Sky's catch-up service & EPG software updates

Your box might not be ready for it yet. Do you know the make of your box?

Anyway you could try a forced update by doing this.

Unplug box
wait 30 sec
press and hold back up while plugging back in
keep back up pressed until software update message appears (after around 10 sec)
release button and wait.

Thanks for that I've emailed Sky seeing if my box has the update or not.

I think you need to be patient, they've only just started rolling out the update and it doesn't happen for everyone at the same time.

It's worth mentioning in many cases doing a forced update can slow down the time it takes to get the update, as the forced stream is usually kept on the old software for a period so they can easily revert people back if the update goes wrong.

As for the time it has taken to get iPlayer and the like on Sky, how the software is developed has to be considered. It's no coincidence that the design of the EPG was updated in the summer, part of that update was to pave the way for these services to launch. The update wasn't just visual, there were quite a lot of technical changes, such as changing the EPG to HD, changing how graphics are drawn (to allow the custom colours), as well as changed to the Sky+ underlying technology (as evidenced by the many bugs that followed).

Well I have one of the last boxes to get the update, Amstrad DRX780, and I got the update in the early hours of this morning. The new EPG looks great and I also have the catch up services. ITV Player and Demand 5 are good as there are no commercial breaks in the programmes when downloaded.

Also BBC iPlayer launches on October 30th and I can't wait.

Yes, I just noticed that BBC iPlayer now states that it will be available from 30/10/12.

I've been beta-testing it for a while now. The quality of the HD downloads are excellent. It's such a shame that ITV haven't followed suit and allowed HD content on their catch-up service.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2q0t8nb.jpg

I'm hearing good things about the BBC iPlayer. I think that much like the update to boxes the iPlayer could go live at around 2am in the morning on October 30th but this is just a guess.

I think the iPlayer interface will be one the other catch up services should look to adopt if the pictures released so far are anything to go by. I've also heard that there could be a few more exciting things coming to the EPG/catch up service. No idea what but it sounds exciting. More catch up services in future? Changes to functionality? A BBC archive of shows?

It wouldn't surprise me if Sky are looking at a backwards TV guide, given that's a big selling point for Virgin/YouView/Freesat at the moment.

How do you take screenshots like that?

Now that I would like and then I could use it to set recordings on catch up. For all of Sky's technological achievements it has come late to the party with some catch up/ EPG functionality.

Surely that's the advantage of Sky's catch-up over the Freesat/Freeview?

You can choose a channel, choose a day from the last week and record past programmes. Both <free time> and YouView only allow streaming and not recording.

This also gives Sky the advantage with HD programmes on slow BB connections.

I have Pinnacle Studio 11 video editing software on my PC, which uses the output from the Component Video sockets on the back of the Sky+HD box.