Just had Sky+ installed - wow!
21 October 2002, 02:39 PM
#1
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Gentlemen - if your old Video Recorder is on the blink again, like mine was, look no further than this.
The best bit of kit I've bought in ages. Can't believe I messed around with VCR for so long while these have been out. Makes my VCR look steam powered.
Go buy one for Christmas - tell the girlfriend/wife its for her. Just get one!
http://www1.sky.com/products/skyplus/
-DV
The best bit of kit I've bought in ages. Can't believe I messed around with VCR for so long while these have been out. Makes my VCR look steam powered.
Go buy one for Christmas - tell the girlfriend/wife its for her. Just get one!
http://www1.sky.com/products/skyplus/
-DV
it sounds soo much like a cheesy advert 
21 October 2002, 04:31 PM
#7
Ok the price is my main concern. Its not worth £250+monthly fee imo. Im paying Sky a bucketload of cash per mnth as it is. And it will probably be half the price in a year or even sooner anyway 
How about an archive output to DVDRam/CDR instead of VCR?
How about an archive output to DVDRam/CDR instead of VCR?
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21 October 2002, 04:31 PM
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<enter danger of flame mode>
Guys, you are all missing a trick if you go for Sky+ over TiVo. you can now pick them up cheaply, and that isn't 'cos they're about to go to the wall, either.
</enter danger of flame mode>
Alex
21 October 2002, 04:37 PM
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Absolutely, the community of tinkerers is much larger than that of Sky+...
You presumably know about TiVo UK Forum, evidence it's alive and well
[Edited by BigGT3Fan - 10/21/2002 4:39:37 PM]
You presumably know about TiVo UK Forum, evidence it's alive and well
[Edited by BigGT3Fan - 10/21/2002 4:39:37 PM]
21 October 2002, 04:38 PM
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21 October 2002, 05:41 PM
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Had a look at TiVo, but didn't fancy it. They're in all sorts of financial bother at the moment.
I just thought the Sky solution was much more elegant and clutter free, not to mention Sky will be around for a long time.
You pays yer money you takes yer choice I suppose. Both are pro'lly good systems.
-DV
I just thought the Sky solution was much more elegant and clutter free, not to mention Sky will be around for a long time.
You pays yer money you takes yer choice I suppose. Both are pro'lly good systems.
-DV
21 October 2002, 07:03 PM
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If you do NOT have the full sky channel package:
£250 box
£50 install
£10 subs
If you DO have the full sky channel package(12months):
£199 box
? install
£10 subs
£250 box
£50 install
£10 subs
If you DO have the full sky channel package(12months):
£199 box
? install
£10 subs
21 October 2002, 08:42 PM
#16
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SKY are taking the **** with there SKY+ charges. To be honest I am getting fed up with SKY sneakily upping there monthly charge [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]
And what do we get in return - feckin crap channels that nobody watches!! Over the lsat month I have noticed numerous new channels between 226 and 301 - All of them are rubbish! They even have a stupid txting channel!
Some people must be really socially deprived to chat on txt TV. Especially when the txting is about 50p a go!
SKY offer a good service but they are really annoying me on pricing [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] SKY needs some competition otherwise the prices will rise and before you know it we are paying £50pm for SKY's full package!
[Edited by roadrunner - 10/21/2002 8:43:31 PM]
And what do we get in return - feckin crap channels that nobody watches!! Over the lsat month I have noticed numerous new channels between 226 and 301 - All of them are rubbish! They even have a stupid txting channel!
Some people must be really socially deprived to chat on txt TV. Especially when the txting is about 50p a go!SKY offer a good service but they are really annoying me on pricing [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] SKY needs some competition otherwise the prices will rise and before you know it we are paying £50pm for SKY's full package!
[Edited by roadrunner - 10/21/2002 8:43:31 PM]
22 October 2002, 10:20 AM
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I do not believe that TIVO are in trouble or I would not have signed up. If you purchase a TIVO and a lifetime sub it means it costs £350 so it only has to last for 5 months and you are ahead and not tied in to Sky. You would still have a box superior to an ordinary VCR.
You could also have a go at the credit card company if they did fail.
You could also have a go at the credit card company if they did fail.
22 October 2002, 10:33 AM
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TIVO financial problems:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...7/b3748086.htm
I'm not trying to tell anyone which system to get - I bet they're both great!
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...7/b3748086.htm
I'm not trying to tell anyone which system to get - I bet they're both great!
22 October 2002, 11:06 AM
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ref Tivo vs Sky+, if you want to record one programme, and watch a different one at the same time then only Sky+ will do this for you.
This alone would sway me towards Sky+ if I didn't think the £10 a month was a rip off
Greg
This alone would sway me towards Sky+ if I didn't think the £10 a month was a rip off
Greg
22 October 2002, 11:59 AM
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Well put GregH - The ability to watch one Sky channel and record another means you can throw away all your remote controls and use the Sky+ one (think the normal sky controller but with pause/play/record/ff/rw on it.
I think you can also watch one recording whilst recording something new.
Missed the Office last night - will have to put it on 'SeriesLink' to record them all for me automatically!
-DV
I think you can also watch one recording whilst recording something new.
Missed the Office last night - will have to put it on 'SeriesLink' to record them all for me automatically!
-DV
22 October 2002, 06:31 PM
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Those who get bothered by the requirement to record one channel and watch another are missing the point of TiVo IMHO. The whole idea of TiVo, against inferior PVRs and other devices such as recordable DVDs, is that you NEVER watch live TV, you only watch what you want, when you want to, without the adverts. 
