Cheap offer Sky HD should I take the plunge?

iMacMart

iMacMart

iMacMart

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My company get half price Sky offers as we are a partner so I can go from Sky+ to HD at a cost of £124 for the box (free install) then a reduced monthly rate from there...

I have a 40" 1080p Samsung tv............

Is it worth the jump.....?


I do like me wildlife programmes etc........
 
Look at it this way, you've spent a not inconsiderable amount of money on a large HD TV; wouldn't it be a bit of a waste if you didn't attach an HD source to it?
 
I'm facing the same dilemna at the moment (albeit without the discounts) :(

Does anyone know if taking out Sky HD when you already have a Sky subscription mean you get reset to a 12 month contract again?
 
Durzel said:
I'm facing the same dilemna at the moment (albeit without the discounts) :(

Does anyone know if taking out Sky HD when you already have a Sky subscription mean you get reset to a 12 month contract again?
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Ring up and ask?

OP: The only reason I personally would get Sky HD is for Sport. Mind you, there is Channel 4 HD, ITV HD (coming soon) and Movies in HD as well. If it is discounted each month then you may as well. I would get it for Sports alone personally, but I am with a cable provider
 
Nope, just ring sky, and ask them to upgrade your subscription to HD. Its no different to adding another channel. No new contract is required. Well it depends how you get your box. If you get a subsidised box, then your cancelling your old contract, and getting tied in again. I bought my box as part of an "upgrade" deal, so its still on the original contract, using my original viewing card. (if the deal your talking about is an "upgrade" for existing subscribers then you may well avoid being tied in for 12 months)

Dunno if the new SKY HD box's are out yet, if not be warned, the Thompson boxes are somewhat prone to crashing. Althought to be fair my SKY+ box crashed more often. It's claimed that the crashes are possibly linked to sky anytime recordings.

Even so, I still recommend SkyHD, picture quality is great, and all the HD channels get 5.1 surround as well. Its still a highly compressed digital format, so it doesnt look as good as a BluRay HD source for example, but its way better than analog broadcast quality, and its a noticeably better than a "well mastered" DVD. New HD channels seem to be popping up more often now too, so the service is getting better and better.
 
[DOD]Asprilla;11690080 said:
Look at it this way, you've spent a not inconsiderable amount of money on a large HD TV; wouldn't it be a bit of a waste if you didn't attach an HD source to it?
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Thats a very good point!! :)

TheDean said:
Ring up and ask?

OP: The only reason I personally would get Sky HD is for Sport. Mind you, there is Channel 4 HD, ITV HD (coming soon) and Movies in HD as well. If it is discounted each month then you may as well. I would get it for Sports alone personally, but I am with a cable provider
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Not really a sports person to be honest (well watching them anyway) but I would watch the other HD stuff

I'll speak to the wife tonight and maybe give them a call..
 
Planet Earth looked fantastic on BBC HD :), There are quite a few good HD wildlife programs out there. The movies are nice, and there are quite a few good HD shows on Sky One as well. Not to mention Torchwood on BBCHD. So there is plenty of choice of HD TV for non sports fans. (I dont even subscribe to sky sports)
 
tweakinfreak said:
Thats a very good point!! :)



Not really a sports person to be honest (well watching them anyway) but I would watch the other HD stuff

I'll speak to the wife tonight and maybe give them a call..
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Maybe just get the HD box for Sky One HD, ITV HD and Channel 4HD....
 
We recently moved from VM to SkyHD and we haven't looked back! Fair enough, the movie channels are upscaled and there are lots of repeats but the other channels make up for it. Sky Sports is amazing as is discovery and nat geo.

As a wildlife fan, you will certainely not be dissapointed. Some of the best pictures I have ever seen have been on National Geographic - you just can't take your eyes off the screen. Look out for the short movie regarding the underwater HD Cameras. It was like looking into the Aquarium at the Zoo! :)
 
benktlottie said:
We recently moved from VM to SkyHD and we haven't looked back! Fair enough, the movie channels are upscaled and there are lots of repeats but the other channels make up for it. Sky Sports is amazing as is discovery and nat geo.

As a wildlife fan, you will certainely not be dissapointed. Some of the best pictures I have ever seen have been on National Geographic - you just can't take your eyes off the screen. Look out for the short movie regarding the underwater HD Cameras. It was like looking into the Aquarium at the Zoo! :)
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Hi there

What packages do you have?

Can I ask the cost?
 
tweakinfreak said:
Hi there

What packages do you have?

Can I ask the cost?
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Well, I got it for the Sports and HD, the wife has the movies and wildlife stuff, my 14 year old daughter needs all the music and news channels, and the babby needs kids programmes! So, I went for the 6 package mix, Sports and Movies, and HD. We have an additional box for my eldest daughters bedroom aswell.

So, costs.....

6 mixes = £45
HD = £10
Multiroom = £10

So....................£65 a month. :)
 
still too expensive imo

i suspect skys hd pcm pricing will come down (if not vanish) later this year what with the emerging competition from freesat. Early 2009 if Sky havent reduced their prices then im off to either freesat HD or just going for the playtv thingy.

i mean £299 for a hd box? the offerings from these other companies will certainly be much cheaper than this.
 
The freesat PVR boxes aren't much cheaper and it remains to be seen how they perform.

It's the cost of the subs that gets me though. It's extortion, but obviously not extortionate enough to make me cancel, so maybe Sky are on to something here.

As I've mentioned before on this forum, Sky's current strategy is not to offer widespread discounts or reduce prices in the face of competition, but rather to sell the value of their product as 'Premium Service' which is worth the additional cash.

I can't see them dropping the £10 charge in the face of Freesat, otherwise they would have done the same thing for Freeview.
 
The freesat PVR boxes aren't much cheaper
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sky hd £299 (they charge £399 for the package without a sky subscription)

freesat £120 for the box + 80 for install = £200

£100 difference and NO monthly charge.

I call that significantly cheaper......


edit: and for ex-sky customers....

already have a satellite; do I need to pay for installation?

If you've already got a Sky dish but you've terminated your contract, you should be able to simply plug the satellite dish lead in to the new box and get going straight away. Freesat channels are delivered by the same satellite.

If it doesn't work you'll still have to get an engineer round to sort it out, though you can likely track a cheaper one down yourself rather than pay for the full Freesat installation service.
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so might be able to forego the £80 install totally.
 
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if its a sky hd dish then dont see why not (bear in mind there is only BBC HD atm on freesat)


BUT (and this is the bit which annoys me) apparently you get no EPG that way sooo wtf???

Basically you have to buy equipment off sky to use their service but that same equipment your are left with if you cancel, you cannot 100% utilise with other satellite equipment...

nice one...sky.:rolleyes:

p.s. i could be wrong and i hope i am tbh.
 
Surfer said:
sky hd £299 (they charge £399 for the package without a sky subscription)

freesat £120 for the box + 80 for install = £200

£100 difference and NO monthly charge.

I call that significantly cheaper......
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That's for a standard HD box which does not have recording capability. I specifically refered to a Freesat PVR box, prices for which have not been released on the Freesat site.

Obviously the big saving will come with the subscription at £120 a year for HD on top of your standard Sky Subscription.
 
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