Igloo drop price of box by $100

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#828669 31-May-2013 10:42

Wasn't Sommet was looking to do something extra with the MHEG5 capabilities?
Therefore anything without MHEG5 abilities will lose some functionality. eg Igloo, TIVO, PlayTV on PS3 etc.

They should all be able to tune it in, but may not have an EPG if it's not broadcast/released anywhere other than via MHEG5, and they might not be able to do the cool stuff if this is provided by MHEG5 only either.

For some, igloo will offer the channels they want at a cheaper price. Namely oldies in my experience. If you view it as a freeview HD box first, with the ability to do some other stuff 2nd, then value wise it's on a par with others. No big deal really.

Personally it's of no use to me. I want sky sport for F1 coverage and the Warriors/some rugby for the wife. Igloo offers none of that at a competitive rate, so I'm not going near it.

robjg63

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#828678 31-May-2013 10:52

NonprayingMantis:
robjg63:
NonprayingMantis:
old3eyes: can the Igloo box get Sommet??

no.

Wrong.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10884180

"A note on Igloo's Facebook page raised eyebrows suggesting Igloo - 51 per cent owned by Sky TV - tried to block the newcomer.Joyce said Igloo was not opposed to it.

Reeves said the lack of an electronic programme guide on Igloo was one issue for Sommet."

hmm, that article doesn't state it conclusively either way. not being opposed to something is different to actually carrying it. I know Igloo doesn't have MHEG5, and it seems to imply that even if they have the channel, they won't have the EPG, which would suck royally for Igloo customers. Luckily there aren't very many igloo customers :P

I have heard elsewhere that they wont be blocking Sommet - so I am fairly sure it wont be an issue.

They took too long to get the product to market (obviously it was much delayed) and have overpriced the hardware and the package cost.

$99 for the box is about right for a set top box - It should have been that price at release date. At the time they first planned to have it to market there may have been a few more people eyeing the digital switch over hat maye have been persuaded to buy it.

If they had network media player features (it does have networking hardware in the box after all) then it could be great! There was some talk of providing some of that functionality when they first announced it was coming but who knows if that will ever happen....

Finally - $24.99 a month - not bad for 11 channels - provided you like the package. You will never please everyone but there is some variety there. If they make it too cheap then some sky customers may leave sky (and they dont want that), but then is $24.99 a month too much to tempt the target audience.

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SepticSceptic

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#828713 31-May-2013 11:45

ubergeeknz: I never quite got the value proposition of Igloo. "It's like Sky but every so slightly cheaper and without all the nice features". Sure, OK. Seems like Sky trying to pretend they're innovative whilst stifling innovation.

Ditto - You can get most of the offerings by subscribing to Sky's Decoder Rental-only, which ends up being mostly all the Freeview channels, plus one or 2 more. You don't get the choice to add-on or PPV, but OTOH, you can re-subscribe to the full Sky package at any time.

Jaxson

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#828749 31-May-2013 12:02

SepticSceptic:
ubergeeknz: I never quite got the value proposition of Igloo. "It's like Sky but every so slightly cheaper and without all the nice features". Sure, OK. Seems like Sky trying to pretend they're innovative whilst stifling innovation.

Ditto - You can get most of the offerings by subscribing to Sky's Decoder Rental-only, which ends up being mostly all the Freeview channels, plus one or 2 more. You don't get the choice to add-on or PPV, but OTOH, you can re-subscribe to the full Sky package at any time.

Sorry, but this approach makes very little sense?

It's $18.70 a month for this option, which gives you free to air channels only, and none in HD unless you're also paying $15 a month for the Mysky addon. In 6 months you've paid for the igloo box.

The igloo box is simply a freeview HD decoder/stb and then you can add other (non freeview only channels) if you want to, or not. If you're after freeview channels only for more than 6 months, why would you go for skys decoder only box?

https://skytv.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/can-i-just-receive-the-free-to-air-channels-with-my-decoder%3F

trig42

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#828751 31-May-2013 12:06

Like others,

I would be very interested in Igloo if it was a PVR - I ~~cannot live~~ do not want to be without PVR functionality now (I have MySky) but do not need all the Sky channels. The 11 igloo offers would be OK.

