Considering leaving Sky; what are the consequences/options?

Dinarius

We are currently half way through one month’s trial with Netflix. We are streaming it via my phone and a Google Chromecast. Technically, sound and picture are superb. In addition, there is more than enough to watch in terms of content.

Terrestrial TV (for want of a better term) viewed through out Sky box is, frankly, appalling. We hardly watch it anymore.

We are considering leaving Sky.

What are the consequences/options?

1. Will we still be able to watch Netflix? I presume so.

2. Will Sky come and remove the dish and box? We’ve had Sky about 8-10 years.

3. What are the free-to-air options and how would we view them? (If Sky didn’t remove the box, would we be able to use it for viewing anything?)

4. Would what is recorded on the Sky box be deleted?

5. Anything else we should be thinking about?

We have Virgin for phone and broadband - we make a lot of international/Mobile calls and the flat charge is a big plus. Also the BB is excellent.

Thanks.

D.

frozenfrozen

You will still be able to view netflix

Sky will let you keep your dish and box.

Free to air channels are https://www.freesat.co.uk/whats/full-channel-list/ and Saorview https://www.saorview.ie/en/get/saorview You will be able to view the freesat channels with your sky box after cancelling your subscription. You will not be able to record.

Your recordings won't be watchable.

You can always get sky again if you change your mind

Atlantic Dawn

What are the consequences/options?

1. Will we still be able to watch Netflix? I presume so.
Yes as it's using Virgin Media for broadband

2. Will Sky come and remove the dish and box? We’ve had Sky about 8-10 years.
No, all the equipement is yours after a years subscription has passed.

3. What are the free-to-air options and how would we view them? (If Sky didn’t remove the box, would we be able to use it for viewing anything?)
You can view free to air channels like BBC, Channel 4 etc although won't be able to record. I recommend looking at a Humax Freesat box if you want recording functionality, it will use your existing dish...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy-exMbqutg

4. Would what is recorded on the Sky box be deleted?
It won't be accessable but I think if you reactivated the account in the future your previous recordings would be available.

5. Anything else we should be thinking about?
Your current TV may have a Saorview tuner inbuilt if it's 4 or 5 years old, you might get away with connecting an indoor aerial to it to receive the Irish channels. Dealz, Argos etc sell them for tiny money, they work fine for some people depending on how near you are to the transmitter.

piplip87

If you are under contract with SKY you will be charged to leave. Although if your a long term customer I would doubt you are. Sky will however try their best to keep you. You may end up with 6 months free sky box sets.

The box you have will allow you to watch some channels for free. If you have an older box there is a way to get all UK free to air channels. I would suggest you google this as I don't think I can post here.

My advice for citing the cord is an android TV box. Again can't discuss here as they can be used to illegally stream content but they are absolutely brilliant with the right apps.

You will not get RTE, TV3 as free to air without soarview and their apps and websites are horrendous. So keep that in mind

Dinarius

Thanks all!

I doubt our 8-10 year old Sony flatscreen has an inbuilt Saorview tuner.

Interesting you can’t view RTE and TV3 via satellite dish. (Why is that?) Quite literally (and I mean literally!!) the only thing I’d miss from these channels is Champions League footie and the odd other sporting event.

And myself and herself just said, the only way we’ll get find out is to cut the umbilical cord and see what it feels like.

Thanks again.

D.

Rubberchikken

We cancelled sky over a year ago. We were never watching it. Dont miss it.
We have netflix but i would mostly watch a dvd but thats just my choice. Others at home like netflix. Its good value.

winston_1

Dinarius wrote: »

Thanks all!


Interesting you can’t view RTE and TV3 via satellite dish. (Why is that?) 

Because they are subscription channels on the Sky system and are thus scrambled.

dubrov

winston_1 wrote: »

Because they are subscription channels on the Sky system and are thus scrambled.

The above is true but the reason they are not encrypted like BBC/C4 etc. is because everyone in the UK could the view them. RTE/TV3 would have to pay a licence fee for programmes covering the UK as well. Sky found away around this with subscription cards that could decrypt the channels being linked to ROI account only. RTE/TV3 could have found a solution but I guess Sky are pretty powerful and have a lot of influence.

byte

Dinarius wrote: »

Thanks all!

I doubt our 8-10 year old Sony flatscreen has an inbuilt Saorview tuner.
Thanks again.

D.

It might, depending on model. What model is it?

byte

byte wrote: »

It might, depending on model. What model is it?

