Asking why my Sky+HD Box is not recording and you don’t know what to do?
Here’s the answer!
Users have been often complaining of playback storage issues with their TV boxes.
That’s an easy fix, as long as you have an appropriate guideline to follow!
We’ve acquired all user’s opinions and made this complete fix guide for the problem.
Here’s the quick fix:
If your Sky+HD Box isn’t recording, Power Cycle the device and rebuild the Planner Storage. Next, reboot your network device and force a firmware reboot to refresh the system.
In order to achieve greater troubleshooting efficiency, let’s learn why this issue is occurring!
Why Is My Sky HD Box Not Recording – Answered!
In order to benefit from the solutions, you should first take a look at what the users said about the problem.
There are specific circumstances, under which your box would refuse to store playback recordings.
Let’s take a look at the possible causes of the problem:
- There’s an issue with the Storage Planner, where recordings are kept
- A Firmware Failure has occurred with your Sky+ HD Box
- There has been a problem Completing the Recording for the given channel
- There’s an Internet/Network Issue with your TV Box
- The System of the TV box got Corrupted
That’s what most often causes the playback recordings on your box to be unable to store themselves.
Let’s proceed with our guide and learn what’s the best and most effective fix!
My Sky+HD Box Is Not Recording – Quick Solution!
Here we are at our guide’s troubleshooting doorstep.
We should first mention that all of our solutions must be followed in chronological order in order to reach peak troubleshooting efficiency.
You should also notice all tips, notes and alerts we’ve included furthermore!
With that being said, let’s jump in!
Solution #1 Power Cycle the Sky HD Box
Assuming you haven’t done an advanced reboot on your Sky HD Box, now is the time!
Perhaps, a solution that will save you some time from troubleshooting is the Power Cycle Process since it has great effectiveness against temporal issues.
It will have the software of your box refreshed and the hardware discharged out of all of the electricity for a moment.
To perform a Power Cycle, follow the instructions below:
- Shut Down your Sky+ HD Box and wait for it to stop working.
- Unplug the Power Cable from the box.
- Disconnect the other end of the power adapter.
- Wait for 4 – 5 Minutes while the box’s power supply is disengaged.
- Have the power adapter plugged into the electrical source first.
- Connect the other end of the power cable to your Box.
- Start your Sky+ HD Box.
- Test…
Keep in mind that in order for the power cycle to work, you must keep the box disconnected for no less than 5 minutes. Plugging it immediately back in won’t refresh the software at all.
Note: If you’re noticing any damages to the electrical source or power adapter, replace them.
Solution #2 Rebuild the Planner
The Planner or Recording Storage Unit is where the playback videos made by your TV box will be stored.
If the database has been corrupted by any means, you’ll have to rebuild it in order for playback videos to begin storing themselves.
This is an easy task that could be done by accessing a Secret Menu on your TV box using the remote.
Follow these instructions:
- Press the Services Button on your Sky Remote.
- Hit the 0 0 1 Buttons in consecutive order, on your remote.
- Press the “Rebuild” Option from the menu that appeared.
- Wait for your TV box to undergo a planner rebuild.
- A message should appear, stating “Housekeeping. Please Wait”.
- Once the newest message disappears, your box should be ready!
To know that the planner rebuild has finished, the Sky Button on your remote control should light up as usual.
Then, you could proceed using your box and determine if the issue is fixed.
Alert: Be careful not to click “System Reset” since this will erase all contents on the box.
Solution #3 Reboot your Network Device
When your cable box is directly hooked up to your network device, issues with the internet will also be transferred to your TV box.
That’s to say, if there is no reliable internet on your cable box, none of the shows or programmes will be recorded for playback.
- By resetting your network device, you have the best chance of fixing these issues
Although in most cases, users ended up complaining to their ISP about natural network problems, there weren’t any causes with their setup.
Try this to solve your internet problem:
- Locate and Press the Power Button on your Network Device.
- Wait for the device to Shut Down completely.
- Then, disconnect the Power Adapter from out of the device.
- Stand by for 5 Minutes while the network unit is unplugged.
- Re-attach the power cable back into the device.
- Start the device and test.
You could also measure the internet’ strength and speed by going to Ookla’s SpeedTest and running a check. If the speeds are below the promised by the ISP, contact them immediately.
Note: If you also have similar issues on other devices, that’s another reason to check!
Solution #4 Force a Firmware Update
Sky Boxes usually update automatically, but there are cases where you have to do it on your own.
Sky has imbued a “Software Update” feature in their box settings, so you could force the new firmware to be applied on your device.
Generally, a Software Update wouldn’t take long on your box but requires a healthy and reliable internet connection.
With that being said, here’s how to update your box:
- Grab your Sky Box Remote.
- Press [HOME].
- Navigate to Settings.
- Press System Info.
- Highlight the Software Version and access the tab.
- Locate the Setup Button and press it once.
- Tap the latest available firmware from the list.
- Wait for the update to be applied.
You shouldn’t interact with your cable box in any way until it has finished the update.
You may accidentally cause the process to fail, preventing the update from uploading.
Note: Once your box has finished applying the update, it will undergo a System Reboot.
Solution #5 Manage Storage Space
Perhaps, your Sky HD Box has run out of space!
This is an often occurrence and many users end up noticing this too late after they’ve tried to identify the problem with the recording.
Your TV Box’s hard drive has a limit on how much information it could store and once it has reached the max, no more recordings will be made.
However, there’s an easy way to manage storage space and potentially free it up.
Here’s how to access your HD Box’s storage easily:
- Grab your Sky Remote.
- Navigate to Recordings.
- Press the “Manage” Button at the top left.
- Take a look at the Availability Slider and determine how much space you have left.
- Navigate to the Storage Page again.
- Press “Recordings”.
- Begin highlighting recordings to free up some space.
- Test…
The more free space you have left, the more recordings you will be able to store on your cable box. However, make sure to delete old recordings regularly to maintain free space.
Note: Make sure that you have at least 10-15 gigabytes of free storage for new recordings!
Solution #6 System Reset the Sky+ HD Box
If nothing worked so far, we would strongly suggest performing a System Reset on the box.
This is the ultimate solution for all software, recording and playback issues your HD box has.
Although all of the information from your box will be completely wiped out, it’s still worth the try if this is going to resolve the problem with the recordings.
Here’s how a System Reset on your box goes:
- Press the Service Button on your remote and type 0 0 1 to access the Menu.
- Scroll down and highlight System Reset.
- Press the OK Button to move to the next tab.
- Confirm that you want to reset your box.
- Follow the remaining on-screen instructions to finish the reset.
Note: Once the reset has finished, the box will reboot at the setup screen!
Quick Recap:
Thus, to fix when your Sky+ HD Box refuses to record, Power Cycle the device and refresh the Planner Storage. Next, manage the overall storage space of your box and force a Firmware Update on the device. Finally, perform a System Reset on the box.
Wrapping Up:
In this guide, we’ve answered “why my Sky+HD Box is not recording” and what are the exact causes for this problem.
We’ve also explored a handful of the best solutions out there, that have the best functionality against problems of this kind.
If you continue to experience any sort of recording or playback issues, you should contact Sky for more assistance!
Read Next: Can I Get a Free Replacement Sky Remote?
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.