OT: What Sky/Virgin TV package do you have?

DonDaddyD

I'm trying to get Sky in my flat as SWMBO has given the green light. Reason? I'm missing too much TV and this year and want to devote my time to the Tour, other races sci-fi and football and maybe WWE.

What Sky or Virgin media packages do you have?

tailwindhome

The Tour De France is on ITV4(?) which you probably can get on Freeview.

I had the full Sky TV package until I realised I was paying £50+ a month and there was nothing on.

Cancelled the Sky sub but kept the box, dish and card essentially giving us Freesat

Still nothing on and we usual end up on the default setting of Friends on E4

CiB

Freeview. All the tv you need, which is none.

DonDaddyD

I've got freeview and to be honest, I do/did watch a great deal, but i hate missing the new stuff like StarGate Universe and yeah Tour is on ITV4 but not the other road races.

lost_in_thought

Sky+. If you're missing telly, don't underestimate the wonder of recording. You can even text it, so if you see something you want to watch advertised on a billboard, you can text your sky+ and get it recorded.

I understand freeview boxes that record are also available, but have never had one. I definitely think freeview is better than freesat, but ymmv.

DonDaddyD

I was on my way to paying out £58per month on SKY+HD with all the trimmings and then thought let me enquire because it seems a bit much and whenever I go to my parents (who have the same thing) there isn't anything on.

(Personally I think the quality of TV has gone down in general, I was a big Tomorrows World, wild life on one and Top'o't'Pops fan. That and StarGate, Dragonball Z etc)

artaxerxes

If you want to save the £50 per month and aren't worried about copyright infingement, you can always have a browse on eztv.it and isohunt.com
Also I think hulu is coming to the UK later this year?

lost_in_thought

DonDaddyD wrote:

I was on my way to paying out £58per month on SKY+HD with all the trimmings and then thought let me enquire because it seems a bit much and whenever I go to my parents (who have the same thing) there isn't anything on.

(Personally I think the quality of TV has gone down in general, I was a big Tomorrows World, wild life on one and Top'o't'Pops fan. That and StarGate, Dragonball Z etc)

I don't have HD, because I don't need it, and I have only the most basic package because I rarely watch films, and never watch sports that aren't on terrestial channels.

So it's not that bad really!

cee

I got rid of my cable tv package...

now I have freeview via a media centre pc which sits under my tv.....

Inside, is a twin freeview tv tuner card, so I can watch one channel and record another at the same time..but the advantage over the sky+ is the recording time....it is only limited by the size of the hard drives I put in there...so i can expand it if i want.

Still...even freeview is mostly repeats now...i am just glad I don't have to pay to see the repeats.

WTF is dragonballz?

_Brun_

The biggest advantage of Virgin over Sky is the massive amount of on demand stuff. No need to even bother recording stuff half the time because it'll be available to watch whenever you want anyway.

Virgin's HD content is still pretty lacking, notably for Sky Sports and Movies, although it's understandable Sky want to keep those exclusive. ESPN HD's Premier League coverage is good tho', and apparently Eurosport HD is due on cable in April.

Gazzaputt

Another vote for Virgin +. Everything about it so so much better than Sky+HD.

On demand is excellent, record 2 programmes watch another, the interface is better and you hire the machine so after 1 year if the warranty expires you aren't left up the swan.

squeeler

Sky+ Full package inc. movies, sports etc (but not HD yet) for me. I also get internet and phone in the same package for approx £70 a month :oops: , I can honestly say there is very very rarely "nothing" on especially when you take into account all the stuff recorded for later on Sky+. I've barely bought and certainly not rented a DVD since I saw the light about 5 years ago!

IMO people rarely admit to how much TV they actually watch, but if you break it down to a cost per hour watched / used I think it's quite reasonable, personally I'd rather pay and have the choice rather than just slump in the sofa complaining there's nothing on .

Cheshley

We've just been offered a free upgrade to the XL package or 2 months on Virgin. Kinda sleepy at the minute as I'm up till all hours watching ESPN America!!!! Hoping I can convince SWMBO that we can justify the extra cost when the free period runs out (we have a 6 month old and now get all the Disney channels as well) and also looking at getting the V+ box with the existing box moved upstairs. I wouldn't change to Sky.

metalmonkey

I have sky+ HD which I pay for 5 variety packs, didn't bother with moives or sports as I get what I want from that. You should know that the once your sky contract is up unless you pay the sky+ will not recorded nor will it play anything saved either!

But I got deal so it has worked out good, but isn't the virgin media better than sky? There was a thing on money supermarket, about virgin media also giving cash back as well might be worth looking into.

I'm still not sure about stargate universe though its very slow as in the pace of the story I wouldn't be surpirsed if it didn't get to season 2.

Clever Pun

I've got sky + it's ace. I've got sports and espn but no movies, I also get broadband and phone (cheaper than bt)

no problems at all.

CiB

Freeview PVR's are common-place; we've got two - one is what would a few years ago have been a video (or VCR for you wannabee Americans) and the other is a combined HDD/DVD FV recorder. They work like Sky+ with timeshift, pause live TV, childishly simple GUI. Freeview+ extends the functionality a bit for series link etc.

Freeview has PPV via a CAM module that you can buy and pay an on-going monthly fee. It includes ESPN and did include Setanta till they went under. Not sure what's on now in its place.

Don't knock FV. I've had the full Sky package more than once and it drove me nuts with its endless repeats and the usual but true cliche of 500 channels and nothing to watch; FV offers pretty much the same without having to line Murdoch's pockets, and with it the nancy-boy Premier League footballers who topple over at the drop of a hat.

