Sky Digital Installed Today

[kRAyZZed]

Originally Posted by mdean

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

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...

[Tricky]

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]

Originally Posted by Tricky

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

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by kRAyZZed

emmm are you slightly retarded????

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

Originally Posted by kRAyZZed

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]

Originally Posted by cjmillsnun

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 IMHO

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!

[cjmillsnun]

Originally Posted by kRAyZZed

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_d...K&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]

Okay everybody lets do the maths nice and slow

NTLigital 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 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]

finished , stick to ntl , i know i am right with sky

[James Vertigan]

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]

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]

Originally Posted by James Vertigan

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]

Originally Posted by kRAyZZed

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]

Funnily enough they did with me, right on the dot.
I even have the receipt to prove it too

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.