Sky TV (BskyB)

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ashwoka

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We have had sky now for a number of years and its just got worse and worse.
Admin, if this is in the wrong place then by all means move or remove.

We just got a new TV with Freeview and the picture is so much better than what we get from the sky box. We pay £47 per month for sky and is about to go up so we thought we would try the freeview option.

The films are crap on sky now, very few films are any good now anyway but we like to watch the older film on TCM. So we are not going to pay for the films because we can buy so much on DVD or video. On the whole they are rubbish and repeat them so often although with all there new subscriptions they need to put alot of the same films on dont they.

Apart from the films, they put adverts on after 5 mins for a 45 min program (Ex Adverts). We have just had adverts between programs. 3 lots of adverts for such a small program is just too much now. It just shows the mentality of the people in control of this kind of company. Just think of money and how many trashy adverts they can throw at people. I know more adverts mean more money. Do they honestly think they will make us buy more by putting the same advert on in the same 5 mins. The adverts are so rubbish and sleezy now. Most aimed at people with debts and people who want to sue for a trip or fall anywhere. I do not watch the TV anyway, Just watch a few programs like documentaries on WW1 and WW2 which are great, especially the ones in colour, and the odd film, I record them on the Sky+ just so we can fast forward through the adverts. I flick through the channel list sometimes to see whats on.

I cant wait to phone sky and cancel this week I hope. the programs have got so bad, MOST of the programs are for Unintelligent teenagers, thugs, women at home all day, perverts. BIG BROTHER is just a joke, just shows the intelligence level of this country. I mean who calls in for game shows and shops on TV.......ok, I know they make a hell of alot of money with this stuff.

They repeat junk all the time. UK Gold is bad now, was ok at the start many years ago now. Most programs are for people sitting at home all day with nothing to do.
They need an option to CUT OUT programs you never watch so you only ever have a list of the programs you want. Reality TV has just got so bad and most is faked anyway. There are just NO more quality programs anymore.

I could go on but will not, It has just got so bad now I needed a bit of therapy and a rant.

Thanks for reading. Replies welcome by all means good or bad.
 
I too pay £47/month for my Sky+ subscription (gives me the hard disk recorder and I get multiroom - another box in another room for that price) which i don't think is too bad - could be cheaper of course - but I totally agree with your comments about the movies and general programming 'taste' in general. Absolute garbage; movies are junk, same old rubbish screened over and over again.

We pretty much watch everything on Sky+ so that we can fast forward all the ads, seeing as they seem to be on about every 7 or 8 minutes. either that, or download the US TV series shows (lilke Lost, Prison Break, Dexter) so you don't get any ads at all.

Additionally of course, Sky's customer service is absolutely legendary. I should think you'll be looking to at least 30 minutes on the phone to cancel the subscription - that's assuming you get someone on the other end of the phone who can even speak English :).
 
Sky+

We have the same, Sky + and an extra box without the Sky+.

Thanks for replying with that. Gets to a point that you think you are the only one out there that thinks like that.

They have a good enough system with the way it works and linking series and all that, but they ruin it with there lack of quality programming and choice. Just scrolling through pressing a button and it all records....great. Thats why its worth paying the extra for the + side of it.
I know with Freeview we get alot less but its just the fact that the programmes with sky are rubbish now.
We are getting a dvd with freeview with 160Gb hard disk so hopefully that will work the same-ish kind of way. Picking that up tuesday night.

Thanks for your reply again Rossored.
 
I have Sky HD and although I get frustrated by a lot of the programming I also now pre-record just about everything so I can quickly scroll through the adverts when watching.

"Planet Earth" on BBC in HD is quite staggering.
 
ashwoka said:
We have the same, Sky + and an extra box without the Sky+.

Thanks for replying with that. Gets to a point that you think you are the only one out there that thinks like that.

They have a good enough system with the way it works and linking series and all that, but they ruin it with there lack of quality programming and choice. Just scrolling through pressing a button and it all records....great. Thats why its worth paying the extra for the + side of it.
I know with Freeview we get alot less but its just the fact that the programmes with sky are rubbish now.
We are getting a dvd with freeview with 160Gb hard disk so hopefully that will work the same-ish kind of way. Picking that up tuesday night.

Thanks for your reply again Rossored.
Click to expand...

I'd be interested to know how that works out and what you think of it compared to Sky once you've got it installed and setup - would you be good enough to post your thoughts back here once it's done?
 
If you want to cancel sky the only way that worked for me was by letter..
Don't even think about phoning!

