[tofwings]

Hi Guys

Having been a long standing sky subscriber and just recently switched to telewest for the WC in HD.......
Does anyone know if SKY SPORTS.will be available in HD on telewest ?
This information is crucial as to what i do next......

Ive been very happy with the new TVDrive etc etc although a tad slow and way too many menus ..but on the whole not tooo shabby...
However if SS isnt going to be in HD then im probably going to have to go back to sky at a cost of 400 quid plus..(not a good scenario ) but having experienced football in HD..and compared it to SD i dont think i could ever go back to watching footie in SD.......

Thanks

Brian

[plonky]

For the moment, get your £400 ready! Nobody knows when/if it will arrive

[stevogums]

Originally Posted by plonky

For the moment, get your £400 ready! Nobody knows when/if it will arrive

So there is no info whatsoever on when TW will get Skys HD footy...
I fully expect to pay for this ...really depends on the price...
I would think they may ask for £10-20 for HD footy..
Wouldnt mind paying £10 be a bit unhappy about £20 plus though..
Must be some info on this somewere....And i do realise Sky want it for themsleves for a period of time to sell their packages...

[Azzin]

I think Sky will keep it exclusive for a while, it will make TW punters go (back) to Sky.

[Cable Monkey]

Originally Posted by Azzin

I think Sky will keep it exclusive for a while, it will make TW punters go (back) to Sky.

Sky are not the sole owners of rights to Premiership football anymore. Some will find its way to TW even if Sky refuses to resell HD soccer to other platforms.

[stevogums]

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

Sky are not the sole owners of rights to Premiership football anymore. Some will find its way to TW even if Sky refuses to resell HD soccer to other platforms.

So we will get it this year then you predict?

[Cable Monkey]

I can't 'predict' anything. I can look back historically having had cable from its inception where I live. Anecdotal evidence shows some Setanta channels in the sports section, and Setanta has one of the new Premiership franchises.
There is no denying HD has created a new turf war and for the first time since BSB Sky find themselves at a technical disadvantage in that they were slow to launch and have no VOD, as well as the commercial disadvantage of ITV HD's decision to trial on Cable but not Satelite. However, Cable customers present a source of revenue Sky would be foolish to ignore. They will hold off for the obvious commercial reasons but then I suspect there will be an agreement reached.

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

They will hold off for the obvious commercial reasons but then I suspect there will be an agreement reached.

Which is what I said!

[Cable Monkey]

No you didn't. While we agree there will be a stand off period, the thing that will sell sharing services to Sky will be the fact there is not a stampede back to them. I know Sky do very well out of the Sky channels broadcast on the Cable platform. Too much money to ignore!

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

No you didn't.

Yes I did!

Originally Posted by Azzin

I think Sky will keep it exclusive for a while, it will make TW punters go (back) to Sky.

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

While we agree there will be a stand off period, the thing that will sell sharing services to Sky will be the fact there is not a stampede back to them. I know Sky do very well out of the Sky channels broadcast on the Cable platform. Too much money to ignore!

I agree-which is why I said:

Originally Posted by Azzin

I think Sky will keep it exclusive for a while, it will make TW punters go (back) to Sky.

[stevogums]

Anyway thanks for your comments...

[featherhall]

I dont have Telewest HD yet, but phoned up to order it today, but was shocked when I was told that the SkySoprts footy wasn't HD on cable.
Thank goodness I asked, because it is the only reason I want it.

They've assured me that it IS coming for the start of the season, but will call me when it is definitely announced and I can get hooked up then.

I can't get SKY as my flat doesn't allow for dishes outside

[ShinyWarHorse]

Just reading FeatherHall's post and he states that Telewest have confirmed they will be getting SkySports HD for start of the Season! Anyone else confirm this or is it likely to be a Customer Service Sales pitch?

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by ShinyWarHorse

Just reading FeatherHall's post and he states that Telewest have confirmed they will be getting SkySports HD for start of the Season! Anyone else confirm this or is it likely to be a Customer Service Sales pitch?

Complete BS-They seem to have adopted the ntl stance of "tell the customer what they want to hear to get them off the phone"......

