NowTV - can't find answers, OCUK will help!

stoofa

stoofa

stoofa

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Guys,
I've just spent around 45 minutes trying to figure out NowTV and what is meant by "streaming and catchup" & "some content" and "not all content is available to stream" and, well very basically, how it all works!

So, currently have a subscription to Sky purely for TV. We get a fair few channels, but we definitely don't watch them all.
What exactly do you get from NowTV for your £6.99/month for the Entertainment pack?
When they say you get live and catch-up content from the channels:

Sky 1
Sky Arts
Sky Atlantic
Sky Living
Comedy Central
Discovery Channel
Disney Channel
Fox
Gold
ITV Encore
MTV
Nickelodeon
Nick Jr.

Do they mean just that? If it's scheduled to appear on one of these channels I'd be able to stream it or catch it on catch-up? Or does it all depend?
What I'm getting at is that around 99% of Sky viewing for us is either on:

Sky 1
Atlantic
Fox
Living

But I'm assuming that £6.99/month isn't going to give me free and unrestricted viewing of all those channels? That, for example, I'm not going to be able to see the new series of Game of Thrones next month on this service?

Also, seems to be confusion on HD content. I mean, Sky charge me for HD channels, I'm assuming what I'm getting from NowTV would be SD?

I assumed I would find out all the answers to this and everything else on the NowTV website, but I just cannot find a definitive answer to them. From people with NowTV - if I'm used to being able to watch the 4 channels listed above in HD to watch new programs as they are released or at worst, catch-up on the same day, how much of that ability do I lose by going NowTV from a Sky subscription?

Cheers.
 
http://help.nowtv.com/article/Streaming-Quality

basically yes 6.99 a month does give you free and unrestricted viewing of the "entertainment" channels. (and yes live game of thrones but in SD, wait and catchup will be HD)

If you watch them live it will be in SD, if you watch them on catchup they are HD (720).

If you shop around keeping an eye on on hotukdeals you can even get it considerably cheaper (less than £20 for 6 months, and that includes a box).

If you invest in an apple TV box you can even get the live content in HD at (720)

Not quite as good as a dish but substantially cheaper for much the same thing assuming you have decent internet.
 
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Thanks for that - really useful.
I do have a good, stable internet connection - speed testing at around 74mb down with low ping.
I'm obviously losing the ability to record and all of the other Plus features that the current Sky box allows me to do - but then I'd be relying on the catch-up services rather than the stuff I've recorded, which works for me.

Like the idea of the Apple TV box (even though I've vowed not to own any Apple products).
So with the Apple box I could actually stream content in HD as well - so GoT, Blacklist, Walking Dead, Limitless (to name a few)?

A lot of food for thought as I'm told Sky subscription prices are going up, again, in June this year. Was looking at a way of saving some money and it seemed Atlantic was the stumbling block each time, this may well be the solution.

Ta
 
NowTV also has the nice addition of being able to add movies or sport at any time all without a contract.

Over Christmas £40 would have got you 12 months of sky movies and in all honesty having them "on demand" is better than live anyway.

I only really use the service for football and although the 720 is not as good as I would like what Sky was charging was just to high.

Even now since I left sky I have been offered the complete package from sky at £25 a month and even that seems really poor compared to a £30 second hand apple TV and the occasional sports pass.

In fairness I do not watch a lot of sport some football but between BT sport and now TV passes I am well under what I was paying for sky for much the same thing.

If they made the service 1080 and obviously they could then it would be a 5* from me.
 
At the moment I'm watching Sky through a SkyHD box, so this is broadcasting in 1080i?
Is there a massive difference when watching in 720p instead? This is on a rather modest 42" Samsung LED TV.
Also I see that NowTV doesn't offer any 5.1 sound, even for movies. Am I right in thinking that most channels via Sky don't actually broadcast in 5.1 for "everyday" programs?
The ones I've listed before - we have the SkyHD box plugged into a surround sound system, but I'm guessing the system is performing a "virtual surround sound" for the majority of what I'm watching?
 
The best thing about now tv is you can just 'try it out' for a month and see how you get on with it.

I found, in terms of content it was great but i hated the quality - not just the compression on the 720p but the frame rate was off and it made drama series and films look very judders to my eyes.
 
I guess that would be the option - sign up for a month and use it via my PS3 and see if the content is what I want and the "on demand" quality is acceptable.

It's just come June my monthly with Sky is going to be £38.
When I can get TV via my ISP (Talk Talk) for quite literally a few pounds a month (so I get all of the Freeview channels and a box to record etc) and then NowTV at around £5/month with offers it is a massive difference.

But.....If the quality isn't going to work for me I'm just not going to be happy.
Damn you Sky Atlantic! If it wasn't for that I'd cancel Sky right now and take the Freeview route :)
 
I use it for live sports and its just about acceptable. The picture itself is decent but its not the smoothest in terms of motion. Its a shame because for 31 a month the sports pass should be a bit better motion wise. All other content is fine.
 
Bassmansam said:
I use it for live sports and its just about acceptable. The picture itself is decent but its not the smoothest in terms of motion. Its a shame because for 31 a month the sports pass should be a bit better motion wise. All other content is fine.
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Are you using Apple TV to view it at 720p or another device in sd?
 
Bassmansam said:
I use it for live sports and its just about acceptable. The picture itself is decent but its not the smoothest in terms of motion. Its a shame because for 31 a month the sports pass should be a bit better motion wise. All other content is fine.
Click to expand...


I don't understand how the frame rate can be so poor unless they're doing it on purpose. On the AppleTV 4 I use Netflix, iPlayer, FOXNOW, NBC and ABC all of their streams and on demand are much smoother.
 
vila said:
I don't understand how the frame rate can be so poor unless they're doing it on purpose. On the AppleTV 4 I use Netflix, iPlayer, FOXNOW, NBC and ABC all of their streams and on demand are much smoother.
Click to expand...

Hmm i can only suggest you try it. The motion does seem slightly off on live premier league games.
 
Bassmansam said:
Hmm i can only suggest you try it. The motion does seem slightly off on live premier league games.
Click to expand...


I did after i quit sky for a month, luckily 4 weeks after actually leaving sky offered me the same package as i had before for £14 a month and £100 credit.

Although actually for sport you might find switching your TV's motion enhancer on will help tremendously. Its something i normally try and keep off and it won't work for films and dramas as it will give everything 'the soap opera effect' but you might find it helps to give it a more natural 50 hz feel.
 
vila said:
I did after i quit sky for a month, luckily 4 weeks after actually leaving sky offered me the same package as i had before for £14 a month and £100 credit.

Although actually for sport you might find switching your TV's motion enhancer on will help tremendously. Its something i normally try and keep off and it won't work for films and dramas as it will give everything 'the soap opera effect' but you might find it helps to give it a more natural 50 hz feel.
Click to expand...

I am currently using a rubbish low end lg tv as our house is being extended and currently living in a friends flat which may be the cause?Moving back in a few weeks and getting a new samsung tv, will play with the settings then. Does the apple have a setting for 50hz setting?
 
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