PDA

View Full Version : Sky Digital Installed Today


kRAyZZed
09-03-2004, 17:36
Well i went and did it, got sky digital installed today and I have to say i am impressed with their service and and quick installation.

I went for a Sky+ box and an additional mini box in the house, the installation was only £1, the sky+ was £199.

Pricing is very good too, i pay £40 a month for the sky world with family pack and £10 for the additional box to have all the same channels.

All in all its cheaper than ntl and wow interactive actually works on my sky boxes (my ntl boxes never locked a good enough signal)

Nugget
09-03-2004, 17:41
We've had Sky Digital for the last couple of years and had no problems until we moved three months ago. However, other than the normal 3 - 4 day wait to get engineers round, they've been good - mind you, I'm glad that we;ve got an extended warratny as we're now on our third box :(

mdean
17-03-2004, 14:45
Well i went and did it, got sky digital installed today and I have to say i am impressed with their service and and quick installation.

I went for a Sky+ box and an additional mini box in the house, the installation was only £1, the sky+ was £199.

Pricing is very good too, i pay £40 a month for the sky world with family pack and £10 for the additional box to have all the same channels.

All in all its cheaper than ntl and wow interactive actually works on my sky boxes (my ntl boxes never locked a good enough signal)

So you are paying higher prices than with NTL, you have a piece of kit which will be useless if you change supplier ($ky+ is only compatable with $ky) and you have the return of the red dot forced down your throat at all times-
you think this is good!

I cannot understand any NTL digital customer returning to $ky

Avatar
17-03-2004, 14:52
So you are paying higher prices than with NTL, you have a piece of kit which will be useless if you change supplier ($ky+ is only compatable with $ky) and you have the return of the red dot forced down your throat at all times-
you think this is good!

I cannot understand any NTL digital customer returning to $ky
i would go back if i wasnt stuck in contract!

if i press the red button on my ntl i can go and reset the stb, im quite often visted by 2-3 second black screens in the middle of programs/films im trying to watch. alsoim sure i had more channels on sky for the same price.

ian@huth
17-03-2004, 14:57
So you are paying higher prices than with NTL, you have a piece of kit which will be useless if you change supplier ($ky+ is only compatable with $ky) and you have the return of the red dot forced down your throat at all times-
you think this is good!

I cannot understand any NTL digital customer returning to $ky

I think that you will find that NTL has the higher price for that package with a second box. Remember that NTL charge £15 for the mirror subscription.

Why would anyone consider going back to NTL from Sky? NTL do not have anything to compare with Sky+ and could never give me a decent stable DTV picture where Sky does.

The red dot is annoying bur you can get zappers to keep removing it. What do you think you will see on NTL when they eventually get eTV working to the same level as Sky?

Your experience of NTL may be very different to what mine was so I can imagine that you may prefer NTL but not everyone gets the same QOS from any supplier.

themelon
17-03-2004, 15:14
I think that you will find that NTL has the higher price for that package with a second box. Remember that NTL charge £15 for the mirror subscription.

Why would anyone consider going back to NTL from Sky? NTL do not have anything to compare with Sky+ and could never give me a decent stable DTV picture where Sky does.

The red dot is annoying bur you can get zappers to keep removing it. What do you think you will see on NTL when they eventually get eTV working to the same level as Sky?

Your experience of NTL may be very different to what mine was so I can imagine that you may prefer NTL but not everyone gets the same QOS from any supplier.

Yes that is the exact case I would never go back to Sky...these are my experiences personally.

I was a customer for over 10 years and decided to move after moving to an ntl area, have to say I havent looked back.

Ntl give me a stable good quality picture whatever the weather conditions, something I personally wasnt getting from Sky.

Personally I prefer some of the EPG Features like, the On demand ordering and EPG Miniscreens.

Also the ntl customer service in manchester seems to be pretty good compared to what I had to endure with Sky, their service levels appeared to be deterioating in my experience

I was also sick of the call out charges with Sky for stuff that was their fault and also fed up with the remote control, I went through about 18 in 10 years! In the end I solved it with a one for all!!

I consider the £15 for an extra box value for money the extra £5 acts as an insurance if it breaks, on Sky you are responsible for everything unless you pay insurance normally about £80 a year from what I remember.

gary_580
17-03-2004, 15:50
Dont forget BBC 1 doesnt work on sky!!! Well it doesnt in my area for a lot of people

SMHarman
17-03-2004, 17:24
I think that you will find that NTL has the higher price for that package with a second box. Remember that NTL charge £15 for the mirror subscription.

