Neon - Sky's new streaming service

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#1163214 27-Oct-2014 22:18

rlevis: On a slightly different subject, what maximum video resolution is generally used for these streaming services? Does US Netflix do 1080p or just 720p?

Netflix do up to 4K these days on a limited number of videos (such as House of Cards) (if you have the right hardware).

kharris

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#1163399 28-Oct-2014 10:47

tdgeek:
markl:
kharris:
markl: Available later on "selected Samsung Android tablets and phones".

For f*#@'s sake, they just don't CARE do they? I'm not going to bother unless it's available on ALL android devices.

It only has to be available on the devices you have doesn't it? ;-)

I have 2 pcs, 2 laptops, a surface RT a Samsung Note 10.1, and a Galaxy S3 which will theoretically all be capable of viewing Neon. But I object on principle. Just like I object to everything that Apple do - because it's anti-competitive, monopolistic bulls%$t.

Sky are the evil empire, and for that reason I'll stick with lightbox, even though it is owned by the next most evil company in the country - Telecom (sorry, Spark)

Sorry, but I don't follow this hate mentality. I have a mate who refuses to get a PS as he hates Sony. I know many on here hate Sky, its the thin gto do, but at the end of the day, users can choose what they buy or not buy. In the TV world, there is competition. EPL split off, Quickflix, my company's Lightbox, Sky's Neon, and no doubt others I have missed. This is the competition that the Sky haters have been wanting, its here.

Well said. I completely agree. Plus I don't like having to filter all the hate mail to get to the useful info in the thread. If you hate a company and are not interested in what they are offering then you don't have to participate.

MileHighKiwi

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#1165706 31-Oct-2014 11:36

myfullflavour: Back on topic, what we've seen so far from Neon TV is a major let-down.

Lightbox was appetising enough to sign onto the trial, and the only reason I canned the subscription was it's unavailability on Roku or similar product.

Underwhelming IMO too. For me, getting the Roku is what makes Netflix so awesome. I had done a couple of trials just using the laptop and the reality is it sucks being restricted to watching on the laptop or connecting an HDMI. Either way it takes that device out of action for others in my home.

If these guys (Lightbox and Neon) want to be serous contenders they need to develop a wider range of applications for viewing the content. Why Xbox and not Playstation for example??

I won't even bother with a free trial.

reven

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#1165722 31-Oct-2014 11:47

agree with
- its too expensive, well with what we currently know. depends on lineup, if it gets things straight away from the US (game of thrones, the walking dead, etc) and has new movies (not 2 year old movies), then maybe.
- android has such a huge market share, way more than apple, they really need to at least support android and chromecast at launch.

dclegg

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#1165723 31-Oct-2014 11:48

MileHighKiwi:
myfullflavour: Back on topic, what we've seen so far from Neon TV is a major let-down.

Lightbox was appetising enough to sign onto the trial, and the only reason I canned the subscription was it's unavailability on Roku or similar product.

Underwhelming IMO too. For me, getting the Roku is what makes Netflix so awesome. I had done a couple of trials just using the laptop and the reality is it sucks being restricted to watching on the laptop or connecting an HDMI. Either way it takes that device out of action for others in my home. If these guys (Lightbox and Neon) want to be serous contenders they need to develop a wider range of applications for viewing the content. Why Xbox and not Playstation for example??

I won't even bother with a free trial.

LightBox can be a pretty good fit for anyone who owns an iPad, but I agree it needs to get onto more devices. Looks like Neon will have the same issue, judging by their current list of supported platforms.

My primary concern with Neon is the available content. As mentioned elsewhere, Sky probably don't want to cannibalise their existing services too much by having recent content. But for us, consuming the content we want using their current business model is far too expensive. We only really need Sky for access to Game of Thrones, and there's no way that is worth $60 per month to us ($70 if we want it in HD).

dclegg

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#1165726 31-Oct-2014 11:50

reven: agree with
- its too expensive, well with what we currently know. depends on lineup, if it gets things straight away from the US (game of thrones, the walking dead, etc) and has new movies (not 2 year old movies), then maybe.
- android has such a huge market share, way more than apple, they really need to at least support android and chromecast at launch.

The concerning thing regarding content is the explicit mention of "Game of Thrones Season 1" on their web site. Why would they single out seasons if they intend to have all available when they launch, including the latest season in a timely manner when it airs?

