Sky cancels Zone channel

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ockel

2031 posts

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#1799872 14-Jun-2017 10:37

Jas777:

ockel:

Jas777:

I was only watching The Strain and Wayward Pines on Zone so if they are elsewhere it is ok if on others I guess.

I don't tend to watch that much on UKTV or BOX, VIBE etc but I do see promos which are in HD on HD channels but the channels are in SD of course.

As I haven't downloaded anything from those channels I was wondering if even though the channel is SD but the content is HD is the content in HD if you download it (having HD ticket of course)?

Doubtful. Check the file sizes for catchup tv (in OnDemand) - 45mins should be 1.1Gb if its 720p and only 600Mb if its SD. Even on the HD channels (like Soho) the amount of HD is hit and miss. Broadcast in HD does not mean streamed in HD - take TVNZOnDemand and 3Now as other examples.

And as for HD promo's but SD playback - try enjoying the Duke sport promos in glorious HD on TV1 and 2 but still only SD on Duke. Eech.

Thanks.

I was meaning where you download it to your SKY box not the streaming side of it? Would that make a difference?

No difference. Whether the content is being streamed real-time over a CDN or whether its being downloaded to the HDD in the Skybox its still the same quality as it was originally stored/encoded (or the quality of the rights that were purchased) at the hosts end.

Like I said even though it gets broadcast in TV1 in HD...... its not HD quality on TVNZOndemand. Maybe the price differential for buying HD streaming vs Sd streaming just doesnt make it worthwhile for the broadcaster - how do they extract more value from the advertiser?

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MikeAqua

7773 posts

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#1800866 14-Jun-2017 11:10

Sci-Fi programming often struggles despite having plenty of fans.

I've often wondered how much of that is due to people downloading and watching for free?

Mike

JimmyH

2886 posts

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#1801651 15-Jun-2017 17:45

I like SciFi, but rarely watched the Zone.

Personally, the (poor) quality of the picture wasn't the key issue for me. It was the insane amount of ad breaks. Something like a 4 minute ad break every 7-8 minutes of show. It was as bad as free-to-air, and essentially unwatchable without recording and fast-forwarding through the (still annoying) shouty ads and promos. I can accept that with FTA, but not with something I'm paying a multiple of a Netflix subscription to watch every month.

Somehow, I doubt the new channel will be any better.

We have pretty much decided that we will hold onto Sky until the next season of GoT has aired. Then my 20+ year subscription will likely end (we have already dropped all the ad-on packages we were was paying for except SoHo).

tdgeek

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#1801709 15-Jun-2017 19:58

JimmyH:

I like SciFi, but rarely watched the Zone.

Personally, the (poor) quality of the picture wasn't the key issue for me. It was the insane amount of ad breaks. Something like a 4 minute ad break every 7-8 minutes of show. It was as bad as free-to-air, and essentially unwatchable without recording and fast-forwarding through the (still annoying) shouty ads and promos. I can accept that with FTA, but not with something I'm paying a multiple of a Netflix subscription to watch every month.

Somehow, I doubt the new channel will be any better.

We have pretty much decided that we will hold onto Sky until the next season of GoT has aired. Then my 20+ year subscription will likely end (we have already dropped all the ad-on packages we were was paying for except SoHo).

I get that with ads. We watch Border Security on FTA, they are a pain, but recording first helps.

How much extra was The Zone sub each month. I thought it was free to existing Sky subscribers, not an extra.

quickymart

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#1801776 15-Jun-2017 21:36

I thought it was part of Basic?

MikeB4

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#1801778 15-Jun-2017 21:38

quickymart:

I thought it was part of Basic?

Yes Zone is/was part of Sky Basic

fe31nz

1228 posts

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#1801782 15-Jun-2017 21:48

JimmyH:

I like SciFi, but rarely watched the Zone.

Personally, the (poor) quality of the picture wasn't the key issue for me. It was the insane amount of ad breaks. Something like a 4 minute ad break every 7-8 minutes of show. It was as bad as free-to-air, and essentially unwatchable without recording and fast-forwarding through the (still annoying) shouty ads and promos. I can accept that with FTA, but not with something I'm paying a multiple of a Netflix subscription to watch every month.