Cancel by Post - The 30 day period starts from the date of your letter so make sure you date it clearly.
Sky will need to know your full name, address, account number, viewing card number and any password on the account. This should help to ensure a quick and hassle free cancellation.
Sky's address is:-
Correspondence department, Sky subscriber service, 4 Mackintosh Road, Kirton Campus, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 7BW

You still get all the main channels as you automatically become freeSat.

However once you have cancelled your subscription wait a month then they will offer you a free Sky HD box and you do not have to subscribe - just pay monthly.
 
SKY, freeview

Hi Rossred, I will post on here and let you know how all goes.

Hi TWI, I have a HD Ready TV so seems a shame not to use it really. Although I do get better pictures with the Freeview, I suppose coz its digital anyway.

Thanks Rols for giving that info, very usefull indeed. So what you are saying is that there is no need to throw the sky boxes away because they will still work with free channels. That good. Wonder if it still needs to be connected to the telephone line, guessing not.

Luckily I am only about 4 or 5 miles away from a transmitter. 95 signal strength with set top antenna.

Will post when all gets connected. As always I never read instructions, so excited about opening that shiny box with new stuff in it. Once many years ago (1992 in fact) I bought my first CD player, Technics. Never read the instructions, plugged it in and the door would not open so what did I do, pulled it open to try and loosen it a bit, I heard an awful noise as it pulled fully out. Then pushed it back in, same awful noise. THEN read instructions saying there are Transit screws that need removing before operating. Woops.......Luckily worked fine and still with me 15 years later, even after a fall of 7 Feet onto its top.

Keep you posted with how all goes. I did look into getting BT Vision but cannot get the 8 Mb Broadband yet.

Thanks for replies

Karl
 
ashwoka said:
Hi Rossred, I will post on here and let you know how all goes.

Hi TWI, I have a HD Ready TV so seems a shame not to use it really. Although I do get better pictures with the Freeview, I suppose coz its digital anyway.

Thanks Rols for giving that info, very usefull indeed. So what you are saying is that there is no need to throw the sky boxes away because they will still work with free channels. That good. Wonder if it still needs to be connected to the telephone line, guessing not.

Luckily I am only about 4 or 5 miles away from a transmitter. 95 signal strength with set top antenna.

Will post when all gets connected. As always I never read instructions, so excited about opening that shiny box with new stuff in it. Once many years ago (1992 in fact) I bought my first CD player, Technics. Never read the instructions, plugged it in and the door would not open so what did I do, pulled it open to try and loosen it a bit, I heard an awful noise as it pulled fully out. Then pushed it back in, same awful noise. THEN read instructions saying there are Transit screws that need removing before operating. Woops.......Luckily worked fine and still with me 15 years later, even after a fall of 7 Feet onto its top.

Keep you posted with how all goes. I did look into getting BT Vision but cannot get the 8 Mb Broadband yet.

Thanks for replies

Karl
Click to expand...

Yes you automatically get the FreeSat package.

There are so many things that we pay for that we don't need to pay for. It just takes a bit of effort to save muchos dosh - more to trade with.

Check out this site - I'm nearly a grand up since I found it

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/
 
Just to add, we bought our TV and DVD recorder from Comet, I would NOT of bought it from here but my partner had some vouchers so not much choice there.

We said to the lad what we wanted, got it home and the DVD recorder we got originaly was totaly wrong, thats why we went back to have to get another one which we are picking up tonight. A Sony RDRHXD870B. the one we took back was a samsung which was crap to say the least. You know the DVDs which are "Superbit" it plays this type terribly. normal DVDs play better.
This lad was all Yeh....Yeh ....Yeh it will do all of that for you and them some. Of course when we exchange the DVD we get a "Ohh sorry about that". We got £50 off of the Sony one anyway as it was £100 more. Just for the record I wanted the SONY package, but who knows better..........!!!! of course she does.

Go in for advice, know your stuff before you ask them. They explain the technology behind it all but to specific needs a bit more difficult. Some of them (Not all) just do not know what the hell they are talking about and will say anything to get the sale, I dont now if they get any commision or the like from there own sales.

Anyway post later or in the morning when all up and running.

Karl
 
I have freeview, but i can't ever imagine having the inclination or time to watch TV so badly that I'd pay an extra £47 per month for it!

The idea of contributing to the wage packets of premiership footballers etc. (which all Sky Tv subscribers ARE doing!) makes me feel sick!

This year, i've made a conscious effort to watch less TV/the "mind-control" box, and i literally feel better for it. Now, if i watch TV for more than 2-3 hours in one go, i start to feel unwell.......

