how much HD?

bunyboy · 04-09-2009, 5:22 PM

we are tempted to get sky+HD but want to know just how much HD material there is? So apart from the sport (which we have no interest in) and the HD movie channels, how much other HD programing is there? Is it just like the beeb and a few programs, mostly in prime time are broacast HD but quite a small percentage... FreeSat seems a better option if thats the case....

Thanks!

Trollslayer · 04-09-2009, 5:36 PM

Channme l4 HD simulcast, FX HD, Nat Geo HD, Discovery HD... check the site.

kbfern · 04-09-2009, 5:56 PM

Freesat is a waste of time for HD,my mate got it about a month ago so only gets BBCHD and ITVHD (which is about 3-5 hrs a week).

Sky is much better but will cost you.The cheapest hd package will cost you £28.For that you will get quite a few hd channels including.

BBCHD,SKY1HD,NAT GEO,SKY ARTS 1 & 2,SCIFIHD,RUSHHD,FXHD,CH4HD,EUROSPORTHD,LUXHD.BIOG RAPHYHD and a couple others I can't think of.

So the choice is your's pay nothing for the programmes on Freesat and get BBCHD and virtually nothing else or cough up £28 per month and have hd all day every day.

bunyboy · 04-09-2009, 6:33 PM

Thanks for the channels info... but how much of each channels daily schedule is broadast in HD? Surely, it cant be every programme? Is it more like the BBC thing where its a few shows and a few movies a day...

If that's the case, it doesnt seem worth paying for until its more of the schedule and I'm guessing by then freesat HD will have improved too... Wont channel 4 be on freesat HD sooner or later and maybe even five or virgin 1 maybe??

Bickers1972 · 04-09-2009, 7:20 PM

For Freesat check out www.joinfreesat.co.uk & see how frustrated the message board posters are at the lack of progress with Freesat ...!

kbfern · 04-09-2009, 7:43 PM

With 14 channels on a basic package there will always be something on in HD to watch.

And don't forget there will be 2 or 3 programmes in hd on at the same time sometimes.So when that happens you will have programmes to record to watch when you have the time to watch them later.

GasDad · 04-09-2009, 8:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunyboy

Thanks for the channels info... but how much of each channels daily schedule is broadast in HD? Surely, it cant be every programme? Is it more like the BBC thing where its a few shows and a few movies a day...

FX HD - is around 80% HD - all the new imported shows are in HD
Sky 1 HD - is around 60% HD (older simpsons etc aren't in HD). So things like 24, Bones, Lost, Cold Case etc are in HD
Rush HD - 100%
Sky Arts 1 & 2 - varies a lot - newer stuff is in HD
Discovery HD - 100% (but quite a few repeats)
Channel 4 HD is a simulcast, so stuff that isn't available in HD, is unscaled before transmission. A surprising number of programs, Grand Designs etc are in full HD.

Apart from news, I rarely watch SD these days.

Quote:

If that's the case, it doesnt seem worth paying for until its more of the schedule and I'm guessing by then freesat HD will have improved too... Wont channel 4 be on freesat HD sooner or later and maybe even five or virgin 1 maybe??

Channel 4 has been coming to Freesat for over a year and today looks even further away than it did back then.

bunyboy · 04-09-2009, 9:05 PM

its not looking good for freesat then...

i wonder if i can get sky hd without the sky+ and does that make things a lot cheaper?

Fatwaz · 04-09-2009, 9:33 PM

you cant but why on earth would you want to?best thing since sliced bread is sky+

and its free as long as you are a subscriber anyway.if you are dubious if hd is worth your while dont get it but if you want the best hd choice there is only sky hd and thats it.whether its worth £10 a month of your money only you can decide

bunyboy · 04-09-2009, 9:40 PM

so i cant get HD without getting sky+?

i was thinking i could get an older sky hd box (without +) from ebay or something and get the HD channels without having to have any extra subscription costs..?? or something?? but are you saying thats not an option??

