UPC Vs SKY

nc19

wasnt sure where to put this thread - mods move as needed



Currently have UPC(not horizon) Not blow away by the service tbh. right this moment the UPC box wont start up!! (thats for another thread) constantly having broadband issues too. (west dublin)


Just looking for 1st hand opinions on which is better. did you move from one to the other?

the package we currently have is phone/tv/internet. have no need for the phone tbh it just was a cheaper package with it than without.


what would be the best choice for me? dont watch sports but like movies but have netflix. watch all the US shows but currently download them as my UPC package doesnt offer them. Do sky have broadband?

what would be the standard prices? are sky a lot more than upc?


I know I can look this up but I like real people feedback. I have looked at all the packages available and it confuses me tbh.

RoryMurphyJnr

We have Sky TV and the home phone and broadband with UPC.

Very happy with both.

Wouldn't go with UPC for the TV, don't like the layout, my folks changed over and changed back 24hrs later.

Can't fault UPC with the broadband and phone though.

kneemos

I find PVC to be excellent.

UPC's broadband is unmatched in my opinion.

However their TV compared to sky is like comparing the original Indiana Jones movies with that god awful remake that DIDN'T happen a few years ago. Sky is miles ahead there.

nc19

do you know if i can just use UPC for the BB(no phone) and SKY for TV?

Skylinehead

UPCs broadband is leagues ahead of Sky. It's telling that Sky won't mention their speeds on the website, I'm pretty sure they use Eircoms lines. Whereas UPC advertise 100MB and I actually appear to get 102.

anncoates

Sky because it sounds all shiny and futuristic and UPC sounds like a haemorrhoid cream.

Sky for TV and UPC for broadband. UPC's tv service is horrible shi*e, and horizon is no better from what I've been hearing lately.

listermint

UPC broadband is unmatched.

Skys TV is unmatched.

However Skys TV is expensive, very expensive if you want bells and whistles.

Question is what is bells and whistles worth to you.


Youd be loathe to move from UPC broadband however.

nc19

listermint wrote: »

UPC broadband is unmatched.

Skys TV is unmatched.

However Skys TV is expensive, very expensive if you want bells and whistles.

Question is what is bells and whistles worth to you.


Youd be loathe to move from UPC broadband however.

not really interested in many bells or whistles - no interest in sport and i can see any movie i want online


basic package cant be that much more than UPC surely?

listermint

nc19 wrote: »

not really interested in many bells or whistles - no interest in sport and i can see any movie i want online


basic package cant be that much more than UPC surely?

If youve no interest in bells and whistles and sport whats the point in changing?

I have had UPC and i have sky.

For basic TV watching UPC is pretty fine, Its not going to knock your socks off with its interface.

So id check out the price of a basic package and decide yourself. If its more, i wouldnt bother changing for your needs tbh.

BillyMitchel

UPC with everything but sky TV is much better.

Ill give you a day before the remote pisses you off.

peter1892

Have TV (not horizon)/Phone/Broadband with UPC - the broadband & phone are very good, the TV is ok, the UI is a bit clunky and the the recording part of it can be a bit flaky (sometimes it doesn't record things that you've scheduled).

I had SKY tv for about 3 weeks. The TV is good, much better picture quality (even in SD) and the UI for the guide is a lot nicer but its not perfect, the series link didn't seem to be able to work out when to pick up repeats for example.

Their customer service was appalling though and in the end UPC gave us a good deal to stay with them (we were going to drop their TV service).

If you do go with Sky then make sure that they are clear as to what you want and about any 'introductory offers' as the one we were supposed to get never materialised (another reason why we went back to UPC).

Also if you tell UPC that you're going to move to Sky then they'll probably have the loyalty team make you a good offer to stay with them.

Terry1985

Or dump both TV providers and get a satellite dish.

Paying €40 a month for TV channels that are broadcast for free is ridiculous.

awec

Is the UPC TV box still really rubbish, with a really rubbish remote? Like you tell it to change channel and it takes it a few seconds to register? Or you hold a button, nothing happens and then you hit it again and it has caught up and performs the action twice?

Me?

Not one post has funny.

Lennyzip

Swapped from UPC to Sky after the ESPN fiasco . In my area we had MMDS with UPC , so when I looked at their packages online , in actuality I only received about half of the channels they were advertising . Let this go as was getting ESPN and Setanta as part of their package . Then in the space of 2 consecutive bills they there was an increase of about €6 . Then they changed the package and we lost ESPN . Now I know it wasn't their fault as BT had bought ESPN rights over here but I lost the one channel that was keeping me with them . They offered no alternative and saw fit to charge me €6 extra per month . I was at this stage paying €43 for a pathetic package which was missing about 50 channels which were available to people in cabled areas . So , just rang up , cancelled and instructed my bank to cancel the DD once I had paid my last bill .Ordered sky with no hitches whatsoever . Just got the no frills €27 package . Their tv EPG is far superior . I now have a selection of free HD channels , On Demand ( got the Wireless Connector ) and can order Box Office if I want . Could not be happier . If I lived in a cabled area and UPC broadband was available I might have stayed just for the broadband . So to summarise like most people have said . Sky TV is better and UPC broadband is better .

