Sky+ is it worth it

Richard said this:

A sky+ box is effectively a 'computer' and as such has a hard drive, a
fan which is a little noisey and allows you to record some programs
(how many hours???)

With the standard 40GB hard drive you can get approximately 20 hours of
recording time. The actual figure varies depending on the bitrate of the
programmes you are recording. If you record mostly from low-quality channels
you could probably get much more than 20 hours, and you would be able to
record hundreds of hours of radio.

You can only play back a program if you are connected to the satelite
and if your card allows you to watch the channel being played back.

Correct. Some people see this as a severe limitation, but it shouldn't make
much difference during normal use.

If you want to keep the recording it is better to copy it to a video
or seperate recording device.

As with all forms of data storage, it's always a good idea to keep backups.
This is especially true with PVRs, since the hard disk is slightly more
likely to fail.

The only real benfit I can see is the fact it has two tuners and thus
you can watch one channel and record another.

Also, in the near future, you'll be able to record two channels at the same
time while watching a previous recording. However, when looking for the
benefits of Sky+ you shouldn't think of it merely as a digital VCR. Sky+
will change the way you watch television. You'll browse through the EPG,
selecting all programmes that look remotely interesting, then whenever you
sit down to watch TV, you can choose what you want to watch and when you
want to watch it. You won't be limited to watching whatever is on at the
time.

Another benefit is the fact that you can record programmes from channels you
don't subscribe to. You won't be able to watch them until you subscribe, but
this is still a very useful feature, since you can record a few months'
worth or programmes, then subscribe for a short period and watch them all
(or dump them all to an external recording device for later viewing). This
is especially useful with the movie channels, but will work on other
channels too. It would certainly save you a lot in subscription fees.

For this you buy a box for £199, and then pay £10 a month (or have 2
premium cannels and pay over £30 a month for your sky package).

Yes.

Now do you have to pay teh £10 for ever or can you stop after 12
months? If you stop what functions (if any) do you loose?

If you are on a lower package and you stop paying the £10, your Sky+ box
will function like a standard digibox (except that the personal planner
won't work). I would imagine that you would still be able to view recorded
programmes, but I don't know this for sure.

If you keep
paying the £10 do Sky keep you up to date with the latest features and
technology?

Software updates will be downloaded to your box whether or not you have an
active Sky+ subscription. The forthcoming "dual record" feature, for
example, will be made available to all Sky+ customers. You don't need to buy
a new box or pay any sort of fee for the upgrade.

Dale Richards wrote:
Richard said this:
snip

Don't forget that Sky+ gives you DD5.1 sound on movie channels, which is
nice if you can make use of it. I can :-)

Compared to the price of buying one DVD or renting 4-5 in a month I reckon
that makes the extra cost of Sky+ and the movies (£14.50) over and above the
standard £18.50 package quite good value.

Look upon it as paying £200 for Sky+ instead of a DVD player and VCR and
then £14.50 per month for virtually unlimited movie rentals and you don't
have to keep running back and forth to the video shop. If you have to drive
to the shop then count that as another 50p-£1 per trip just for petrol.

Mine is ordered.

--
Email is munged. Remove leading _ for email reply.

"Richard" wrote in message
...
Looking at a sampling of prior posts here I have the following
understanding of what Sky + is. Is my understanding correct.

A sky+ box is effectively a 'computer' and as such has a hard drive, a
fan which is a little noisey and allows you to record some programs
(how many hours???)

No noise from the fan on mine I've ever noticed (Or from the box, its
totally silent)
It might be 'really' a computer but thats irrelevant since you cant use it
as such.


You can only play back a program if you are connected to the satelite
and if your card allows you to watch the channel being played back.

Which is 100% of the time to the nearest significant decimal point.


If you want to keep the recording it is better to copy it to a video
or seperate recording device.

Yep


The only real benfit I can see is the fact it has two tuners and thus
you can watch one channel and record another.

Then you appear to have a blinkered view. Thats 1 huge benefit if there is
more than 1 of you in a house. Other benefits are;
Goodbye adverts (I see mine at 30x)
Start watching recordings before they have ended (see above re adverts, you
can just record something and start watching it say 10 minutes in and FF
through the ads)
Making recordings is a piece of **** (No having to coordinate the vcr)
See all the recordings you are due to make in the future.
You dont ever lose that tape you recorded the last episode of something you
wanted to watch
See all the recordings you have made, what they are called, rather than grub
amongst a bunch of tapes with crossed out listings several times
You dont accidentally* record over something you havent watched yet
You dont run out of blank tapes*
You can live pause when you nip out of the room for a ***** so you dont have
to miss bits of programs or soil yourself


For this you buy a box for £199, and then pay £10 a month (or have 2
premium cannels and pay over £30 a month for your sky package).

Yep

Now do you have to pay teh £10 for ever or can you stop after 12
months? If you stop what functions (if any) do you loose? If you keep
paying the £10 do Sky keep you up to date with the latest features and
technology? Does this £10 cover the box breaking down after the 12
months? If not what is the £10 really for???

Richard


You pay the £10 until a better device comes out. This is unlikely to be
forever.
If you stop, it doesn't work asa Sky+ box anymore.
The £10 is for Sky's profit, same as the money they charge you for sky
packages, for engineer installs, etc. Did you think it might be for charity?


--
Tumbleweed

* you might deliberately overwrite a prog you havent seen, and you might
fill your disc up and you can also live pause for other things than taking a
****.

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

"Reg" wrote in message
...
You can live pause when you nip out of the room for a ***** so you dont
have
to miss bits of programs or soil yourself


You might want to copyright that bit in case they start using in in
adverts
:-)


LOL. Do you think the ad should show a before & after Sky+?

