Sky + for ntl??

[spike7451]

The Telewest/NTL merger roumer has been doing the rounds here at NTL for the last few years.Frankly,i'll believe it when i see it!
M

[sweaty]

NTL can't even get the TV guiode working let alone anything more advanced. Go for Sky+. I can understand the loyalty of NTL emplyees but You have to rememebr they get NTL for free so they put up with the crap.

I've just moved and got Sky+

There is *NO WAY* I'd go back to NTL TV after even only a few weeks of using Sky+!!

A TV guide that works, recordings that can be set a week in advance, the series link feature (and it even works on programmes like BBC2's Working Lunch which changes time slots and programme lengths over the course of the week!), twenty hours of recording on the internal HDD, pausing live TV.

NTL has *nothing* to compare with any of these and IMO they'd probably bugger up any attempts to introduce them!!

[spike7451]

Originally Posted by sweaty

NTL can't even get the TV guiode working let alone anything more advanced. Go for Sky+. I can understand the loyalty of NTL emplyees but You have to rememebr they get NTL for free so they put up with the crap.

Sorry,Sweaty,but i'm afraid you're partly wrong about that.
I work for NTL but because i dont live in a NTL cabled area,i DONT get NTL or SKY/BT whatever for free!
I have to pay the full price for whatever i get,so your comment about loyalty to a product for that reason is false.
Would i have NTL if i could?no.Reason;I'm happy with what i've got.
M

[Jules]

I have heard a lot about Tivo but don't really know how it works is it like a high tec video recorder but with out the tapes? Any one care to enlighten me?

Originally Posted by whyme38

I have heard a lot about Tivo but don't really know how it works is it like a high tec video recorder but with out the tapes? Any one care to enlighten me?

Hi Jules

Scastle is one member on here who has one so he would know best, but basically it is a VCR with a hard disk, just like the Sky+ boxes.

The clever bit is the software, which allows you to program it to do things like record every episode of a series - and the 'pause live tv' function, as well.

[ian@huth]

Originally Posted by Graham

I've just moved and got Sky+

There is *NO WAY* I'd go back to NTL TV after even only a few weeks of using Sky+!!

A TV guide that works, recordings that can be set a week in advance, the series link feature (and it even works on programmes like BBC2's Working Lunch which changes time slots and programme lengths over the course of the week!), twenty hours of recording on the internal HDD, pausing live TV.

NTL has *nothing* to compare with any of these and IMO they'd probably bugger up any attempts to introduce them!!

Yes, if you have had Sky+ you wonder how you would cope without it. We have just been away for two and a half weeks and Sky+ has recorded everything we wanted whilst we were away. There was one occasion where 3 programmes that we wanted to record were on at the same time so we had to record two of them on Sky+ and the other on the VCR. The Sky+ recordings were all in perfect broadcast quality but the VCR recording was really inferior. My wife is a big soap fan and watches Neighbours, Home & Away, Family Affairs, Emmerdale, Coronation Street and The Bill. All episodes recorded perfectly whilst we were away together with several other things (upgrading the hard drive is well worth it, 80 hours of recording). Try doing that with NTL.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by homealone

Hi Jules

Scastle is one member on here who has one so he would know best, but basically it is a VCR with a hard disk, just like the Sky+ boxes.

The clever bit is the software, which allows you to program it to do things like record every episode of a series - and the 'pause live tv' function, as well.

Thanks Gary I think I will go have a look on Ebay see what they are going for

Originally Posted by whyme38

Thanks Gary I think I will go have a look on Ebay see what they are going for

np - bear in mind you will need to hook up your phone line & subscribe - there are some details in the link

http://www.tivo.co.uk/

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by whyme38

I have heard a lot about Tivo but don't really know how it works is it like a high tec video recorder but with out the tapes? Any one care to enlighten me?

It is, basically, a High tech video recorder (as is Sky +)

Sky + and Tivo both do basically the same thing, but work slightly differently. They both allow you to pause/rewind live TV and record programmes to hard drive, and archive those programmes to tape. With both, you can set it to record a whole series (Sky + calls this a series link and Tivo calls it a Season Pass). Tivo's apparently works slightly better (as an example, I set my Tivo to record Casualty when I first got it 3 or 4 years ago, and it still records automatically) than Sky +'s.

The advantage of Sky + is that you can record one program and watch another (or record two programs). With Tivo and NTL, this is not possible (without two Set Top Boxes).

Sky + also records the datastream transmitted, so there is no quality loss, but you are limited to a set quality level. With Tivo, it has to recompress an analogue signal (so there is some quality loss), but you can adjust the compression used to maximise the space available. I tend to use Best quality for high action series, and Basic (the lowest) quality for most other stuff.

The other advantage of Tivo is the guide can run up to a month and a half in advance, but averages a month. You can also get the Tivo to suggest programmes for you based on what you record (but this is hit and miss at best, and irritating at worst, so I have disabled it). You can also plan all your month's viewing in one go (great for holidays).

[Jules]

Thanks for all the info Scastle and thanks for the great link Gary