Sky - price hike

[beanzontoast]

We've had Sky for the last few years and generally I've been pretty happy with it. Mrs B and I both work long hours and in the evenings we like collapsing in front of the tv to find something worth watching or that we've saved from days earlier. But today I've been emailed about a price increase and on ringing up to ask why (they couldn't expand on the reasons in the email), the customer services person said she'd heard of another price rise coming in January (whether this is VAT related or just another Sky increase, I don' t know). All of which is making me think twice and start seriously considering alternatives. So, for those who've been there and done it, I could use some advice please...

Given that I have a Sky+ box, how difficult is it to change it to work with Freesat? What channels can I get on Freesat?

Presumably I wouldn't be able to record programmes on the Sky+ box's hard drive if I had it set up as a Freesat box? Would I need to buy a new PVR? Any reccomendations?

What's my best alternative source of 20meg unlimited usage broadband?

 

[User269]

We've had Sky for the last few years and generally I've been pretty happy with it. Mrs B and I both work long hours and in the evenings we like collapsing in front of the tv to find something worth watching or that we've saved from days earlier. But today I've been emailed about a price increase and on ringing up to ask why (they couldn't expand on the reasons in the email), the customer services person said she'd heard of another price rise coming in January (whether this is VAT related or just another Sky increase, I don' t know). All of which is making me think twice and start seriously considering alternatives. So, for those who've been there and done it, I could use some advice please...

Given that I have a Sky+ box, how difficult is it to change it to work with Freesat? What channels can I get on Freesat?

Presumably I wouldn't be able to record programmes on the Sky+ box's hard drive if I had it set up as a Freesat box? Would I need to buy a new PVR? Any reccomendations?

What's my best alternative source of 20meg unlimited usage broadband?

If I'm correct, I think that although your existing box will get freesat OK, it won't do the live pause and recording thing. We got rid of Sky last year, and got the excellent Foxsat Humax HD+ box, which paid for itself within a few months, and means we no longer have any monthy subs. Google Freesat to see current channel availability, and other info such as details as to how you can view BBC iplayer on your TV with certain brands of Freesat box.

 

[beanzontoast]

Thanks for this. How do I get hold of a Freesat card? Does your Foxsat Humax box do live pause and recording too?

I forgot to mention we have the Sky phone thingy too, but are still paying BT for the line rental. High time we reigned back on the amount we're paying to the different firms I think. Anyone with Virgin? Are they a good alternative for broadband and phone?

 

[User269]

Thanks for this. How do I get hold of a Freesat card? Does your Foxsat Humax box do live pause and recording too?

I forgot to mention we have the Sky phone thingy too, but are still paying BT for the line rental. High time we reigned back on the amount we're paying to the different firms I think. Anyone with Virgin? Are they a good alternative for broadband and phone?

I don't know about the card, but I guess if you simply retune your Sky box without the Sky card in, you should find the freesat channels. And yes the Foxsat box does HD and live pause, recording etc. Personally I prefer it's remote control and on screen interface to the Sky offering. I think the picture's better with the Foxsat box as well. Info on boxes and channels etc on the freesat site.

 

[BenScoobert]

We've had Sky for the last few years and generally I've been pretty happy with it. Mrs B and I both work long hours and in the evenings we like collapsing in front of the tv to find something worth watching or that we've saved from days earlier. But today I've been emailed about a price increase and on ringing up to ask why (they couldn't expand on the reasons in the email), the customer services person said she'd heard of another price rise coming in January (whether this is VAT related or just another Sky increase, I don' t know). All of which is making me think twice and start seriously considering alternatives. So, for those who've been there and done it, I could use some advice please...

Given that I have a Sky+ box, how difficult is it to change it to work with Freesat? What channels can I get on Freesat?

Presumably I wouldn't be able to record programmes on the Sky+ box's hard drive if I had it set up as a Freesat box? Would I need to buy a new PVR? Any reccomendations?

