Sky - Set TV Free (November 13th)

There will be a lot of people in this country who don't know what a TiVo remote looks like. At least with the Sky remote, it's been around for far longer and more people own it - so even if you don't have Sky, you've probably been to somebody's house where they have it and seen the remote.

I agree. The current Sky remote is iconic, and has evolved over time whilst retaining the same basic features.

Here's a comparison of Sky+HD, TiVo and the new SkyQ.

http://i63.tinypic.com/27e5d.jpg

However, a little googling produced the following image of a SkyQ remote for Foxtel (Australia), which although harking back to the original SkyDigital black RC, does seem to have the more familiar shape and design.

http://i68.tinypic.com/261fevm.jpg

Bit off topic, this, but the cynic in me thinks that all that confused build up was completely intentional from Sky. They were trying to entice people into a 2-year broadband contract (to nullify BT's Champions League launch offer this summer) and part of that was trying to make it seem that Sky Sports 5 was tied into this in a bigger way than just a promotional offer. The confusion as to whether existing subscribers would get the channel or not without 'activating' and whether you could activate without getting the broadband and precisely when this switch would take place was all perfectly stage-managed, IMHO.

I know it wasn't the usual slick Sky, but they needed Sky Sports 5 and its launch to do a job. And a job it did.

I can see the reason why that design was never used...

Well, I wasn't saying they have to keep the button layout *exactly* the same - obviously they need updating even without the new Sky Q system, but I'm talking about the shape and overall design of the remote. What other remote would you even think of buying in a personalised style?

The TiVo Peanut remote is certainly iconic… in the US. In the UK, TiVo was out for barely a couple of years in the early 2000s, nowhere near the level of exposure and ubiquity that Sky+ has (or had). It's only in the last few years that Virgin have started using it, but again you don't really see the TiVo brand appear as much in the marketing. The logo on the UI itself is a small icon, hidden in the corner. (You could also argue that the TiVo remote is better designed and laid out than the Sky remote, but that's not really the point I'm making here.)

I feel sorry for any Sky subscribers who love Spurs. Looks almost the same as the original.

I don't feel sorry for any Sky subscriber who's stupid enough to pay £25 for a remote with a skin on it when you can buy the skin on its own for £3 on eBay and stick it on yourself.

Likewise, Sky remotes: All Sky+HD remotes are the same, you can point them at any Sky+HD box. Sky want £20. eBay: £5.25. Often turn up in the pound shop too.

Sky Q featured on tonight's SWiPE on Sky News.

I have used one of these remotes. They don't have a sticker on them - they're very well made, and have a nice gloss to them too. A £3 sticker would, quite frankly, look awful (I have coincidentally seen a remote with such a sticker on too; It deteriorates very quickly).

The £5.25 remotes on eBay (if new) are most certainly not original remotes. There are lots of poor-quality replicas about that just don't last, I've seen enough of them floating about in my line of work.

Also, the fact the remotes have different revision numbers show that not all the remotes are the same, unless you don't bother with setting up the ability to control the TV volume with the remote.

There are lots of cheap knock-offs around. They are fine for just controlling a Sky+ box, but they aren't as well made, and don't all have the same database for TV control.