Sky+ sub. What's the reaction?

[loz]

I see Sky have now announced pricing for Sky+.
And yes, it includes the dreaded extra £10 a month sub, on top of £300 for the machine.

It is not yet clear what that £10 gives you, as they have previously stated in a press release that Sky+ uses the existing EPG

What are folks reactions to this?
Obviously it seems yet more extortion by Sky, but how many of you are going to grin and bear it because you want the new technology?

[squid]

if that is the case then i for one think i shall be sticking with the box i have .

i don't mind paying for the box . i do think thought that they charge anough as is without adding an extra tenner

I agree, it's fair enough to pay for new technology, but the extra on the subscription is a joke, compounded by the fact that many people, myself included, are still having problems due to the current EPG download. This is what happens when there is no serious competition.

[ 18-07-2001: Message edited by: celticprince ]

[Matt Horne]

As I already mentioned.. there is no way I am buying this... maybe when they repeat their programming less I will have a reason to.

What is also annoying is the £50 installation charge.. do you get new dish or something with this ?

At the end of the day if I really need to record something then I'll video it..who would believe we would have to pay £40 a month to watch and record telly on top of the damn TV license...

It will get cheaper eventually..can anyone see "Free skyplus+ box when you subscribe..."


Matt

[loz]

Originally posted by Matt Horne:
<STRONG>
What is also annoying is the £50 installation charge.. do you get new dish or something with this ?

Matt</STRONG>

Yes, you do get a new dish and 4 way LNB. Which is needed as I understand it, so you cant just pick one up and plug it into your existing dish.

loz

[StephenR]

I'm not happy about the sub, but I will probably pay it if the Sky+ box does everything Sky say it will. Maybe the £10/month will mean they can produce some bug-free software

Although the first thoughts about paying a sub may be "extortion" and "what is it for?" I think it could be justified for the following reasons. Firstly, Sky+ requires the development of advanced software especially for these newer boxes. How else could they recoup these costs? Secondly, the fee is for the increased functionality you get. Okay, so you don't pay a sub for a VCR but will a VCR let you record one digital channel while you watch another? Will a VCR record in DD 5.1? And so the list goes on.

However, I will certainly be waiting to see how the box actually performs before I hand over any money. I hope HCC give Sky+ a thorough test before it's released to the general public.

[mart.stokes]

I don't know if any of you guys have ever noticed the "Nivea for men" advert on telly. The one where the two guys start off by slagging the product and the way it is being advertised and then end up saying they might buy some? Well, I bet the same thing happens with most of us and Sky plus!

I will state now that there is no bl**dy way I am paying ten quid a month, how stupid do Sky think we are to pay twice for the EPG?

Now, I bet six months down the road 90% of us will have put our hands in our pockets for it! Who will be the most guilty? ME!

I'd like the new box, but not for an extra £10er a month + £50 for installation ++ £300 for the box itself.
saying that, i think the last time me or my wife used our video was last year sometime and im no kidding,,,, things are repeated so often nowadays you can always catch at a later date.

[loz]

Originally posted by StephenR:
[QB]
Firstly, Sky+ requires the development of advanced software especially for these newer boxes. How else could they recoup these costs? Secondly, the fee is for the increased functionality you get. Okay, so you don't pay a sub for a VCR but will a VCR let you record one digital channel while you watch another? Will a VCR record in DD 5.1? And so the list goes on.
QB]

But you are already paying £300 for the box!
If this isnt enough why not simply charge more? At least I wouldnt be confused about what I was paying for, or suspicious that I was being forced to pay a sub for little apparent extra value (having perceived I bought all the functionality you discussed for £300).
They are not saying the sub is to allow you to record are they?
Strange though it may seem, I would have been happier paying £450 up front say, rather than have an open ended committment to pay Sky £10 for the rest of its life, no doubt increased over the years too.

And to rub salt in the wound, if the sub is for the EPG, then they are also going to have adverts in it too soon. So my £10 allows me to to be advertised to!

loz

[Dave H]

If sky think I am paying ten pounds on top of the 32(I think) pounds I am allready paying they can kiss my rear end!
what is the ten pound extra for anyway, as someone else said my panasonic box keeps crashing now all the time as it is,without having to pay another ten pounds for a more advanced epg.
They are realy trying my patience

[mart.stokes]

I am in no way supporting Sky here but I am guessing that Sky could say the £10 a month is for the ability to "access" two digital tuners from the same viewing card. They COULD (although it would be suicide) claim that we should pay a double subscription!

The question is, what functionality would be left on the box if you stopped paying the £10 a month? If you refused to pay the £10 after, say, 6 months, would they demand you installed a normal digibox? Or would they be able to downgrade the Sky plus box to normal digibox functionality.

[VintageMark]

I wouldnt have a problem with £10 a month extra..... IF they didnt charge £350 for the new box in the first place!!

£50 for box+LNB... then £10 a month... I'll take one...

Mark.

[Norman]

MJS raised a good point. If you stop paying the £10, what functionality will you loose?
They can't take back the Sky+ box because you own it, the £300 isn't a rental, it's a direct purchase.
Without subscription, I bet you will only loose the ability to schedule recordings (one of its main features I know), but its dual tuner, live pause and maybe manual recording will still be there.
I'm going to buy one from the outset and see if it can justify an extra £10 per month (doubtful) and if it can't, I'll stop paying.
My original Pace digibox is on the verge of packing up, and I'll be happy to pay £300 for the dual tuner option alone.

[General Skanky]

I won't be paying £10 extra!
It's the sub that is the problem for TIVO too.
People would buy it instead of videos but then learnt of the sting in the tail.
None of us should even try to justify the charges. We should always demand lower prices.
Trust me, they make an absolute fortune as it is.

[loz]

There is a news item on the home page here reporting Sky+ and Pace.
It contains the following which I found a bit confusing
"If you are already a Sky Digital subscriber, you will not have to give your existing digibox back when you get SkyPlus. In fact, the SkyPlus box has two RF outputs, one supporting TV link, so that you can use your existing box with a differnet digital TV channel in a second room."

I don't know what two RF outputs on Sky+ has to do with using your existing box in another room.
Nor does it clarify if the two outputs carry different signals.