ACK on your point about Android. This trend to only partner with Samsung (for both Android and Smart TV apps) is a worrisome trend.

vexxxboy

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#1165761 31-Oct-2014 12:12

Sky have said that Game of Thrones will be available on Neon after it is screened on Soho.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

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dclegg

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#1165793 31-Oct-2014 12:25

vexxxboy: Sky have said that Game of Thrones will be available on Neon after it is screened on Soho.

The real question is how long afterwards. If we're talking the same sort of lag that the DVD/BluRay release gets, then there's no advantage at all.

kharris

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#1165921 31-Oct-2014 14:24

dclegg:
vexxxboy: Sky have said that Game of Thrones will be available on Neon after it is screened on Soho.

The real question is how long afterwards. If we're talking the same sort of lag that the DVD/BluRay release gets, then there's no advantage at all.

I agree. Also GoT will be a big drawcard to Soho for Sky so they wouldn't want to cut their own throat by airing it too quickly on Neon. I would guess they would be a season behind.

Kirk

trig42

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#1165926 31-Oct-2014 14:33

It has to have a good, recent, lineup at launch for me to consider, and it MUST have SmartTV or AppleTV support (for our house anyway).

I am cancelling Lightbox at the weekend, as Netflix has more than I need, and is so easy to get to the big screen. I may revisit when or if they have support for AppleTV/SmartTV, but not until then. I have only used Lightbox once since I started paying for it (at $7.50 a month), we use Netflix almost daily, because all we need is one remote (Harmony).

dclegg

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#1165930 31-Oct-2014 14:42

trig42: It has to have a good, recent, lineup at launch for me to consider, and it MUST have SmartTV or AppleTV support (for our house anyway).

I am cancelling Lightbox at the weekend, as Netflix has more than I need, and is so easy to get to the big screen. I may revisit when or if they have support for AppleTV/SmartTV, but not until then. I have only used Lightbox once since I started paying for it (at $7.50 a month), we use Netflix almost daily, because all we need is one remote (Harmony).

My understanding is they will be using AirPlay to get it onto the Apple TV. Not ideal, but you have to be invited to create Apple TV apps.

We still use Lightbox, but this is partly due to the fact that I really want a credible NZ SVOD service to succeed, and thats the best one we've been presented with so far. It does have some shows/seasons we watch that aren't available elsewhere on our other services (e.g Suits). And considering its only $7.50 for our first 6 months, we find it provides enough value for money.

kharris

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#1165937 31-Oct-2014 14:56

dclegg:
trig42: It has to have a good, recent, lineup at launch for me to consider, and it MUST have SmartTV or AppleTV support (for our house anyway).

I am cancelling Lightbox at the weekend, as Netflix has more than I need, and is so easy to get to the big screen. I may revisit when or if they have support for AppleTV/SmartTV, but not until then. I have only used Lightbox once since I started paying for it (at $7.50 a month), we use Netflix almost daily, because all we need is one remote (Harmony).

My understanding is they will be using AirPlay to get it onto the Apple TV. Not ideal, but you have to be invited to create Apple TV apps.

We still use Lightbox, but this is partly due to the fact that I really want a credible NZ SVOD service to succeed, and thats the best one we've been presented with so far. It does have some shows/seasons we watch that aren't available elsewhere on our other services (e.g Suits). And considering its only $7.50 for our first 6 months, we find it provides enough value for money.

That's interesting because skygo is blocked by airplay. for the record so is TVNZ ondemand and 3now.

Kirk

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#1165938 31-Oct-2014 14:58

Probably for good reason as resolution only 512x288.

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kharris

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#1165939 31-Oct-2014 15:01

Spyware: Probably for good reason as resolution only 512x288.

Is it really? wow... that would look crap on a big screen.

I hope Neon is a bit more stable than Skygo.

Kirk

dclegg

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#1165942 31-Oct-2014 15:09

kharris:
That's interesting because skygo is blocked by airplay. for the record so is TVNZ ondemand and 3now.

From their website

NEON is your ticket to escape on your computer, iPad or iPhone* anytime. We’ll also have AirPlay support and handy tips on how to connect to your TV screen with a HDMI cable. Look out for Xbox 360 and selected Samsung devices coming soon.

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