<snip>

Beaten by the Melon, but you need to buy the second box and its maintainance is your responsiblity. The £5 extra a month is to rent the NTL box.

That said it was a pretty steep increase from the £5 a month I paid for my second analogue NTL box!

ian@huth
17-03-2004, 17:34
Yes that is the exact case I would never go back to Sky...these are my experiences personally.

I was a customer for over 10 years and decided to move after moving to an ntl area, have to say I havent looked back.

Ntl give me a stable good quality picture whatever the weather conditions, something I personally wasnt getting from Sky.

Personally I prefer some of the EPG Features like, the On demand ordering and EPG Miniscreens.

Also the ntl customer service in manchester seems to be pretty good compared to what I had to endure with Sky, their service levels appeared to be deterioating in my experience

I was also sick of the call out charges with Sky for stuff that was their fault and also fed up with the remote control, I went through about 18 in 10 years! In the end I solved it with a one for all!!

I consider the £15 for an extra box value for money the extra £5 acts as an insurance if it breaks, on Sky you are responsible for everything unless you pay insurance normally about £80 a year from what I remember.

Do you think that your experiences with Sky are typical as you appear to think that most customers have problems with Sky every time it rains, snows, the wind blows, the No 33 bus passes, etc.

How long have you had NTL DTV and what STB do you have?

Nugget
17-03-2004, 17:35
Dont forget BBC 1 doesnt work on sky!!! Well it doesnt in my area for a lot of people

BBC1 works fine in Grimsby! When we did have a problem with it, it was because the STB was cream crackered :mad:

skyblueheroes
17-03-2004, 17:54
I've had Sky for about a year (NTL for a couple before that). And getting Sky+ soon.

I would never go back to NTL. Just my opinion, but it sometimes only takes small things which set in peoples minds.

Nugget
17-03-2004, 18:01
I've had Sky for about a year (NTL for a couple before that). And getting Sky+ soon.

I would never go back to NTL. Just my opinion, but it sometimes only takes small things which set in peoples minds.

I had NTL analogue for a few years (with no problems), and upgraded to digital when we last moved about 4 years ago. As soon as we went to NTL Digital, we had problems with no sound, pixellation of the picture, problems with the box - basically, you name it and we had the problem.

We switched to Sky 18 months ago and, other than the problems when we moved before Xmas (which are now sorted), have had very few issues at all :)

paulyoung666
17-03-2004, 18:50
Dont forget BBC 1 doesnt work on sky!!! Well it doesnt in my area for a lot of people




nahhhhhhhhhhh , it must be you , it works fine in teesside for me :) , plus if i find something on one of the bbc regions i want to watch i can because all the different regions are up in the 900's somewhere , it can also come in useful because sometimes they are timeshifted from my normal area , hang on a minute , itv didnt used to be on sky but it is now , no you couldnt be that confused surely :D


So you are paying higher prices than with NTL, you have a piece of kit which will be useless if you change supplier ($ky+ is only compatable with $ky) and you have the return of the red dot forced down your throat at all times-
you think this is good!

I cannot understand any NTL digital customer returning to $ky



and by the same token i cant understand anyone staying with ntl if they can get out of it ;)

Semi On
17-03-2004, 18:55
Never had NTL, but we've had Sky for ages and cannot fault them. In fact I can't remember the last time anything went wrong. Apart from the odd picture freeze, which just means unplug > wait 30 secs > plug in, and even that doesn't happen very often.

paulyoung666
17-03-2004, 19:06
Never had NTL, but we've had Sky for ages and cannot fault them. In fact I can't remember the last time anything went wrong. Apart from the odd picture freeze, which just means unplug > wait 30 secs > plug in, and even that doesn't happen very often.




same here :tu:

themelon
17-03-2004, 21:33
Do you think that your experiences with Sky are typical as you appear to think that most customers have problems with Sky every time it rains, snows, the wind blows, the No 33 bus passes, etc.

How long have you had NTL DTV and what STB do you have?

I have had ntl for 2 years now, I have a Pace 4010 Set Top Box on the Bromley netwrok with cr3. Maybe I live in a good area but i was amazed how much better ntl was than Sky when Sky is allegedly the dogs danglys!

Some people dont have problems with Sky, but I do know a number of people who have, some who live outside cabled areas and only wish they could have a esrvice as reliable as mine, they are having similar problems to what I had before, only a few weeks back when it snowed I was at my girlfriends watching TV off it went and it didnt come back on until the snow melted. Numerous people had problems in that spell because of the thick cloud cover, it was well documented on digitalspy. Sometimes people get lucky. Undoubtably Sky has the market cornered in many parts of the country they are the only Pay TV Provider.

