Sky to offer HD Movies and Sport from the middle of the year

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Fossie

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# 18317 6-Jan-2008 12:21

If anyone didn't catch this from this months Sky Watch, on the page about widescreen content they also stated that they would be launching HD movies and sport from mid 2008. Hopefully they live up to their promises...

"This coupled with Dolby Digital Sound enhances the HDTV viewing experience. From the middle of 2008 SKY will be offering a selection of HD channels for our subscribers including sports and movies."

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324 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 103145 6-Jan-2008 12:43

Yes but dollars to donuts they will offer it as "premium content" (even though Freeview HD will be live by then). I'm not sure I'm willing to pay extra for HD content, I certainly was unwilling to pay for widescreen with the Rugby Channel - waste of money.

Loftus

132 posts

Master Geek

# 103157 6-Jan-2008 13:59

I wonder if Sky will need to reduce the bitrate of the standard-def channels to accomodate the new high-def ones? Or do they have enough capacity on the new Optus D1 to launch HD without touching SD channels....?

maverick

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WorldxChange

# 103159 6-Jan-2008 14:15

After watching HD in the US for the last few years when I've been away on work trips, I am more than willing to pay a bit extra, HD is that Good and takes viewing to a whole new level.

Yes I am a employee of WxC (My Profile) ... but I do have my own opinions as well

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cyril7

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# 103160 6-Jan-2008 14:16

They have qiute a bit of extra capacity to deal with HD channels. I think we can be certain that the HD service will be operating with DVB-S2 (8PSK) which only the newer HD STBs will be able to decode so will be on its own muxs that will be inaddition to the current SD payload.

Cyril

paradoxsm

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# 103179 6-Jan-2008 16:38

Compared to their existing low-bitrate pixelated atefacted rubbish, It's probably well worth the money!

My basic ($199) cellphone captures a higher bitrate! We'll await the promises!

I can't wait to get direct recording of DTB running, no conversion or transcoding will be mint.

openmedia

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# 103185 6-Jan-2008 18:16

paradoxsm: Compared to their existing low-bitrate pixelated atefacted rubbish, It's probably well worth the money!

My basic ($199) cellphone captures a higher bitrate! We'll await the promises!

I can't wait to get direct recording of DTB running, no conversion or transcoding will be mint.

So your cellphone records video at over 2Mbit in full PAL resolution?

Also do you mean direct recording of DTT or something else?

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC a Technology Evangelist and Product Manager. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

andrewcnz

929 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 103197 6-Jan-2008 20:23

Hey i would be happy if they finished upgrading all sky the channels to widescreen!

CrOssF1R3

9 posts

Wannabe Geek

# 103222 6-Jan-2008 23:12

Cant wait aye after watching blue-ray and HD DVD'S standard low quality tv broadcasting just dosnt cut it anymore even aussie has HD tv come on NZ

My tv seams to be in widescreen for alot of channels on sky , reading this forum are u guys saying its going to be fixed ?

paradoxsm

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# 103223 6-Jan-2008 23:25

The mobile (modified) records Video at 640 x 480 at appox 2500Kbps in H.264.
Moving it fast gives the same effect as a sky broadcast (jpeg compression artifacts) bearing in mind, some channels are a higher bitrate than others of course and do not show this quite so bad (or at all)

I have tried to watch a few rugby games on sky only to switch to free to air channels when it rains (Codec cannot do enough keyframes to keep up with moving rain and the whole thing goes all "watercoloured") we ended up cutting sky off so maybe it has improved?

walt12

324 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 103255 7-Jan-2008 09:25

The $$ over the year aren't huge, it just irritates me that SKY regard widescreen and HD as premium service. This should be part of a basic package. Premium services should be additional content, not the same content viewed as it should be natively.

spazz

264 posts

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# 103286 7-Jan-2008 10:55

walt12:
Premium services should be additional content, not the same content viewed as it should be natively.

Amen to that! It seems like service providers these days want to try and squeeze every cent they can out of us..

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lchiu7

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# 103304 7-Jan-2008 12:12

maverick: After watching HD in the US for the last few years when I've been away on work trips, I am more than willing to pay a bit extra, HD is that Good and takes viewing to a whole new level.

Agree to that. Good friends of mine in the San Francisco area have cable and a HD TV but no HD service (didn't want to pay for it). So we bought them a HD Cable Tuner box for Xmas that allows them to tune into all the analogue channels on the cable, and all unencrypted HD channels (they have 8 on their cable). It was quite illuminating to switch from the analogue SD channel to the equivalent HD one and see the huge difference. I think they are sold and now make sure they watch the HD versions of the channels they normally watch. I helped them a bit by programming their Harmony 880 so that all the HD channels appeared as icons on the remote :-)

Larry

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/32019730 Mention GZ to get a 10% discount

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walt12

324 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 103310 7-Jan-2008 12:46

The question is not, is HD superior - of course it is as any lay-person (as above) will attest to.

The question is, how much extra will we be required to pay? Given SKY's trackrecord, the answer is as much as they think they can squeeze out of us.

The reason I object is that, is that (assuming this happens), we are being asked to pay extra for what, in a few short years, will be the accepted standard in broadcasting. Premium services should be about content (e.g. Sky Box Office - no problems there), not paying to watch the same content in it's native format (16:9, HD).

lchiu7

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# 103414 7-Jan-2008 19:03

I am not aware that Freeview will be charging for HD content. I will make the effort to get HD over Freeview and since I don't have Sky HD over Sky isn't an issue for me.

I wonder if TCL will deliver HD content, either Freeview or the Sky programming?

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/32019730 Mention GZ to get a 10% discount

hairy1

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# 103422 7-Jan-2008 19:26

Will there be an additional decoder to handle HD apart from Mysky 2? All the documentation I have seen from Sky seems to indicate that in order to view HD you will be required to have the new Mysky 2 box. If that is the case I can hear the uproar already!

My views (except when I am looking out their windows) are not those of my employer.

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