Sky HD is there!

Raiser

Was just about to sign up for a Sky+ package - whats the story now, am I better off buying into the whole HD thing? Are all the prices changed?

Hmmmm.......

watty

HD is more expensive. Unless you want the 6 or 8 HD channels and have a HD set not worth it.

Note if your HD set is only 37" (small for HD) it will be roughly as good as a 60" set (ideal HD) if you sit 5' distant rather than the more common 8' distant.

i.e. In 405 line days the optimal distance away from TV to sit, to see all detail, but not the lines too much was 7 times screen hieght.
For 525 lines (480 visibile) NTSC 6 Time screen height
For 626 Line PAL TV (576 visible lines ) about 5 times screen height.
For 720 Line HD about 4 to 3 times screen height.
For 1080 Line HD about 3 to 2 times screen height.

Alternatively you can calculate the optimal size of TV screen height (bear in mind screen size is NOT height but the diagonal), by dividing these figures into distance between your eyes at seating position and where you want the TV.

My TV screen front is about 3' to 4' out from room corner to make the viewing distance optimal. So the fact it is a CRT is not a problem!

Doodler

Just ordered Sky HD, at 9am this morning the wait was - zero seconds!

However the wait for installation is a bit longer - starts on Monday 22nd May - no bookings yet recorded on the system (!?), I chose 23rd May.

Price €449 and €15 per month.

Tony

installation is free I take it?

pH

Just ordered Sky HD, at 9am this morning the wait was - zero seconds!

If I could get an answer on BBC HD I'd join you!

ro2

Tony wrote:

installation is free I take it?

It is.

Headshot

i rang up sky asking about sky hd

i was very interested and asked a few questions like price and monthly fee
im on sky multiroom with 2 sky plus boxes and i was told that monthly fee doesnt include multiroom

then i said to the operater ill hang up now and ill think about it

so around 8.00 i rang again and was just about to order when i was told that ill be paying 15euro extra a month
#then i said to the operator'are you sure' he said 'yes'

man i a bit angry bloody sky messing up

so whoes right the first operaor or the second
will i be paying extra

pH

What number are you ringing Sky on for ROI HD installs?

Headshot

pH wrote:

What number are you ringing Sky on for ROI HD installs?

0818719890

the strange thing is when i rang the seond time the operator said i was his first irish customer?
sky gave me the number above,i even asked them 'is that the Irish number' the said 'yes'


i want to get some use out of my dell w2600

Mthor5

Also ordered skyhd on Friday for a 22nd of May install.

I regestered my interest on their website months ago and got an email on Friday with this number to call 00448702405049,as they could'nt contact me.

Ah world cup hd

pH

Mthor5 wrote:

Ah world cup hd

Did Sky confirm they're giving you BBC? I rang them and no one seemed to have a clue!

ffocused

BBC HD might not be on the epg but it will be available via 'other channels'

watty

No-one in Sky on the phone will know anything about BBC HD till afterward.

It will be extremely likely that BBC HD will work on an Sky HD box via "Other Channels".

BUT:
(1) The Sky+ features of Sky HD (for SD or HD) will likely only work via EPG
(2) The Sky HD box only outputs SD even on HD channels if your HD sub is not active, so non-EPG (Other Channels) HD is likely to be output in SD ONLY!

I'd be 99.999% certain on these. So unless BBC HD is on Sky HD EPG, (which is unlikely on IRISH SUB CARD, EVEN if on the UK EPG), it will only display in SD and not record.

Similarly it seems to me that if you pull out card to get UK EPG on a ROI Sub SkyHD box, you will only have SD viewing and no recording.

Sky HD is a HD version of Sky+

Doodler

If Watty's right I'll be buying a FTA DVB-S mpeg4 decoder/PVR as well prior to World Cup. Will wait until Sky HD installed to find out.

Headshot

rang up sky and asked is it possible to get the hd box without subscription they said yes

guess how much

670 euro:mad:

pretty bad price

byte

{(-_-)}HeadShoT** wrote:

rang up sky and asked is it possible to get the hd box without subscription they said yes

guess how much

670 euro:mad:

pretty bad price

That sure is a crazy price, but the box won't be much use without a subscription. All HD channels and recording features will require a subscription.

