Any Sky + Users?

I'm thinking of getting Sky and was looking at the Sky + box. Seems quite convenient, and it's "only" an extra €149 to get installed. I just have some questions to people who are using it already.
1) How good is the quality of the recording?
2) What format is the recording?
3) Is it worth the extra?
4) How easy or complicated is it to use?
5) How relieable is it?
6) Are there any alternatives?

Thanks all,

Chris

Chris said:

I'm thinking of getting Sky and was looking at the Sky + box. Seems quite convenient, and it's "only" an extra €149 to get installed.

Click to expand...

Its only €149 to get installed if you subscribe to either Sky Sports or Sky Movies. If you don't subsribe to these then it is €149 PLUS €15 per month. So in effect you are paying a rent of €15 per month to allow you to use your own property to record a programme.

Personally I object to paying this charge when they can give it free to other levels of subsribers. However, I have heard that once you have got Sky+ you will never go back...

1) the recording quality should be perfect as it is a digital recording
2) the recording is on a hard drive so is in no format as such. What you can do is record off the hard drive onto DVD. I think pay per view might not work if you try to do this.
3) if you find yourself saying a lot that you wish you had seen this, that or the other or saying feck, there are 2 things i want to watch at the same time I guess it is worth it
4) not sure, but I assume if you can follow on screen guides it should be easy
5) Sky are regarded as far more reliable than NTL or Chorus
6) you can do a home version of it in terms of recording...I mean you could get a DVD recorder. But to mimic being able to watch one thing and record another is another matter....think you could only do that aspect of it if yo uhad a second box with an irish subs...which is essentially a multiroom subscritpion

I have had Sky+ for the past 6 months and it is superb.
Quality of recording is the same as if watching normal television.
If you have a widescreen TV (I highly recommend this also) then if the program is shown in widescreen then the recording will be exactly the same.
It is so easy to set up recording , pause live tv and rewind. One remote control does everything i.e. control Sky + box and TV.
Even the standard 40GB HDD that most of the boxes come with (some are now 160GB) is sufficient for storage of a large amount of TV programs.
There are some minor software bugs with the boxes but all in all it is truly amazing.

Thanks for replies. I'll go into one of the shops and get a demonstration, but I think I'm sold.

Just to tease you. There would appear to be another sky box on the way that will handle high definition TV. Seen rumours on the net suggesting this will be available anywhere between 8 weeks and Spring 2006. Might be worth waiting on.

Have Sky+ and it's fantastic and the picture is as clear as the original.

Alan Moore said:

Just to tease you. There would appear to be another sky box on the way that will handle high definition TV. Seen rumours on the net suggesting this will be available anywhere between 8 weeks and Spring 2006. Might be worth waiting on.

Have Sky+ and it's fantastic and the picture is as clear as the original.

Click to expand...

yea, but you need appropriate HD TV as well! Like anything in technology...if you hang on for the 'next best thing', by the time you go to buy theres another next best thing on the way!

Hi

As a matter of principal, I refuse to upgrade from Sky Digital to Sky + due to the fact that our counterparts in the UK are getting these boxes a lot cheaper than we are, or with various promotional packages offering cheap TV etc for a number of months.

Don't just accept what the peice of paper offers you, argue the case if your going to get this service .. otherwise, tell them you don't appreciate the way they threat their Irish customers and hold the line a while longer

Cheers

G>

Garrettod said:

Hi

As a matter of principal, I refuse to upgrade from Sky Digital to Sky + due to the fact that our counterparts in the UK are getting these boxes a lot cheaper than we are, or with various promotional packages offering cheap TV etc for a number of months.

Don't just accept what the peice of paper offers you, argue the case if your going to get this service .. otherwise, tell them you don't appreciate the way they threat their Irish customers and hold the line a while longer

Cheers

G>

Click to expand...

Last time I checked it was 99 sterling in the UK for SKY+ with Multiroom, 149 euro in Ireland for the same package for install. According to the market rates on XE.com:
99.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds = 149.155 EUR Euro

What if you don't want Multiroom? Is it cheaper then?

legend99 said:

Last time I checked it was 99 sterling in the UK for SKY+ with Multiroom, 149 euro in Ireland for the same package for install. According to the market rates on XE.com:
99.00 GBP United Kingdom Pounds = 149.155 EUR Euro

Click to expand...

Sky typically offer various promotions, such as 3 months half price etc to UK residents ... when promoting Sky + ... thats what I was thinking in terms of when I wrote the original post

Im sure I've previously seen Sky + offered for GBP£49 but for the life of me, I could not find it if I wanted to right now and perhaps, am mistaken (without wanting to be cocky, I really do beleive I have seen it for £49 though )

Cheers

G>