Each to their own I guess!!

ian@huth
17-03-2004, 22:21
I have had Sky since it was first introduced as BSB in 1990 switching to Digital in 1998 when it was launched. During that time I have lived in Nottinghamshire, Devon, Essex, Yorkshire and back to Nottinghamshire. In all those locations I have had very few problems with the service and never have had to have a digibox repaired or replaced, the same goes for the remotes which you claim to have gone through 18 in ten years. The most that I ever lost Sky service was ten minutes or so during very heavy snow that built up on the dish. I did use to get sparklies on Sky analogue in Essex when there was very heavy rain but not bad enough to affect viewing to any extent. I have only ever had to phone Sky for support once in twelve years.

In Essex I also had Telewest analogue cable which was acceptable but had a few problems with their telephone line when there was prolonged rain. I have had NTL digital cable for a couple of years here in Nottinghamshire and was not impressed with the quality of this service. I went through 5 or 6 different STBs and never received an acceptable quality of service for more than a few weeks. The biggest problem was the picture freezing and stuttering, particularly in hot weather. This combined with frequent blackouts of a second or two, frequent picture breakup and pixallation and loss of sound solved by changing channel and then going back to the channel I was watching were important factors in getting rid of NTL DTV completely. Change in Sky+ subscription charges was the final nail in NTLs coffin.

I am no lover or hater of either company but do want to get a decent service for my monthly payments. To be honest I would love NTL to get its act together and give a service at least equal to that of Sky as cable has much more potential in the long run.

themelon
18-03-2004, 16:01
I myself was with Sky since 1990 formerly BSB and I was forced to change over when they brough out BSB. I had few problems until things went digital it got worse from then on really.

I guess there are good and bad experiences with both companies, this is what I like to point out the grass isnt always greener on the other side.

I have had ntl for 2 years and had absolutely no trouble at all, except once when a workman dug up the cable (British Gas or Murphys?!) Broadband is a lot more reliable than the ADSL we use at work with the phone there is little difference.

Montoya
18-03-2004, 17:30
I'm considering swapping over to Sky, but the website says the extra box is £15 a month, not £10, as kRAyZZed (http://forum.nthellworld.co.uk/member.php?u=3587) said, which makes it more expensive than NTL overall...

gazzae
18-03-2004, 17:35
I'm considering swapping over to Sky, but the website says the extra box is £15 a month, not £10, as kRAyZZed (http://forum.nthellworld.co.uk/member.php?u=3587) said, which makes it more expensive than NTL overall...

I believe that its £10 a month, if you have Sky+, £15 a month if you don't.

carthage
19-03-2004, 00:11
I've had Sky for about a year (NTL for a couple before that). And getting Sky+ soon.

I would never go back to NTL. Just my opinion, but it sometimes only takes small things which set in peoples minds.
Even when I worked for ntl - I would not have it in the house even though it was free to us staff - I have had sky since 1999 and no probs at all

mdean
21-03-2004, 16:35
I've had Sky for about a year (NTL for a couple before that). And getting Sky+ soon.

I would never go back to NTL. Just my opinion, but it sometimes only takes small things which set in peoples minds.
If you can put up with $kys horrible red button and the higher price fair enough, but wtf is the attraction of $ky+ It is propriatary and ties you into $ky why not by one of the many alternatives which will work with any provider

mdean
21-03-2004, 16:38
Never had NTL, but we've had Sky for ages and cannot fault them. In fact I can't remember the last time anything went wrong. .
So the stupid red dot does not come on after every commercial break in your house ??

theman
21-03-2004, 17:29
in these the sky box blew down never happened with ntl i wish iwas back with them warts and all:td: also cant get bbc 1 no give me back ntl

paulyoung666
21-03-2004, 17:31
in these the sky box blew down never happened with ntl i wish iwas back with them warts and all:td: also cant get bbc 1 no give me back ntl




sorry but i dont get this cant get bbc1 bit , i assume you have been on to sky and asked them why , havent you ;)

themelon
22-03-2004, 12:08
In my experience they Sky will probably just say,

'Thats nice Mr such and such, if you want us to do anything else you will have to pay £65 for call out, We have 5 million customer who are unable to recive another service so it doesnt really matter what we do to them! other than that we couldnt give a rats ass goodbye'

gazzae
22-03-2004, 12:38
If you can put up with $kys horrible red button

I don't see why the red dot on the screen annoys so many people.

