HD on SKY

[arthurfuxake]

Anyone else noticed the new HD channels on SKY? I see there are a few movie channels, and Sky Sports1 HD. It has a phone number to call to enquire about activating it. I wonder if they'll fleece us for extra cash for it?

 

[AndyMac]

You need a new Sky HD box, not sure about additional subscription. It's all suitably vague on the web site, but I doubt you'll get it for free.

 

[bainsyboy]

Think i have read its £10 extra, But not many programmes are broadcast in HD at the moment, it will be like when widescreen tellys came out and the vast majority of programmes where still broadcast/filmed in the old 4:3 ratio for a good few years.
The only way you will get HD is by subscribing to SKY, TELEWEST etc although the BBC are looking at ways of broadcasting it over freeview in the future, so that will prob be another freeview box to buy in 5 years time.

Supposed to be stunning though.

 

[AndybS3]

Roughly £400 for the box and £10 a month for the service.
Sky Sports 1 has been HD for a few months now and the picture is fantastic

 

[a4sline190]

When did you get your HD box then, as far as I was aware it is still getting rolled out, so interesting to note that you have had it for a few months?

 

[joost]

Sky Movies 9 & 10 seem to have sprouted an HD version each...

 

[AndyMac]

Yeah whoopi-do, bargain for £10 a month!

 

[GregC]

Is it just me or is the picture on normal Sky ok as it is???

 

[AndybS3]

[ QUOTE ]
When did you get your HD box then, as far as I was aware it is still getting rolled out, so interesting to note that you have had it for a few months?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, I don't have a HD box, I went to a demo of the box showing a football match.

 

[AndyMac]

"Is it just me or is the picture on normal Sky ok as it is???"

Not if you've got a 42"+ Plasma, it's absolutely fine for CRT's, but Plasma's need the extra resolution to provide superior PQ

 

[Eeef]

so, £10 for HD, £10 for sky+, then your subscription on top.

Bargain.

 

[AndyMac]

Do they do an HD Sky+ box?

 

[AndybS3]

[ QUOTE ]
Do they do an HD Sky+ box?

[/ QUOTE ]


The HD box is a Sky+ Andy rumoured to have a 300gig drive

 

[jdp1962]

[ QUOTE ]
so, £10 for HD, £10 for sky+, then your subscription on top.

Bargain.

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't pay £10 extra for Sky+

 

[arthurfuxake]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't pay £10 extra for Sky+

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Me neither! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ok.gif

 

[Eeef]

eh? how's that then? I guess you're on the mega subscription?

 

[god_thats_quick]

So how much is everyone paying, because when I last looked it seemed to be around £40 a months for skyworld or whatever they call it this month then £10 a month extra for sky plus and £10 a month extra to use it in a second room...

 

[AndyMac]

It depends if you're an existing customer or not.
If you are then just threaten to cancel your subscription unless you can get it without multi-room. You should then be able to get Sky+ with free install for around £99, with no extra subscriptions. I just pay what I was paying before I had it, around £36 (movies & sports), they kindly relocated the old box upstairs & recoded it for FreeView channels, although I still get Sky one etc.
No idea on HD as quite happy with my CRT at the moment.

 

[IanL-S3]

i've been out the loop on this for a while.....but off topic..have the HD standards been sorted? i.e is sky and everyone else now using the same standard? so that all these 'hd ready' tv's will be compatible?

 

[Eeef]

good point.

What exactly is HD these days? I've heard stories of various screens purporting to be HD ready, but are actually some interlaced malarky (or the plasma equivilant there of)

 

[IanL-S3]

did a very short google search and came across this article

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/1155.php

its no necessarily fact...but the bit that caught my eye was this paragraph

"The terms HD ready and HD compatible are being used around the industrial world for marketing purposes. They indicate that a TV or display is able to accept video over an HDMI connection, using a new connector design, the main purpose of which seems to be to ensure that digital video is only passed over an interface which, by agreement, incorporates copyright protection. Even HD-ready sets do not necessarily have enough pixels to display video to the 1080-line (1920x1080) or 720-line (1280x720) HD standards in full resolution without interpolation, and HD-compatible sets are often just standard-definition sets with an HDMI input. This is a confusing use of the terms HD and hdtv."

so it would seem that current HD Ready tv's aren't REALLY ready (or atleast the indication is more like "i've got a funky input") for the revolution.
Now i know why there's a sony 50inch plasma in makro for 999 plus vat. its probably does not have the resolution capabilities of 720line nevermind 1080 line.


I take it the standard of 1080 or 720 lines hasn't been agreed yet? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/book.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/book.gif

 

[AndybS3]

[ QUOTE ]
did a very short google search and came across this article

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/1155.php

its no necessarily fact...but the bit that caught my eye was this paragraph

"The terms HD ready and HD compatible are being used around the industrial world for marketing purposes. They indicate that a TV or display is able to accept video over an HDMI connection, using a new connector design, the main purpose of which seems to be to ensure that digital video is only passed over an interface which, by agreement, incorporates copyright protection. Even HD-ready sets do not necessarily have enough pixels to display video to the 1080-line (1920x1080) or 720-line (1280x720) HD standards in full resolution without interpolation, and HD-compatible sets are often just standard-definition sets with an HDMI input. This is a confusing use of the terms HD and hdtv."

so it would seem that current HD Ready tv's aren't REALLY ready (or atleast the indication is more like "i've got a funky input") for the revolution.
Now i know why there's a sony 50inch plasma in makro for 999 plus vat. its probably does not have the resolution capabilities of 720line nevermind 1080 line.