What's my best alternative source of 20meg unlimited usage broadband?

We recently cancelled the TV licence, we now use a media centre to stream TV from various websites, as long as you don't stream live TV as it is broadcast, then you are operating perfectly legally. Saved £140 for something which I never used anyway and the wife rarely used.

We now use bbc iplayer, itv player, 4OD, youtube and for her, lakornthai.tv for the missus.

 

[Davidc]

Freesat doesn't need a card, just the right box.

Your Sky box will take a "Freesat from Sky" card (sold by Sky) which doesn't have a monthly subscription, but they do demand that you pay to renew the card periodically. You'll have to check with Sky what channels they include in the "Freesat from Sky" package.

Freesat is NOT the same thing. You'll need a Freesat box. A Bush SD freesat box was just under £30 from Argos a month or so back, HD boxes are available from several places at around £75. To get a recording box to replace your Sky+ box is more, see whiskywheels' post #2.

The Freesat boxes plug into your existing Astra 2 dish.

We had Freesat from Sky but changed to Freesat when Sky asked for money for a replacement card. Lost a couple of channels we never watched and gained one or two, and had to look up the details for manually setting up a couple of radio services which aren't on the Freesat EPG.

Whether Freesat will work for you depends on how much you use the exclusive to sky channels. As Sky have only broadcast a total of 30 minutes TV that I've wanted to watch since they started not having it doesn't bother me at all. (It was Blackadder goes back and forth and a friend lent me his video copy).

 

[beanzontoast]

Another reason why I'm thinking we should make the move is that there's increasingly little Sky-only content that we watch nowadays - films mainly, but most of our viewing is stuff that's available on 'free' channels. All we'd really miss is the ability to record and pause live tv - really have got used to this through having Sky. I'm thinking that a Foxsat HD box with a hd gives me the best alternative, plus the benefit of HD (we currently don't have a Sky HD box, just SD - yet another thing Sky wants more money from me if I want to have it).

Our Sky subscription, which includes telephone and broadband, will come to £660 this year based on the current month's bill - and that's before the next 2 price hikes. And we're still paying BT for line rental on top of that - say £150 a year. So that's £800 on tv, phone and broadband.

So, as a rough calculation, say £250 for the Freesat box - one-off payment obviously. Then I just need to find a decent phone and broadband package with someone. Phone and unlimited 20meg broadband has to cost way less than £660 a year!

Any flaws in this logic?

 

[marinyork]

There isn't much benefit on the HD front with freesat I'm afraid, there may be in years to come but don't bet on it. You'll get BBC HD and ITV(1) HD. You may get C4 HD when that gets sorted out. In the autumn you'll likely get BBC1 HD.

Beyond that it may potentially be many years until any more HD channels appear. This is because Sky have greedily hoovered up many of the HD versions of FTA channels - ITV2/3/4 signed exclusively the other day, Five has signed with Sky. E4 have signed with sky all with no protest whatsoever from anybody.

 

[beanzontoast]

There isn't much benefit on the HD front with freesat I'm afraid, there may be in years to come but don't bet on it. You'll get BBC HD and ITV(1) HD. You may get C4 HD when that gets sorted out. In the autumn you'll likely get BBC1 HD.

Beyond that it may potentially be many years until any more HD channels appear. This is because Sky have greedily hoovered up many of the HD versions of FTA channels - ITV2/3/4 signed exclusively the other day, Five has signed with Sky. E4 have signed with sky all with no protest whatsoever from anybody.

Useful to know. Tbh though, that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. HD is a bonus rather than a must-have. I'm more concerned with making sure I have the broadband and the phone sorted before I make a move - I don't like changing ISP at the best of times!

 

[marinyork]

Useful to know. Tbh though, that wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. HD is a bonus rather than a must-have. I'm more concerned with making sure I have the broadband and the phone sorted before I make a move - I don't like changing ISP at the best of times!

