Alternatives to Sky?
Discussion
Hi Forum,
Current conundrum:
House wired for Sky, via magic eye / RF to the living room.
No "normal" aerial for freeview, but I think there's wiring to the roof.
No real appetite to rewire the house just for telly (so no Cat5 / balun solutions feel sensible).
Sky is pissing me off, because the deal I signed up to (inc films, sports and broadband for 55 quid) is now 81, and if I want to change it, it's 55 quid for the package without movies or sports..
I _think_ Virgin's Tivo will need an RF modulator / IR sender setup (so is investment over the current setup) for just a 3 pound saving - but I'll get better broadband.
So, this leads me to "should I just sack it off altogether"?
I could use Freeview+ HD, but would need to buy an aerial etc. Freesat+ is out, because it doesn't get Motors TV. I've had a few people tell me about internet connected boxes, but some of them sound dubiously legal, and if it's anything like my Windows Media experience some years ago, then Ahm oot!
Does anyone here have either any clever ideas I've overlooked, or know which one of these net boxes allow decent, user friendly telly (with record, series link etc etc) and won't have threatening piracy letters arriving on the doormat in the future?
Any help greatly appreciated
Gump
Current conundrum:
House wired for Sky, via magic eye / RF to the living room.
No "normal" aerial for freeview, but I think there's wiring to the roof.
No real appetite to rewire the house just for telly (so no Cat5 / balun solutions feel sensible).
Sky is pissing me off, because the deal I signed up to (inc films, sports and broadband for 55 quid) is now 81, and if I want to change it, it's 55 quid for the package without movies or sports..
I _think_ Virgin's Tivo will need an RF modulator / IR sender setup (so is investment over the current setup) for just a 3 pound saving - but I'll get better broadband.
So, this leads me to "should I just sack it off altogether"?
I could use Freeview+ HD, but would need to buy an aerial etc. Freesat+ is out, because it doesn't get Motors TV. I've had a few people tell me about internet connected boxes, but some of them sound dubiously legal, and if it's anything like my Windows Media experience some years ago, then Ahm oot!
Does anyone here have either any clever ideas I've overlooked, or know which one of these net boxes allow decent, user friendly telly (with record, series link etc etc) and won't have threatening piracy letters arriving on the doormat in the future?
Any help greatly appreciated
Gump
If going Virgin I wouldn't bother with an IR modulator, I personally just use an app. Virgin have their own, and there are generic TiVo remote apps too.
I had Sky previously, moved house and had Virgin for a year now. Broadband is great, everything else not so much. Their landline keeps reverting to their own voicemail despite it having disabled a few times now. TV is OK, but the TiVo box I find terribly slow. Firing up something like iPlayer or YouTube on the box takes ages. High speed seeking is also very inaccurate. If I reboot it I usually have to pull the HDMI out too, otherwise it gets stuck in a boot loop.
If it was just me I would sack it off and use my Kodi/Plex setup exclusively. I tend to download/stream everything I watch anyway.
I had Sky previously, moved house and had Virgin for a year now. Broadband is great, everything else not so much. Their landline keeps reverting to their own voicemail despite it having disabled a few times now. TV is OK, but the TiVo box I find terribly slow. Firing up something like iPlayer or YouTube on the box takes ages. High speed seeking is also very inaccurate. If I reboot it I usually have to pull the HDMI out too, otherwise it gets stuck in a boot loop.
If it was just me I would sack it off and use my Kodi/Plex setup exclusively. I tend to download/stream everything I watch anyway.
Edited by SBDJ on Tuesday 22 December 02:29
Some Gump said:
...
So, this leads me to "should I just sack it off altogether"?
Just do this IME.So, this leads me to "should I just sack it off altogether"?
Haven't had Sky for a very, very long time. In laws are slaves to it. It's a waste of cash with barely anything better than you can get on Freeview in general on those occasions where I want to watch a bit of TV.
Rare bits of sport I miss, but nothing that can't be seen down the pub or live.
Some Gump said:
......I've had a few people tell me about internet connected boxes, but some of them sound dubiously legal, and if it's anything like my Windows Media experience some years ago, then Ahm oot! ...
I've yet to hear of any that are are simple to use, reliable and with decent quality (but am all ears). I suspect if you add in a need to be legal you'll be back to Freeview.From my BiL's experience, Virgin are no better than Sky in terms of fees.
