I'm currently considering on migrating from Telecom/XTRA/SKY to a TLC package of phoneline/broadband/TV, essentially to save money, without losing quality. But what I ask myself, of going to Telstra phone+broadband, with Freeview, instead. Good or bad move? What's your thoughts? Besides the cost of the Freeview decoder & instillation (cost?) are there other once off, hidden or routine costs? Are the Freeview-only channels worth having? Do they offer a comprehensive alternative to SKY?
Pros and cons of TelstraSKY as well as Freeview?
Are there any developments in the pipeline for Freeview?
I don't see how the Freeview-only channel are any comparison to Sky, you are swapping Sport, Movies, Discovery/History etc and Prime for TVNZ6&TVNZ7 (Sports Extra doesn't have much to show). These channels show mostly small NZ shows and a selection of overseas shows like 'Dateline', not really a comparison to live rugby and cricket.
There are now hidden costs of Freeview; its advantages are its lack of any on-going costs and its superior quality (of Freeview|HD over Sky and Telstraclear. Have a look around the forumns, there are plenty here who are not happy with Telsta TV quality.
Have a look at the specific packages offered by each provider and see what takes your fancy, for what price.
Telstra has issues but is still a very good cost effective solution. The current box has no hdmi and is somewhat basic however a new Pvr/MySky equivalent is due in the new year which is being plugged in early TC info as better than Sky (ie 1-3 also in High def like Freeview-HD has). If you are able to get the cable TV you can also get cable internet (called InHome) then it is far better than ADSL in many cases.
I have Telstra and Freeview HD atm. In Chch Telstra digital from a seated position on a chair across the room looks not too bad on a 42 plasma. The same feed on a 60 inch high def tv looks rubbish (but then so can sky digital, note thats the non MySky version). Freeview-HD is very sweet on the same tv but yes has limited channels. It can only grow and in time will get better. The Olympics were well worth the cost.
So imho -
MySky - best atm for HD picture & ease of use, as a neg you dont own the box (lease or rent only)
TelstraSaturn - cheaper, additional decoders way cheaper ($9.99 pm vs $25). Must be in cabled area. Not as good a picture.
Honourable Mentions -
FreeviewHD - fanatatic picture for base channels (same as satelite version), 1-3 in HD, no ongoing costs (UK version just added some and is worth a look for what Freeview might be like in time). Limited channels atm holds it back but free once installed is very nice.
Tesltra High Def PVR - waiting, waiting, waiting. If its as good as the PR might be better than MySky. But they have got it wrong in the past.
A big thanks for your very useful comments. I am in a cabled area of Wellington, and one which is apparently less populated, which means less traffic. I've got an old-style TV set, so HD or no HD probably makes no diff. I am going to do some reading on the alternatives to the phoneline & diigital TV parts of the tri-package offered me, but the broadband sounds as if it may be the best option available
KWG: A big thanks for your very useful comments. I am in a cabled area of Wellington, and one which is apparently less populated, which means less traffic. I've got an old-style TV set, so HD or no HD probably makes no diff. I am going to do some reading on the alternatives to the phoneline & diigital TV parts of the tri-package offered me, but the broadband sounds as if it may be the best option available
Suggest looking into VFX for phone. Means you can just get TV and cable internet and pay around $10 per month for phone. Have been using this setup for around a year now and would never go back.
Media centre PC - Case Silverstone LC16M with 2 X 80mm AcoustiFan DustPROOF, MOBO Gigabyte MA785GT-UD3H, CPU AMD X2 240 under volted, RAM 4 Gig DDR3 1033, HDD 120Gig System/512Gig data, Tuners 2 X Hauppauge HVR-3000, 1 X HVR-2200, Video Palit GT 220, Sound Realtek 886A HD (onboard), Optical LiteOn DH-401S Blue-ray using TotalMedia Theatre Power Corsair VX Series, 450W ATX PSU OS Windows 7 x64
Yeah just to back up what's been said above, SKY and freeview are not comparable offerings. They have some channels in common, TV1 - TV4 etc, but that's about it. SKY has options for which you pay for, such as live sport, newer movies etc. Freeview is simply the new format for free to air broadcasting in New Zealand.
The talk of competition between the two is a bit off the mark and only really affects people who only got sky for the base package to receive TV1 etc. It's up to you to decide if you want to pay lots for the sports/movie benefits etc.
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