SkyHD

[jonny72]

My impression was you ended up paying a lot on Virgin for Sky Sports and Movies. Sorry if I'm wrong. The HD argument stands.

If you have sky+ you can record things without needing on demand though, so I think that's a bit of a wasted argument. I do think on demand is a great thing though, just that recordable tv is every bit as easy and good

The cost of the sports channels is pretty much the same on Sky and Virgin. Not that any of it really matters in my case, I'm not allowed to put up a Sky dish so its Virgin or nothing. I did check the prices anyway and Virgin was a fair bit cheaper.

Recordable TV isn't as easy or good as on demand. Its not just about the programmes that have been on over the last week, the BBC have a series catch up for some shows on iPlayer plus there is a lot of extra programming available through the separate Virgin on demand service (loads of music video's, films, tv shows).

[Colin Todd]

I'd have to disagree that Recordable TV isn't as easy or good as on demand. So you can catch up on bbc / C4 shows.  great.  With sky + you can record anything off any channel at any time and series link it. 

And Anytime TV on sky+ is on demand TV anyway.

Not that I'm a sky fanboy, its just that they currently offer the best service by a mile.  I'd love someone to properly compete though and drive prices down.

[jonny72]

With sky + you can record anything off any channel at any time and series link it.

You can do the same with V+, plus you can record two channels and watch a third at the same time.

Sky have far too much power at the moment though and the regulator should be doing more about it. They should have got taken to the cleaners for removing their channels from Virgin and they should be doing something about Sky holding the exclusives for so many HD channels. Before anyone says it, Sky removing their channels from Virgin was never about the money - it was all about screwing Virgin over and taking their customers.

[Simon Pieman]

I thought Virgin didn't have any deficiencies vs Sky?

[Colin Todd]

Sky probably do have too much power but that comes with providing content as well as the platform. They only have one competitor (ie Virgin) who have a smaller potential customer base due to lack of cable in many areas & the barriers to entry into the market are so finciancially huge its difficult to see what the regulator can do without just favouring virgin all the time.

[Power to people]

Well I bit the bullet and cancelled my Sky this morning. Cancellations would only offer me a reduction on the waiting period for HD installation (6 weeks instead of 12), but nothing off the monthly price.

New customers are currently being offered installation slots this Saturday (!) so I'll be signing up again through Quidco tonight (as the wife) to get my £120 cashback.

I've done exatly the same previously and put it in the wife's maiden name even though we have a joint bank acc and that is a different surname - that's the way round it.

I signed up for Sky Broadband yesterday and got sky talk free for 6 months, I intend cancelling sports & movies next week - hopefully they will offer me a good deal to keep one of them and I can then tell the wife the offer was too good to refuse but we only get to keep sports 

[The Grim Reaper]

Stopped paying for Sky and Virgin ages ago. Eurovox is the way forward!

[Samdy Gray]

All booked, being installed next Friday

[janaage]

Well done Sammo!!!  Didn't think you'd have a problemo.

Just out of interest grim reaper, have you actually got the foreign set up?  If so how much is it?

[The Grim Reaper]

Well done Sammo!!!  Didn't think you'd have a problemo.

Just out of interest grim reaper, have you actually got the foreign set up?  If so how much is it?

I paid £85 for the box off the internet. You have to download a firmware patch to update the box so it will decode the Virgin signals which was straight forward enough. I was paying over £50 a month for Sky so this box has paid for itself in less than 2 months. I less bill at the end of the day.

[THE FLASH]

I paid £85 for the box off the internet. You have to download a firmware patch to update the box so it will decode the Virgin signals which was straight forward enough. I was paying over £50 a month for Sky so this box has paid for itself in less than 2 months. I less bill at the end of the day.

How does this work?
Special dish??

[Samdy Gray]

Eurovox runs off the Virgin cable service, basically allows you to watch their encrypted services for "free". Works like the old chipped cable boxes.

Like grimreaper says, you have to keep it updated with firmware patches as and when Virgin change their encryption.

[The Grim Reaper]

If you have or have had a cable service in the past then you're connection to Virgin is still 'Live'. To cut costs Virgin do not send engineers out to the little green cabinets in the streets to 'hard disconnect' ex- customers, instead they just take back your Virgin/NTL cable box so you cant watch the service anymore.

But if you get the Eurovox box this can soon be rectified... 

[sonicyouth]

All booked, being installed next Friday

jesus, we're still waiting for a date after ordering it about a month ago

[Batch]

jesus, we're still waiting for a date after ordering it about a month ago

Standard "sod the existing customer" policy.

Mobile phone companies are just the same.