[featherhall]

If it is rubbish (and I hope it isn't) at least they accepted that I didn't want it until it IS confirmed - which is a relief now.
There was no way I was taking it until I know for definite.

[clack]

To be honest thinking about it, watching the world cup in HD i would say football isnt the most impressive thing ive seen in HD so far ....guess its down to the fast movement and less chance to see the improved detail....i would much prefer a dedicated HD movie channel on telewest, dont get me wrong if we get sky sports HD i certainly wont be complaining...but i reckon theres far more material that could be shown with a more shall we say "wow" factor

Originally Posted by clack

To be honest thinking about it, watching the world cup in HD i would say football isnt the most impressive thing ive seen in HD so far ....guess its down to the fast movement and less chance to see the improved detail....i would much prefer a dedicated HD movie channel on telewest, dont get me wrong if we get sky sports HD i certainly wont be complaining...but i reckon theres far more material that could be shown with a more shall we say "wow" factor

Couldn't agree more. Footy in HD, and to a lesser extent Wimbledon, is not the showcase for HD. I've been showing friends & family the HD since I had it installed and shown the footy first, getting a 'yeah can see the difference'. Then showing them the non-sports HD content and getting a 'WOW! Now I see the difference!'. Got at least 2 households moving from Sky to TW because of it.

[meltonboy]

I dont think that HD footy had a big wow factor either, especailly as the TV drive does a reasonable job of upscaling the normal SD channels. It's certainly better and it's certainly noticable, but not a big WOW for visitors.

Hopefully there will be improvement in normal Sky Sports SD footy from the new HD cameras at source.

The Sky HD demo in selfridges (London) basement was showing cricket the other week and i thought it was very underwhelming, especially for a demo.

For demo to friends i generally use a bit of planet earth from the bbc test broadcast and pride from the VOD, both of which look more technically impressive than footy in my opinion.

[Cable Monkey]

Originally Posted by Azzin

Complete BS-They seem to have adopted the ntl stance of "tell the customer what they want to hear to get them off the phone"......

With all due respect Azzin, you don't know that. The proof will come at the start of the season.

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

With all due respect Azzin, you don't know that. The proof will come at the start of the season.

No, the proof of the pudding is here now.

If Telewest were to be offering Sky Sports HD for the start of the footy season as the CS Rep had stated, don't you think they would be advertising the fact just a little??

Sky have signed nothing with TW to allow them to carry Sky Sports HD-there is nothing on theIr website anywhere about it, & therefore the CS Rep was talking BS.

[warrej]

Originally Posted by Azzin

No, the proof of the pudding is here now.

If Telewest were to be offering Sky Sports HD for the start of the footy season as the CS Rep had stated, don't you think they would be advertising the fact just a little??

Sky have signed nothing with TW to allow them to carry Sky Sports HD-there is nothing on theIr website anywhere about it, & therefore the CS Rep was talking BS.

They wouldn't be able to advertise it unless they had signed a deal. They haven't signed a deal, so cannot advertise it! I suspect there won't be any Sky Sports HD for the start of the season, but I'd like to be proven wrong

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by warrej

They wouldn't be able to advertise it unless they had signed a deal.

That's what I have just said!

Originally Posted by warrej

They haven't signed a deal, so cannot advertise it!

Correct.

Originally Posted by warrej

I suspect there won't be any Sky Sports HD for the start of the season, but I'd like to be proven wrong

Haven't you just made the same point that I just did!?

[warrej]

No, there is a not so subtle difference between what we both said

Originally Posted by Azzin

No, the proof of the pudding is here now.

No, the season is over a month away. Anything can happen in that time.

Originally Posted by Azzin

If Telewest were to be offering Sky Sports HD for the start of the footy season as the CS Rep had stated, don't you think they would be advertising the fact just a little??

Like I said, this is a pointless question, as until a deal is signed they cannot advertise it.

Originally Posted by Azzin

Sky have signed nothing with TW to allow them to carry Sky Sports HD-there is nothing on theIr website anywhere about it, & therefore the CS Rep was talking BS.

