BSkyB buys Amstrad

> And I was under the impression that multi-channel TV already existed in the forms of BBCs 1 and 2, ITV and Channel Four before BSB or Sky even existed.

Or even the cable/satellite channels that also existed from the early-80s onwards.

There were more channels available on cable than on Sky when it first opened, 5 years prior -- and covered similar ground (archive stuff, movies, sport, music etc).

There is absolutely b*gger all that Sky have pioneered in the TV world -- they weren't the first to offer a multichannel system, weren't the first to offer premium channels, weren't the first to go digital, or widescreen, or offer PPV, or go HD, or sell PVR systems.

They truly are the Billy Gates of the broadcasting world -- and yet everyone seems to worship them in the same way they do M$.

Given Amstrad's record for lack of innovation in the early days of home computing relative to the like of Sinclair, Commodore or Atari, it seems strange that next to the all-conquering Sky, Alan Sugar is probably the one with the vision and inventive streak.

A bad camparison, not many people 'worship' Microsoft. Apple on the other hand is fawned over, and they're not as innovative as they make out either

This may as well be a discussion about religion or politics; there's no right and wrong and everybody has their own (often passionate) opinion.

Righties are mostly capitalists and welcome capitalism and all it brings ... with the hope that one day the capitalist model will make them very rich. They fail to understand, or don't care, of the obvious impact that a monopoly has on the consumer (i.e. price-fixing) and think the competition comission are just spoiling the fun.

Lefties aren't as bothered as making themselves as rich as is physically possible, and are somewhat more wary of monopolies and what it can mean for the consumer.

Ok so it's generalisation of the year but this discussion is essentially going nowhere. Personally I side with the lefties; I'd like to see how much all they Sky-lovers continue to sing their praises if they manage to put Virgin Media out of business and hoik their prices up even more. Which is what they will do. C.f. Tesco et al.

As has been said, neither Microsoft of Sky are all that amazing - they've got good marketing and that's about it.

I honestly thought Thomson made more of the boxes.

But.

I was wrong =P

Personally I'm not so fond of the old left/right malarkey - I've always maintained I'm socially very far left, and economically pushing to the right, so other than 't*sser' there's not a lot of labels that work for me. Actually, maybe 'f*ckface'.
I think this is the third time it's been said this is dragging this off-topic. I promise I'll stop now :p

Now I'd be the first to jump at any debate on free markets, the monopolies they generate and the ethics behind them but all it is that BSkyB brought their major component manufacturer which is a smart move on their part.

Helps a better company cut costs and gets a company who would otherwise be pissing money up the wall on daft ventures and crap consumer products. No evil corporation hoo-hah or anything, just practical business sense.

Now Sky has taken over Amstrad, will it now launch True VOD?

Hello Paul Akinbola.