DOCSIS TV replacement - VodafoneTV or Sky Box?

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aalex440

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#285893 23-May-2021 20:39

We're in the Wellington region and we've had the letters from Vodafone saying that DOCSIS TV service will shortly be discontinued. We like our Sky Sport, international news channels, RNZ and not much else, so we're wondering what the best options are - VodafoneTV + Sky addons, or get a "Sky Box", or something else entirely.

The letters from Vodafone seem to be steering us towards setting up with Sky, but the confounding factor is that we're right up against a hill on the western side blocking line of sight to the usual Sky satellite.

My question is: What can a "Sky Box" do without a satellite signal? All of the above? Nothing? Somewhere in between? The Sky site is a bit light on detail in this regard.

cyril7

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#2711877 23-May-2021 21:07

Hi a sky box can only do basic on demand stuff without a DVB-S signal. So end result, SFA.

Do others around you really have no sat service, D1 is approx 40deg elevation in the NWW direction, are you sure that is blocked.

Regardless, even with all the long threads regarding issues with the Vtv box, reality is, it's a pretty good solution.

Cyril

nztim

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#2711890 23-May-2021 22:14

My only gripe with VTV is sport is circa 2 minutes behind live - Updates on warriors games appear on facebook before its on your TV Screen

If that doesn’t bother you VTV is fine

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Yabanize

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#2711896 23-May-2021 22:48

nztim: My only gripe with VTV is sport is circa 2 minutes behind live - Updates on warriors games appear on facebook before its on your TV Screen

If that doesn’t bother you VTV is fine

Odd, for regular TV it's less than a minute behind.

But yeah, I say just get Vodafone TV, it's not perfect and has its quirks, but I think it's one of the best options available. I definitely prefer it to Sky.

Watch most shows even if you forgot to record them by going backwards in the guide / restart them if they already started AFTER you changed the channel
Apps like YouTube, Netflix, NEON, Amazon Prime
A very seamless internet-delivered TV experience, even over Wi-Fi

Vodafone did feel that people who were stuck in their ways of how the old T-Box worked and didn't like change would prefer MySky.

BTW - there's a long thread that already exists about the changeover here

Eva888

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#2711989 24-May-2021 09:29

Get VTV. I was also a doubter at first having experienced a bad one that kept crashing while on holiday. I now suspect it was because firmware was not updated and a lot of friends also didn’t realise it needs an update after installation. I did mine immediately. Am now loving it compared to the Sky box. Last night I was fiddling with the iHeart app on it which has local and international radio and music. The Play Stuff App has many other channels within such as The Guardian, The Telegraph, New York Post plus our own National News, too many to list. Really impressed by all the free content that wasn’t available to us before. You won’t regret getting it. The only thing I miss is the ability to set a reminder in the future, but...can still watch on catch up.

Eva888

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#2712191 24-May-2021 13:14

PS. Make sure you get clear and emailed to you costs of what you will be getting and paying. I just got my first bill and very annoyed.

antonknee

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#2712565 24-May-2021 18:20

You may find this review interesting - it’s a comparison of Vodafone TV and MySky.

nztim

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#2712568 24-May-2021 18:35

Yabanize:
nztim: My only gripe with VTV is sport is circa 2 minutes behind live - Updates on warriors games appear on facebook before its on your TV Screen

If that doesn’t bother you VTV is fine

Odd, for regular TV it's less than a minute behind.

But yeah, I say just get Vodafone TV, it's not perfect and has its quirks, but I think it's one of the best options available. I definitely prefer it to Sky.

Watch most shows even if you forgot to record them by going backwards in the guide / restart them if they already started AFTER you changed the channel

Apps like YouTube, Netflix, NEON, Amazon Prime

A very seamless internet-delivered TV experience, even over Wi-Fi

Vodafone did feel that people who were stuck in their ways of how the old T-Box worked and didn't like change would prefer MySky.

BTW - there's a long thread that already exists about the changeover here

I might have been exaggerating a bit on 2 minutes but it’s enough to be delayed to the point where something is posted on nrl or warriors facebook oagetbefpee it actually occurs on TV

For this reason I am stuck with Sky

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

Equinox IT

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Eva888

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#2712570 24-May-2021 18:43

antonknee:
You may find this review interesting - it’s a comparison of Vodafone TV and MySky.

Thanks for that link. It confirms that the picture has indeed become worse with VFTV. It’s lost it’s crispness.

Handle9

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#2712577 24-May-2021 18:56

nztim: My only gripe with VTV is sport is circa 2 minutes behind live - Updates on warriors games appear on facebook before its on your TV Screen

If that doesn’t bother you VTV is fine

If you get facebook updates and regularly watch the Warriors you have to enjoy pain.

antonknee

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#2712589 24-May-2021 19:34

Eva888:
antonknee:

You may find this review interesting - it’s a comparison of Vodafone TV and MySky.

Thanks for that link. It confirms that the picture has indeed become worse with VFTV. It’s lost it’s crispness.

Yeah good point. I hadn’t really noticed it until reading this review, but now you’ve mentioned the crispness thing as well, and I’ve done a direct comparison to UHF Freeview and there is a difference in quality. Not super massive but noticeable.

DjShadow

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#2712593 24-May-2021 19:40

Also note that Vodafone TV only has the SD version of a number of channels which are HD on Sky

Eva888

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#2712605 24-May-2021 20:19

According to the Downer tech who installed the box, some TV brands, not all, are affected with picture quality loss. My smart Samsung is one.

Handle9

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#2712606 24-May-2021 20:25

Eva888: According to the Downer tech who installed the box, some TV brands, not all, are affected with picture quality loss. My smart Samsung is one.

That smells like BS from the tech.

Yabanize

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#2712684 24-May-2021 21:48

DjShadow:

Also note that Vodafone TV only has the SD version of a number of channels which are HD on Sky

Is this still the case? I know it used to be but thought it might've been fixed?

Spyware

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#2712685 24-May-2021 21:50

It aint been fixed.

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