Yep. The V4500 series is one model line that should be fine. Have 32 and 26 inch versions. Still going strong. DVBT/MPEG4 tuners were starting to appear in tv sets around then.

Dinarius

byte wrote: »

It might, depending on model. What model is it?

It’s an KDL-40HX703.

It has an “analogue terrestrial tuner”. Is that what you’re talking about?

Thanks.

D.

Dinarius

Just cancelled account.

31 days notice.

Payment date is always the 4th of the month.

So, from today, 31 days would be March 12th.

But, payment would be taken (in advance) on March 4th. i.e. we would be paid up to April 3rd, inclusive.

He was happy to have it this way.

I insisted that the account, and all service, would finish on April 3rd. I insisted on an email detailing this.

Email has just arrived stating that "entertainment will end 16th March"!!

Dumb and dumber.

You have been warned.

D.

muffler

Dinarius wrote: »

Just cancelled account.

31 days notice.

Payment date is always the 4th of the month.

So, from today, 31 days would be March 12th.

But, payment would be taken (in advance) on March 4th. i.e. we would be paid up to April 3rd, inclusive.

He was happy to have it this way.

I insisted that the account, and all service, would finish on April 3rd. I insisted on an email detailing this.

Email has just arrived stating that "entertainment will end 16th March"!!

Dumb and dumber.

You have been warned.

D.

Sky will only accept 31 day notices so you cant cancel down now and ask to be cut off in 7 weeks time. If you're happy enough to continue the sub until early April then ring and "un-cancel" and then cancel down on or around 1st March.

In any event if you end up paying for days where your sub wasnt active then they will refund the money for those days.

Ten Pin

It’s an KDL-40HX703.

That should work for Saorview (RTE, TV3's, TG4)

The spec you want is DVB-T and MPEG4

Your TV has a Freeview HD tuner which is DVB-T2 (and DVB-T) and MPEG4 decoder.

Plug in an aerial and tune in the channels, you'll need to scan digital channels, there's no channels on analogue terrestrial anymore.

Dinarius

muffler wrote: »

Sky will only accept 31 day notices so you cant cancel down now and ask to be cut off in 7 weeks time. If you're happy enough to continue the sub until early April then ring and "un-cancel" and then cancel down on or around 1st March.

In any event if you end up paying for days where your sub wasnt active then they will refund the money for those days.

I was told when I called again that service would end March 16th (i.e. in 31 days) but that the amount taken in payment on March 4 would be pro rata - so, about €20 instead of €56. Fair enough.

But, I'm still waiting for the email confirmation of this amount that I asked for.

Funny how communications goes awry when you no longer wish to be a customer.

Thanks for the feedback.

D.

Dinarius

Ten Pin wrote: »

That should work for Saorview (RTE, TV3's, TG4)

The spec you want is DVB-T and MPEG4

Your TV has a Freeview HD tuner which is DVB-T2 (and DVB-T) and MPEG4 decoder.

Plug in an aerial and tune in the channels, you'll need to scan digital channels, there's no channels on analogue terrestrial anymore.

Thanks! That's great to know. Useful for Champion's League, which is about all I watch on RTE.

Could you please post a link to the kind of aerial I should be looking for?

Thanks again.

D.

Ten Pin

Check Saorview coverage here for your closest transmitter, this will give an idea of which aerial suits.

Is there any sort of aerial in the house to check signal?

Dinarius

Ten Pin wrote: »

Check Saorview coverage here for your closest transmitter, this will give an idea of which aerial suits.

Is there any sort of aerial in the house to check signal?

No aerial here. We’re south Dublin based, for what it’s worth.

Thanks.

D.

Atlantic Dawn

Something like this for €12.99 might do the job, can be hit and miss.



http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1074815/Trail/searchtext%3EAERIAL.htm

Ten Pin

In case the indoor aerial doesn't work, here are some other options, either for outdoor or attic installation.

Antiference Aerial

Wideband Aerial

In the meantime, have a look at what the nearby houses are using.

Tony

If you can access your dish you may be able to clamp a saorview aerial onto the existing bracket and use one of the cables from the dish that you no longer need to send saorview to your TV. You could also get a freesat box to get free UK channels using your dish.

winston_1

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Something like this for €12.99 might do the job, can be hit and miss.



http://www.argos.ie/static/Product/partNumber/1074815/Trail/searchtext%3EAERIAL.htm

Argos lies. A loop aerial does not have 20dB gain, in fact even the largest outdoor aerials only manage around 17dB.
If you must use an indoor type a €2 one from a € shop is just as good. (or bad).