I guess I am the exact reason Igloo is not a PVR - I would dump my ~$100/month sky package (Multiroom, HDi plus Basic package) for 2 x igloo (only one needs to be PVR) and the $25/month on each. - that would halve their revenue from me.

Sounddude

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#828774 31-May-2013 12:23

trig42: Like others,

I would be very interested in Igloo if it was a PVR - I cannot live do not want to be without PVR functionality now (I have MySky) but do not need all the Sky channels. The 11 igloo offers would be OK.

I guess I am the exact reason Igloo is not a PVR - I would dump my ~$100/month sky package (Multiroom, HDi plus Basic package) for 2 x igloo (only one needs to be PVR) and the $25/month on each. - that would halve their revenue from me.

Thats exactly why Igloo won't do it.

Sky don't want their high value customers leaving it for igloo. and since sky owns 50% of igloo, they have a major say in how its run.

SepticSceptic

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#828776 31-May-2013 12:29

Jaxson:
SepticSceptic:
ubergeeknz: I never quite got the value proposition of Igloo. "It's like Sky but every so slightly cheaper and without all the nice features". Sure, OK. Seems like Sky trying to pretend they're innovative whilst stifling innovation.

Ditto - You can get most of the offerings by subscribing to Sky's Decoder Rental-only, which ends up being mostly all the Freeview channels, plus one or 2 more. You don't get the choice to add-on or PPV, but OTOH, you can re-subscribe to the full Sky package at any time.

Sorry, but this approach makes very little sense?

It's $18.70 a month for this option, which gives you free to air channels only, and none in HD unless you're also paying $15 a month for the Mysky addon. In 6 months you've paid for the igloo box.

The igloo box is simply a freeview HD decoder/stb and then you can add other (non freeview only channels) if you want to, or not. If you're after freeview channels only for more than 6 months, why would you go for skys decoder only box?

https://skytv.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/can-i-just-receive-the-free-to-air-channels-with-my-decoder%3F

Good points, but I should have elaborated a bit more:

Igloo is UHF only - no satellite ...
No PVR function - my STB feeds into a S1 Tivo, and I can xfer from the tivo to network storage
I have the ability to r-subscribe to a full sky subscription.
If igloo had satellite, then it would be better proposition.
yes, I know I can get DVB-S STB's other than freeview/igloo, but the setup I have works for me ..

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robjg63

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#828783 31-May-2013 12:48

SepticSceptic:
Jaxson:
SepticSceptic:
ubergeeknz: I never quite got the value proposition of Igloo. "It's like Sky but every so slightly cheaper and without all the nice features". Sure, OK. Seems like Sky trying to pretend they're innovative whilst stifling innovation.

Ditto - You can get most of the offerings by subscribing to Sky's Decoder Rental-only, which ends up being mostly all the Freeview channels, plus one or 2 more. You don't get the choice to add-on or PPV, but OTOH, you can re-subscribe to the full Sky package at any time.

Sorry, but this approach makes very little sense?

It's $18.70 a month for this option, which gives you free to air channels only, and none in HD unless you're also paying $15 a month for the Mysky addon. In 6 months you've paid for the igloo box.

The igloo box is simply a freeview HD decoder/stb and then you can add other (non freeview only channels) if you want to, or not. If you're after freeview channels only for more than 6 months, why would you go for skys decoder only box?

https://skytv.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/478/~/can-i-just-receive-the-free-to-air-channels-with-my-decoder%3F

Good points, but I should have elaborated a bit more:

Igloo is UHF only - no satellite ...
No PVR function - my STB feeds into a S1 Tivo, and I can xfer from the tivo to network storage
I have the ability to r-subscribe to a full sky subscription.
If igloo had satellite, then it would be better proposition.
yes, I know I can get DVB-S STB's other than freeview/igloo, but the setup I have works for me ..

If igloo had satellite then it would be regular sky tv.
The UHF box requires no installation or management on sky's part. No dish to install and maintain. No service technicians to pay etc etc. No ongoing costs for sky apart from broadcast. Satellite and its infrastruture (including customers gear) costs them a lot of money.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

old3eyes

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#828789 31-May-2013 13:04

robjg63:
Finally - $24.99 a month - not bad for 11 channels - provided you like the package. You will never please everyone but there is some variety there. If they make it too cheap then some sky customers may leave sky (and they dont want that), but then is $24.99 a month too much to tempt the target audience.

