SKY Q - Upgrade??

[brian1951]

The best thing i ever did with Sky was to get rid of it years ago.

Oh dear if that really was the best thing you ever did.

No need for sarcasm

[Walkingthedog]

Didn’t spot any.

[darkscot]

You dont have to use sky if you have a dish. Get yourself a Freesat player or recorder and just plug your dish cable into that. No need to adjust the dish, no subscription, plenty of channels including HD.

We did just that, got rid of Sky and bought a Freesat box with recorder. We also have an LG TV that has a satellite input. So I bought a signal splitter on Amazon and took a feed direct into the TV. That allows a LOT more channels than just Freesat as you can manually select specific satellites. If you want to watch Ghanaian soap operas that is the answer.

[Tricky Dicky]

For those that may be thinking of an upgrade - we had Sky Q installed yesterday, having had Sky+ for many years. We have multi-room - main TV in living room and smaller tv in dining room - although both TV's have been around for some years, they were both classed as "Smart". With Sky Q, you get a main box, hard wired to the aerial (as before), you also get a new aerial. The much smaller box in the dining room is wireless - no connection to the aerial, and it is a satellite of the main box (you can have up to four). The slight drawback as far as SWMBO is concerned is that SKY Q does not have the reminder service - when watching one programme a banner used to come across the bottom of the screen telling you the other programme you wished to watch was about to start - to SWMBO this may be a game-changer - we will see. SKY Q is also programmed for all other services (assuming you have an account), such as Netflix and Youtube - if I want to watch something on Youtube on the "big-screen" I now can. It all appears to work ok.

The main advantage to me was that the SKY Q package was about £11 a month cheaper than what we had before.

When we upgraded all they changed outside was the LNB on the dish mind you with it being a bungalow they could reach everything from the ground.

As for the reminder it comes down to the way the old HD boxes worked in that in effect you were watching two channels at the same time but only one appeared on screen the other being recorded. The Q boxes allow you to record multiple channels at the same time, I think it is five, whilst watching a sixth. I have only recorded three at one time so have never really pushed the tech to the limit yet.

Richard

[IanS]

I worry about the ability of the hard disk to keep up - unless of course is isn't a physical drive anymore but a large solid state silicon drive. I've recorded 2 or 3 at the same time and not noticed a problem.

[bulleidboy]

I forgot to mention that with Sky Q you can speak to the handset and it does what you tell it - it doesn't make the tea If you want sub-titles you just tell it and they appear - if you want a particular programme you just say it.
One of these days it may say "no"

[Walkingthedog]

Think I’ll go for it Barry. They’ll have to put the dish somewhere where it works.

[brian1951]

I forgot to mention that with Sky Q you can speak to the handset and it does what you tell it - it doesn't make the tea If you want sub-titles you just tell it and they appear - if you want a particular programme you just say it.
One of these days it may say "no"

We have had voice command with a Now smart stick for awhile now Barry.

[Walkingthedog]

Our TV has voice command but we don’t use it.

[The Sligo Rover]

I have to say how impressed I am with Sky Q and the ability to have the additional boxes without any wiring is great facility compared to the previous. Just watch that if you have BT Sport from BT that they will want extra ££££ to watch BT sport on the extra boxes.
I have recently stopped my BT Sport from BT after I got SKY Q because of this, and now have BT Sport from Sky on a better deal and on all boxes at no extra charge.
The problem about the program reminder has been flagged up many many times.
I find it is just as easy to hit the record button as an alternative to using the reminder facility which you have lost.
I record loads and watch it at my leisure because the adds on some of the satellite channels are so long that they drive me around the bend >>>>>> fast forward >>>>>> through the adds which are usually repeated on each break.
You will have a job filling up the hard drive with recordings.