Somehow, I doubt the new channel will be any better.

We have pretty much decided that we will hold onto Sky until the next season of GoT has aired. Then my 20+ year subscription will likely end (we have already dropped all the ad-on packages we were was paying for except SoHo).

I am wondering how hard it is to skip over the ads on a Sky box. I record Sky all the time on my MythTV box, and I never watch the ads, I just skip over them. That is pretty easy with MythTV, usually 6-8 of the > button (skip 30 s forward), then a few of the < button (skip 10 s back) and I will be at the start of the next bit of the programme. It works the same with Freeview DVB-T recordings. So is it harder than that on a Sky box? I did note that you used the words "fast forwards", which implies that the Sky box will be playing frames from the recording at some rate > 1x speed. Does it not do that fast enough? Does it not have a skip option like I have? Are the controls too clumsy?

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JimmyH

2886 posts

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#1801787 15-Jun-2017 22:05

Yes, the Sky Box fast forwards (not skip, faster zapping). It's bearable, but it's still a pain as it interrupts the flow of the programme. For what they charge, I'm afraid "bearable" doesn't cut it for me.

Secondly, recording and fast forwarding also requires you to plan ahead and record. Sometimes when I get home from work it's nice to just channel surf, and if I find something on Zone that takes my fancy there and then, I'm stuck with the ads if I watch it.

Thirdly, I can stream what comes out of my Sky box across my network. But I can't control the sky box over the network - I can't seem to get the remote's hex codes working with an IR blaster. This means if I'm watching a recording in my bedroom instead of the living room, I can't zap through the ads.

Netflix and Lightbox are both ad free, for a fraction of what Sky costs. It's also ironic that pirated shows don't have ads, so are actually more enjoyable than the version Sky customers paying handsomely get. If Sky want to retain customers (well, me anyway) they need to start by dropping the ad breaks forthwith.

fe31nz

1228 posts

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#1812273 3-Jul-2017 22:05

With The Zone channel now gone, it is just broadcasting a pointer to this:

https://www.sky.co.nz/the-zone

which is actually a very helpful page. I am guessing that the The Zone and The Zone HD channels will stay broadcasting that pointer slide until they are changed to become the new SKY BOX SETS and SKY BOX SETS HD channels on 1-Aug-2017.

old3eyes

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#1812357 4-Jul-2017 09:05

fe31nz:

With The Zone channel now gone, it is just broadcasting a pointer to this:

https://www.sky.co.nz/the-zone

which is actually a very helpful page. I am guessing that the The Zone and The Zone HD channels will stay broadcasting that pointer slide until they are changed to become the new SKY BOX SETS and SKY BOX SETS HD channels on 1-Aug-2017.

I suppose that Jones Too and Box are in SD??

Regards,

Old3eyes

fe31nz

1228 posts

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#1812497 4-Jul-2017 12:14

old3eyes:

I suppose that Jones Too and Box are in SD??

JONES! too is an SD channel. I am guessing that SKY BOX SETS will be taking over the bandwidth currently used by the deceased THE ZONE and THE ZONE HD channels, so it will likely be SD and HD. But we will not know until it happens on 1-Aug-2017.

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1812563 4-Jul-2017 13:35

fe31nz:

JONES! too is an SD channel. I am guessing that SKY BOX SETS will be taking over the bandwidth currently used by the deceased THE ZONE and THE ZONE HD channels, so it will likely be SD and HD. But we will not know until it happens on 1-Aug-2017.

https://www.sky.co.nz/boxsets

It does say it will be in stunning HD with Sky Basic and HD ticket.

tdgeek

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#1812829 4-Jul-2017 19:32

If they ditch satellite, which I keep hearing is old 80's tech, and go for new tech which is streaming, I imagine all will be full HD.

I say that tongue in cheek.

rlevis

347 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1812979 4-Jul-2017 23:53

I don't see that happening for a while. Most rural areas, which is most of the country, don't have adequate internet speeds.

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