A good friend of mine has one of said boxes loaded with Kodi and various other software. It worked flawlessly everytime I saw it.
If I was back in the UK this is the way I would go with my TV. Spent years getting ripped off by Sky so why not get a bit of revenge and save some cash in the process?
If I was back in the UK this is the way I would go with my TV. Spent years getting ripped off by Sky so why not get a bit of revenge and save some cash in the process?
I have used all 3 in the last 4 years. From what i've found is if you want some sky channels but you find your not watching loads then just get NOW TV. It's cheap as chips a month, and if there are any sports you want to watch you can pay for them per game which again makes it cheaper. Then for movies the price of Netflix, Amazon prime, etc are so cheap these days and if you have a smart TV, Xbox, PS3/4 then you can get both these things on them for free so not messing about plugging a laptop into tv.
As for Virgin i had it for 18 months and in all honestly it's the biggest pile of poo i've ever used. The user interface is just shockingly bad compared to Sky which i think is probably one of the best things about Sky. I just found that it was incredibly slow to start up, open the tv guide, change channel, etc. The only thing i did like was when you fast forward and pressed play it would take you back 4 seconds incase you miss the start f the programme which i thought was a clever idea.
As the chap about has said i tend to find everything i watch on TV is available on freeview so I would also look into maybe freeplus+ or some kind of recording/ live pause box you can get from currys or something.
As for Virgin i had it for 18 months and in all honestly it's the biggest pile of poo i've ever used. The user interface is just shockingly bad compared to Sky which i think is probably one of the best things about Sky. I just found that it was incredibly slow to start up, open the tv guide, change channel, etc. The only thing i did like was when you fast forward and pressed play it would take you back 4 seconds incase you miss the start f the programme which i thought was a clever idea.
As the chap about has said i tend to find everything i watch on TV is available on freeview so I would also look into maybe freeplus+ or some kind of recording/ live pause box you can get from currys or something.
After many years with Sky, I'm now using BT TV . £10 a month with a free recording box (Youview). Gives me all the channels I need.
As a backup recorder, I've just bought a Humax Freeview Play box. This has a built in DLNA server, so I can watch the recordings on smart TVs in other rooms.
As a backup recorder, I've just bought a Humax Freeview Play box. This has a built in DLNA server, so I can watch the recordings on smart TVs in other rooms.
I'm in the process of running a new aerial feed to my TV from the loft (I switched the room around, so no aerial socket where the TV is now).
Once set up, I plan to get rid of Sky. Probably a good 70% of what I watch now is streamed from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the rest I could get on Freeview anyway. Not much I watch on Sky is exclusive to Sky. I really like the interface and how it all works, but I don't think it's giving me VFM.
Once set up, I plan to get rid of Sky. Probably a good 70% of what I watch now is streamed from Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, the rest I could get on Freeview anyway. Not much I watch on Sky is exclusive to Sky. I really like the interface and how it all works, but I don't think it's giving me VFM.
It is amazing to me how much people spend on Sky.
Freesat via something like a Humax HDR 1100 plus maybe a streaming service like Netflix? You can then put about £70 in the bank each month.
Not 100% sure, but you should be able to use your existing satellite dish (you might want to double check this as I have Freeview via a TV aerial)
Freesat via something like a Humax HDR 1100 plus maybe a streaming service like Netflix? You can then put about £70 in the bank each month.
Not 100% sure, but you should be able to use your existing satellite dish (you might want to double check this as I have Freeview via a TV aerial)
NordicCrankShaft said:
A good friend of mine has one of said boxes loaded with Kodi and various other software. It worked flawlessly everytime I saw it.
If I was back in the UK this is the way I would go with my TV. Spent years getting ripped off by Sky so why not get a bit of revenge and save some cash in the process?
You spent years being ripped off by Sky out of your choice. You paid whatever they asked for their services. Can't really blame them for charging more and more for their services when intelligent people keep paying it.If I was back in the UK this is the way I would go with my TV. Spent years getting ripped off by Sky so why not get a bit of revenge and save some cash in the process?
The way to get back at them is to simply stop watching their s
te. Doing what you're suggesting is no better than thinking you were paying far too much for a Porsche or Ferrari and so stealing your next one from the local main dealer t redress the balance 
(Well, different in one way. You'd do it because you think you'll never get caught). Which may be correct....doesn't make it the right thing to do though).Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff