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Sky+ subscription to be scrapped?

(January 2007)

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PE
Pete Founding member
Might be hard as a lot of people have now taken to saying "I sky plussed it".

I'd expect they'd keep the branding if only to separate it from Sky HD
LL
Larry the Loafer
Hymagumba posted:
Might be hard as a lot of people have now taken to saying "I sky plussed it".


"I Sky'd it" ..doesn't have a ring to it.
NG
noggin Founding member
nodnirG kraM posted:
I installed my Sky+ box myself, attaching a second dish to an outhouse, so it technically doesn't need plannig permission! Dual coaxial cable and a quad-lnb can be bought on eBay for next to nothing.


The planning permission rules have changed though haven't they? It used to be that you needed permission for a second dish, now as long as they are both small enough (the rules are now based on volume) and your TV aerial is also small enough, you don't need to get permission - or so I seem to recall reading a year or so ago?
NG
noggin Founding member
Orry Verducci posted:
DJ Dave posted:
If they do this, and Virgin Media don't do anything like it am off back to Sky.

Also, it is rumored that the Sky+ box will become the free entry level box soon, which will really hit Virgin Media, as the only way they can compete with it is to make V+HD their entry level box, something I don't think they will do.


I suspect that Sky's Freesat offering may still come with a non-Sky+ box? Or will they provide Sky+ service for non-subscribers...

Isn't the idea behind this to provide all Sky viewers with Sky+ boxes containing the split hard drive (where you can only use half of it for your own purposes, and the other half is reserved for VoD style downloads) - allowing Sky to download material to your drive (presumably when you are not using both tuners) for you to watch on-demand?
OV
Orry Verducci
noggin posted:
I suspect that Sky's Freesat offering may still come with a non-Sky+ box? Or will they provide Sky+ service for non-subscribers...

Isn't the idea behind this to provide all Sky viewers with Sky+ boxes containing the split hard drive (where you can only use half of it for your own purposes, and the other half is reserved for VoD style downloads) - allowing Sky to download material to your drive (presumably when you are not using both tuners) for you to watch on-demand?

Considering they are dropping the Sky+ subscription, it does mean that Sky+ can be used with Freesat at no extra cost. I assume that if the Sky+ box does become the entry level box, they will charge £99 + installation for Freesat installations (as I know they charge for normal box installations at the moment). I know it's a lot cheaper to make Sky+ boxes now, most retailers of Sky boxes only have a £10 or so difference, so I doubt it will be difficult to provide these boxes at the current Freesat installation costs.

As for VoD, as far as I can get out of Sky is that it does not download material when overnight or when the second tuner is not in use. From what I've been told, it works in the same way as cable, where you select a programme on screen and it downloads it. I assume it will operate the same way as Sky Box Office currently does, where it phones Sky for free with movie details, they put it on satellite, the box downloads it and you are charged for it upon viewing to your Sky bill. For that reason I don't think it will be available to Freesat viewers.
SP
Spencer
Hymagumba posted:
Might be hard as a lot of people have now taken to saying "I sky plussed it".

I'd expect they'd keep the branding if only to separate it from Sky HD


I guess it'd be one of those things that would slowly get phased out in the same way as the Sky Digital name was.

57 days later

AH
ahall41116
does anyone have any more information on this?
ST
Stuart
ahall41116 posted:
does anyone have any more information on this?

There doesn't seem to be any more to this than just a rumour. I've reduced from Movies "orld to the 2-Mix (£15) and object to now having to pay £10 a month for the Sky+ facility which actually doesn't cost Sky any more to provide than the standard service. After all, I bought the box, why keep charging me extra to use it?

If this rumour doesn't become fact soon I'll lose the "+" facility on principle as I don't see the point of paying a 66% subscription surcharge to use it. Evil or Very Mad
BR
Brekkie
StuartPlymouth posted:
ahall41116 posted:
does anyone have any more information on this?

There doesn't seem to be any more to this than just a rumour. I've reduced from Movies "orld to the 2-Mix (£15) and object to now having to pay £10 a month for the Sky+ facility which actually doesn't cost Sky any more to provide than the standard service. After all, I bought the box, why keep charging me extra to use it?

If this rumour doesn't become fact soon I'll lose the "+" facility on principle as I don't see the point of paying a 66% subscription surcharge to use it. Evil or Very Mad



That is exactly why they do it though - to make you go for the premium options so you get it for "free".


However, with the immenent Sky Anytime "push-VoD" service using Sky+ technology, it might be worth them providing Sky+ free so their (limited) VoD service is available to all Sky customers - and they can at least say they offer the On-Demand stuff too - even if it is a poor-relation to the Virgin service.

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