The Zone sifi Channel 3 November

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#1163779 28-Oct-2014 17:07

Ledgy:
Spyware:
rlevis: I see The Zone operating with previews but only in SD. Seems strange to leave it to the last minute to start the HD transmission but I suppose that's possible.

Was HD on my TV the last time I looked. Channel title is The Zone HD.

Because you would have the HD ticket? That would be why.

Yep. It's like all the other HD channels on Sky. If you have the HD-ticket the title has "HD" on the end and is broadcast in HD. If not then you get the SD stream.

rlevis may not have the HD ticket.

Before all the complaints start flooding in, yes it's a bit dumb/rich/nasty to require an HD ticket in this day and age but that's how Sky have decided to implement it, so no ticket, no HD (except the FTA HD channels of course).

Kirk

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Ledgy

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#1163791 28-Oct-2014 17:16

kharris:
Ledgy:
Spyware:
rlevis: I see The Zone operating with previews but only in SD. Seems strange to leave it to the last minute to start the HD transmission but I suppose that's possible.

Was HD on my TV the last time I looked. Channel title is The Zone HD.

Because you would have the HD ticket? That would be why.

Yep. It's like all the other HD channels on Sky. If you have the HD-ticket the title has "HD" on the end and is broadcast in HD. If not then you get the SD stream.

rlevis may not have the HD ticket.

Before all the complaints start flooding in, yes it's a bit dumb/rich/nasty to require an HD ticket in this day and age but that's how Sky have decided to implement it, so no ticket, no HD (except the FTA HD channels of course).

Just on the HD ticket. It annoys me that even when you order a movie it's not HD unless you pay that bit more. That's so wrong. Been a while since i did that though. Has it changed? You buy a movie to watch it should be in HD. Nothing extra to pay. I got SoHo. So pay extra for a channel should automatically be in HD. This ticket should be a right on all HD channels. no extra. But no extra revenue for Sky. Obvious.
Sorry had to rant. :-)

kharris

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#1163804 28-Oct-2014 17:23

Ledgy:
kharris:
Ledgy:
Spyware:
rlevis: I see The Zone operating with previews but only in SD. Seems strange to leave it to the last minute to start the HD transmission but I suppose that's possible.

Was HD on my TV the last time I looked. Channel title is The Zone HD.

Because you would have the HD ticket? That would be why.

Yep. It's like all the other HD channels on Sky. If you have the HD-ticket the title has "HD" on the end and is broadcast in HD. If not then you get the SD stream.

rlevis may not have the HD ticket.

Before all the complaints start flooding in, yes it's a bit dumb/rich/nasty to require an HD ticket in this day and age but that's how Sky have decided to implement it, so no ticket, no HD (except the FTA HD channels of course).

Just on the HD ticket. It annoys me that even when you order a movie it's not HD unless you pay that bit more. That's so wrong. Been a while since i did that though. Has it changed? You buy a movie to watch it should be in HD. Nothing extra to pay. I got SoHo. So pay extra for a channel should automatically be in HD. This ticket should be a right on all HD channels. no extra. But no extra revenue for Sky. Obvious.
Sorry had to rant. :-)

Like I said in my comment to prevent rants,which hasn't worked ;-), that's the way they have decided to implement it. Not sure if it is to cover the extra broadcasting cost in HD or it is just because they can. I have movies, sport, and Soho, but I don't get it for free either. For those that say get Netflix it's in HD... yes, yes, I have that too.

Not sure about the movies, but I seem to remember Apple doing the same thing, one price for SD and one price for HD.

Kirk

Handsomedan

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#1165164 30-Oct-2014 16:30

kharris:

Not sure about the movies, but I seem to remember Apple doing the same thing, one price for SD and one price for HD.

Yup - still that way on the iTunes store.

SD is always considerably cheaper.

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kharris

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#1165165 30-Oct-2014 16:32

Handsomedan:
kharris:

Not sure about the movies, but I seem to remember Apple doing the same thing, one price for SD and one price for HD.

Yup - still that way on the iTunes store.

SD is always considerably cheaper.

Thought so.... thanks for the confirmation.

Kirk

JimmyH

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#1168792 4-Nov-2014 19:29

Well, I'm officially disappointed.

Sat down to watch the opening episode of Stargate for nostalgia's sake. What did I get? Every 10 minutes without fail, the programme was interrupted for a barrage of (bleep)ing banal promos. Not even paid ads, where they could at least have the fig leaf of the advertising revenue helping to make the channel viable, but the same blasted set of promos over and over. They aren't even doing it for money, they are annoying viewers purely gratuitously.

It's fair to say that despite a potentially interesting, I won't be watching that channel much.

