (these are for the Sky viewing card and other interactive cards). All share an identical user interface and EPG , with
1927-507: The time didn't broadcast in HD. These have included Sky News ( Technofile , Diana: The Last Word ), Disney Channel ( High School Musical 2 ) and Nickelodeon ( iCarly ). The first generation of Sky+ HD Digibox were produced by Thomson , with Sky subsequently adding Samsung, Pace and Amstrad as manufacturers afterwards. In 2009, a manufacturing fault led to a batch of up to 90,000 units manufactured by Pace requiring replacement; Sky offered customers 3 months free HD pack subscription for
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1974-504: Was Thomson, and made their debut on 22 May 2006 with the launch of HDTV channels on Sky. Although around 17,000 digiboxes were initially produced, they could not meet demand and some had to wait for longer for their SkyHD Digibox. Past manufacturers are Thomson, Pace, Amstrad and Samsung. These boxes have all the features of a Sky+ box, as well as a HDMI output, and the early Thomson DSI8215 model has component video output. Both SATA and Ethernet ports are also supplied, currently used for
2021-519: Was announced that all future Digiboxes would have a standardized cosmetic design, although retain the three current makers, and have a slightly redesigned remote control, which would be recoloured white with some blue keys. Thomson and Amstrad began supplying these boxes in late 2005 (with the DSI4214 and DRX550, respectively), with Pace following in late 2006 (with the DS445NB). The standardized design
2068-472: Was coined by Jef Raskin around 1979. As later explained by Donald Norman in his influential The Invisible Computer , the main characteristics of IA, as opposed to any normal computer , were: This definition of IA was different from today's. Jef Raskin initially tried to include such features in the Apple Macintosh , which he designed, but eventually the project went a quite different way. For
2115-480: Was launched, and the hardware reference design has been relatively unchanged since then. Compared to other satellite receivers, they are severely restricted. As of 2020, Sky Digiboxes have become largely outmoded, superseded by Sky's latest-generation Sky Q boxes and Sky Glass televisions; the previous generation Sky+HD boxes are still in use, however. The Digibox's internal hardware specifications are not publicly disclosed, however some details are clearly visible on
2162-734: Was the Arsenal vs Manchester United football match on Sunday 31 January 2010. The 3D match was available in nine hand-picked pubs in England and in Ireland. On Monday 29 March 2010, Sky 3D appeared on the EPG at number 217, showing "Programs Start on Saturday". Sky launched its 3D services on 3 April with the Manchester United vs Chelsea football match being broadcast in over a thousand pubs across England in 3D. As of October 2014 Sky 3D
2209-585: Was the brand name of the HDTV service launched by Sky plc on 22 May 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland to enable high definition channels on Sky to be viewed. For the first two years after launch, the service was branded Sky HD . The service requires the user to have a Sky+ HD Digibox and an HD ready TV. A subscription to the original HD pack carries an extra fee of £10.25 (€15.00 in Ireland)
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