**logiciel** · 04-09-2009, 9:41 PM

Sky+ comes with anything you pay to Sky so that's not a factor - all Sky HD receivers have it, naturally.
£10 is brilliant value for the amount of HD programming, but the problem is you have to pay the other £18 for stuff you never watch!

Starburst · 04-09-2009, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunyboy

so i cant get HD without getting sky+?

i was thinking i could get an older sky hd box (without +) from ebay or something and get the HD channels without having to have any extra subscription costs..?? or something?? but are you saying thats not an option??

Get a single tuner Freesat HD box because I think you are talking yourself out of SKY with every post or wait and see what Freeview HD might bring to the capital.

SKY quite rightly knew that anyone serious enough to pay £300 plus subscription and install to get HD in 2006 would want to record it and the churn for SKY+ units is reported to be far lower then other STB's so the only option is the twin tuner HD PVR.
Freesat manufacturers decided to offer both single tuner HD boxes and a one model of twin tuner HD PVR, the HD PVR is reported to be the biggest seller despite the cost.

HDCriticalFan · 05-09-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunyboy

its not looking good for freesat then...

i wonder if i can get sky hd without the sky+ and does that make things a lot cheaper?

All SkyHD boxes have Sky+ functionality built in. They always have. Sky+ has been around since about 2001 - what are you waiting for ? It's "free" !

Sky recently started referring to SkyHD as Sky+HD ... which I think has caused the confusion.

There really isn't much point to HD without "+" functionality. I can hardly imagine being limited to only being able to watch the show that was being broadcast at the time. What about clashes in prime time ? Between 8-10 most evenings there is decent HD stuff on BBC, C4, Sky1 and some of the documentary channels. And do you really want to sit with your arms folded for four minutes every quarter of an hour waiting for the ads to finish ?!?!

I regularly encounter "triple-clashes" at 9pm and the healthy repeats policy of most channels allow me to record alternate showings. e.g. BBC3 and BBC4 often repeat their prime time shows a few hours later - after midnight. Sky+ allows you to move everything around to suit you.

Regards

**logiciel** · 05-09-2009, 2:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDCriticalFan

Sky+ allows you to move everything around to suit you.

As does a non-Sky HD PVR.

bunyboy · 05-09-2009, 4:08 PM

i know how wonderful pvr's are and how they change the way you watch tv.. i couldnt live without mine now.. but that's freeview which ill still have even if i get sky... i was just wondering if the costs were cheaper getting a non-sky+ hd box or even if its possible??

would a sky+ HD box still work without the two leads needed? ie if i took my box and card to a friends house who has sky but not HD??

thanks for all the advice... very helpful!

ElCapone · 05-09-2009, 4:17 PM

Is F1 on BBC shown in HD?

If not, is there any idea when it will be?

Starburst · 05-09-2009, 4:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ElCapone

Is F1 on BBC shown in HD?

If not, is there any idea when it will be?

Nope, there are no global HD feeds (and few local) for a broadcaster to use, they are all at the mercy of the F1 FOM production company.

Starburst · 05-09-2009, 4:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunyboy

i was just wondering if the costs were cheaper getting a non-sky+ hd box or even if its possible??

would a sky+ HD box still work without the two leads needed? ie if i took my box and card to a friends house who has sky but not HD??

There are no non-SKY+ HD boxes simply because SKY know the PVR functions help retention and it's more expensive to sell multipule products plus the complaints of not being able to record in HD which would then soon emerge

There are Freesat single tuner HD boxes (and generic HD sat boxes) but they have been outsold by the Freesat HD PVR perhaps because yes the PVR is the invention of the last decade and even with Freesats limited HD people do want to record HD and not SD.

Yes a SKY+HD can work with one feed (it has a one feed mode) but then you lose certain functions but there will be no problems taking the box for a visit to a friends.