TV Help

Need Help With Your TV?

Are you experiencing problems with the picture on your TV? Find out how to fix many f the basic issues you may be having here.

Problems with your TV picture?

If something has gone wrong with your Sky box, TV set or connections you may see:

  • A plain or multi-coloured screen, such as a blue or green screen with no pictures at all.
  • A rolling or jumping picture.
  • Programmes that should be in colour showing in black and white.
  • Blurred or frozen images on the screen.
  • Picture blocking (‘blocky’ or pixelated picture, image split into rectangular shapes).

If so, you may find that a quick reboot of your equipment solves the issue. Try switching off your TV set and any equipment connected to it, including your Sky box and DVD player or VCR at the mains for three minutes. Switch everything back on, and wait for your Sky box to reboot. The lights on your Sky box will come back on after a couple of minutes. When they do, switch your TV set on, then press Sky on your remote control and you should see a clear picture.

Wrong viewing card error message

If you’re seeing the message “This is the wrong Sky viewing card for this Sky box” on your television screen when you attempt to watch TV, you’ll need to match your viewing card to your Sky box. You can match your viewing card online by signing in with your Sky iD. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to create a Sky iD first.

No satellite signal error message

If you’re seeing the message “No satellite signal” on your TV screen when you attempt to watch television, use Sky’s help flow to fix the problem. This provides solutions for all Sky boxes and all no satellite signal errors, whichever number is displayed on your TV screen.
Launch Sky’s No Satellite Signal help tool

How to use your Sky remote control

Remote control top tips
  • Return to live TV: From almost any of the menu screens (TV Guide, Planner, etc.), simply press the sky button.
  • Return to a viewed recording: After watching a recording in the Planner and switching back to live TV, return to the point you left the recording by pressing the play button three times.
  • View and restore deleted recordings: Go to the Planner. From the middle ribbon, use the left arrow button to go to the Deleted section. Press the down arrow button to select a recording, and then press the green button to restore the recording to the All section of the Planner.
  • Create bookmarks in recordings: While watching a recording, press the pause button, and then the red button to bookmark that point in the recording. While playback is paused, press the green button to display all bookmarks in the recording. These can then be selected for viewing, or deleted using the yellow button. During playback, quickly jump between bookmarks by pressing and holding the rewind or fast forward buttons.
What TV functions can I access through my Sky remote?

Once your Sky remote has been set up to operate your TV, you should be able to:

  • Change the volume: Press the vol +/- buttons.
  • Turn the TV on and off (standby): Press the tv button and then the power button to turn the TV on or off (standby). After turning on the TV, press the sky button to regain control of the usual Sky functions.
  • Switch input mode: Press the tv button and then repeatedly press the help button to cycle through available inputs on your TV, e.g. to switch to using a games console or DVD player. Keep pressing the help button to return to the input that displays Sky TV (usually “HDMI 1”), and then press the sky button to regain control of the usual Sky functions.

Not all TVs will support all of these functions through the Sky remote. If you get stuck, use your TV’s own remote control to select the input where you watch Sky (usually “HDMI 1”), and then press the sky button on your Sky remote to regain control of the usual Sky functions.

The Sky remote does not support more advanced TV functions such as:

  • Picture within Picture
  • Dolby surround sound
  • Nicam Stereo settings
  • TV tuning menus

These functions need to be controlled with your TV remote.

What if I can’t access any of my TV’s functions using my Sky remote?

If your Sky remote won’t even allow you to change the volume of your TV, you’ll need to get your remote control code and use it to program your Sky remote. If you’re not sure how to do this, see Get the code to control your TV with a Sky remote.

Remote control troubleshooting

Here are some tips to resolve any issues with your Sky remote.

  • Is your Sky box sensor obscured? There needs to be a clear line of sight between your remote and the front panel of your Sky box.
  • Did someone press the tv button? Press the sky button to regain control of normal Sky functions. Are the batteries low? An unresponsive remote can be a sign that you need to replace the batteries.
  • Do you have more than one Sky box? Check that you are using the right remote for each box.
Re-tune your Sky remote

If the basics haven’t worked, try these steps to retune your Sky remote:

  • Place the Sky remote on a flat surface, pointing away from the TV.
  • Press the tv button.
  • Press any number button.
  • Press the select button.
  • Press the sky button.
  • Point the remote back at the TV.
Why does the remote command light stay lit on my Sky box?

Try briefly removing and reinserting the Sky remote’s batteries. Rub your hand over the remote to ensure there are no stuck buttons. If this doesn’t help, turn off power to the Sky box, and then restart.

Recordings missing the start or end

Sky+ settings normally add a couple of minutes to the start and end of recordings, so that you don’t miss anything. If you find that you’re missing the start or ending of some programmes, you can add time to your recordings. If you record programmes on different channels that are scheduled immediately after one another, you may wish to reduce the time at the start or end so you can record the full programmes while watching another channel. Instructions on setting the timing for recordings varies depending on whether you have the new Sky+ or Sky+HD box or the older, white Sky+ boxes with the older style Personal Planner.

New Sky+ and Sky+HD Boxes
  • Press the services button on your Sky remote.
  • With Options highlighted, press select.
  • The Sky+ Setup menu will be highlighted; press select again.
  • Press the down arrow to highlight Add to Start of Recording.
  • Press the left/right arrows to change the time added to the start of all future recordings.
  • Press the down arrow to highlight Add to End of Recording.
  • Press the left/right arrows to change the time added to the end of all future recordings.
  • Press the green button to save the settings.
  • Press sky to return to normal viewing.
White Sky+ Boxes
  • Press the services button on your Sky remote.
  • Use the up/down arrows to highlight Sky+ Setup.
  • Press select.
  • Highlight Add to Start of Recording using the down arrow.
  • Use the left/right arrows to change the time added to the start of all future recordings.
  • Press the down arrow to highlight Add to End of Recording.
  • Use the left/right arrows to change the time added to the end of all future recordings.
  • Use the up/down arrows to highlight Save New Settings.
  • Press select.
  • Press sky to return to normal viewing.

Problems with your recordings and Planner

If you experience repeated errors with recordings, your Planner might be corrupted. For example, if you can’t play back a programme you’ve recorded or delete programmes, you might need to rebuild the Planner.

What problems can be fixed by rebuilding the Planner?

A Planner rebuild can help if the Planner displays any of the following messages:

  • “Please wait” (only if message doesn’t go away after a few seconds)
  • “Searching” (only if message doesn’t go away after a few seconds)
  • “You cannot play back this recording”
  • “You cannot record this programme”

In addition, a Planner rebuild can help fix the following problems, even when an on screen error message isn’t displayed on your TV:

  • You are returned to live TV when trying to play a recording.
  • Recordings cannot be played or deleted.
  • Programmes cannot be added to the Planner for recording.
  • Programmes can be added to the Planner for recording but are not actually recorded, or are part-recorded or cancelled.
Have you tried the basics?

You may not need to carry out a Planner rebuild to fix your problem. Try the following step first to see whether it fixes the problem. If it does, there’s no need to rebuild the Planner.

Restart your Sky+ or Sky+HD box:

Turn off your Sky+ or Sky+HD box using your Sky remote and then unplug the box from the wall socket. Leave the box unplugged for at least 60 seconds, and then reconnect the power and switch the box back on. Now try using the Planner again.

Will rebuilding the Planner delete my previous recordings?

Rebuilding the Planner will not delete any of your previous recordings. However, the process will interrupt any recordings currently in progress, so it’s best to proceed when no programmes are being recorded or are about to be recorded.

If you are still experiencing issues please call our helpful technical staff on 01279 508555

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