Sky announced performance numbers and drops HD Ticket Fee

Forums › Sky, Neon, Lightbox › Sky announced performance numbers and drops HD Ticket Fee

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 23

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184321 20-Feb-2019 13:40

networkn:

Puck is coming March is my understanding from previous reports/discussions.

Stuff article says they can't make the March date.

networkn

Networkn
32354 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2184326 20-Feb-2019 13:49

I missed that. Shame. It's not something I am holding my breath for anyway, as mysky is how I watch now and I am happy enough with that. I think people are hoping that the puck will mean Sky will introduce new cheaper packages, but I am not convinced they will for that reason.

On another note, I see Sky are hoping to make 30 Channels available in HD. I will be hoping that Food TV is among them, however, given that I was staying in accomodation that didn't have Sky, but had an internet box with hundreds of other channels delivered over the internet, watching Food TV in the US and UK for 5 days, we have less advertising, more programming breadth and those channels were not in HD (They did state they were but I couldn't see much difference if any between what I see on NZ Sky Food TV).

Overalll, I prefer the Food TV offering in NZ, though I do think some improvements could be made around variety and frequency of repeated content.

Spyware

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184345 20-Feb-2019 13:54

There are actually 12 local (Freeview + Sky Auckland playout) that can go HD immediately. 24 (currently) + 12 (one transponder) = 36 total.

DjShadow

4088 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#2184349 20-Feb-2019 13:56

Would this been part of their original plan with dropping Transponder Channels or they now suddenly going to have extra satellite capacity from dropping the SD/HD channel duplication?

trig42

5814 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2184352 20-Feb-2019 14:06

Can they make Prime on Freeview HD too while they're at it, and a Prime OnDemand app?

rugrat

3107 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184353 20-Feb-2019 14:08

DjShadow:

Would this been part of their original plan with dropping Transponder Channels or they now suddenly going to have extra satellite capacity from dropping the SD/HD channel duplication?

I think the original plan was to drop the SD/HD duplication giving extra capacity , but have the box downgrade the picture to SD for ones not paying the HD ticket.

They’re were reducing number transponders last I saw so was surprised about around 10 more channels going HD part.

sky-television-profit-slumps-20pc-as-sales-fall

Spyware

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184359 20-Feb-2019 14:20

DVB-S2 H.264 shift on all transponders doubles effective satellite capacity. Actually allows running of another 24 HD (48 total) without even dropping SD duplicates.

Reduced transponder count doesn't happen until 2021. Shame even the new boxes aren't HEVC capable though which would have given even more capacity.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

openmedia

3332 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2184362 20-Feb-2019 14:28

Spyware:

DVB-S2 H.264 shift on all transponders doubles effective satellite capacity. Actually allows running of another 24 HD (48 total) without even dropping SD duplicates.

Reduced transponder count doesn't happen until 2021. Shame even the new boxes aren't HEVC capable though which would have given even more capacity.

Actually DVB-S2 adds about 30% over DVB-S

The switch from MPEG-2 -> H264 helps with Transponder consolidation, which should allow for some additional HD services.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Spyware

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184370 20-Feb-2019 14:39

I made an assumption that they dropped the bitrate on the SD streams by 33% when played out using H.264. I haven't confirmed this though.

networkn

Networkn
32354 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2184377 20-Feb-2019 14:43

I am unsure the broadcast suitability of H265, but certainly all content I have watched in this format from my computer looks good, and is a fraction of the prior standards I had used.

If it's as simple as bandwidth, then x265 seems like the format that would allow a greater quantity of channels to be broadcast with no increase in bandwidth requirements.

Deamo

159 posts

Master Geek
Inactive user

#2184408 20-Feb-2019 15:33

Just announced their April 1 price rise too.. https://www.sky.co.nz/pricechange. Total increase of $3.67 for starter, entertainment & sport

SKY Starter will increase by $1.08 per month, SKY Entertainment by $0.50 per month and SKY Sport by $2.09 per month.

Spyware

3764 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#2184409 20-Feb-2019 15:36

networkn:

If it's as simple as bandwidth, then x265 seems like the format that would allow a greater quantity of channels to be broadcast with no increase in bandwidth requirements.

No Sky decoding device supports HEVC/H.265. Not even the new boxes. Given this fact I ask myself whether 4K will ever be a satellite product.

networkn

Networkn
32354 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2184414 20-Feb-2019 15:41

Deamo:

Just announced their April 1 price rise too.. https://www.sky.co.nz/pricechange. Total increase of $3.67 for starter, entertainment & sport

SKY Starter will increase by $1.08 per month, SKY Entertainment by $0.50 per month and SKY Sport by $2.09 per month.

Well, they do annual increases, like lots of companies. What did Netflix just increase their prices by? 22% or something which is the second decent increase in 3 years?

No-one likes increases, unless of course it's to their OWN pay packets.

Just something to think about.

Brunzy

2016 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2184423 20-Feb-2019 15:53

Spyware:
networkn:

If it's as simple as bandwidth, then x265 seems like the format that would allow a greater quantity of channels to be broadcast with no increase in bandwidth requirements.

No Sky decoding device supports HEVC/H.265. Not even the new boxes. Given this fact I ask myself whether 4K will ever be a satellite product.

It may happen, pretty sure Sky UK have had it for a few years.

Bluntj

556 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2184429 20-Feb-2019 16:10

networkn:

Deamo:

Just announced their April 1 price rise too.. https://www.sky.co.nz/pricechange. Total increase of $3.67 for starter, entertainment & sport

SKY Starter will increase by $1.08 per month, SKY Entertainment by $0.50 per month and SKY Sport by $2.09 per month.

Well, they do annual increases, like lots of companies. What did Netflix just increase their prices by? 22% or something which is the second decent increase in 3 years?

No-one likes increases, unless of course it's to their OWN pay packets.

Just something to think about.

Netflix has never done annual price rises. Annual price rises are what got Sky into the trouble they are in now. After 20 odd years they believed the average kiwi could afford $150/month without blinking.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 23