Option of cancelling Sky in favour of Netflix takes another step forward........

richms

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#1168797 4-Nov-2014 19:35

They are doing that because shows are made to have ad's in them, there are recaps at the end of the ad break that when viewed straight thru are stupid.

I am over the whole padding of things out or cropping them down to fit into a 43 minuite requirement of broadcast tv. Movies are not all the same length and the move to streaming etc should mean that TV shows get that same freedom of length IMO.

Richard rich.ms

JimmyH

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#1171112 7-Nov-2014 20:06

Plausible thinking, but I don't think it stacks up. They seem to, for instance, make the same shows work just fine on DVD box sets, without any issues related to recaps that are meant to be shown at the end of the ad break etc. So, I'm not sure why Sky couldn't.

The Sky service is expensive. There are alternatives (Netflix, DVD box sets, lightbox, renting DVDs etc) that can be much cheaper and also have a good content range. In order to keep subscribers paying they should be trying to offer a service that is as enjoyable as possible, so that we will keep paying rather that dump the subscription and go with something else. I think they kind of realise that, which is why they have obviously put some thought into designing the Zone, including it in the basis package, having an interesting line up, and promoting it heavily.

Which makes it kind of odd that they then deliberately ruin it by inserting ad breaks every 10 minutes to, ad nauseum, run promos. They get no revenue from this, and it probably takes some effort (carving out the breaks and putting the promos in etc). In return they just make the channel more annoying and less attractive to the customers they are trying to entice, and lower the value what they achieve for the money and effort spent adding it to their lineup.

It short, it seems a bizzare strategy to me. I would be much more likely to keep paying around $100 a month to them if channels like Zone and the Box had no ad breaks in the programmes (between them I can cope with). Instead, they will almost certainly lose me to alternative such as Netflix in the New Year.

Or am I the just the only one who finds constant ad breaks in the middle of shows annoying?

SepticSceptic

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#1180852 21-Nov-2014 15:34

JimmyH:

Which makes it kind of odd that they then deliberately ruin it by inserting ad breaks every 10 minutes to, ad nauseum, run promos. They get no revenue from this, and it probably takes some effort (carving out the breaks and putting the promos in etc). In return they just make the channel more annoying and less attractive to the customers they are trying to entice, and lower the value what they achieve for the money and effort spent adding it to their lineup.

Or am I the just the only one who finds constant ad breaks in the middle of shows annoying?

Watched about 20 minutes of SG-1 at my sister's the other day, and yes, three sets of promo breaks !!! Why the promo breaks ? Aren't your EPG descriptions good enough? Thanks, but no thanks Sky. Not interested.

My thoughts are no longer my own and is probably representative of our media-controlled government

Handsomedan

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#1180901 21-Nov-2014 16:19

I must admit...watching the series Defiance is far easier when time-shifted than watching live...set up on series link so I can watch it at my leisure and skip ads...otherwise I'd be going bananas...

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
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JimmyH

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#1181001 21-Nov-2014 19:19

I'm grumpy to the point where I will likely cancel in the New Year.

Paying $100+ per month and then having half the channels unwatchable due to incessant promos, from a company that seems hell-bent on gratuitously annoying its customers, no longer seems sensible.

I thought the point of promos was (presumably) to get us to buy more stuff, not drive us to cancelling?

MarkX

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#1183983 27-Nov-2014 12:21

Handsomedan: I must admit...watching the series Defiance is far easier when time-shifted than watching live...set up on series link so I can watch it at my leisure and skip ads...otherwise I'd be going bananas...

I currently series link 6 shows on the Zone including Defiance so that I can fast forward through the adverts.

A number of new shows coming to the Zone in the next few months, including in January - The X Files in HD. X Files screened in HD this year in Germany and apparently looked really good

rugrat

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#1184048 27-Nov-2014 13:48

I fast forward the unnecessay breaks and record everything that I watch. Be nicer without the breaks during shows.

Very happy with the content, channel I'm watching most shows on. Like the HD and DD5.1 as well.

JimmyH

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#1185080 28-Nov-2014 18:20

I fast forward too.

But it's still jarring when you are getting into the flow of a show to be jolted out of it every 10 minutes, have to grab the remote, fast forward, backup when you overshoot, then try and get back into it.

Yes it's do-able, and better than actually sitting through the drivel. But it does still pretty much ruin the experience.

kendog

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#1185120 28-Nov-2014 20:20

rugrat: I fast forward the unnecessay breaks and record everything that I watch. Be nicer without the breaks during shows.

Very happy with the content, channel I'm watching most shows on. Like the HD and DD5.1 as well.

I haven't seen any 5.1 shows and thought they were not broadcasting any on this channel.
What have you seen (heard) in 5.1?

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