Sky replacing all Thompson boxes
- Thread starter matthewhotdude
- Start date
Was it? It used to quickly give me a list of all the channels and allow me to easily jump around to bits of the screen i want.
The new one with its embedded video is slow as hell
- Joined
- 11 Sep 2008
- Posts
- 2,638
Exactly, which is the main point of a EPG
yes it was. It was archaic compared to the options available on even the most basic freeview box and hadn't fundamentally changed since the first Sky digibox back in 1998. You couldn't look forward more than 6 hours without having to enter the TV guide itself which would then lose the channel you were watching and you'd be back to listening to the background music rather than keeping tabs on the program you were watching. There was no way to see what was due to record or is recording without entering the planner itself, if you were looking through the on screen guide and saw a program any press of 'i' would give you info about the program you were watching, not the program highlighted on the guide. No Anytime or Anytime+ either. If you think the old EPG was great then i pity you mate, it was truly and utterly garbage compared to the guide as it is now, which is still not perfect but is miles better to what came before.
Oh, and a quick press of services, select, left arrow twice you can turn the mini TV off and gain more listings on screen at once mate. you can also colour the HD content in the guide in orange in here as well if you wish. Don't forget to green button to save.
Last edited:
My dad just got Sky HD and the default EPG is horrific, 6 channels displayed at once means constant scrolling down the page to look at other channels; the video thumbail is absolutely pointless, if one wants to browse channels while still watching the tv program they simply press the select button to bring up a small menu, not go to the tv guide, so why have it there? 
Even when you use the customise options there's still loads of space wasted by the redundant planner/anytime/box office buttons at the top. And having to press the green button to save settings is a constant source of frustration. Not to mention the problems trying to setup the box because the interface doesn't refresh itself automatically, so we were connecting the phone line and wondering why it kept saying it wasn't connected.
Also the box itself has very poor connectivity, it only has a hdmi output. So if your tv only has one hdmi input...
Even when you use the customise options there's still loads of space wasted by the redundant planner/anytime/box office buttons at the top. And having to press the green button to save settings is a constant source of frustration. Not to mention the problems trying to setup the box because the interface doesn't refresh itself automatically, so we were connecting the phone line and wondering why it kept saying it wasn't connected.Also the box itself has very poor connectivity, it only has a hdmi output. So if your tv only has one hdmi input...
Last edited:
I need to hang onto my Thomson box as I use the component output for the projector - the new boxes don't have component so I wouldn't call it an upgrade. You also have to be prepared to lose your existing recordings as they are not transferred over to the replacement - they insist an taking your old box away too.
Problem I'm having with my HD box is that my recorded content has just disappeared
Only had 20% free space left last night, this morning I have 85% free space
, been having to unplug the box, as it's locked up, & then wait a minute before plugging it back in, then all is ok.
Might get it one a week or several times a week.
Only had 20% free space left last night, this morning I have 85% free space
, been having to unplug the box, as it's locked up, & then wait a minute before plugging it back in, then all is ok.Might get it one a week or several times a week.
My dad just got Sky HD and the default EPG is horrific, 6 channels displayed at once means constant scrolling down the page to look at other channels; the video thumbail is absolutely pointless, if one wants to browse channels while still watching the tv program they simply press the select button to bring up a small menu, not go to the tv guide, so why have it there?
Also the box itself has very poor connectivity, it only has a hdmi output. So if your tv only has one hdmi input...
It only has HDMI output because that's all it needs and HDMI is the recognised standard for HD content and has been for years. Thomson boxes had component but seeing as HDCP doesn't work on component it was only a stop gap.
I can also assume you didn't read the whole thread, because if you read my post further up you can turn the Mini TV off (Services, select, left twice, select, 'Mini TV mode' to off, green to save.) if you wish. You can also page up and down using CH + and - on the right hand side of the remote instead of scrolling endlessly.
"All it needs" is precisely the flawed mindset that is the problem here. If many other hd devices like consoles have component/vga in the clear recognition that many people require alternatives then this demonstrates a failure on the part of sky.
Can I assume you didn't read half my post where I mentioned using the customisation options and how they didn't fix all the problems with the planner?
Soldato
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2010
- Posts
- 11,523
- Location
- Bucks
just got off the phone to them, its not all thomson boxes only those that cant accept anytime +
and despite me having hard crashes, signal bug, very slow epg - they wont replace mine.
so now tonight i decide if I am going to cancel or not - not much point in having a box that half works! it will be down to the misses though since she will miss tibets next top model and all that ****.
and despite me having hard crashes, signal bug, very slow epg - they wont replace mine.
so now tonight i decide if I am going to cancel or not - not much point in having a box that half works! it will be down to the misses though since she will miss tibets next top model and all that ****.
We've just had our old box replaced today, its a smaller box than the old Thomson one and also has a larger hard drive.
The EPG is also much smoother than before, couldn't be happier really
The only thing I miss is the contrast adjustment on the old Sky box, apart from that all is good
The EPG is also much smoother than before, couldn't be happier really
The only thing I miss is the contrast adjustment on the old Sky box, apart from that all is good
Soldato
- Joined
- 15 Mar 2010
- Posts
- 11,523
- Location
- Bucks
yep, i dunno they dont seem to really want to keep me happy to be honest..im sure they will offer for an engineer to come round but whats the point when in the 30mins he will be there im sure he will find no fault
They are coming to change mine soon. Though the one they are taking away is going to be swapped with a broken one I got for free before they come, so I can use the current working one upstairs on multiroom to replace my Sky + box I've got, providing I get away with it of course which I probably won't, they must have come up with something to stop people doing this?
The main thing that bugs me about Sky is whenever it rains (and we get a fair bit of rain here in Manchester 
) it stops working. It doesn't even have to be that heavy for the picture/sound to be completely messed up.
Can't really complain though since we get free movies, sports, box office events etc. in every room of the house that has a box, which atm is three!
) it stops working. It doesn't even have to be that heavy for the picture/sound to be completely messed up.Can't really complain though since we get free movies, sports, box office events etc. in every room of the house that has a box, which atm is three!
Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 6,529
- Location
- Torbay, Devon, UK
I have a pace and its a pain, slow, the wife is really getting peed off with it. (its about 2 years old).
Duno if you ordered your swap online but when I did mine I could replace my HD box AND all my old plus boxes with HD ones for free