View Full Version : ntl vs sky tv
I currenty have ntl digital which i will start by saying ive had no probs since it started. somone has planted the seeds of discontent and i am looking into swapping to sky dig, if some of you have time can you leave a post if you have swaped your thoughtds would you do it again how reliable is the service etc.
ntl is great as i dont own the equipment so if anything goes wrong they sort it this is the biggest draback i can see so far.
Thanks
Lee
Hi,
I left NTL for Sky, the reasons I left were...
EPG only for 3 days
EPG constanly losing data
EPG extremly slow
No SSE (they now have it I believe)
No interactivity on channels e.g football
I now have Sky + and it works great for me, the only gripe I have is that when browsing using the now and next bar you can't hit "i" to get info on a program on at a later time or channel.
I only swapped to Sky because the digital service I was using continually froze and NTL didn't appear to be able to get it fixed. I don't see any benefit in swapping from one digital TV service to another if the one you have is working fine.
as i dont own the equipment so if anything goes wrong they sort it this is the biggest draback i can see so far.
Whats so bad about that? I would consider it one of the best points, you just dont have to pay for the equipment if it breaks?
I can see why you would want to switch, i dont see any advantages of a mate's sky over my ntl. Granted, sky has better interactivity but if i wanted to get 'interactive' with whatever, i would use my computer, much faster,cheaper and better (games and such, if you are into that stuff) then on the tv.
Whats so bad about that? I would consider it one of the best points, you just dont have to pay for the equipment if it breaks?
I can see why you would want to switch, i dont see any advantages of a mate's sky over my ntl. Granted, sky has better interactivity but if i wanted to get 'interactive' with whatever, i would use my computer, much faster,cheaper and better (games and such, if you are into that stuff) then on the tv.
I meant was this was a benefit, no repair or replacment costs, as opposed to sky when i would need to purchase another box. please correct me if m wrong.
I meant was this was a benefit, no repair or replacment costs, as opposed to sky when i would need to purchase another box. please correct me if m wrong.
Only after the first year remember, the boxes are guaranteed for a year.
andrew_wallasey
07-08-2004, 10:42
I swapped from Sky to NTL and would not look back the picture quality is much better on NTL. I had Sky digitial and the picture frequely went fuzzy in adverse weather conditions.
Sky + is the best thing to happen to DTV IMO, & ntl I don't think will ever be able to offer it.
My Sky service is superior to my ntl DTV in pretty much every way-no red button lock ups, no pictures freezing, no blockiness, I now have full red button interactivity, full interactivity on Sky Sports, a proper TV program guide that actually works, the ability to record 2 channels at once, etc etc.
IMO, Sky's DTV service is superior to ntl's in every way, & Sky + is the absolute bees knees, & the future of DTV. :tu:
themelon
17-09-2004, 10:24
imo ntls service is superior
10 years of uselessness from Sky, and deteriorating customer service on an 0870 number year by year, I moved 2 years ago an havent looked back. I have just moved house and finally got away from the mess Sky made of my previous front room, needless to say i wouldnt let any Sky monkey near my new house.
Sky+ is great if you like that kind of thing and want/can afford to shell out £199 up front, presonally VOD with no extra equipment is more appealing to me...........Perhaps meaning I could lower my subscription and just order films or TV shows instead of subscribing to endless channels i dont need everyday. Will have to see how it works though. I would like to see a form of pay as you go tv, ie pay when you watch.........say someting is good on UK gold you order it and stream it from the server for the evening instead of paying for it on the offchance something might be good.!
On Sky I had very poor picture quality, frequent loss of service in adverse weather conditions, the red button isnt all its cracked up to be the only good stuff is the BBC and we have that, Sky Sports would be nice but the only reason we dont is because sky wont cough up. The EPG on both systems is to be honest rubbish........TV Pages by far better or use some internet tool. The search and Scan is miles better on ntl, it doesnt disappear if you press 'tv' if you pause for a few seconds or have to answer the door, meaning you need to return to the starting channel again.