WoollyRedHat

UPC-Internet Good
Tv-Bad.

Banjo String

Terry1985 wrote: »

Or dump both TV providers and get a satellite dish.

Paying €40 a month for TV channels that are broadcast for free is ridiculous.

Sky Atlantic isn't broadcast for free is it

WoollyRedHat

nc19 wrote: »

do you know if i can just use UPC for the BB(no phone) and SKY for TV?

No don't think so, I have the same issue.

listermint

listermint wrote: »

UPC broadband is unmatched.

Skys TV is unmatched.

However Skys TV is expensive, very expensive if you want bells and whistles.

Question is what is bells and whistles worth to you.


Youd be loathe to move from UPC broadband however.

To be honest as I'm sharing the bill I don't mind the price difference between having sky and upc or having an all in one package. If I were paying it alone I think I'd get it all with sky to be honest.

8Mb broadband which is fairly standard with sky is plenty for the vast majority of people and the tv package is light years ahead.

Terry1985 wrote: »

Or dump both TV providers and get a satellite dish.

Paying €40 a month for TV channels that are broadcast for free is ridiculous.

Because most of the good channels are not free to air.

I only pay 35 euro per month anyway and I have the full entertainment pack and the full sky sports package. Its very easy to get sky packages at half price for 12 months if you put in a bit of effort.

Wossack

WoollyRedHat wrote: »

No don't think so, I have the same issue.

sure you can - its more expensive overall though, of course

upc do penalise you for not going for a package however (its actually cheaper to get tv and phone, then just tv last I looked).

CrazyRabbit

So long as you don't have that horrendous Horizon box, UPC are better for everything.

If you have the Horizon box, then be prepared for lots of calls to support, and taking a hammer to the remote control.

Don't know why they keep choosing to use sub-standard hardware, and what their obsession it with having everything in one box.
One box is a pain as you generally want the modem in the bedroom (near the PC) and the tv box in the living room, so you don't have Ethernet cables going through the house to the PC. Suppose it's fine if you put the PC in the living room though.

BetterThanThou

Like most people have said, UPC for internet, Sky for TV.
UPC internet is absolutely amazing, had it for years, never had a problem with it, could not recommend it enough, even their slowest speed dwarfs everything else, and then if you upgrade to 100mb, you have more than you'll ever need.
TV on the other hand, awful selection of HD channels, the guide is so bad to the point where when I had UPC I just resorted to flicking through all the channels rather than use the guide or put in the number, because it usually took 5 tries to get it right. Sky's box is very smooth, an excellent array of high definition channels and a great on demand system with a lot of good tv shows, most of them with full series, though, as this requires a broadband connection, if you go with both Sky broadband and TV you're going to have an issue streaming anything that's in high definition(though, SD is fine).
Overall, I'd say, if you need to pick either UPC or Sky for both, I'd personally go with UPC, as Sky's broadband is literally abysmal, HD streaming is nearly impossible through anything, YouTube, Netflix, not gonna happen. Whereas UPC's TV product is not THAT bad, Sky beats it in every way, but I'd still rather have UPC's bad tv than Sky's awful internet.
However, ideally you should go with UPC for internet and Sky for TV.

smallerthanyou

Upc horizon sucks bad. Don't do it.
Broadband is good. Do it.

Frank Black

nc19 wrote: »

not really interested in many bells or whistles - no interest in sport and i can see any movie i want online


basic package cant be that much more than UPC surely?

If you're not interested in bells and whistles then why not go for a Freesat/Saorview setup?
Paying €40 a month for channels you can watch for free in HD is just crazy.
Got rid of UPC about 3 years ago and have saved 100's of euro since.

Sin City

Had sky tv and eircom bb and phone. Terrible and expensive. Moved over (reluctantly on herselfs advice/demand) UPC a few years ago and prefer it. Ok the tv wasnt as good but the bb is excellent. Recently got Horizon in over the summer and I thino its great. 200MB bb.

Another good thing about upc is their on demand selection which is free and automatic and dosnt require you to download episodes to watch them (as I hear you have to do now in sky)

stateofflux

my da has sky broadband...and it disconnects itself at least once a day...bag of shyte

Shane-KornSpace

RoryMurphyJnr wrote: »

We have Sky TV and the home phone and broadband with UPC.

Very happy with both.

Wouldn't go with UPC for the TV, don't like the layout, my folks changed over and changed back 24hrs later.

Can't fault UPC with the broadband and phone though.

Exactly what I have!
UPC's TV boxes are generally horrible quality. They're extremely laggy when you try to browse the menu or anything.

cena

Upc isn't in our area of galway. Always had sky.it is expensive for what it is. Just got it for 50% for the year.

cena

Sin City wrote: »

Had sky tv and eircom bb and phone. Terrible and expensive. Moved over (reluctantly on herselfs advice/demand) UPC a few years ago and prefer it. Ok the tv wasnt as good but the bb is excellent. Recently got Horizon in over the summer and I thino its great. 200MB bb.

Another good thing about upc is their on demand selection which is free and automatic and dosnt require you to download episodes to watch them (as I hear you have to do now in sky)

Ya you have to download the episodes from sky demand. Some of them can be 4gb. Probably because its in hd