Is sky worth the money?

obrien0107

Is sky worth it?

lukin

No freakin way, I wouldn't give a penny to a lowlife like Murdoch & anyone who does should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

DMC

Well, I am happy.

Its far and away better than what went before, and what is currently out there.

Value for money? I think the Family pack is a decent price, if you dont like sports or films. And for the amount of channels recieved?
Movies might be a bit overpriced, as they recycle them a lot.

But for this cricket fan, I love Sky Sports.

Yes, there are the added bits like UTV and BBC channels that we want, so I'd give it 8/10 overall.

PacMan

Yes, the family pack is worth the money.
I had *Crappy Chorus* for years. I paid them for a crap picture and sound. As for their customer service!!!
I always say that the Sky customer service people are very polite. They may not always have the answers, but they are polite.

Mossy Monk

it is value for money but at least with all the British terrestrials and News 24 (surely no programming rights problems) as seen on cable with the other unavailable channels it would be even better (obviously)

Genghis

Overall value for money? I'd say yeah.

Different value than what you might expect - ..... - the 'over 100 channels' line probably sells a lot of systems on quantity of channels.

However, the true basis for comparison has to be quality. Sky are already marginally ahead all factors considered, though way ahead on quantity of channels and picture quality. Get the quality broadcasts / channels on there and Sky will be exceptional.

Samson

As far as I am concerned they would be good value for money if I could receive all terrestrial and British channels (eg: TnaG, TV3, RTE1, NET2, Chan4, etc.) so that I could drop NTL.
I hate having to pay Sky AND NTL.

chernobyl

Originally posted by lukin
No freakin way, I wouldn't give a penny to a lowlife like Murdoch & anyone who does should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

How can you vote, you dont have sky.

Guinnessman

Is sky worth the money in england it is

Tom Dunne

Originally posted by lukin
No freakin way, I wouldn't give a penny to a lowlife like Murdoch & anyone who does should be deeply ashamed of themselves.

Let me see, a choice between 10 channels with reception that could be classed as moody, customer support the Taliban would be ashamed of, or, a massive amount of channels with perfect reception and customer support that are just so damn nice, you couldn't give out about them (even if they haven't a clue).

I know which I would choose...regardless of where my money goes.

TD.

Clinical Waste

Even if you think its not worth it, there is F*CK ALL ELSE, thats even close.
And it is one of the best services I have seen in any other country.

dmeehan

considering the lack of alternatives, yes it is deffinately worth the money.

movies could be better though, far too many repeats led to me dumping the movies. i kept sky sports though, much to my girlfriends disgust!
;-)

I cannot give a definitive answer to this question as there is no competing platform(excluding the elusive chorus and ntl digital) available to me at present.

If there was, we all might be paying less.
If theres a possibility that we all could be getting this or any other service for less then I would have to conclude Sky is not value for money-I like it though
mm

Waylander

I think it is great. I got it for the sport but I really like the movies, fair enough there are alot of repeats and recycling, but there are 13 channels as part of the package including TCM and there is usually something on one of them. Also, if you go out on the town you will easily spend more then €50 in one night, for this amount you get sky for a month with all channels. I think it is well worth it

dmeehan

UK GOld are now showing a movie every monday nite
last nites was Clear and Present Danger....
(or was it Patriot Games)??? my memory's not what it used to be

Also, if you go out on the town you will easily spend more then €50 in one night, for this amount you get sky for a month with all channels. I think it is well worth it

Very good reasoning-But it is time they provided us with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound , so with the right amp and speakers,those movies channels could be viewed DVD style in your own UCI

They have the technology to provide this real cinema experience,currently only available on their Sky plus boxes.
mm

chernobyl

Originally posted by madman


-But it is time they provided us with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound , so with the right amp and speakers,those movies channels could be viewed DVD style in your own UCI

They dont have the bandwidth, the crush on channels is getting even worse by the month.
Even Sky1 has very noticable pixelation, theres not a hope of them sqeezing DD in there, anyways how many peeps have a DD amp/speaker setup?

lukin

Look, it's people's own businesss how they spend their hard-earned cash but personally I can't understand how Sky subscribers can justify spending such huge amounts of money every month on something as unimportant as TELEVISION.
As The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy once said: "Television, the drug of the nation, breeding ignorance and feeding radiation"
Also Bruce Springsteen : "57 channels and nothing on"

chernobyl

Someone should have specified that you have to have or had Sky to post here, Sky haters love these threads.

lukin

I'm not a Sky-hater, I actually had the thing for a few years in it's terrestrial format but I dumped it when I started shift-work which meant I would be working evenings every second week.
I discovered after a while that I didn't miss it and when I got back on normal hours I didn't bother with it anymore!
I also hated the way the kept upping the price for Sky Sports and actually showing less on the channels (eg losing the Nationwide League to ITV and switching the top games to PPV).

chernobyl

Originally posted by lukin
actually showing less on the channels (eg losing the Nationwide League to ITV and switching the top games to PPV).

Anyone with Sky here can tell you that sky gets better and better channel wise (with the exeception of the loss of .tv), and as regards Division1, ITV has bitten of far more than they can chew when they outbid sky for the Nationwide league and will loose it to sky for even less than they paid (ITV= idiots, there only saving grace may be the PS2 broadband network.).

DMC

Well, as regards switching the top games to PPV, this is not so.
Sky Sports still has first pick for the Sunday 4pm kick-offs, so they will show not only the top game that weekend, but also making sure that each team gets a fair look in. Yes the Man U's and Liverpools will be shown sligthly more than Fulham or Boro, but that goes without saying....