I barely notice it, and if I do I just hit the back-up button and its gone.

ian@huth
22-03-2004, 13:24
If you can put up with $kys horrible red button and the higher price fair enough, but wtf is the attraction of $ky+ It is propriatary and ties you into $ky why not by one of the many alternatives which will work with any provider

The red button is there because Sky have a decent interactive (eTV) service. What do you think will be appearing on NTL screens when they eventually get their eTV service working as good as Skys?

Sky may be slightly dearer at the moment but NTL will no doubt raise their prices soon. You do get a bit more for your money with Sky though.

Sky+ gives you the ability to easily record future programs and series in the quality that it was originally broadcast in. You can also record one digital channel whilst you watch another or record two different digital channels at the same time. What alternative gives you that ability? Try it for a while before you knock it.

I don't mind constructive criticism of a product if there is a cheaper, better alternative product on the market, but is there?

Some people will prefer Sky, some Freeview and some NTL or Telewest. If their chosen provider gives them what they want at a price that is acceptable then to them it is a good decision. Problems with a provider will tarnish your image of that provider, but not all people have problems with their chosen provider even if it is NTL, or in your case, Sky.

carthage
23-03-2004, 17:05
I have had sky since 1999 and no probs with them at all - From 1999 to 2004 I was an ntl employee and worked in faults for a period - would not have ntl in the house even when it was free to staff - I saw all the problems with the stb and was glad that I did not have it

mdean
25-03-2004, 22:09
and by the same token i cant understand anyone staying with ntl if they can get out of it ;)[/QUOTE]

Why tho'

You like the red dot ?

See those who explain why it is useless http://www.whatvideotv.com/frame.html?http://www.whatvideotv.com/cgi-bin/petition.php


You want to pay more for BT + $ky than NTL for any phone package and tv package (WHY!!)

You want to sell your TV soul to Murdoch by buying a $ky + box that does not work with any other platform !!! when you could buy any number of DVd r or hard disk machines that don't happen to be being pushed like made on $ky adverts but will work with NTL, freeview or FTA sat boxes

Make the case cos it makes no sense

On every score NTL wins.

paulyoung666
25-03-2004, 23:12
and by the same token i cant understand anyone staying with ntl if they can get out of it ;)

Why tho'

You like the red dot ?

See those who explain why it is useless http://www.whatvideotv.com/frame.html?http://www.whatvideotv.com/cgi-bin/petition.php


You want to pay more for BT + $ky than NTL for any phone package and tv package (WHY!!)

You want to sell your TV soul to Murdoch by buying a $ky + box that does not work with any other platform !!! when you could buy any number of DVd r or hard disk machines that don't happen to be being pushed like made on $ky adverts but will work with NTL, freeview or FTA sat boxes

Make the case cos it makes no sense

On every score NTL wins.[/QUOTE]




so , you sub to ntl and what do you get , a box you dont own , and will never own , you stop paying and what happens , ntl take the box back , stop subbing to sky , and before you say it , yes you have to wait a year , the box is yours to keep and watch what you want that is available for free , btw there is a damn sight more for free on sky than there is on ntl , right or wrong ;) , you aint got an argument here , so therefore you aint gonna win this one ;)

mdean
27-03-2004, 15:38
Why tho'

You like the red dot ?

See those who explain why it is useless http://www.whatvideotv.com/frame.html?http://www.whatvideotv.com/cgi-bin/petition.php


You want to pay more for BT + $ky than NTL for any phone package and tv package (WHY!!)

You want to sell your TV soul to Murdoch by buying a $ky + box that does not work with any other platform !!! when you could buy any number of DVd r or hard disk machines that don't happen to be being pushed like made on $ky adverts but will work with NTL, freeview or FTA sat boxes

Make the case cos it makes no sense

On every score NTL wins.



so , you sub to ntl and what do you get , a box you dont own , and will never own , you stop paying and what happens , ntl take the box back , stop subbing to sky , and before you say it , yes you have to wait a year , the box is yours to keep and watch what you want that is available for free , btw there is a damn sight more for free on sky than there is on ntl , right or wrong ;) , you aint got an argument here , so therefore you aint gonna win this one ;)[/QUOTE]

mdean
27-03-2004, 15:42
So Paulyoung a nice rant but does not respond to the key points
1) The red dot
2) NTL is cheaper than BT/Sky
3) Sky + is propriatory junk you must pay £200 for - which will be useless if you leave sky
we were not discussiong the free box which comes with your sub to ntl or sky

and by fta sat I mean stuff not in the sky epg and on other satelittes

ntl wins

paulyoung666
27-03-2004, 15:49
So Paulyoung a nice rant but does not respond to the key points
1) The red dot
2) NTL is cheaper than BT/Sky
3) Sky + is propriatory junk you must pay £200 for - which will be useless if you leave sky
we were not discussiong the free box which comes with your sub to ntl or sky

and by fta sat I mean stuff not in the sky epg and on other satelittes

ntl wins



1) what is the big issue with the red dot , personally the channel names in the corner annoy me more :mad:
2) on a bang per buck basis , ntl is more expensive ;)
3) who pays £200 for the box , i know i didnt :)


