Using Sky Player
Using Sky Player
- How long will it take to download movies, sports and entertainment shows?
- Do I need to download the whole show before I can watch it?
- How much memory will the shows I download use on my PC?
- Can I watch downloaded shows more than once?
- What is the library on Sky Player?
- Can I copy videos on to a DVD to watch on my TV?
- What functionality will be available when I am not connected to the internet?
- How can I change the location my videos are stored?
- How do I change the download location?
- How does Sky use Kontiki's secure peer-to-peer technology to deliver shows to my PC?
- Is the peer-to-peer technology safe? Will other people be able to access my PC?
- Will I need to configure my firewall or internet security in any special way to use Sky Player or Kontiki?
- Will the peer-to-peer distribution slow down my internet usage or download requests on my PC?
- How can I remove or uninstall Kontiki from my PC?
- What is remote booking?
- How do I delete a downloaded video?
- When I play a video all I get is a black screen?
- There is no sound when I play Sky Player Videos?
- There is no picture when I play Sky Player Videos?
How long will it take to download movies, sports and entertainment shows?
The time it will take will depend on your internet connection type and speed, how the internet is working at the time and the size of the chosen video. For example, with a 1MB connection, the download will take approximately the same time as the length of the video itself. The quicker your connection, the less time it will take to download.
Do I need to download the whole show before I can watch it?
You will need to download movies in full before you can begin to watch them. However, some entertainment, documentary and sports shows have the option to play directly from Sky Player without the need to download first. Whenever possible, we try and offer you a free 'teaser' of the actual episode you're interested in downloading. Look out for the 'TEASER' button on the video details page.
How much memory will the shows I download use on my PC?
Every piece of content will vary in size. As an example, short sports news videos will be around 5MB. Movies will vary between 300 MB and 1000 MB; on average, a two-hour movie will be around 750MB.
Can I watch downloaded shows more than once?
Yes. Once you have downloaded a programme, it will go into your library and will stay there, telling you the number of days you have left to watch it. This is your licence to watch the video and, for a movie, this is usually 30 days. If you do not get the chance to view the movie in this time, you should download the file again. For sports and other videos, the length of the licence can vary depending on the type of sports clip you wish to view. After your licence to view, or our rights to show the video, expires, the file will automatically be deleted from your library.
What is the library on Sky Player?
The library stores the videos you have downloaded or bookmarked in Sky Player. Videos are sorted by the channel they were downloaded from. From the library you can play videos and if you wish you can delete them.
Can I copy videos on to a DVD to watch on my TV?
Videos downloaded from Sky Player can only be watched on the PC they were downloaded to. However some PC's can be connected to a TV so you can watch the video on a larger screen, for more information on how to do this you should consult the manual for your PC.
What functionality will be available when I am not connected to the internet?
You will be able to:
Browse 'My Library' and delete items
Watch Sky Player content that have previously been downloaded (depending on parental control settings)
Access the 'Help' option
How can I change the location my videos are stored?
If you wish to change the location the videos are stored, click on Account and Settings at the top of Sky Player then click Change next to the default download location. If you change the download location Sky Player may not be able to play any videos you currently have downloaded in your library. We do not recommend using a removable drive for your download location.
How do I change the download location?
In the Account & Settings option you have the opportunity to change the default download location for your video clips.
1. At the top of the screen your current Download Location will be shown, to change this click the browse button.
2. Select the new location from the Popup window.
3. Move any previously downloaded videos to this folder manually in order to view your videos.
How does Sky use Kontiki's secure peer-to-peer technology to deliver shows to my PC?
Sky Player displays the shows available for you to download. Kontiki offers the underlying peer-to-peer technology which delivers the shows you choose in a secure, efficient manner, enabling very large, high-resolution videos to be delivered to your computer. The Kontiki technology determines how to download the show you selected by searching for sources of that show on locations which may include Sky's own network, or other users of Sky's Kontiki network or "grid".
If the show can be delivered to you more quickly and efficiently from another computer, that's exactly what Kontiki will do. Your computer is also part of Sky's Kontiki grid, so your computer might be used as a source location for transferring shows to another Sky user.
Is the peer-to-peer technology safe? Will other people be able to access my PC?
The Kontiki program is designed to be a very secure peer-to-peer technology. It uses advanced encryption technologies and security methods to ensure that the delivery grid is safe to use. Other users of the network CANNOT access your PC. All videos are virus-checked before they are introduced to the grid. Only shows that are part of the Sky Player service can be transferred over Sky's Kontiki grid.
Will I need to configure my firewall or internet security in any special way to use Sky Player or Kontiki?
