When will Sky offer a HD subscription for free?
Discussion
I've never really got HD. I have always felt it's a bit 'Emperor's New Clothes' or, at the very least, my eyes aren't good enough to appreciate the difference. Come to think of it, I never got Digital Radio either (which I think is a complete farce) but that's a whole other topic.
However, I've toyed with getting it just for the sake of having it (let's not go into my obvious hypocrisy at this point).
Now, I don't begrudge Sky the £49 for the new HD box, but i do begrudge them the £10 extra a month. I believe I'm right in saying that you can watch HD with a Freeview box for...er... free (after you've bought the box) and this tells me that the game will soon be up for Sky's business model of charging for HD. Am I right?
Has anyone any idea when Sky might decide to offer it without a monthly subscription?
However, I've toyed with getting it just for the sake of having it (let's not go into my obvious hypocrisy at this point).
Now, I don't begrudge Sky the £49 for the new HD box, but i do begrudge them the £10 extra a month. I believe I'm right in saying that you can watch HD with a Freeview box for...er... free (after you've bought the box) and this tells me that the game will soon be up for Sky's business model of charging for HD. Am I right?
Has anyone any idea when Sky might decide to offer it without a monthly subscription?
I don't think it's worth the monthly fee either, it is good and I don't mind paying for the kit initially but I can't see any solid justification for the subscription cost as codecs advance and bandwidth costs fall.
Freeview in the traditional sense doesn't yet support HD, you can get freesat with a couple of HD channels if you fork out for a new box, satellite dish and installation.
Freeview in the traditional sense doesn't yet support HD, you can get freesat with a couple of HD channels if you fork out for a new box, satellite dish and installation.
They said the same about the £10 Sky+ subscription, Tycho. They then binned that when the market for people prepared to pay extra for it was saturated.
I held off Sky+ until then. I'll do the same with HD on principle. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Sooner or later, the number of new sign-ups will tail off and Sky will bin the fee in order to revitalise numbers.
I held off Sky+ until then. I'll do the same with HD on principle. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Sooner or later, the number of new sign-ups will tail off and Sky will bin the fee in order to revitalise numbers.
I seem to recall that about the time the £49 offer was introduced there was much talk of this but the concensus was that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Even before the £49 offer, Sky had about 800,000 HD subscribers - giving up a guaranteed £96m annual revenue is not something they would do in a hurry.
I suppose the difference with the situation regarding Sky+ is that HD is about content and hardware whereas the Sky+ is basically a function with no content associated.
I suppose the difference with the situation regarding Sky+ is that HD is about content and hardware whereas the Sky+ is basically a function with no content associated.
Do you work and if so, in a charitable capacity, perchance?
Why do you expect additional quality services, supplied by private enetrprise to be free? I presume you aren't Zac Goldsmith so what makes you feel that other poor saps should work for nothing?
Btw, the quality of Sky HD is, in the main, stupendous and a breakthrough in domestic reception.
Fwiw, I don't subscribe.
Why do you expect additional quality services, supplied by private enetrprise to be free? I presume you aren't Zac Goldsmith so what makes you feel that other poor saps should work for nothing?
Btw, the quality of Sky HD is, in the main, stupendous and a breakthrough in domestic reception.
Fwiw, I don't subscribe.
derestrictor said:
Do you work and if so, in a charitable capacity, perchance?
Why do you expect additional quality services, supplied by private enetrprise to be free? I presume you aren't Zac Goldsmith so what makes you feel that other poor saps should work for nothing?
Btw, the quality of Sky HD is, in the main, stupendous and a breakthrough in domestic reception.
Fwiw, I don't subscribe.
Calm down fella. No need for the nasty sarcasm. We're just having a friendly debate here.Why do you expect additional quality services, supplied by private enetrprise to be free? I presume you aren't Zac Goldsmith so what makes you feel that other poor saps should work for nothing?
Btw, the quality of Sky HD is, in the main, stupendous and a breakthrough in domestic reception.
Fwiw, I don't subscribe.
The original question does not mean I subscribe to a wider belief that "quality services supplied by private enterprise (should be) free". Many enterprises start with a premium model but over time move to a "freemium" one (not unlike how mobile phones, Internet, print media etc has developed), ergo the validity of the question regarding Sky HD.
Your view on HD is subjective - Good luck to ya. It's no less/more valid than anyone else's. Each to their own and all that.
Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, chief and believe me, I am an empty vessel in a field of brainless scarecrows.
Re the picture quality and wrt, I beg to challenge yon statement: Sky HD is the best domestic transmission system yet served up in the UK.
Not appreciating that is a reflection of monitor inadequacy and/or a viewer's visual impairement!
Re the picture quality and wrt, I beg to challenge yon statement: Sky HD is the best domestic transmission system yet served up in the UK.
Not appreciating that is a reflection of monitor inadequacy and/or a viewer's visual impairement!
OK, I don't know what your deal is friend but I don't think other PHers will appreciate you referring to them as "brainless scarecrows".
I feel there is no place for your comments in informed debate. I'm struggling to understand quite what has set you of on this rant but I'm not getting involved. You are letting yourself down.
I feel there is no place for your comments in informed debate. I'm struggling to understand quite what has set you of on this rant but I'm not getting involved. You are letting yourself down.
seaninog said:
OK, I don't know what your deal is friend but I don't think other PHers will appreciate you referring to them as "brainless scarecrows".
I'd like to put forward that perhaps if you were fortunate enough to read 99.99% of Ders tomes, then you'd be happy to classify yourself as sitting in Ders so-called field, appropriately attired as a scarecrow, and lacking faculties of any intelligent nature 
seaninog said:
OK, I don't know what your deal is friend but I don't think other PHers will appreciate you referring to them as "brainless scarecrows".
I feel there is no place for your comments in informed debate. I'm struggling to understand quite what has set you of on this rant but I'm not getting involved. You are letting yourself down.
Forgive him oh lord, as he knows not what he does. I feel there is no place for your comments in informed debate. I'm struggling to understand quite what has set you of on this rant but I'm not getting involved. You are letting yourself down.
DSLiverpool said:
I have HD and have had it for some while now, what puts me off is the time it takes to switch channels to a none HD source and back again as the tv does its thing (Bravia)
Not noticed any difference when switching from HD channels to non-HD, though all the non-HD ones should be upscaled anyway.Lurking Lawyer said:
They said the same about the £10 Sky+ subscription, Tycho. They then binned that when the market for people prepared to pay extra for it was saturated.
I held off Sky+ until then. I'll do the same with HD on principle. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Sooner or later, the number of new sign-ups will tail off and Sky will bin the fee in order to revitalise numbers.
They only dropped the £10 fee because HD was about to be released, so they were charging that £10 per month for 6-7 years...I held off Sky+ until then. I'll do the same with HD on principle. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Sooner or later, the number of new sign-ups will tail off and Sky will bin the fee in order to revitalise numbers.
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