You can also find info about programs on later without the hassel of the EPG. Ordering movies on Sky is a complete mare compared to ntl, where you just select the movie, the time and enter the pin. On Sky you have to arse around trying to find the correct channel and start time, and clicking the little 'i' for a synopsis on the film.......yuk.
Electrolyte01
18-09-2004, 12:03
I would go with Sky. Got Sky+, and it's totally brilliant. Never want to switch :)
Sky + is the best thing to happen to DTV IMO, & ntl I don't think will ever be able to offer it.
My Sky service is superior to my ntl DTV in pretty much every way-no red button lock ups, no pictures freezing, no blockiness, I now have full red button interactivity, full interactivity on Sky Sports, a proper TV program guide that actually works, the ability to record 2 channels at once, etc etc.
IMO, Sky's DTV service is superior to ntl's in every way, & Sky + is the absolute bees knees, & the future of DTV. :tu:
yep I have been with ntl since it's cabletel days but have recently changed the reasons are as above, but the difference in service is way way better! NTL have no intentions of bringing in the + side of things so what was the point, we can now watch one program through the box and record another, and even order it to continue to record that program when ever it comes on! Sorry NTL but the engineer that put us on said he puts two of your customers on per day!!
dj eviljay
18-09-2006, 19:28
to be honest!!!!! sky is alot better digital service, better price's, better deals, and better package's, and no problem's with screen freeze's or anything, so ntl! i your going to challenge sky! well i would think again, because sky will well beat ntl anyday, so no point on ntl trying to beat sky because they don't stand a chance:td: ! SKY IS THE BEST;)
to be honest!!!!! sky is alot better digital service, better price's, better deals, and better package's, and no problem's with screen freeze's or anything, so ntl! i your going to challenge sky! well i would think again, because sky will well beat ntl anyday, so no point on ntl trying to beat sky because they don't stand a chance:td: ! SKY IS THE BEST;)
Oh dear oh dear what tosh
Better service - no not really same channels mostly with a few more bells and whistles. I don't have a sky set up any more - only thing to be missed is sky news interactive. Might get a free sat to get this
I have moved recently and NTLs service was shockingly poor - but I was messed about by sky in the past
No weather interference on NTL
NTL now have VOD - better than sky's with free BBC content - easy to use- and you can order the channels how you like through favourites
Better deals/ prices - this is just plain tosh - when you cost in the cost of a BT phone line NTL are a bit cheaper (call costs are becoming an issue)
I came to NTL to escape the awfall red button - we get it a bit - but not on Sky sports thank god
You get no more screen freezes on Ntl than sky
I find posts like the one above so pointless - there is not that much difference for me at the moment NTL wins for the reasons mentioned
---------- Post added at 20:53 ---------- Previous post was at 20:50 ----------
I now have full red button interactivity, full interactivity on Sky Sports,
As if that is a good thing- it is a curse
RealDiamond
20-09-2006, 19:25
Just got NTL box installed and after hearing about VOD i am shocked to find PAY per View FOR BBC PROGRAMMING. not all BBC programmes are free on NTL. The picture quality as exactly the same as SKY. even got the same blocky effects on channels .
Most of the interactive features on channels carried by NTL are lost, those that are there are stupidly slow. cant change the match/ show any more.
The only time you should lose pictures on sky is during lightning strikes if you lose picture before that your dish is to small or out of alinement.
The features of skys EPG are alot better than NTLs ,8 day guilde, series link, A-z listing.
I havent used Telewest TV drive yet. i got a time slip dvd recorder instead .
also why do NTL get away with charging for channels which sky include for the same price.
Just got my NTL bill and think I need to make some changes.
Currently, I have telephone, TV ( including a spare STB) and 4MB broadband from NTL but it's costing about £94 per month.
Ideally, I would like to reduce this by keeping the telephone and broadband with NTL and getting my TV from Sky.