I wouldn't have said it's a big a deal as broadband, no. It's just many expected freesat to be a bit beefier now in terms of HD and certainly not the bleak future it seems to have on that front based on events the last 6 months. It's a shame, had a lot of potential.

That said I watch BBC1 a fair bit, when that goes HD in the autumn it'll be an extremely big deal. Similarly I watch quite a few films on ITV1 and C4 HD (the latter not on freesat sadly) and both of those are significantly better than the mushovision in standard definition for ITV1. Huge wads of money not going to sky for lovefilm/blu-ray/save/whatever there are a lot of options. I think most people would be happy with channels 1-5 in HD, it's just that one is still just a bit out of reach.

 

[beanzontoast]

I think most people would be happy with channels 1-5 in HD, it's just that one is still just a bit out of reach.

I'm one of them - channels 1-5 in HD would be pretty good. It seems that the move towards making the main bunch of everyday free-to-air digital tv channels available to all didn't include making sure they'd also be able to get them in HD for free as well. It is a shame - we can only hope things change for the better there.

Still, we've had an hdtv for almost a year now and I've not yet seen anything in HD on it yet as I didn't fancy yet another monthly add-on to the rapidly fattening Sky bill, so anything the Foxsat box can deliver in that mode will be better than nothing!

 

[Davidc]

It'll be interesting to see if gobbling up the HD services it has will keep Sky subscriptions going. They've become unaffordable for some and too expensive to justify for others among people I meet. Some of those who've ceased Sky are quite happy with the Freeview package, others who like me have satellite because of poor or variable terrestrial reception are going to Freesat. TV sports addicts are still paying up though.

My observation so far is that on my 32" TV, viewed at about 2.5m, I can see the benefit of HD on Blueray but rarely on TV. One big benefit with the HD services is the 5:1 sound channel.

Apart from the TdF and one film on Film 4 I can't think of anything we've watched that's not been on 1 to 5 so far this year, so if C4 HD arrives on Freesat that'll be everything we want in HD on there.

 

[Hockeynut]

I can't fault Virgin at the mo.

Their Broadband is great really, good fast reliable speeds.

Their TV is very good, offering far more services than Sky I think, like all the on demand stuff. And like you say, the pause, rewind and record becomes the norm when you are used to it. The V+ box has very good upscaling too, superior top the Sky+ box, so even SD content looks better.

The phone is... well, you have to have it, but I barely use the land line.

HTH

 

[beanzontoast]

I can't fault Virgin at the mo.

Their Broadband is great really, good fast reliable speeds.

Their TV is very good, offering far more services than Sky I think, like all the on demand stuff. And like you say, the pause, rewind and record becomes the norm when you are used to it. The V+ box has very good upscaling too, superior top the Sky+ box, so even SD content looks better.

The phone is... well, you have to have it, but I barely use the land line.

HTH

Have thought seriously about Virgin - and by coincidence an advert of theirs landed on my doormat this very day - but pricing up what we have now, there doesn't seem to be that much difference in the cost.

Another nail in Sky's coffin... rang them yesterday to ask why we don't get Sky Anytime on our Sky+ box when I've been told it's a 'free' thing. I was told our Sky box is 'too old' (it's 3) and we'd have to buy a new one if we wanted Anytime. So, Anytime is not part of my subscription - I'm not paying for it - but to get this free thing I need to buy a new box off them. Is it me or is this a bit skewed? I wouldn't chuck my tv out just because it was 3 years old!

I think I'm settled on going to Freesat. Now what I'm looking for is a decent unlimited broadband alternative to Sky as that's my main concern about leaving them. The landline phone (like you) is something we hardly use, so I'm not too bothered about that - though not paying BT £160 a year would be nice.

 

[Downward]

What happens say if you have 2 x Sky HD boxes ?
Have our Sky HD since whenever but I don't watch TV and the wife records all her programs on the 2nd box in the bedroom.

I was thinking maybe keeping 1 as we pay £10 for HD and get free Line Rental and replacing the 1 downstairs with a freesat box.