:)

SMHarman
30-03-2004, 10:18
<snip>

You want to sell your TV soul to Murdoch by buying a $ky + box that does not work with any other platform !!! when you could buy any number of DVd r or hard disk machines that don't happen to be being pushed like made on $ky adverts but will work with NTL, freeview or FTA sat boxes

Make the case cos it makes no sense

On every score NTL wins.

(is that attributed to the right person)

The reason Sky+ sells so well, just like the Scientific Atlanta Cable/PVR is in the states is simple - reduction in box numbers, single connection to the TV and integration.

Most people fail to manage to set their VCR to record the cable box and then get the cable box to be on the right channel at the right time, so give up. Sky+/Scientific Atlanta take this problem away.

Its the same reason so many DVD/VCR combos are appearing on the market. To reduce box count.

KingPhoenix
30-03-2004, 10:43
and by the same token i cant understand anyone staying with ntl if they can get out of it ;)

Why tho'

You like the red dot ?

See those who explain why it is useless http://www.whatvideotv.com/frame.html?http://www.whatvideotv.com/cgi-bin/petition.php


You want to pay more for BT + $ky than NTL for any phone package and tv package (WHY!!)

You want to sell your TV soul to Murdoch by buying a $ky + box that does not work with any other platform !!! when you could buy any number of DVd r or hard disk machines that don't happen to be being pushed like made on $ky adverts but will work with NTL, freeview or FTA sat boxes

Make the case cos it makes no sense

On every score NTL wins.


WTF?!?!?!

Your only argument against sky is the little red dot that comes up at the top of the screen, next your gonna be complaining about the black and white striped box that comes up on itv when its time for a break! :rolleyes:

gazzae
30-03-2004, 11:00
1) The red dot


Press "Back-Up" and its gone, I don't see what all the fuss about the red dot is.

themelon
30-03-2004, 12:42
My other Pet hates about Sky when I used to subscribe:

No freephone number but an 0870 national rate number very expensive!

Even worse customer service than ntls allegedly '**** poor' cutsomer service. Many a time in no uncertain terms with software issues I have literally been told 'tough'

Software Upgrades tend to make certain things worse, like the recent one turning off the boxes for no apparent reason at random intervals. Sky+ also suffers from a number of software problems. The EPG Just hasnt became more functional in about 4 years!

The lift music on the EPG, no mini tv......please!

Now and Next....can not find info on programes on in 6 hours for info

No Subtitles button (Green) like ntl BCR2 and LCR3

Installers who make a mess of my house.

Loss of service due to poor weather conditions! lets face it we dont want TV in the sunshine!

paulyoung666
30-03-2004, 18:17
(is that attributed to the right person)




it wasnt but not to worry :)

mdean
03-04-2004, 13:19
My other Pet hates about Sky when I used to subscribe:

No freephone number but an 0870 national rate number very expensive!

Even worse customer service than ntls allegedly '**** poor' cutsomer service. Many a time in no uncertain terms with software issues I have literally been told 'tough'

Software Upgrades tend to make certain things worse, like the recent one turning off the boxes for no apparent reason at random intervals. Sky+ also suffers from a number of software problems. The EPG Just hasnt became more functional in about 4 years!

The lift music on the EPG, no mini tv......please!

Now and Next....can not find info on programes on in 6 hours for info

No Subtitles button (Green) like ntl BCR2 and LCR3

Installers who make a mess of my house.

Loss of service due to poor weather conditions! lets face it we dont want TV in the sunshine!
well said sir the pro sky brigade must be on another planet.....and as for sky+ well its a door stop in waiting

paulyoung666
03-04-2004, 13:28
well said sir the pro sky brigade must be on another planet.....and as for sky+ well its a door stop in waiting



why is it a doorstop in waiting :confused:

ian@huth
03-04-2004, 13:59
well said sir the pro sky brigade must be on another planet.....and as for sky+ well its a door stop in waiting

Yes, they are on another planet. They are on Earth which is another planet to the one that people who think NTL is far superior to Sky are on. :) Cable should be the best but unfortunately it will be quite some time before they are, if ever.