I'd also like to swap my main NTL STB for a modem in preparation for the higher speeds, when they become available.
I was thinking of getting Sky Multiroom with all the packs plus the sports and movies channels.
I'm not sure if all this is possible.
Just wondered if anyone had done anything similar and could give me some idea of the costs.
Would also like to know what the advantages and disadvantages are particularly with regard to the nature of the installation, the quality of service, hidden costs etc.
Any information greatly appreciated. TIA.
No weather interference on NTL
Well. not quite true. NTL's service gets a little flaky if the street cabinets get hot..
However, it's not as bad as Sky. One of my mates has been trying for years to get me to get Sky, but when I was at his house on Sunday, he tried to turn the Sky box on and got a no signal message. Apparently, this has happened a lot recently and is caused by a neighbour's tree growing into the path of his sky dish.
He has now either got to get the neighbour to cut the tree down (unlikely from what I have been told) or get the dish mounted on a pole and moved up.
Also, bear in mind, I have seen Sky boxes fail to get a signal when the cloud is too thick.
Well. not quite true. NTL's service gets a little flaky if the street cabinets get hot..
However, it's not as bad as Sky. One of my mates has been trying for years to get me to get Sky, but when I was at his house on Sunday, he tried to turn the Sky box on and got a no signal message. Apparently, this has happened a lot recently and is caused by a neighbour's tree growing into the path of his sky dish.
Thats not skys fault though if a big tree is in the way. Plus i bet if a big tree grew in front of NTL uplink and downlink dishes they might lose signal to
He has now either got to get the neighbour to cut the tree down (unlikely from what I have been told) or get the dish mounted on a pole and moved up.
Also, bear in mind, I have seen Sky boxes fail to get a signal when the cloud is too thick.
Then the dish is not fitted properly.
The only time I lost signal was when there was a massive thunderstorm last week and that was only for 5 minutes
Chrysalis
21-09-2006, 19:42
I went from ntl analogue to sky which is obviously a no brainer but here is what I like about sky.
Better quality picture on analogue I often had spotty pictures.
Better quality sound.
More channels.
Full interactivity.
Nice tv guide.
Ability to switch between widescreen and normal formats so can see widescreen on my 4:3 tv.
Subtititles
Cheaper.
I also used sky+ at my sisters house and its pretty much kick ass and will probably get it for myself now.
Thats not skys fault though if a big tree is in the way. Plus i bet if a big tree grew in front of NTL uplink and downlink dishes thcey might lose signal to
No, it's not sky's fault. It *is* a design fault though. As for NTL's dishes, well, being considerably larger, it is considerably more unlikely that they will be affected by a blocked view.
Then the dish is not fitted properly.
The only time I lost signal was when there was a massive thunderstorm last week and that was only for 5 minutes
What's a thunderstorm? A large cloud with electricity..
Funnily enough, I've never lost my ntl signal due to a storn.
No, it's not sky's fault. It *is* a design fault though. As for NTL's dishes, well, being considerably larger, it is considerably more unlikely that they will be affected by a blocked view.
What's a thunderstorm? A large cloud with electricity..
Funnily enough, I've never lost my ntl signal due to a storn.
My Father lost his Telewest signal once when kids opened the cabinet.
I would rather lost tv for a few seconds then 24 hours plus.
My father lost 3 days of TV because a tech could not get out to fix it. 3 weeks later it happened again. He switched to Sky
orangebird
22-09-2006, 09:38
Snow has affected my Sky signal before...
However, it's not as bad as Sky. One of my mates has been trying for years to get me to get Sky, but when I was at his house on Sunday, he tried to turn the Sky box on and got a no signal message. Apparently, this has happened a lot recently and is caused by a neighbour's tree growing into the path of his sky dish.
He has now either got to get the neighbour to cut the tree down (unlikely from what I have been told) or get the dish mounted on a pole and moved up.
Also, bear in mind, I have seen Sky boxes fail to get a signal when the cloud is too thick.