The 'before' would be walking bandy legged......

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

Dale Richards wrote:

If you are on a lower package and you stop paying the £10, your Sky+ box
will function like a standard digibox (except that the personal planner
won't work). I would imagine that you would still be able to view recorded
programmes, but I don't know this for sure.

You can't.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.co.uk/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Tumbleweed wrote:

Then you appear to have a blinkered view. Thats 1 huge benefit if there is
more than 1 of you in a house. Other benefits are;
Goodbye adverts (I see mine at 30x)
Start watching recordings before they have ended (see above re adverts, you
can just record something and start watching it say 10 minutes in and FF
through the ads)
Making recordings is a piece of **** (No having to coordinate the vcr)
See all the recordings you are due to make in the future.
You dont ever lose that tape you recorded the last episode of something you
wanted to watch
See all the recordings you have made, what they are called, rather than grub
amongst a bunch of tapes with crossed out listings several times
You dont accidentally* record over something you havent watched yet
You dont run out of blank tapes*
You can live pause when you nip out of the room for a ***** so you dont have
to miss bits of programs or soil yourself

A Tivo does all of this far better than the Sky+ does. The main
advantage of the Sky+ is the fact that it can record one thing whilst
you watch another, as mentioned.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.co.uk/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

Richard wrote:

Now do you have to pay teh £10 for ever or can you stop after 12
months? If you stop what functions (if any) do you loose? If you keep
paying the £10 do Sky keep you up to date with the latest features and
technology? Does this £10 cover the box breaking down after the 12
months? If not what is the £10 really for???

The £10 is for precisely nothing. The £10 (which is waived on
subscriptions that include two premium channels) just means that Sky
will activate the recording and playback functions that you have
already paid for in the purchase price of the box. Just as if your VCR
manufacturer wanted a £10 sub for allowing your VCR to record, of if
Ford wanted £10 per month to allow you to start the engine of your
car. The fee and the idea behind it is nothing but nonsense born of a
lack of competition.

Apart from the lack of recording and playback functions nothing
changes without the Sky+ sub and the fee provides no sort of insurance
cover or service provision of whatever nature.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/guiv
How to get UK TV overseas: http://tinyurl.com/6p73
Fed up with logos / red buttons? : http://logofreetv.org/
BBC gone? : http://www.astra2d.co.uk/
----
Only the truth as I see it.
No monies return'd. ;-)

"Jomtien" wrote in message
...
Tumbleweed wrote:

Then you appear to have a blinkered view. Thats 1 huge benefit if there
is
more than 1 of you in a house. Other benefits are;
Goodbye adverts (I see mine at 30x)
Start watching recordings before they have ended (see above re adverts,
you
can just record something and start watching it say 10 minutes in and FF
through the ads)
Making recordings is a piece of **** (No having to coordinate the vcr)
See all the recordings you are due to make in the future.
You dont ever lose that tape you recorded the last episode of something
you
wanted to watch
See all the recordings you have made, what they are called, rather than
grub
amongst a bunch of tapes with crossed out listings several times
You dont accidentally* record over something you havent watched yet
You dont run out of blank tapes*
You can live pause when you nip out of the room for a ***** so you dont
have
to miss bits of programs or soil yourself

A Tivo does all of this far better than the Sky+ does. The main
advantage of the Sky+ is the fact that it can record one thing whilst
you watch another, as mentioned.

I suggest its irrelevant that a TIvo does this better, for two reasons.
1) You cant effectively buy them anymore, and
2) If I cant record what I want because there is a channel clash, the fact
the Tivo does it better is, well.....irrelevant. You can tell me how much
better it would have been while you twiddle your thumbs, while I watch the
recording I made!

Of course, the fact that Tivo does it better means that at some future point
we'll get something better than Sky+, which is good. I have no love for
paying £10 a month,and I'd love to see better features. Bring them on.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove theobvious before replying (but no email reply necessary to
newsgroups)

Read the posts on this thread.
All true regarding the techie ins and outs. Another thing you could
try is buy a Hard Drive recorder or DVD Writer. I have a Panasonic
DMR-HS2 hooked up to my Sky box, love the combo to bits!

The combo virtually replicates the Sky+ functionality, pause live tv,
time-slip function etc. Programs started using Autoview on Sky gets
recorded to the panasonic etc. Plus you can also copy all your
programs to DVD afterwards. No searching for tapes or spare space on
tapes.

Plus side, no Sky+ monthly subscriptions or buying new equipment etc.

Downside is that if your Sky box doesnt support 5.1, you'll just get
normal 2 channel stereo recorded. But i can live with that most of the
time, using Pro-Logic through the hi-fi amp. Also, you can't watch
one sky program and record another, only record from Sky and watch the
terrestrial channels (BBC1, ITV etc).

Just another option :-)

M

"trappeduser" wrote in message ...
"Richard" wrote in message ...
Looking at a sampling of prior posts here I have the following
understanding of what Sky + is. Is my understanding correct.

SNIP

It's worth every penny, being able to record programs and movies
all stored on a hard-drive. Being able to record programs while
watching a different channel.

I'm glad I got sky+, no more buggering around with video tapes,
my VCR is just sitting about gathering dust.

Matt

Jomtien said this:

Dale Richards wrote:

If you are on a lower package and you stop paying the £10, your Sky+
box will function like a standard digibox (except that the personal
planner won't work). I would imagine that you would still be able to
view recorded programmes, but I don't know this for sure.

You can't.

That's a bit of a bugger.