Sky TV- is it worth it?

[pingu97]

I'm bloody fed up with Virgin TV, we've had endless problems since it became Virgin and i've seen lots of ads for good priced packages with Sky, but a friend has warned me that Sky consistently rise the prices without telling you.

Has this happened to anyone else? I really want to switch to it, but cannot afford much more than the advertised costs.

[bobtheturkey]

they have only put mine up a few pounds and i have had it a year they are a bunch of greedy barstewards but their product is outstanding and sky plus is by a long way the best thing i have ever bought, dont waste your time or money or nonsense like ntl etc its probably overpriced but for what it provides sky is peerless

[Ice-Maiden]

My TV's have got built-in Freeview and a few Sky channels, so why pay extra? We've got more channels than we know what to do with, so I definitely wouldn't pay for any more!

[Whickerman]

I've had Sky 6 years and have had a price rise twice definitely, possibly three times. But it's like a quid a time so nothing too onorous. I love my sky box and would marry it tomorrow if I could find it a dress.

That said I'm a fickle person and would probably go the route of freeview if i was starting out again.

[Postdog]

I've got a freeview box with twin tuners and a huge hard drive that works just like the sky + - plenty to see (in fact I don't really have time to catch up) and only a one off �120.00.

[aurelia]

I can understand your frustration as the service wasn't that brilliant compared to sky even before virgin took over. I was with Telewest since 2000 and they kept saing they were going to introduce a programme planner like Sky with a day to day planner. Every time I asked it was oh we're just bringing it out. These blatant lies were handed out for pover 5 years and a year and a half ago I switched to sky+ after getting a brilliant offer and my father had already switched to them previously.

My area does not have freeview and won't have it for 3 more years at least so that isn't an option for me. The sky+ service with the sreries link is brill and I know that knew freeview boxes with hard disk dcrives are doing it too

[Panic Button]

I have Freesat.

All the benefits of the sky system, but free channels only.

We use to have the family pack, but realised we mainly watched the free stuff anyway. Apart from Sky Sports News I hardly noticed when Sky was cancelled.

[Mattk]

have you considered http://www.playtvuk.com/ if you are on broadband of course?

dont know much about them and they appear to only just be starting up.they phoned me but i wont be switching them until i get a clear picture of what they are like.

[vehelpfulguy]

I have got Sky+ and had it for a couple of years.

I must say it works very well and recording and watching a program is very easy. The whole family love it.

Sky do tend to put the price up a bit each year (rather than one big amount every few years) so it is never enough to make you want to cancel.

I pay �43 I think it is for the full package, plus �10 for multiroom (Sky box in another room).

As others have said, consider FreeSat which is about �150 on-off payment and you get a Sky dish and Sky box.

You then get all the "free" Sky channels (about 200 I think) but not of course Sky 1, Sky Movies, Sky Sports etc (but you can add them afterwards for a fee).

The main negative with Sky is that I lose the signal during heavy rain (and we have had a lot this year) whereas I guess Virgin dont suffer from that problem.

[Ethel]

I pay �10 a month for Virgin tv and have no problems at all - no loss of service or anything.

I don't have a bt line so am rather stuck with them (I must have broadband!) so it's a good job I'm happy with them.

I've got a hard drive recorder that does everything sky+ does with the added advantage of burning to dvd disks if I want to.

[Mattk]

I doubt a hd player does everything sky+ does but maybe I am wrong!
Can it series link, pause live tv, record 2 channels at once whilst letting you watch a prog recorded earlier and let you record something via your mobile?

[Ethel]

My hard drive recorder pauses live tv, it records two channels at once, it plays a recording from the beginning whilst still recording.
It series links.

I can edit my recordings and cut all the adverts out before archiving to dvd disk, if I want to do that.

It doesn't record from a mobile though. Not sure I'd ever want to do that.

No monthly fee. Hurrrah!

[tickledtrout]

We have had sky tv for about 7 years and in that time has gone up in price from �37 to �43 a month for the full package. it mostly is good especially sky + . The worst thing about it is if you ever have to ring them and that is painful

[Louisa 69]

I had sky tv for 5 years in the end i decided to get rid of it . And that's where the problem lay , they make it so damn difficult to cancel your subscription. I phoned the number listened to the choices, pressed 1,2 or whatever was relevant eventually i got through to an operator. He asked me what i was calling for and i told him, i wished to cancel. He started asking me questions ie name, address etc... then after 5, 10 mins he told me he couldn't deal with it & that i needed to contact a different department for which he gave me a number. Turned out it was the wrong number so i had to go through all of the above again. This time i asked them to connect me and i was told they could but there was a 35 min queue and did i wish to hold. Eventually i got through and cancelled. But that wasn't the end of it for weeks after i kept getting phone calls and letters saying my DD hadn't went through when i explained i had cancelled they said there was nothing on there system to say that and i would have to pay for another months sky. This went on for months in the end i had to go through all of the above again .
They don't let you leave easy

[Dassie]

We got rid of our Sky - didn't think it was worth the money unless you LOVE sport. Bought a Freeview box and found that was more than sufficient.

[pingu97]

thanks for ur advice everyone! ive looked into freesat but their may be loads of channels but all look a bit crappy too me, would have freeview but no where near enough channels! So i have just cancelled my Virgin and am going to go for Sky, thanks 4 ur help all!

[Beads]

I've had sky for nearly 3 years and don't think they've put the price up (if they have I've not noticed). You get reasonable internet prices (starting free) with them too.