I take it the standard of 1080 or 720 lines hasn't been agreed yet? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/book.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/book.gif

[/ QUOTE ]


The Sky HD will output 720 progressive and 1080 interlaced and will also have component outputs as well as the HDMI interface which is a shame because my CRT can take 480p but blacks out on 720p through the component cables

 

[NEiLS3LK51]

Yes to what Ian says about HD-Ready/Compatible, I think a lot of people are going to get caught out buying plasmas <£1500 that won't support either of the two formats 1280x780p and 1920x1080i that sky will provide. Some of whom will probably never even know their new screen is downsampling the extra pixels in the HD signal they are paying extra for to PAL or less in some 800x600 native plasmas. I had to warn my dad of this on Sunday as he was tempted to go for a HD-ready plasma for ~£800.

If buying check the resolution is at least 1280x780 and it is HDCP compliant.

Not sure whether its worth the extra expense going for a 1920x1080 native screen as this res will be used for slower refresh rate broadcasts like golf. Football and movies will be in 1280x720 and thats what HD's for isnt it?

Plus with a 1920x1080 native screen and a 1280x780 signal each frame will need to be scaled by 1.5 to fit across the screen. Half the pixels will be doubled and the other half won't, haven't seen this in action but cant imagine it looking to hot close up.

 

[god_thats_quick]

I've just been having a look on skys website - have a look here for more info... you can also get sky plus without paying the extra £10 a month depending on what you choose if you have a look on the configurator thingy.

It would seem the box is ready and it's just the pricing there babbling about.

http://www.sky.com/hd

 

[imported_craigyjp]

Is there a plasma that actually supports 1080 native? most top out at 768 pixels, which means 720 DPI.

I've only seen one plasma that supports 1080 native, a 65" Panny I think, and the Sharp Aquos LCD 45" TV can display 1080 native as well.

But not many others, I Think sky will be broadcasting at 720 DPI for the HD channels and 480 DPI for all others (DVD quality) from there HD sky + box.

 

[Eeef]

There was a mahoosive plasma at the front of Comet the other week going for £8k. I would assume that that was probably up to it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Amchlolor]

[ QUOTE ]
So how much is everyone paying, because when I last looked it seemed to be around £40 a months for skyworld or whatever they call it this month then £10 a month extra for sky plus and £10 a month extra to use it in a second room...

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm £42 a month for the sports world package with SKY+ downstairs and regular SKY upstairs.

I have no problem with that,or them asking another £10 a month for HD as I believe SKY is a superb product,especially if you're into football and bikes,as I am.

I do have a problem with the £400 for the HD box though,but I suspect the price of that will tumble.

When it gets to under £150,I will indulge myself.

Until then,they can go poke.

 

[AndyMac]

I can't believe people moan about the price of Sky when they are happy to pay £14 a month for basically 4 channels via their TV licence with virtually no live sports anymore, (that's sports by the way, not games like cricket, golf & snooker, sports are competitive activities that actually involve a good level of physical fitness)

 

[CJ A4]

I think the sooner they do away with TV licenses the better its a ****** rip off and for what...a load of crap from the BBC!

 

[The Slug]

TV License = another ****** tax

 

[Bizzeh]

i think if you call sky you can blag a sky+ box for cheap (about £40), NO extra subscription a month and might even be able to get half price subscription for 3 months!!!

as for the HD tv nonsense, you`ll need to pay extra for the channels no doubt + will need an HD ready TV.

as for the standards, i`m a bit shakey on this, but i think you got 3 outputting standards and 2 source standards....... pretty much everything will run from a 720 source with the 1080i using the 720p as a sourch of info....

1080p stuff will mainly be restricted to movies releases and stuff and as far as transmissions stuff goes, probably wont ever happen, as was already said, 1080p TVs cost a small fortune!!!

i`m gonna wait til theres more stuff using all this new fancy technology that seems to be coming out of everywhere, let it all calm down as prices on stuff shouldn`t be too militant then either!!

 

[jdp1962]

[ QUOTE ]
I can't believe people moan about the price of Sky when they are happy to pay £14 a month for basically 4 channels via their TV licence with virtually no live sports anymore, (that's sports by the way, not games like cricket, golf & snooker, sports are competitive activities that actually involve a good level of physical fitness)

[/ QUOTE ]

£14 a month? Blimey, Andy, how much is a TV licence where you live? Mine costs me £10.99 a month.

 

[AndyMac]

I have to pay for both a colour & a black & white one as I watch a lot of old movies.

Sorry Mr Pedantic, £11 per month
Actually that doesn't seem so bad now, what a bargain, I take back everything I said.

 

[jdp1962]

[ QUOTE ]
I have to pay for both a colour & a black & white one as I watch a lot of old movies.

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