Edit - as the analogue signal is switched off in the regions FV Hi Def will be added. Inside a couple of years Freeview HD will much more widespread. Currently in London & the North West only, and not much hardware to support it.

Clever Pun

does free view have the FX channel? they have a lot of great american dramas on that as does sky one in all fairness

CiB

Clever Pun wrote:

does free view have the FX channel? they have a lot of great american dramas on that as does sky one in all fairness

No. http://www.freeview.co.uk/freeview/Channels

DonDaddyD

cee wrote:

WTF is dragonballz?

One of the greatest cartoons ever to be televised.

I can't explain how good it actually was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DrzfaxD ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxVYZ02QEU
Oh my days I just watch this and it made me feel all giddy inside as my childhood/teenhood flashed before me

I swear! One day I'm going to ride my bike so hard my hair is going to go yellow and my eyes green

Stuey01

I have the full Sky package and the HD package.

HD is well worth it if you watch sport.

I'm thinking about canning the movie channels as I don't watch them much, I also don't use a lot of the entertainment channels.

If it is cycling coverage you are looking for you want the News package as that comes bundled with British Eurosport who cover most races and the track cycling world cup.

bails87

I'd go for the Freeview PVR, I had one in my room when I was at uni, and we had Virgin in the lounge. I never felt like I was missing out on anything compared to Virgin and it was really handy being able to record stuff, especially when it's free.

EDIT: But then I don't watch a huge amount of TV, I've never done what squeeler mentioned, I don't watch tv unless there's something I particularly watch. Also, I get iPlayer through the PS3, so that's the BBC covered for 'catchups'.

cee

DonDaddyD wrote:

cee wrote:

WTF is dragonballz?

One of the greatest cartoons ever to be televised.

I can't explain how good it actually was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DrzfaxD ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxVYZ02QEU
Oh my days I just watch this and it made me feel all giddy inside as my childhood/teenhood flashed before me

I swear! One day I'm going to ride my bike so hard my hair is going to go yellow and my eyes green

from wiki....

The series premiered in the United States in September 1996

ah....i was 18 by then....guess by the time it aired in the UK, I was acting like a balloon instead of watching cartoons!

DonDaddyD

cee wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

cee wrote:

WTF is dragonballz?

One of the greatest cartoons ever to be televised.

I can't explain how good it actually was.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DrzfaxD ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cxVYZ02QEU
Oh my days I just watch this and it made me feel all giddy inside as my childhood/teenhood flashed before me

I swear! One day I'm going to ride my bike so hard my hair is going to go yellow and my eyes green

from wiki....

The series premiered in the United States in September 1996

ah....i was 18 by then....guess by the time it aired in the UK, I was acting like a balloon instead of watching cartoons!

I was about 18 - 20 when I first watched it. Same excitement as when I first watched He-man or Transformers (Generation 1)

Clever Pun

I watched a bit of Dragonball Z as well.. it got repetitive but I sky plused it and stripped all the annoying kids adverts out enabling you to watch the 10 minutes of actual cartoon in less than half an hour

oscarbudgie

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

The Tour De France is on ITV4(?) which you probably can get on Freeview.

For the full Tour experience you need Eurosport. ITV4 is Tour-Lite at best. Sean Kelly is worth the subs on his own + with Eurosport you get the Giro, Vuelta, Spring Classics etc.

Runoutofgears

Sky + makes watching TV totally flexible. brillliant system.

HD demonstrates what HD TVs really can do.

Sadly nothing can help the programming :roll:

tailwindhome

oscarbudgie wrote:

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

The Tour De France is on ITV4(?) which you probably can get on Freeview.

For the full Tour experience you need Eurosport. ITV4 is Tour-Lite at best. Sean Kelly is worth the subs on his own + with Eurosport you get the Giro, Vuelta, Spring Classics etc.

Yes but you'd also need to take the best part of 3 weeks off work and just devote yourself to watching it

*penny drops*

tailwindhome

DDD

Have a rummage round in the Road section regarding options for watching the cycling.

I believe there are some internet sites, Steephill(?) and Eurosport, which show live cycling for a small monthly sub.

I'd look for you but I'm trying to track down some base layers for you.

tomb353

i bought a media centre pc (plugs into telly via scart or hdmi) from a guy who builds them and sells on ebay for £260; two freeview tuners in the back so works like a sky+ box, 500GB harddrive- so i have 150 episodes of the simpsons and 50 doctor who (the kids use it more than me). Anything I used to watch on sky but can't get I just download via isohunt as soon as it airs in the usa (naughty i know, but shucks everyone does it....). End result I'm £50 a month better off to spend on cycling gear

oscarbudgie

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

DDD

Have a rummage round in the Road section regarding options for watching the cycling.

I believe there are some internet sites, Steephill(?) and Eurosport, which show live cycling for a small monthly sub.

I'd look for you but I'm trying to track down some base layers for you.

http://www.cyclingfans.com

DonDaddyD

I went round to my parents yesterday.

Sat infront of my Father's new Phillips TV 48 or 50inch screen. He has Sky+HD and pays something like £58per month for it. Watched a bit of the Tour of Quatar as well.

It does look good. Really good. He also praised Sky+ as a blessing. Not happy about the £58.

I've tried viewing things online but my PC is about 7yrs old and every attempt at rebuilding it is met with ever increasing costs as I want to play Star Trek Online and the new Star Wars game coming out.... I'm just keen on telly on my PC.

Gonna have a read of Skys small print.