Might want to get him to check his signal strength first, we were getting that message with full signal strength for a while due to a failing LNB. If signal strength is poor though I would suggest a chainsaw ;)
BillyDrago
22-09-2006, 13:45
I recently switched from NTL to Sky and find Sky far better. I'd rather I didn't tbh because I resent giving money to Murdoch, but there you go...
Picture quality - not much in it at all. Sky is better on some channels (mainly Sky Sports, Film4, five, Paramount), NTL maybe had a very slight edge on BBC channels. Not much in it either way though. Sound quality is better on Sky.
Reception - again nothing in it. I occasionally had problems with skipping / freezing on NTL, and I occasionally have it on Sky. Very infrequently on both. I've never experienced any weather related interference on Sky.
Interactivity - VOD was good on NTL. Apart from that, it's Sky by a mile. Red button functionality that works, EPG that is usable, plus the extras such as NHS Direct etc. Apart from VOD, any interactive content on NTL was so slow as to be unusable.
Content - much, much more on Sky. Most of it is of course rubbish, but there are some channels I want - this is in fact the main reason I switched to Sky. BBC regions + S4C (good for the rugby), ESPN Classic, more music channels. Of course a lot of people won't care about these, but I do. :-)
Price - Sky is cheaper, even after the opening offer.
Plus I get Sky+, optical out, better remote etc etc
arcamalpha2004
22-09-2006, 14:32
Oh dear oh dear what tosh
Better service - no not really same channels mostly with a few more bells and whistles. I don't have a sky set up any more - only thing to be missed is sky news interactive. Might get a free sat to get this
I have moved recently and NTLs service was shockingly poor - but I was messed about by sky in the past
No weather interference on NTL
NTL now have VOD - better than sky's with free BBC content - easy to use- and you can order the channels how you like through favourites
Better deals/ prices - this is just plain tosh - when you cost in the cost of a BT phone line NTL are a bit cheaper (call costs are becoming an issue)
I came to NTL to escape the awfall red button - we get it a bit - but not on Sky sports thank god
You get no more screen freezes on Ntl than sky
I find posts like the one above so pointless - there is not that much difference for me at the moment NTL wins for the reasons mentioned
---------- Post added at 20:53 ---------- Previous post was at 20:50 ----------
As if that is a good thing- it is a curse
What planet are you receiving your NTL pictures fella?;)
I had massive issues with NTL, Vod? do me a favour, find a vod box that works ;)
In my time with NTL I certainly had a lot of screen freezes, more in the same time period than with sky.
What is wrong with the red button? atleast sky's one does what its meant to.
NTL are better than bt? when you factor in the call charges bt wins hands down for my needs.
No weather interference on NTL? but loads of freeze and poor volume levels, their boxes need serious sledgehammer treatment.
So for me sky+ is miles ahead :)
---------- Post added at 14:32 ---------- Previous post was at 14:29 ----------
Snow has affected my Sky signal before...
Thank god for global warming, no more snow ;)
Just got my NTL bill and think I need to make some changes.
Currently, I have telephone, TV ( including a spare STB) and 4MB broadband from NTL but it's costing about £94 per month.
Ideally, I would like to reduce this by keeping the telephone and broadband with NTL and getting my TV from Sky.
I'd also like to swap my main NTL STB for a modem in preparation for the higher speeds, when they become available.
I was thinking of getting Sky Multiroom with all the packs plus the sports and movies channels.
I'm not sure if all this is possible.
Just wondered if anyone had done anything similar and could give me some idea of the costs.
Would also like to know what the advantages and disadvantages are particularly with regard to the nature of the installation, the quality of service, hidden costs etc.
Any information greatly appreciated. TIA.
Have a look here: http://www.home.ntl.com/icat/valuepacks.
A little known fact that you actually can get this as an existing NTL Customer (Its in the New Customers Section!!??) - I just phoned and asked if it would be possible to have my package changed!
Give it a go! Let us know how you get on!!
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