Anybody that knocks Sky+ obviously hasn't used it. I have my box set up to record everything that I want in the next week and far beyond this for some programs. Please tell me how you do this with your NTL system.

paulyoung666
03-04-2004, 14:13
Yes, they are on another planet. They are on Earth which is another planet to the one that people who think NTL is far superior to Sky are on. :) Cable should be the best but unfortunately it will be quite some time before they are, if ever.

Anybody that knocks Sky+ obviously hasn't used it. I have my box set up to record everything that I want in the next week and far beyond this for some programs. Please tell me how you do this with your NTL system.



:tu:

Paul
03-04-2004, 14:26
I have my box set up to record everything that I want in the next week and far beyond this for some programs. Please tell me how you do this with your NTL system.

1. With a Tivo.

2. With a PC (I have a PVR250, a Redrat3 IR device and some beta software doing this for me).

ian@huth
03-04-2004, 15:06
1. With a Tivo.

2. With a PC (I have a PVR250, a Redrat3 IR device and some beta software doing this for me).

I forgot to mention that the programs that I have set to record include the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix on tomorrow 11:40 to 14:40 and the FA cup semi final that is on 12:00 to 15:30. This is quite easy with Sky+ and you get to watch both events in the original quality that they were broadcast in and only using one box. Not quite so easy to do with anything other than Sky+ and certainly not in a one box solution via NTL.

kRAyZZed
04-04-2004, 20:38
If you can put up with $kys horrible red button and the higher price fair enough, but wtf is the attraction of $ky+ It is propriatary and ties you into $ky why not by one of the many alternatives which will work with any provideremmm are you slightly retarded????

top package the ntl offer is £47.50 per month, now i dont know if you went to school or not but the top sky digital package cost £40 a month (you get alot more channels) :P
it was my decisions to get a sky+ as i watch alot of films and do alot of gaming - therefore i no longer miss any of my favourite programs...

but sky digital IS CHEAPER than ntl if you choose to look at the channels, and as for customer support im sorry to hear you have had problems, but i can say i have had no problems what so ever with my DIGITAL box in bad weather, customer service have been quick and helpful - whereas my ntl digital box i STILL have has not had interactive for over a year now and now and next hasnt worked for over 6 months...

Tricky
04-04-2004, 22:01
Red Dot - What's the problem (unless you have a plasma TV!) just press backup on the remote and guess what it disappears!
I've had sky for over 6 years now and would never goto NTL (far more expensive) I've had one problem with bad weather major (and I mean major) downpour never had a problem with snow or anything.
Customer services are pretty much like anyone elses - sometimes you wait sometimes straight in, at least their "sales" lines are pretty quick so you can get through when you want to watch footie.
0870 number - yeah but it isn't that expensive and they do tell you how long you might be holding for (do NTL do that)
Cheesy lift music - Option to turn it off in the menus

New SKY+ will allow you to record/view 4 channel at once! although I can live with the 2 current.

Can you still buy TIVO's?
PC versions will become the next thing I'm sure once you can get a PC under your TV for a decent price but you need to shell out a large sum of cash for a nice pc with a decent decoder/encoder card. (I'll test one for free if someone wants a review!)

paulyoung666
04-04-2004, 22:47
Red Dot - What's the problem (unless you have a plasma TV!) just press backup on the remote and guess what it disappears!
I've had sky for over 6 years now and would never goto NTL (far more expensive) I've had one problem with bad weather major (and I mean major) downpour never had a problem with snow or anything.
Customer services are pretty much like anyone elses - sometimes you wait sometimes straight in, at least their "sales" lines are pretty quick so you can get through when you want to watch footie.
0870 number - yeah but it isn't that expensive and they do tell you how long you might be holding for (do NTL do that)
Cheesy lift music - Option to turn it off in the menus

New SKY+ will allow you to record/view 4 channel at once! although I can live with the 2 current.

Can you still buy TIVO's?
PC versions will become the next thing I'm sure once you can get a PC under your TV for a decent price but you need to shell out a large sum of cash for a nice pc with a decent decoder/encoder card. (I'll test one for free if someone wants a review!)




saves me the effort :tu:

cjmillsnun
04-04-2004, 22:52
emmm are you slightly retarded????