In order to use Sky Player and Kontiki, you will need to enable these programs to connect to the internet. Most firewall or internet security software will prompt you to allow or permit the following programs to use the internet:
1. Sky Player
2. Sky Player (Skyplayer.exe, UpdateChecker.exe)
3. Delivery Manager (or Kontiki Delivery Manager, or KService.exe or KHost.exe)
Advanced users: If you have a very restrictive firewall, or a hardware or software router, then you may need to configure these to open certain ports to allow our programs to communicate with our servers. These ports are:
1. Outbound to ports 80/tcp, 443/tcp, 8080/tcp, and 6667/udp
2. Outbound ICMP
3. Inbound to port 8080/tcp
Possible traffic from the client on these ports (subnet / LAN peering):
1. Outbound to ports 1948/udp, 1949/udp
2. Inbound to port 1948/udp
Will the peer-to-peer distribution slow down my internet usage or download requests on my PC?
The Kontiki program is designed to run in the background and not interfere with other activity on your PC. This means that it will slow down its own activities while you're using the internet for other things, including using Sky Player, or browsing the internet or using your email.
How can I remove or uninstall Kontiki from my PC?
If you no longer intend to use Sky Player, then you may wish to remove Kontiki. Please note that removing Kontiki from your computer will mean that Sky Player can no longer operate at all.
If you decide this is what you wish to do you will need to run a program called KClean. Follow the instructions below to start this activity.
IMPORTANT GUIDANCE NOTES:
1. Printout the instructions below and have them to hand whilst performing this procedure.
2. You must follow these instructions EXACTLY to ensure that you CORRECTLY remove all components of Kontiki from your computer.
3. Using KClean.exe to remove the Kontiki peer-to-peer service ("Kontiki") from your PC, will also remove Kontiki from any other programs on your PC that utilise Kontiki.
These programmes include (but are not limited to) BBC iMP, Kontiki Delivery Manager, Cinequest Delivery Manager, AOL Hi-Q Delivery Manager, Palm Support, and the Open Media Network. Once you have used Kclean.exe, you will need to delete and re-install these programs to continue using them.
1. By downloading KClean.exe, you acknowledge that Sky is providing KClean.exe on Kontiki, Inc's behalf, acting as Kontiki, Inc's agent. You also acknowledge and agree that Sky will not be responsible or liable for the fitness for a particular purpose of KClean.exe, or for any loss or damage that you suffer as a result of your use of KClean.exe.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING KCLEAN.EXE
1. Exit all documents and programs before you begin
2. Download and save KClean.exe to your PC (for example,
the My Documents folder)
3. Locate and double-click the KClean.exe program
4. You will see a security warning message - Click 'RUN'
5. KClean.exe now opens, displaying several options
6. Click 'SELECT ALL' for KDM Options, KDX Options, and
KService Options, so that all of the options in these 3
categories are ticked
7. Click 'OK'
8. A warning message appears asking if you wish to
continue - click 'YES'
9. Wait a few moments while the components are
removed
10. A confirmation message appears, stating that KClean
completed successfully - click 'OK'
11. In a few cases, KClean.exe cannot complete its actions,
and you will see an error message
12. If this happens, restart your PC, then repeat steps 1-10
until KClean has completed successfully.
What is remote booking?
If you are away from your registered PC, you can still set a download on your registered PC by visiting www.sky.com/anytime and selecting Sky Player. Your registered PC is the PC you have downloaded and installed Sky Player on to.
How do I delete a downloaded video?
1. From your Library select the video you want to remove.
2. Open the Description page.
3. Click on the Delete button below the picture.
When I play a video all I get is a black screen?
This is caused by an issue with Windows Media Player, it can sometimes be resolved by reinstalling your media player.
There is no sound when I play Sky Player Videos?
This is caused by an issue with Windows Media player. For further advice on resolving this error you can get assistance from Microsoft's help pages, these can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/ph/11372
There is no picture when I play Sky Player Videos?
Firstly make sure you have not muted the sound, there is a mute symbol at the bottom of Windows Media Player, ensure that this has not has been activated.
If there is still no sound, try moving the volume slider to the right of the mute symbol. Right click the speaker Icon on the right of your taskbar, the taskbar is normally at the bottom of your screen where you find the start button.
If you can not see a volume icon you may find that it has been hidden, simply click on the blue arrow and the volume icon will appear.
If you are using external speakers, check that the volume of your speakers is turned up and that there is power to your speakers. Check you have sound from another application within your PC, for example you could try playing a CD. If there is no sound when you try this then please revert to your PC Manual or to Microsoft's help pages, these can be found at http://support.microsoft.com/ph/11372