The problem is that i would only watch two maybe three Sky channels on Igloo..

Regards,

Old3eyes

Jaxson

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#828791 31-May-2013 13:08

SepticSceptic:

Good points, but I should have elaborated a bit more:

Igloo is UHF only - no satellite ...
No PVR function - my STB feeds into a S1 Tivo, and I can xfer from the tivo to network storage
I have the ability to r-subscribe to a full sky subscription.
If igloo had satellite, then it would be better proposition.
yes, I know I can get DVB-S STB's other than freeview/igloo, but the setup I have works for me ..

How about I buy you a $100 satellite set top box that gets all the channels your present sky box free to air channels only subscription offers. And then you pay me that rental money every month?

Seriously, with freeview being available in both transmission flavours, I can't believe the number of times I still hear people proposing the sky freeview only channels 'package' as a viable alternative.

You've always got the ability to resubscribe, and if you come back into the sky bubble as a new subscriber you'll mostly likely get a better deal than upgrading back into a full subscription.

Igloo not being a PVR is widely known and well explained by not wanting to steal mysky customers. The only real conversation I can see around igloo is who the h3ll is it really aimed at? As before, I can see older generation customers as the only takers of that channel offering, but even that's weird as they often already have 'proper' sky anyway. Many old people won't give it up, despite only watching TV1, because the like the remote.

I'm not interested in movies via Sky as I prefer to get a Bluray with uncompressed audio. I was initially interested in a pick my sports type option, as I only want a couple, but they've priced that out of my interest, so I'm done. Keen to hear who this is targeted at, it's an interesting (read odd) business model, but it's also a freeview HD box for $100 now, so that parts a good deal at least.

loceff13

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#828804 31-May-2013 14:01

Igloo was doomed from the start, it's main benefit being the ability to buy passes for sports content (at a price of ~$15 a match for warriors games for example) but terribly crippled with less PVR features that the cheapest $300 TV's with built in freeview..

Anyone that would seriously consider paying the $15 for more than a one-off occasion already has sky and sky sport (something like 75% of sky users have sport already).

Personally I don't understand the logic behind the deal sky got with Igloo, other than using it as an excuse to say their business practices are not anti-competitive. There's no real reason why we can't have a on-demand media or sports channel via freeview without the need for a specific box, it's been done in the UK and proof on concept here was done last year.

Jaxson

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#828814 31-May-2013 14:42

loceff13: it's main benefit being the ability to buy passes for sports content (at a price of ~$15 a match for warriors games for example)

Yup, that's what I was hanging out for.

loceff13: Anyone that would seriously consider paying the $15 for more than a one-off occasion already has sky and sky sport

Yup, that's the conclusion I came to too. The per content price is too much, but it has to be that high or people will ditch sky's main offering.

loceff13: Personally I don't understand the logic behind the deal sky got with Igloo, other than using it as an excuse to say their business practices are not anti-competitive.

Yup again. That part seems very clear, but there's no pay per view competition, so it will be what it is for quite some time.

Actually, if they were smart it would include the replay content of free to air channels from iSky. does it offer that? That would go some ways towards addressing the non PVR issue.

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#828817 31-May-2013 14:47

If igloo had the option where I can purchase sky sport matches (anything that gets shown on Sky sports) at reasonable prices ($6 or $7 a game), and it was in HD I would sign up right now.

That is what I was expected from igloo before they launched. What a letdown

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#830211 3-Jun-2013 20:17

Im not interested in paying for SD content, it is a step way backwards.

The monthly is about the same as a sky multiroom box when a friend was looking at getting one for their 3rd tv for the kids since it has kidzone on it.

Multiroom sky gets you whatever the main sub has on it, sports and movies included if the main sub has that. Im sure you have friends with sky. That's all I am saying on that.

Richard rich.ms

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#835805 12-Jun-2013 14:13

If it's of any use, Bond and bond online are clearing ex display igloo sets at $89, but I think that has a $6 courier fee anyway!

http://www.bondandbond.co.nz/shop/tv-home-theatre/igloo-set-top-box/prod6976492.html

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