Alternative to Sky+?

What's a good alternative to Sky+ that has dual recording and pretty much
all the other good features of Sky+ including a 1 week EPG? I would be
using my existing minidish and the outputs from that.

--
RCE Defiant

"RCE Defiant" wrote in message
news:[email protected] eranews...
What's a good alternative to Sky+ that has dual recording and pretty much
all the other good features of Sky+ including a 1 week EPG? I would be
using my existing minidish and the outputs from that.

If you want to record subscription or free-to-view (i.e. encrypted but
non-pay TV channels like ITV1, C4 and Five) - then you have to use a Sky
receiver. You could buy/build a Windows Media Center (or other PC based
system like Myth TV etc.) system and connect it via two capture cards to TWO
Sky Digiboxes (with matching subscriptions/FTV cards) - which would give you
a 14 day EPG, and dual recording. However Sky+ will offer better picture
quality, and a cheaper hardware solution. Windows solutions will reduce the
quality by adding an extra MPEG2 recode/decode process, and most also
require you to capture at composite or s-video level, not the higher quality
RGB. (Sky + works by recording the actual data broadcast losslessly, so
recordings are identical in quality to live viewing)

There are non-Sky satellite PVRs with dual tuners which would work with the
BBC free-to-air channels on digital satellite (but not the free-to-view
ITV1, C4 and Five channels) - but they don't have access to the Sky EPG, so
are EPG-less on Astra 2.

There are no non-Sky + satellite receiver PVRs that support recording of Sky
encrypted material, as only Sky receivers have the required decryption
system. There is no Conditional Access Module available for Sky - unlike
some of the other European pay-TV platforms.

Stebe

Stephen Neal wrote:
"RCE Defiant" wrote in message
news:[email protected] eranews...
What's a good alternative to Sky+ that has dual recording and pretty
much all the other good features of Sky+ including a 1 week EPG? I
would be using my existing minidish and the outputs from that.

If you want to record subscription or free-to-view (i.e. encrypted but
non-pay TV channels like ITV1, C4 and Five) - then you have to use a
Sky receiver. You could buy/build a Windows Media Center (or other
PC based system like Myth TV etc.) system and connect it via two
capture cards to TWO Sky Digiboxes (with matching subscriptions/FTV
cards) - which would give you a 14 day EPG, and dual recording.
However Sky+ will offer better picture quality, and a cheaper
hardware solution. Windows solutions will reduce the quality by
adding an extra MPEG2 recode/decode process, and most also require
you to capture at composite or s-video level, not the higher quality
RGB. (Sky + works by recording the actual data broadcast losslessly,
so recordings are identical in quality to live viewing)
There are non-Sky satellite PVRs with dual tuners which would work
with the BBC free-to-air channels on digital satellite (but not the
free-to-view ITV1, C4 and Five channels) - but they don't have access
to the Sky EPG, so are EPG-less on Astra 2.

There are no non-Sky + satellite receiver PVRs that support recording
of Sky encrypted material, as only Sky receivers have the required
decryption system. There is no Conditional Access Module available
for Sky - unlike some of the other European pay-TV platforms.

Stebe

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the pleasure of
using something I already paid for then. *******.

--
RCE Defiant

On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 12:52:13 +0100, "RCE Defiant"
wrote:

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the pleasure of
using something I already paid for then. *******.

You're not stuck with it at all - as has just been pointed out to you,
there are plenty of alternatives available, just not quite as good.
Good things cost money.

RCE Defiant wrote:

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the pleasure of
using something I already paid for then.

Can you get Freeview?

Also you can at least increase a viewing sub to £30 in order not to
have to pay the £10 fee as such. That way you get some extra channels.

--
Digibox problem? : A reboot solves 90% of these.
The Sky Digital FAQ: http://tinyurl.com/6u4p9
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:
RCE Defiant wrote:

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the
pleasure of using something I already paid for then.

Can you get Freeview?

I can but I'm in a wierd place at the moment where I'm still living at home
but saving to move out so I'd have to think very carefully about getting
freeview as I would have to buy the aerial and hardware etc. The £10 a
month I save while I'm still here might not cover my outlay before I move on
and may have to make additional outlay. If you get what I'm saying.....

Also you can at least increase a viewing sub to £30 in order not to
have to pay the £10 fee as such. That way you get some extra channels.

I sacked off my subs and went down to the £10 package as I realised I spent
too much time watching loads of crap!

--
RCE Defiant

"RCE Defiant" wrote in message
news:[email protected] eranews...

I can but I'm in a wierd place at the moment

Can't you ask your parents to move to somewhere that's not so weird?

Ian

On Mon, 4 Apr 2005 07:29:25 +0100, "RCE Defiant" wrote:

Jomtien wrote:
RCE Defiant wrote:

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the
pleasure of using something I already paid for then.

Can you get Freeview?

I can but I'm in a wierd place at the moment where I'm still living at home
but saving to move out so I'd have to think very carefully about getting
freeview as I would have to buy the aerial and hardware etc. The £10 a
month I save while I'm still here might not cover my outlay before I move on
and may have to make additional outlay. If you get what I'm saying.....

Also you can at least increase a viewing sub to £30 in order not to
have to pay the £10 fee as such. That way you get some extra channels.

I sacked off my subs and went down to the £10 package as I realised I spent
too much time watching loads of crap!

If you are just receiving FTA & FTV channels then a dual tuner Freeview box will
give you some extra channels (if you are a UK Bright Ideas type of person). The
Thompson is about 200 pounds.

--
Nigel Barker
Live from the sunny Cote d'Azur

"RCE Defiant" wrote in message
news:[email protected] eranews...
Stephen Neal wrote:
"RCE Defiant" wrote in message
news:[email protected] eranews...
What's a good alternative to Sky+ that has dual recording and pretty
much all the other good features of Sky+ including a 1 week EPG? I
would be using my existing minidish and the outputs from that.

If you want to record subscription or free-to-view (i.e. encrypted but
non-pay TV channels like ITV1, C4 and Five) - then you have to use a
Sky receiver. You could buy/build a Windows Media Center (or other
PC based system like Myth TV etc.) system and connect it via two
capture cards to TWO Sky Digiboxes (with matching subscriptions/FTV
cards) - which would give you a 14 day EPG, and dual recording.
However Sky+ will offer better picture quality, and a cheaper
hardware solution. Windows solutions will reduce the quality by
adding an extra MPEG2 recode/decode process, and most also require
you to capture at composite or s-video level, not the higher quality
RGB. (Sky + works by recording the actual data broadcast losslessly,
so recordings are identical in quality to live viewing)
There are non-Sky satellite PVRs with dual tuners which would work
with the BBC free-to-air channels on digital satellite (but not the
free-to-view ITV1, C4 and Five channels) - but they don't have access
to the Sky EPG, so are EPG-less on Astra 2.

There are no non-Sky + satellite receiver PVRs that support recording
of Sky encrypted material, as only Sky receivers have the required
decryption system. There is no Conditional Access Module available
for Sky - unlike some of the other European pay-TV platforms.

Stebe

Looks like I'm stuck paying this stupid £10/month to Sky for the pleasure
of using something I already paid for then. *******.

--
RCE Defiant


think telewest have some **** PVR thingy coming about soon.