Ermmmm is this not slightly offensive???? Please try to keep it friendly!



top package the ntl offer is £47.50 per month, now i dont know if you went to school or not but the top sky digital package cost £40 a month (you get alot more channels) :P
it was my decisions to get a sky+ as i watch alot of films and do alot of gaming - therefore i no longer miss any of my favourite programs...

but sky digital IS CHEAPER than ntl if you choose to look at the channels, and as for customer support im sorry to hear you have had problems, but i can say i have had no problems what so ever with my DIGITAL box in bad weather, customer service have been quick and helpful - whereas my ntl digital box i STILL have has not had interactive for over a year now and now and next hasnt worked for over 6 months...


But most of those channels are shopping $hite and with ntl you get phone rental worth £9 ish per month..... Seems similar value for money IMHO

kRAyZZed
04-04-2004, 23:28
Ermmmm is this not slightly offensive???? Please try to keep it friendly!
Read the hostile nature of his posts and you will see that is it not unwarranted, and please do not tell me what i can and cannot post, i merely asked a question and made the observation, seeing as his main arguement was i was paying more for sky digital than i was for ntl - (load of rubbish)


But most of those channels are shopping $hite and with ntl you get phone rental worth £9 ish per month..... Seems similar value for money IMHOwell i pay less than that for my line rental with BT, still adds up to less - and you get all the shopping ****e with NTL too, but you do genuinely get some better channels with sky, but its impossible to please everybody with channel content so surely providing a wider choice and variety is the better option? ie sky.
and to end on the same format as that other rather obnoxious individiual who cannot see any other points of view -mdean

SKY WINS!

cjmillsnun
04-04-2004, 23:39
Read the hostile nature of his posts and you will see that is it not unwarranted, and please do not tell me what i can and cannot post, i merely asked a question and made the observation, seeing as his main arguement was i was paying more for sky digital than i was for ntl - (load of rubbish)


well i pay less than that for my line rental with BT, still adds up to less - and you get all the shopping ****e with NTL too, but you do genuinely get some better channels with sky, but its impossible to please everybody with channel content so surely providing a wider choice and variety is the better option? ie sky.
and to end on the same format as that other rather obnoxious individiual who cannot see any other points of view -mdean

SKY WINS!

Maybe sky wins for you but not everyone.

I cannot have a dish as my landlord won't allow it. I don't want to move atm, and can't get freeview. As The property was already cabled, NTL was my only option.

Also on the subject of line rental.

http://www.bt.com/lines/lo_account_details.jsp?pcode=LO-NL&obsNoSee=Y&vStore=1114&obsPage=/lines/lo_na_home.jsp&obsType=LINK&obsOID=83006

BT standard line rental £9.50 / month .....seems vaguely similar to this

http://www.ntlhome.com/ntl_telephone/freeRange.html NTL 3,2,1 standard line rental £9.50 / month.

Looks like NTL is similar value for money as BT & sky. Remember NTL is cheaper but less channels. BT & sky cost slightly more but gives a slightly wider choice...... Swings & roundabouts IMHO

mdean
07-04-2004, 18:49
Okay everybody lets do the maths nice and slow

NTL:Digital Cable TV and phone
Skysports and movies package = 47.50
Premiership plus = 1.00
Total = 48.50

Sky + BT : Digital Sat and phone
Sky sports and movies £40.00
Premiership plus (season ticket £25.00-not sure if that is the rest of this season price or the full season price-give them the benefit of the doubt) so say £2.00
BT phone -cheapest package - no I don't want BT together -honest £9.50
Total =£51.50
************************************************** ****
Just to be clear
NTL = £48.50
Sky/BT= £51.50
Therefore NTL are cheaper QED
************************************************** ****
Ok next - Sky have more channels. They do - and that is a way in which they abuse there monopoly position. Usually they move accross to NTL after a while (eg Sky one mix) There are very few channels encrypted on sky which are not on ntl. The only one of any consequence which I miss is Fox news (I like to laugh at the fascistic yanks) If you still have a sky box which I do many of the others (shopping and ****e) are still available.

To be fair NTL do charge for the god channel which is ftv on sky ???!!!

However the main channels (Sport, movies, News, uktv, mtv etc) are the same
************************************************** *
Finally to the dreaded Sky + box. Yes It does make me cross that people are being suckered into buying it.

Now then kRAyZZed I understand you want to record films to watch at your convenience.
There are a number of choices for you and the rest of us
1) Video recorder
2) TIVO
3) DVD Recorder
4) PVR
5) A PC
6) Sky + box

Options 1-5 will work with any TV feed - analogue or digital, terrestrial, sat or cable (sat includes Murdochs Sky and every other provider arround the world canal + cyfra etc)

Option 6 will only work with sky period useless with all other types of TV. Why do you think sky are pushing it so hard?? To lock in subscribers to their pay service or pay the £10 sky+ tax

My suspision is that over time options 2-5 will provide a more flexible approach and be more future proof.