I like natural world/natue based documentaries, and the od soap, and comedy series.

I am interested in news, but TV news is mostly propaganda, presented by patronising, smug people (especially on the BBC)........
 
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ashwoka said:
Just to add, we bought our TV and DVD recorder from Comet, I would NOT of bought it from here but my partner had some vouchers so not much choice there.

We said to the lad what we wanted, got it home and the DVD recorder we got originaly was totaly wrong, thats why we went back to have to get another one which we are picking up tonight. A Sony RDRHXD870B. the one we took back was a samsung which was crap to say the least. You know the DVDs which are "Superbit" it plays this type terribly. normal DVDs play better.
This lad was all Yeh....Yeh ....Yeh it will do all of that for you and them some. Of course when we exchange the DVD we get a "Ohh sorry about that". We got £50 off of the Sony one anyway as it was £100 more. Just for the record I wanted the SONY package, but who knows better..........!!!! of course she does.

Go in for advice, know your stuff before you ask them. They explain the technology behind it all but to specific needs a bit more difficult. Some of them (Not all) just do not know what the hell they are talking about and will say anything to get the sale, I dont now if they get any commision or the like from there own sales.

Anyway post later or in the morning when all up and running.

Karl
Click to expand...

you have my sympathies but what do you expect? most of them are spotty teenagers who do not have a bloody clue what they are on about. and if they are not spotty then they are just plain inept. just do the research yourself.
 
Sky......goodbye

I agree to do research yourself. With the other half is wanting something different and does not listen to what I say or I am wrong in what I am thinking, I cant win.

Anyway the Sony dvd recorder is working fine after picking it up no problem. An hour spent reading through the instructions. Works fine. Records what we want just like sky+ in the you have the Electronic programme Guide on the freeview so you can list through the channels and record what you want, series link. We have Freeview on the TV as well as the recorder so no problem watching something else while recording.
It has analogue and freeview tuners.

I must say we got a Monster scart cable........an expensive one. While I am sure it is screened a million times it is so thick it is hard to position it properly. With the last Samsung dvd the scart cables were right next to the Ariel inputs.......which is just so bad on there part, you will struggle to get you cables and scarts in on that one. The sony one is fine. Just cable a bit thick to position, well maybe its very stiff with all the wire and screened stuff in there.

Anyway works fine. Managed to pick up all the Freeview channels via a settop ariel sitting behind the TV, only 5 miles from a transmitter.

All working fine and she said she will cancel sky this week. So in a few months......or years we would of paid for it anyway. Just cannot pay £47pm for the Few good movies on sky anymore. Just cannot do it.

Thanks for reading and another thing, I have a Amplifier with surround sound, but will she let me hook it up......no. What is it with women and Audio stuff. I need a bit of bass to my sound the TV sounds awfull, but she thinks its ok. I had better sound from my old Finladia TV that was X rental many years ago and paid £50 for it.

Now all we need is a HDMI cable.......£60. Any good ones out there that are a bit cheaper?
 
Never thought of looking at amazon.

I do think there is a difference with a £60 cable to a £17 cable, but will I actually notice the difference?. Maybe with 2 setups side by side I might, but it maybe so small a difference.
And this £17 cable has built in inteferance suppresion.

Thanks for that
 
Savvy TV viewers generally never watch live TV now (unless advert free like BBC), assuming you've got Sky+.

Record all you want on Sky+ and then watch later, even if 10 mins later. I only really watch TV in bed now for an hour or so at night and can usually watch 2(ish) hour long documentaries from say the History Channel in just over an hour.

Companies who advertise on TV have a real problem for the future as every TV in a few years will have some sort of Sky+ thing built in (even if you don't get Sky). This is why the 'sponsored by' type adverts just before the show begins and after each adverts break are now THE place to advertisie but of course they cost a lot more.

As for the overall quality of Sky, I admit there's so much crap on (don't get movies) and if it wasn't for the sport I'd dump it today.

PS. To watch it in my bedroom I have one of those video sender boxes (no wires, all done by radio signal). They cost about £30-£40 from shops like Maplin. But you can't watch 1 program upstairs and a different one downstairs.
 
anley said:
PS. To watch it in my bedroom I have one of those video sender boxes (no wires, all done by radio signal). They cost about £30-£40 from shops like Maplin. But you can't watch 1 program upstairs and a different one downstairs.
Click to expand...

sorry if this is a daft question. was really interested in the video sender device. i want to watch sky from my bedroom also. the actual sky box is connected to the tv in the living room. my question is: in order for me to watch sky in the bedroom (provided i have the device installed) does the tv/sky actually have to be ON in the living room? (i would be watching it late at night).
 
free4440273 said:
sorry if this is a daft question. was really interested in the video sender device. i want to watch sky from my bedroom also. the actual sky box is connected to the tv in the living room. my question is: in order for me to watch sky in the bedroom (provided i have the device installed) does the tv/sky actually have to be ON in the living room? (i would be watching it late at night).
Click to expand...

