Sky has started rolling out its new electronic programme guide to all Sky+ HD customers with set top boxes manufactured by Amstrad. At the start of November, the satellite platform holder began implementing the new EPG for all subscribers with Samsung boxes.
The process has now shifted to Amstrad receivers, with Sky sending warning emails to all affected customers in advance of the rollout. A demo of the EPG is also available in Sky Anytime for any subscribers still waiting to receive it.
After months of trying to decide whether or not to invest in a Sky HD box, I finally took the plunge and I ordered one last Saturday. And it arrived yesterday.
The installers couldn’t get the HD channels working, but they said they rang sky and the signal would be sent in the usual time frame, could be 2 mins could be a couple of hours. I want that bothered then as I had to rush back to work. When I got home it was still the same, but also the Sky+ functionality wasnt working. (Oh no, Neighbours hasn’t recorded)
So I rang sky myself. On hold for about 9 mins. The girl I was talking to was extremely helpful and had everything sorted within 90 seconds, including the usual security questions etc. While on hold I had to listen to the repeating drivel about how rain and wind can affect your signal reception and basically that sky cannot help you if this is your problem
Anyway, Sky+ working, HD channels coming in loud and clear, very clear actually. Picture is amazing. Its currently running on the 1080i setting. I dont know which is better, 1080i or 720p, and I dont think I would be able to tell the difference anyway.
I have tuned in the BBC HD channel and I have watched a few minutes of this and a quick clip from 24 also. I am well impressed with the HD stuff and I think even the SD stuff is improved by using the HDMI connection too.
But is it worth the €15 or whatever it is a month, only time will tell!
Sky is preparing to launch the much-anticipated new version of electronic programme guide (epg) software for its high definition boxes, it was confirmed on Thursday.
Digital Spy previewed the new EPG release last May, and it is understood that several features have been tweaked and added since that version. It is designed to make the plethora of linear HD content more navigable and lay the groundwork for the delivery of on demand content via broadband, which is a “core” element of Sky’s future development plans.
“We are ramping up for its imminent launch,” said Sky’s director of strategic product development Gerry O’Sullivan. “We haven’t changed our EPG for a long time. We are very sensitive in keeping all the navigation paradigms and the user interface of our current world-class EPG. How do you improve something and not break that? It’s been a very interesting project.
“There was no rush for us. We decided to get it as good as we possibly can, and what we’ve got now is really going to blow the audience away.”
via Digital Spy.
Sky has cut the purchase price of its flagship Sky+ HD box from £150 to £49 with immediate effect.
In its results presentation for the six months to December 2008, the company said a “significant opportunity [is] emerging in HD”, with 7m homes already equipped with TVs meeting the HD Ready specification and a growing penetration of HD game consoles.
“We are seeing a dramatic shift in awareness of HD and more and more people are starting to regard HD quality video as standard,” the company said. “We have been positioning our business to take advantage of this long-term trend and have assembled the best HD service in the UK by far. At the heart of this is an outstanding range of content from high quality brands.”
Sky said sales of Sky+ HD and its equivalent standard definition box “accelerated sharply” over recent months, with net additions reaching a record 188,000 during the latter half of the year. The company said it would create a thousand new customer service and installer jobs to support demand at a cost of £30m per year.
via Satellite – News – Sky slashes price of Sky+ HD box – Digital Spy.