Say an aggressive competitor to sky comes into the market offering good TV at lower rates on a different satelitte- at that point if Sky+ users want to shift there boxes become a useless doorstop. Those with options 2-5 will be fine.

Where it is possible a non propriatory open system (like PCs) is the preferable option to a closed system like sky+
************************************************** ***
A postcript on DOGs and red buttons
paulyoung666 (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/member.php?u=78) vbmenu_register("postmenu_177667", true); yes like you I hate dogs and want them all gone- but the red dot was terminally annoying on Cricket where the back up button needed pressing 6 times an hour (lots of short ad breaks between overs)- You cannot press back up when you are not there.
It is not necessary

paulyoung666
07-04-2004, 18:54
finished , stick to ntl , i know i am right with sky ;)

James Vertigan
21-06-2004, 06:55
Well I can confirm we will be jumping ship next month, as after having NTL cable for just over a year, we are fed up with the continuous box problems, particularly over the last few days the box has been stuttering badly (which means that we miss important bits of programmes!) and I know that even if we get an engineer to adjust our signal, it will probably crop up again...


Also fed up of the many times we've had to reset the box to try and cure problems...

So, this was a good advantage to take up the offer Sky have had in the press that runs out today! We rang up at about 9pm last night and after a few attempts managed to get through (got through to Scotland, surprisingly!) and will be taking up the £40 package... all arranged for installation on 22nd July, so allowing 1 month for NTL to come and take their box away.

We won't completely be leaving NTL though, for the moment! At least until we get our computers sorted out for broadband! And even though the recording on Sky's phone line said we had to have a BT line for connection to the box, you don't! Which saves a bit of hassle! I can't wait!

So, just a couple of things to do today... Ring NTL to cancel TV, and ring the faults department to get them to have a look at the phone extension where the box needs to go, as it isn't working at the moment...

James Vertigan
21-06-2004, 13:14
Well after nearly 4 hours of trying and numerous calls, I managed to get through to Disconnections and it has been arranged that the box will be collected between 8am and 12pm on 21st July, so, we'll have to do without all those channels for a day or so... and the NTL Radio Times has been cancelled too... Interestingly, I thought we had to write a letter to confirm to NTL we wanted to do this, but nothing was said about this during the phone conversation!

Fingers crossed they come to pick it up then!

Neil
21-06-2004, 13:34
Well after nearly 4 hours of trying and numerous calls, I managed to get through to Disconnections and it has been arranged that the box will be collected between 8am and 12pm on 21st July, so, we'll have to do without all those channels for a day or so... and the NTL Radio Times has been cancelled too... Interestingly, I thought we had to write a letter to confirm to NTL we wanted to do this, but nothing was said about this during the phone conversation!

Fingers crossed they come to pick it up then!

You just know that they won't.....

scrotnig
21-06-2004, 13:48
emmm are you slightly retarded????

top package the ntl offer is £47.50 per month, now i dont know if you went to school or not but the top sky digital package cost £40 a month (you get alot more channels) :P
it was my decisions to get a sky+ as i watch alot of films and do alot of gaming - therefore i no longer miss any of my favourite programs...

but sky digital IS CHEAPER than ntl if you choose to look at the channels, and as for customer support im sorry to hear you have had problems, but i can say i have had no problems what so ever with my DIGITAL box in bad weather, customer service have been quick and helpful - whereas my ntl digital box i STILL have has not had interactive for over a year now and now and next hasnt worked for over 6 months...
How many phone lines does that £40 a month include?

If you add the cost of a phone line in, the Sky package is therefore £49.50.

zoombini
21-06-2004, 13:50
Funnily enough they did with me, right on the dot.
I even have the receipt to prove it too :D

The quality of service from Sky has been far superior to NTL's, from the install to the CS when talking to them, the speed at which the onscreen stuff updates blows NTL's out of the water.

Some hate the onscreen interactive graphics (Red dot etc) but at least they work.

Massage the figures all you want, even if I do now pay more for Sky I am happy to because I actually get the service that I am paying for rather than keep witing for it to happen "soon" with NTL's.

I'm sure that someone could do some maths to show how much we actually pay when NTL's TV is not working or we are waiting for it to update etc. I think that Sky will still work out much cheaper then.