Sky Digital vs Cable

LegacyUser

I'll be moving to a new house near Kildare Town in a couple of months. I've been renting in Dublin for a few years and have always had cablelink/ntl's very basic service.

In researching a new provider, I've heard some horredous things about the chorus service and also I'm worried about the shortage of normal terrestrial channels on sky digital.

As I would like to have RTE, BBC, ITV and the Sky Sports/Movies chanels (with a decent service), could anyone recommend the best option?

1. Chorus vs Sky Digital
2. A combination (if possible), e.g. chorus for basic and sky for extras and choice.
3. Any other possibilities.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

LegacyUser

Well if you want crap channels like RTE etc then Chorus is the way to go, but providers like Chorus and NTL just offer a poor slice of Sky Digitals "cream of the crop" offering.
We have both and Chorus is never used in my house.

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Britany Spears Looking incredible

LegacyUser

I'm not too far from Kildare town and had Chorus for a couple of years. To be honest I couldn't wait to get rid of them. Bad reception, sometimes you would lose a couple of the channels for a few hours, you'd ring chorus to find out what the story was and they couldn't care less. They'd just say it will sort itself out. On one occasion last Christmas we lost all channels for 2 days!!

You do know that BBC is available and ITV as stated in another post will more than likely be on before the end of the year.
We still have chorus at the moment (until the subscription runs out) and we never watch it. There is a channel on Sky called Tara which you can watch the Irish news and also "the best of " rte.

[This message has been edited by BNC (edited 17-06-2001).]

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by lough:

As I would like to have RTE, BBC, ITV and the Sky Sports/Movies chanels (with a decent service), could anyone recommend the best option?</font>

It has to be SkyDigital. OK, no Irish channels (except Tara), and no ITV/Ch4/Ch5 yet (but there is E4 which has many of Ch4's programmes, either repeated, or shown *before* being shown on Ch4).

Don't forget that if you invest in a good aerial you should be able to get good, clear RTE/TV3/TG4 reception, which could be nearly as good as digital versions would be.

And although my geography isn't great, I think with a large aerial you could pick up UTV/Ch4 in Kildare. Though it may not be worth your while since they will be on Sky. Speak to a local supplier, anyway.

Though I don't like Murdoch, Sky has the best choice of channels going.

icdg

Just to mention, in analogue cable's favour, you can rig up as many TVs or videos as you like and watch different channels on them all. With Sky you're limited to having the same channel on all TVs and videos at once..

But otherwise Sky is best. (If you can afford though, get both).

If you only have one TV and want digital, SkyDigital beats Chorus Digital hands down. See the head-to-head review on ICDG...

[This message has been edited by icdg (edited 17-06-2001).]

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:
With Sky you're limited to having the same channel on all TVs and videos at once..
</font>

A Dual or Quad output LNb and an extra digi box (or two) and you can have Sky Digi with independant viewing on all Tv's.
Still can only record what you see with VHS though, but TiVo solves that.

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Britany Spears Looking incredible

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:
Just to mention, in analogue cable's favour, you can rig up as many TVs or videos as you like and watch different channels on them all. With Sky you're limited to having the same channel on all TVs and videos at once..</font>

True - but this will not be the case with digital.

LegacyUser

And in Chorus areas, the analogue cable has a set top box so you can only use one TV and you cannot record one channel while watching another.

LegacyUser

lough - don't go near Chorus. I too faced the same choice as you last year when I moved into my new house. What to do about telly? So seeing as I didn't like the idea of SKY and always prefer to buy Irish I went with Chorus. What a mistake. I am blue in the face compalaining to them. They are just there because they have no competition. They make no effort. Save yourself the bother. So Chorus have forced me to go to SKY. Nobody else did. Their service is so ****ty you could go suicidal thinking about it. And the cost? If you are used to NTL's £9 a month for basic service you'll balk at the £18.63 Chorus charge to mess up your life. If you go with Chorus you can look foreward to missing the ends of films or not seeing anything. It will break down.

Do yourself a favour and go to SKY. I am after learning my lesson.

LegacyUser

I have booked with Sky Digital through Dixions, I was told at the time of booking I would be "up and running" in five days, I booked on the 8th of this month, Dixions omitted to inform me that when you reveive your card (in five days) you should ring to book an installer, to-day I rang to book and was told it willbe installed on 26th of this month, I hope its worth waiting for. As for NTL in my experience you can forget them, I have been chasing them for the past 2 years and still have Cra.. receiption.

LegacyUser

Sky Digital is great but if you want the best Digital then get yourself a decent decoder, a SECA deocder card and wave you dish around a bit, you'd be amazed at what can be had for free.

LegacyUser

I too moved to Kildare about a year ago. Initially had Chorus-they were apalling and very expensive (twice ntl) for their poor and unreliable service. I ditched them recently and went for Sky; I now see that my neighbours are doing likewise-and this is after Chorus incurred the cost of cabling this estate, money down the drain for them. Go for Sky...

icdg

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by ShaneOC:
And in Chorus areas, the analogue cable has a set top box so you can only use one TV and you cannot record one channel while watching another. </font>

Only in Cork (and some other ex-IMC) areas I believe. Kildare is ex-CMI and IIRC CMI Cable areas didn't have STBs.

You're right, you won't be able to record another channel with digital cable. But you are able to get second and third STBs for a monthly rental fee - with Sky you have to pay £450 for a second unsubsidised STB. You only get one free box.

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:
Only in Cork (and some other ex-IMC) areas I believe. Kildare is ex-CMI and IIRC CMI Cable areas didn't have STBs.

You're right, you won't be able to record another channel with digital cable. But you are able to get second and third STBs for a monthly rental fee - with Sky you have to pay £450 for a second unsubsidised STB. You only get one free box.</font>

And Wicklow too. Sallins and Johnstown in Kildare are also stuck with this system. The monthly fee for a second and subsequent box is nearly a fiver a month - works out very expensive when you add it all up.
The ex-CMI people only pay approx £120 a year for service too - nearly half the price of people on the STB setup.