SkyTV snaps up Fox shows - no HD for some

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lchiu7

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#956885 24-Dec-2013 11:02

Hammerer:
lchiu7: I told a slight untruth when I said I don't pay for TV. I actually pay TCL/VF for cable TV service but only the basic service. I would ditch it in a heartbeat if people were prepared to give up Food Channel!

I see there is a much cheaper way to get Food Channel by using Igloo and I was going down that path until I got complaints from my son saying he likes TLC (only available on cable), Discovery and some BBC channel, all of which are not available on Igloo. So I have to pay some $45 for that privilege.

Why do you pay? We get the Vodafone TV cable service at no additional cost as part of our broadband package. That offer with free install stopped us switching from TCL last year. And Freeview channels keep improving: Sommet Sports was a great addition this year.

A couple of points. I used to but no longer cable Internet service because the cap was too low. At 250GB I am thinking of coming back since that should be enough.

And I am pretty sure TV cable services is free only if you have FTA channels. If you want even the basic Sky package (Cartoon Network, the various news channels) that is extra. And FoodTV is additional again.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

openmedia

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#956923 24-Dec-2013 12:33

lchiu7:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11177149

It is reported that SkyTV has snapped up Fox shows Mediaworks could not afford anymore. This means Bones and Modern Family will be on Prime (no HD) and Homeland, The Americans and American Horror Story on Soho (is that HD?)

It's annoying that shows that were originally broadcast in HD are not not going to be. It seems like a backwards step.

The only consolation (for me anyway) is that I watch none of those shows so I don't really care. But others might. I used to watch Bones but I think it's overstayed its welcome.

Shame as I really enjoy The Americans and Homeland, but having to pay for Sky's basic service in addition to Soho plus a HD ticket would be around $75 a month. Think I'll be renting the DVDs / BluRay or picking up the disks when they are on offer.

With the addition of 1-2 extra DTT multiplexes on Freeview HD next year with luck we'll see Prime move to HD.

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

JimmyH

2886 posts

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#956932 24-Dec-2013 13:07

Personally, I'm reasonably happy with Sky - other than the adverts they run on some channels, advertising they superimpose over some premium programming, and the irritating loud promos superimposed over the credits on SoHo - all of which are highly annoying given what I'm paying. If I drop Sky, those factors will be the reason why.

Don't have a MySky (I have a DVD recorder instead). So I don't get HD or pay for either the MySky or the HD ticket. Plus, I can burn material to disk to keep it, or temporarily move/park it if there is a squeeze on drive space, and it has a DLNA server so I can watch the recordings anywhere (bedroom telly, tablet, phone, pc in study, laptop when I travel for work).

It costs me circa $20 a week - for the base package, movie channels, Rialto and SoHo. I think that's reasonable for 40+ channels of entertainment.

Also personally fairly happy that those shows are moving from Freeview to SoHo. It just changes the cost from enduring advertising saturation bombing (a price I'm generally not prepared to pay) to being included in the $9.99 a month SoHo costs (a price I am prepared to pay). I might even watch them now.

mattwnz

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#956946 24-Dec-2013 14:37

JimmyH: Personally, I'm reasonably happy with Sky - other than the adverts they run on some channels, advertising they superimpose over some premium programming, and the irritating loud promos superimposed over the credits on SoHo - all of which are highly annoying given what I'm paying. If I drop Sky, those factors will be the reason why.

Don't have a MySky (I have a DVD recorder instead). So I don't get HD or pay for either the MySky or the HD ticket. Plus, I can burn material to disk to keep it, or temporarily move/park it if there is a squeeze on drive space, and it has a DLNA server so I can watch the recordings anywhere (bedroom telly, tablet, phone, pc in study, laptop when I travel for work).

It costs me circa $20 a week - for the base package, movie channels, Rialto and SoHo. I think that's reasonable for 40+ channels of entertainment.

Also personally fairly happy that those shows are moving from Freeview to SoHo. It just changes the cost from enduring advertising saturation bombing (a price I'm generally not prepared to pay) to being included in the $9.99 a month SoHo costs (a price I am prepared to pay). I might even watch them now.

Many people who watched those shows on freeview can skip throught the adverts anyway with a tivo or other pvr, plus most were if HD which you don't subscribe to on sky, so it is a bit of a downgrade for you if you were previously watching them on freeview. $20 per week = $80 per month = nearly $1000k per year is quite a bit, you can get quite a few dvds out for that. The only reason I would get sky would be for sport these days.

JimmyH

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#957018 24-Dec-2013 17:44

Yes, it is a bit of money. However, I don't smoke, drink very moderately, and buy coffee only infrequently (less than once a week). In the scheme of things, it's a minor indulgence. Plus, with a DVD recorder, it's a relatively cheap way to build a media library without having to resort to dodgy downloads.

All things considered, $20pw isn't wildly extravagant. Two pints of good beer on a Friday night can cost more than that.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

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#957898 27-Dec-2013 10:59

Prime to go HD next year ?

http://www.screenscribe.tv/channels/sky-primes-channel-for-hd-upgrade/

lchiu7

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#957997 27-Dec-2013 16:35

That's nice. Now if they have some shows to screen that are worth of HD that would even be better but it seems it reserves those for SoHo.

Staying in Wellington. Check out my AirBnB in the Wellington CBD. https://www.airbnb.co.nz/h/wellycbd PM me and mention GZ to get a 15% discount and no AirBnB charges.

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