In my opinion, the PPV experience has only diminished the rights that ITV hold for highlights. One less game for them to cover on a Saturday night, on their main show.

And they paid a lot, lot more for them this time round.....

ONireland

I love ITV Digital because it has all the good channels for a couple of quid less than Sky and NTL, is very easy to install and has better picture quality (yep, tis true)/. ITV Digital customer service are always very nice and often give you free ITV Select movies if you had to wait a long time (happened me twice).

However, if you're asking is Pay TV worth it, the answer is no. If I could get Enterprise on analogue, I wouldn't subscribe to any platform. Feckin' Murdoch!

Prisoner6409

How does one go about getting ITV Digital and is there a listing of the program packages I could study.

dmeehan

ONireland, where do you live that you can get ITVdigital?

OnIreland will reply,but he is up in Northern Ireland-so no probs with ITV dig in Belfast or somewhere like that.
Its possible in parts of Cavan and other places with a strong enough Brougher Mtn signal (greater than 80db's-I would say)

And last but not least:) You can get very good ITV digital down here in North Wexford-and whats more I subscribe to them from my Co Wexford Republic of Ireland address which really makes a mockery of all the "rights" issues being talked about here

And yes via ITV digital I get an English version of Sky one here in Wexford complete with English adds And Channel four is there as well as BBC News 24 and the CBBC channels
mm

ONireland

I live in Belfast, about 2 miles as the photon files from Divis Transmitter.

I haven't yet got to try my Digibox up in Donegal, but I'll soon be up there giving it a try. I will send results.

I, like most people, seem to get perfect ITV Digital pictures. This is based on the fact that anyone I've ever met who has ITV Digital thinks it works fine and have never had any problems with it, and on the fact that people who complain that their TV doesn't work to other people on the internet are sad and lonely and probably are just making up their TV problems in a desperate attempt to communicate with another lifeform (other than their cat).

If you'd like to meet sad and lonely people who complain about their TV not working, go here: www.digitalspy.co.uk

If you'd like more info on ITV Digital and talk to decent people, go here: www.dvbcomment.com

PacMan

Posted by MadMan You can get very good ITV digital down here in North Wexford-and whats more I subscribe to them from my Co Wexford Republic of Ireland address which really makes a mockery of all the "rights" issues being talked about here

ITV Digital are sending out viewing cards to a Republic address!
MadMan is correct when he uses the word Mockery
ITV Digital is owned by carlton and Granada. ITV network has most of its members television stations owned by...Granada and carlton. And the very same ITV have blocked UTV to viewers on Sky Digital in Ireland.

ONireland

Okay, I've just gone a read through the whole UTV on Sky thread. Basically, here are some points not yet stated explicitly:

1. UTV tells lies
2. Sky tell lies
3. ITV don't tell lies but won't answer questions

I have a theory about digital TV, and it is a simple one;

"Analogue will never switch off because digital TV is just too complictaed."

That's why I think it is essential to keep analogue antenna rigs in good working order (for all the tiny effort it takes). With analogue, I get 9 channels in every room of my house in crystal clear reception. Through my BBC aerial, I get a further 60 channels, also available through every TV in my house thanks to this gizmo:



However, because I get such excellent analogue signals (UK and Irish channels), there is not a significant improvement in quality via digital for me to justify ever buying FTA digiboxes. The only reason that I can justify paying for digital TV is the extra channels. Other than that, analogue has everything I ever need.

So that comes around to answering the opening question, "Is Sky worth the money?". Frankly, it is up to individuals to ask are the individual programmes worth the money. I reckon that ITV Digital's line up is worth the money, so I suspect that most people will consider Sky is worth it too.

However, I can only consider the quality of programmes. Interactive TV, digital text and the likes are all gimmicks which I reckon will die out with time.

I agree with ONireland regarding the question at the head of this thread.
It's really on a case by case basis that you can decide whether Sky is worth it.
If your analog reception is bad-then theres no argument.
I actually prefer analogue as I hate the artifacts on digital pictures.
I know you shouldn't be near enough to the tv to see them, but once I know they are there, thats digital ruined for me
Where I am located,analogue Presely reception is probably better than it is over in Wales where it is Supposed to serve-so like Onireland,I too am getting 9 crystal channels(the 5 uk and the four Irish) andmore often than not am watching them rather than Sky.
Sky should really clear out all the Dross from their EPG and only have maybe 30-40 quality channels there.
As Bruce sang years ago and he was right "#57 channels and nuttin on...#"
there is a lot of Quality on Sky digital-so why don't they get rid of the Dross and use the savings to pay for the channels being campaigned for on this forum?
Probably because thy are a monopoly whose aim is to maximise profit and not to "over please" the customer.
mm

Krusty_Clown

Madman: 'so why don't they get rid of the Dross'?
Sadly, one man's dross is another man's brain candy...
I actually confess to occasionally watching Men and Motors and the lifestyle channels, but only for the motorcycle shows that they air occasionally.. Different strokes, and all that..

What I would really appreciate, is the means to remove Channels from a customisable EPG. Or even, only pay for the channels which I would like to watch. (Yes, I know about 'favourites', but it's not really the same)..

Besides, Channels pay Sky for the right to appear on Sky's platform, don't they (with the exception of RTE, right?), so removing the dross would likely increase the Sky rates?