Sky's Branding

The EPG is getting a refresh on non-Thompson HD boxes later in the year, and some users have been able to sign up to beta test it. Users over on Digital Spy have been posting photos, it does look rather good with lots of use of the Sky font.

Here's one set of pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77459721@N08/6946718814/in/photostream/

Mostly cosmetic changes for now, a few rumoured features to come at a later stage include sharing programmes between multiroom boxes over wifi and two-way feedback to remote record so that clashes are picked up.

It is rather nice

Looks good I think! Like the 'speedy access' icons to Channels, Planner, Anytime or Rentals.

Feedback from those with beta versions of the software is it's a vast improvement on look, feel and speed. And STABLE!

Isn't it about time the remote was updated? Box Office and Interactive are a bit meaningless these days...

You're right..

TV Guide, Planner, Anytime+ and Sky Store would be more appropriate buttons these days!

I can just see them sending a sticker to everybody that changes the button legends, nothing more expensive than that.

Here are some captures of the beta test of the new SkyHD EPG.

It's actually in HD this time, so the view on the screen is actually a lot sharper than shown on these caps. (I've been tinkering with my capture program, and seem to have made it worse )

http://i44.tinypic.com/10ds8yq.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/jv0kew.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/33vp3kh.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/25turkn.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/nxnh2h.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/u2f5h.jpg

The new 'Now, Next & Later' banner and 'info section' is transparent.

http://i42.tinypic.com/xfw5za.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/34yy5g3.jpg

I wish they could think of a better system for navigation than moving a box through pressing arrows. I don't know quite what but it is so clunky and I find it hard to believe we still use it in 2012. It takes ages to move through menus and the like, and the less than-optimal hardware means that there's often a delay between one pressing the remote and the on screen graphics responding.

I wanted to watch Casualty today - instead of using the TiVo box which I would have liked, I found it far easier to run upstairs, grab the laptop and power cable, connect it to the TV and find it on BBC iPlayer, simply because of the user interface. Set top boxes are unlikely to ever be as good as a computer for navigating, but surely there must be a better solution?

So how is performance compared to the current one? Surely it can't get any worse...

Pretty good, definitely feels snappier.

I always found the EPG on my DRX890 very fast anyway, this new beta version is certainly as fast (if not slightly faster), but I believe it includes the necessary software for some features which are to appear later this year - such as BBC iPlayer.

They are certainly giving more prominence to the non-linear TV services - although the quick links to Anytime+, Sky Store, Planner etc can be disabled if you prefer to search the guide by genre.

At least it's now actually in HD, so the font is much clearer and they have made the most of the screen real estate to include an additional 2 channels per page on the listings when you have the mini-TV visible (although no longer any extra ones if you turn it off).

The performance of my Amstrad/August 2010 box has always been exemplary, in fact it's one of the reasons I keep stalling on cancelling my subscription. In the whole time I've had it I've only had to restart it 3 or 4 times too, compared to the almost daily restarts the Scientific Atlanta V+ box did (I've heard the Samsung V+ and Cisco TiVo aren't so bad though).