If this is the way you use it, then it isn't a restriction! You get loads of extra functionality and intelligence with the TiVo that Sky+ misses out on.
Alternatively, if you really must watch Live TV, adverts and all, you can always rent a second Set Top Box with the money you save by not buying Sky+ & lining Murdoch's pockets even more
As has been said above, both are great systems, I'm just doing my bit to extole the virtues of the product without Sky's advertising budget behind it!
<edited for clarity & spelling>
[Edited by BigGT3Fan - 10/22/2002 6:32:02 PM]
If this is the way you use it, then it isn't a restriction! You get loads of extra functionality and intelligence with the TiVo that Sky+ misses out on.Alternatively, if you really must watch Live TV, adverts and all, you can always rent a second Set Top Box with the money you save by not buying Sky+ & lining Murdoch's pockets even more
As has been said above, both are great systems, I'm just doing my bit to extole the virtues of the product without Sky's advertising budget behind it!
<edited for clarity & spelling>
[Edited by BigGT3Fan - 10/22/2002 6:32:02 PM]
23 October 2002, 09:56 AM
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>> is that you NEVER watch live TV, you only watch what you want
So how does Tivo help when I want to watch the footie on one Sky channel and the missus wants to watch a soap at the same time?
regards,
Greg
So how does Tivo help when I want to watch the footie on one Sky channel and the missus wants to watch a soap at the same time?
regards,
Greg
23 October 2002, 11:42 AM
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Well I usually watch the football 'just behind live' so that I can skim through the adverts / Mark Laurenson (sp?) rubbish, and the soap will almost guaranteed have been recorded as well, even though it clashes as they are shown several times (via BBC Choice and ITV2, or omnibuses, of course), so if the first occurence is a clash, TiVo picks it up on a subsequent repeat.
In the unlikely event of there being no occasion where the two programs don't overlap, then you have to use the two set top box solution using the money you save over Sky, I guess...
Alex
23 October 2002, 02:32 PM
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Daz,
What is the date of that article in Business Week ? SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 ?
The quote "TiVo is fighting for its life. The company will drain its $50 million cash reserve by Feb. 1 (2002)"...
Funny, mine was still working last night...
Seriously though, the Sky+ hardware is superior but the software still lags behind Tivo - eventually the software will improve and then it will be a much more even fight. The Sky+ monthly subscription for precisely nothing does still irk though...
Tivo has a huge amount of aftermarket stuff available now - network cards/web interfaces/cacheing disk controllers etc.
Thanks
Gavin
UK Thompson Tivo - 240Gb - network card running TivoWeb
[Edited by GavinP - 10/23/2002 2:33:58 PM]
What is the date of that article in Business Week ? SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 ?
The quote "TiVo is fighting for its life. The company will drain its $50 million cash reserve by Feb. 1 (2002)"...
Funny, mine was still working last night...
Seriously though, the Sky+ hardware is superior but the software still lags behind Tivo - eventually the software will improve and then it will be a much more even fight. The Sky+ monthly subscription for precisely nothing does still irk though...
Tivo has a huge amount of aftermarket stuff available now - network cards/web interfaces/cacheing disk controllers etc.
Thanks
Gavin
UK Thompson Tivo - 240Gb - network card running TivoWeb
[Edited by GavinP - 10/23/2002 2:33:58 PM]
23 October 2002, 05:09 PM
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Gavin - take your pick on the news articles covering TiVo's plight! I posted an article dated last week on Scoobynet recently(!)
I just prefer the safety blanket of a company like Sky opposed to a struggling one like TiVo.
I just prefer the safety blanket of a company like Sky opposed to a struggling one like TiVo.
25 October 2002, 01:14 PM
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Daz,
May be old news but when Sky came out, you couldn't setup repeating recordings (I don't know what the Sky term is, Tivo's is "Season Pass") for CH4 and CH5 because the TV channels weren't supplying the information required.
As I understand it, Sky put the onus on the TV channel companies to supply the information Sky+ needs. This is extracted from the Sky EPG.
TiVo dials a freephone number each night to get listings information downloaded from an external company which is what you pay your subscription for.
The Sky+ software is still behind TiVos but obviously they can fix that eventually - adding second tuners and Dolby Digital capability is a bit harder for a Tivo!
I'm thinking about getting a Sky+ box as well (use the TiVo for terrestrial stuff and clashes only) so I'd be interested in your thoughts...
Thanks
Gavin
May be old news but when Sky came out, you couldn't setup repeating recordings (I don't know what the Sky term is, Tivo's is "Season Pass") for CH4 and CH5 because the TV channels weren't supplying the information required.
As I understand it, Sky put the onus on the TV channel companies to supply the information Sky+ needs. This is extracted from the Sky EPG.
TiVo dials a freephone number each night to get listings information downloaded from an external company which is what you pay your subscription for.
The Sky+ software is still behind TiVos but obviously they can fix that eventually - adding second tuners and Dolby Digital capability is a bit harder for a Tivo!
I'm thinking about getting a Sky+ box as well (use the TiVo for terrestrial stuff and clashes only) so I'd be interested in your thoughts...
Thanks
Gavin
25 October 2002, 01:51 PM
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Those who get bothered by the requirement to record one channel and watch another are missing the point of TiVo IMHO.
Gary