Yep, agree that nothing has been signed yet, but like I said it is still a month away yet. The rep is either a) talking b/s b) clueless c) extremely optimistic d) in the know e) a.n. other. I've no idea which, and neither do you.

[andythescientis]

Personally i don't care either way.

I've enjoyed the world cup in hi def, the difference is noticable, but nothing i'd be devistated to miss if i had to go back to SD. To be honest, the difference in quality could be made up if they upped the bit rate of the sky channels when combined with better filming rather than getting the HD service. Live broadcasts aren't where the wow factor with HD. That comes in movies and documentaries.

Sky HD movies appear to have had a pretty poor line up so far, judging by what's on 9/10. That being said sky movies has been pretty dire for a while now. The weekly premiers have been poor, generally they seem to be spending less and less on the movie channels. When taking into account TW seem to be getting the ball rolling on it's VOD movies i'm more than happy with that.

End of the day Sky HD's current offerings arn't going to wow many people into subscribing for some time yet. Hell even all the Sky one HD shows are coming to an end, or already finished like 24/battlestar galactica.

TW would be bonkers to pay sky a fortune for what their currently offering, their far better offering C4/5 cheap deals to produce new HD broadcast channels if they want to win customers.

[Timbo21]

Although much of the World Cup didn't have the real 'wow' factor it just seemed to be free from many digital nasties; such as jaggies, poor bit-rate artifacts etc. When I did go back to SD it seemed a bit of a mess, but HD just seemed to give a good picture. I dare say if the bit rate was upped then SD probably could have looked almost as good.

[warrej]

Actually I think there is a big difference between SD and HD football from what I've seen, even though the upscaled BBC footy in SD is definitely an improvement over the SKY fare from last season. We'll have to wait and see how much the TVDrive can improve the footy on Sky Sports once the season starts. I for one will miss HD footy if we don't get it

As far as Wimbledon is concerned though, I've hardly noticed a difference between SD and HD. Yes it is a bit sharper, and you can see the holes in the net on the full court shot, but apart from that it hasn't really stood out

[Cable Monkey]

Azzin,
it is obvious TW won't advertise publicly if they were in negotiation, it is illegal to do so. I have known channels to appear within hours of the signatures being put on paper so there is plenty of time yet. It is in Skys interest to take it right to the brink. They have done so with the PPV premiership matches and advertised exclusively right up until kick off , then signed with the competition. If they are true to form, they will most likely do the same here. If anyone wants an absolute guarantee of football then Sky is the obvious option. If you would like the football but like TVDrives functionality there is no harm in waiting. If TW can't secure a deal you can always switch later. It is no big deal.

[Jordans Norks]

Well I'll be watching Arsenal's home games (and the London / Home counties away games) in HD anyway....I'll be there!

Personally I avoided watching the world cup England games on my 50 inch Sammy and paced around the patio peeking through the windows of my kitchen I was so nervous so I didn't notice a difference between SD and HD

[wandersen]

Originally Posted by Cable Monkey

Azzin,
it is obvious TW won't advertise publicly if they were in negotiation, it is illegal to do so. I have known channels to appear within hours of the signatures being put on paper so there is plenty of time yet. It is in Skys interest to take it right to the brink. They have done so with the PPV premiership matches and advertised exclusively right up until kick off , then signed with the competition. If they are true to form, they will most likely do the same here. If anyone wants an absolute guarantee of football then Sky is the obvious option. If you would like the football but like TVDrives functionality there is no harm in waiting. If TW can't secure a deal you can always switch later. It is no big deal.

If they are "in negotiation", how can you be sure they will reach agreement ? And how can CS say that they will definitely have it for the startg of the season if they have not reached agreement. Sky will hold out on this one. It took two years to get the extra Sky movies screens after launch on sky, and a similar time to get Sky Sports Extra. I can't imagine any reason why it would be any quicker this time.

[plonky]

Originally Posted by wandersen

I can't imagine any reason why it would be any quicker this time.

Not suggesting it will happen but I can think of one huge reason why it might be quicker