Free, there are no stupid questions :)

No turn the TV off downstairs but leave the Sky Box on and everything will work prefectly.

You can also use your Sky remore upstairs in just the same fashion. But I bought another remote also from Maplin (cheap one about £10) for all the Sky functions.

Good luck.
 
anley said:
Free, there are no stupid questions :)

No turn the TV off downstairs but leave the Sky Box on and everything will work prefectly.

You can also use your Sky remore upstairs in just the same fashion. But I bought another remote also from Maplin (cheap one about £10) for all the Sky functions.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

thank you anley:)
 
Totally agree £47 is a rip off for whats on offer considering most channels advertise anyway and get revenue that way. My problem is I dont subscribe to Bloomberg Terminal.. best option is access to CNBC and Bloomberg channel via Sky... problem is I like to watch the occasional movie I cant get for free on USENEXT (including games and all my Ipod music for a £10 a month account.. check it out its rammed with files and chat and groups not easily accessed via Usenet clients like the rubbish Outlook Express News reader, I absolutely reccomend you look into this...its astonishing).

The rest of Sky is a complete crock of putrid Cats doodoo really.. Poor quality programmes

One way I have reduced my cost is to complain.... I check out frequently what deals they are offering new people and complain that as a loyal customer I am being penalised by not getting also a reduced rate for 6 months or so then threaten to disconnect the whole shebang and ask to get put through to cancellations.... Usually results in a calm discussion about fairness to loyal customers... Ive been getting Sky for around £30 all in for ages.. at least thats a touch more palatable.... go fourth and reduce your bills..

PS is it me or is the ITV News at 10 a glorified version of Newsround we all used to watch as kids?.. and why do they always mess around with thier pens ?.. its all a bit low brow isnt it?
 
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I'm JOINING SKY!!

I currently have BT Broadband and Freeview, nothing more. I'm not a big TV watcher by any standards at all. My taste is almost identical to JTrader, I love wildlife documentaries, the odd soap, bit of news and that's it. I never watch sport. I love films.

I currently pay £23.99 per month with BT for a 2MB connection with unlimited download. (2MB is the max I can get at the moment). BT rang me up last week saying that my contract expires in November, and offered me £2 per month reduction and free weekend and evening calls OVER THE WEB if I extend my contract for a further 12 months. What a joke. I politely declined the offer. I can't get Virgin or Tiscali. My only option is Sky. I've been on the phone to them for ages and asked about 100 questions.

I can get the equivalent Sky Broadband for £5 per month. Yes, FIVE POUNDS. This is 2MB with 40MB limit. I trade for a living from home. My ESignal and Market maker are on from 7am to 9pm 5 days a week. I doubt if this would exceed 40MB. I never download music etc. I have no interest in such things. (I now realise I wouldn't even know how to do it!).

I have to have their Sky TV. This will cost me £17 per month for 2 mixes. I want Knowledge Mix and Variety Mix. I've always wanted National Geographic and Discovery but never had them. I'll go for the basic Sky box for £30 installation. I have no requirement for Sky+. They will also throw in Sky Talk for free too.

So, to summarise for £22 per month I'll have TV (274 channels including Freesat), Phone and Broadband. Which? rate Sky Broadband quite highly. Although they give me a free Netgear Wireless router they said I can continue to use my BT wireless router if I wish.

I asked how much their Technical Support line costs per minute. Answer: FREE if I subscribe to their phone service.

When I want to watch a film instead of going to Blockbuster I can use their On Demand service and pay £2.99 for 24 hours for a film.

So this is the plan: In mid November I will cancel my BT service and order Sky (they need 2 weeks lead time for broadband). I'll obtain the MAC code from BT and give it to Sky. On 1 December the Sky engineer will turn up and switch me on. No interruption to service.

Can anyone find a flaw in the above? Paying £5 instead of £24 for broadband is a no brainer as far as I can see.

I investigated BT Vision but it needs at least 4MB connection speed otherwise I'd experience degradation in the TV and/or broadband quality.

Thankfully, I make all the decisions on this type of thing in my house, the girlfriend has no say.

I'll let you know in December whether I made the right choice!!!!!!
 
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