Headshot

byte wrote:

That sure is a crazy price, but the box won't be much use without a subscription. All HD channels and recording features will require a subscription.

but bbc will have free hd channel and sky have stopped making 160gig boxes

byte

I guess it would work for the BBC HD channel, though recording won't work.

watty

Reading the Sky blurb I think that even on Sky HD channels the box downsamples to Standard Definition when:
1) No HDCP and the program material requires it
2) No Sky HD subscription active.

I'd be nearly convinced
3) HD channel added via "other channels"

I'd also be surprised if BBC HD is on Irish EPG any time soon.

Given that a decent HD screen is 5 times the cost of getting Sky HD, I'd go for a FTA HD box too, if I could afford the screen.

I have two Digiboxes and two FTA systems for SD, so I obviously can experience the advantage of both on SD

Sizzler

I have a Sony bravia and am on a cable digital service so its fair to say I aint getting full value

Just wondered what the quality was like?
This yrs world cup is going to be broadcast in HD I believe?

byte

Yes, I think the BBC will be broadcasting HD signals of the World Cup. I heard somewhere that they're broadcasting Wimbledon in HD also, though I've yet to confirm it.

Mossy Monk

yes

the World Cup (BBC's coverage) and Wimbledon along with some other programming will be available to anyone with a dish pointing at Astra 2 and the relevant equipment. also Telewest in the UK will be carrying these tests for their HD customers. not sure about ntl in the UK but i have heard that there will be a HD trial on DTT in the London area also

watty

I think we need a long coax connected to Telewest.

Headshot

byte wrote:

I guess it would work for the BBC HD channel, though recording won't work.

you can record but not the hd channels
thats what iv been told,it will be somthing like sky+ but of coarse its hd

Magic Pips

ok ok ok... my mind is fried with all this 120987x12356437 stuff :rolleyes:

I'm moving into a new house, and want HD tv for the world cup...

What i think i need...

1- Sony Bravia 40"

2- 2 eircom phonelines (for sky plus & multiroom)

3- ring sky and order installation

Cost will be
€449 for kit,
€52.50 for channel subscriptions (this varies)
€15 Multiroom sub
€15 Sky HD sub

I'd appreciate any pointers on this, with minimal techno words!

Thanks in advance

Headshot

any idea when these fta hd boxes are coming out lads

watty

The FTA HD boxes out since last year. Look at *ANY* german Satellite TV web shop site.

All are also PVRs I think. All work for ordinary Satellite. Most will downconvert HD to regular video (not as silly as it sounds if you waiting for an HD set in 9 months time and want a small increase in quality now and a PVR).

pH

I succumbed and ordered Sky HD.

First date they gave me was 26/04 (I missheard scottish girl while on phone and thought she said May).

Obviously this didn't work so after 30 mins on phone Scottish guy gives me new date - Wed 9th May. I told him that it was too early and wasn't going to work but he insisted it was OK.

So when they miss that date I'm going to have to reschedule again - they're bloody useless.

Headshot

watty wrote:

The FTA HD boxes out since last year. Look at *ANY* german Satellite TV web shop site.

All are also PVRs I think. All work for ordinary Satellite. Most will downconvert HD to regular video (not as silly as it sounds if you waiting for an HD set in 9 months time and want a small increase in quality now and a PVR).

these fta hd boxes are they a big improvement in screen quality
like give a me a percentage ie ill be seeing a 10% improvement
ill be using it for bbc hd
world cup

watty

For BBC you won't see very much difference unless you have a HD screen. On Sky1 you would, except of course the Sky1 card may not work. No idea how well a Dragon CAM is supported, but if I find out I will report.

Headshot

watty wrote:

For BBC you won't see very much difference unless you have a HD screen. On Sky1 you would, except of course the Sky1 card may not work. No idea how well a Dragon CAM is supported, but if I find out I will report.

iv a dell 26" hd ready tv so im covered
and i was told i would need a HDMI-DVI cable

so with my tv will i see a big improvement on the bbc hd channel