Whats the current ETA for the new decoer to drop?

RedactedRetracted:

 

eracode:

 

Do you really think Sky would let SS - their arch-enemy competitor in sports streaming - run an app on their new box?

 

 

The box's will run the Google Play store, so unless Sky is doing something to specifically block Spark Sport (which I doubt they will do, as it would just cause complaints, plus goes against their vision of having other people's apps on the device) or if Spark decide they don't want it to run on the box, then yes, it would be available.

 

It is unlikely to be blocked but Spark Sport may not support it, like they do not on the Nvidia Shields... however you can then just side load it and it works fine and will update as the apk is simply a container and the app auto-updates its contents when requried as my nvidia install is the same version as my Sony TV despite not being avaialble on the shield via Google Play.

Anyone have any idea when this new decoder might be available? Wanting to get sky for the premier league but hate the thought of having to hang a giant satellite dish off the side of my home!

Given VTV service closes on 20th of September one would expect the Sky IPTV box to be released at least by end of August/beginning of September.

Glorynz:

 

Anyone have any idea when this new decoder might be available? Wanting to get sky for the premier league but hate the thought of having to hang a giant satellite dish off the side of my home!

 

 

 

 

 

August/September was the last I heard. 

Ah okay thanks for the info. I wonder if we'll be able to change over from satellite to the internet version or will they try to lock us into one or the other for a year?

Glorynz:

 

Ah okay thanks for the info. I wonder if we'll be able to change over from satellite to the internet version or will they try to lock us into one or the other for a year?

 

A short 2-3 hour hold for their customer service may yield the answers you need :) 

Honestly, sorry, I don't know, I'd like to think changing should be possible, though I suspect supply of the new units may be limited initially, and new connections may get priority.

Latest:

"Sky TV's new box won't appear this month, as originally scheduled, with the firm blaming Covid supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.

It says staff trials will begin next week, but it now can't give any date for even the initial rollout to customers.

The delay will be of keen interest to some 100,000 customers of Vodafone TV - who are being offered Sky's new box after the telco switches off its service in September (a Vodafone TV box all Sky channels plus apps).

The same month will see the demise of Freeview On Demand following TVNZ's hardnosed commercial decision to withdraw from the streaming service offered by the collective, whose shareholders also include RNZ and Whakaata Māori (Māori TV) - a development that will see a block of viewers reassessing their options.

When it does arrive, Sky's new box, which will run on Google's Android software, will offer all of Sky's regular channels over UFB fibre - negating the need for a dish on your roof. It will also offer Netflix, Disney+, Amazon's Prime Video and other third-party apps and support 4K Ultra High Definition.

Many customers will see it as a long-overdue refresh that adds features that have been available elsewhere for a good half-decade, but Sky says customers who want to stick with its existing decoder can do so.

The pay-TV operator will be wary of the shock-of-the-new. While streaming over fibre is now familiar to most Kiwi households, Sky will be mindful that its relatively modest decoder interface changes in 2015 sparked a backlash from confused customers.

"We have an incredibly dedicated and diligent team working around the clock on the new Sky Box alongside our chosen global partners," Sky chief corporate affairs officer Chris Major said last night in response to Herald questions.

"Yes, the timelines for delivery of the project have been impacted due to factors outside of our control – including from global chipset shortages, Covid interruptions to resources and supply chains and, more recently, the impacts on the same by the war in Ukraine."

Technical trials are now underway with specialist Sky staff, and a wider staff trial is to start next week, Major said."

Not ideal. The 4K box is basically the only thing keeping me hanging around/not jumping ship to Sky Sport Now. 

I wonder how they will handle a household wanting more than one 4K Box. No chance I am paying $20+ a month for a second one, I guess we would need to move it between rooms if we wanted to be able to watch content upstairs like late night Rugby matches etc.

This is probably the main reason I preferred an app that could be loaded on a Shield TV or whatever. I like the idea of a Sky controlled box, as it means it's thier issue to resolve anything with it, but an app has more flexibility.

networkn:

 

I wonder how they will handle a household wanting more than one 4K Box. No chance I am paying $20+ a month for a second one, I guess we would need to move it between rooms if we wanted to be able to watch content upstairs like late night Rugby matches etc.

 

This is probably the main reason I preferred an app that could be loaded on a Shield TV or whatever. I like the idea of a Sky controlled box, as it means it's thier issue to resolve anything with it, but an app has more flexibility.

 

 

 

That's a good point - many installers have made a killing installing splitters to watch whatever is on in the main room on satellite TV's about the house. 

We have one that was installed by the Sky guy that goes to our master bedroom. Whatever is on in the lounge, where the decoder is, is on in the bedroom. Will these new boxes allow that, at all? 

networkn:

 

I wonder how they will handle a household wanting more than one 4K Box. No chance I am paying $20+ a month for a second one, I guess we would need to move it between rooms if we wanted to be able to watch content upstairs like late night Rugby matches etc.

If you only need one channel at a time, you can use a HDMI to DVB-T encoder/modulator to distribute the signal throughout the house. We do something similar, except we use a networked HDMI to h.264 encoder to connect the Sky box to tvheadend.

If limited numbers... how about allowing those who have been subscribers for the longest getting the units earlier.

Having said that, I have been with sky for more than 10 yrs and am tempted to drop it. Take away the rugby and the unit barely gets used. Its all netflix,disney.youtube in my house

There's an article in the Sunday Star Times this morning that says that the new Sky box to replace the Vodafone TV box won't be expected before spring.  Which spring (southern or northern) and which year wasn't made clear.  I wouldn't hold my breath for anything before 2023.