Alternatives to Sky

[Beagle 2]

I finally crumbled last night and turned the Sports channels back on, I was enjoying the footy and the stream I was watching went down at half-time for the umpteenth time. So that now pushes my monthly Sky bill back up past fifty notes again, which is staggeringly stupid considering I mostly use my television to watch episodes of Pointless. So how can I save money? Well, the movie channels are absolute shite, and I can download any film I want anyway, so I'll cancel them, but you're still talking £40-odd quid.

I do want access to footy on my telly. I do want an HD recorder. It would be nice to be able to run Netflix/iPlayer without having to fork out for a further Xbox live subscription. But looking around it seems like every option essentially means I may as well stay with the evil empire. BT and Virgin end up being a similar price and YouView has the smell of something that's going to go bust within months. Is there some secret third way I'm not considering?  I can't put a dish on the side of my flat for foreign broadcasts, incidentally. What about these Android USB sticks? I read a review in the paper that said they were a waste of time, but I know a couple of YOU GUYS have purchased one. How are you getting on, what model did you buy?

[Blumf]

The WiiU handles Netflix quiet well[nb]LoveFilm too, but I don't use that, so no idea how well[/nb] (one of the better UIs I've used for NF, certainly better than the 360 version) and supposedly iPlayer will be coming sooner or later[nb]I have this via my Freeview DVR, so I'm all right jack[/nb]. It's good with youtube too (via the web browser[nb]You can browse videos on the controller whilst one is playing on the TV[/nb], the dedicated YT app is rubbish) All without needing a paid account to access the net like Xbox Live.

I think you're only boned on the footy really. Have you considered taking up Subbuteo instead?

[Steven]

I'm fond of the Android TV sticks, but to be honest you'll have to give them another month or two until reliable enough models are available. They are getting more sophisticated now with built in Miracasting and compatibility with IR remotes etc. As it stands now there are too many problems with overheating and poor WIFI, but this will soon change.

[Beagle 2]

The WiiU handles Netflix quiet well[nb]LoveFilm too, but I don't use that, so no idea how well[/nb] (one of the better UIs I've used for NF, certainly better than the 360 version) and supposedly iPlayer will be coming sooner or later[nb]I have this via my Freeview DVR, so I'm all right jack[/nb]. It's good with youtube too (via the web browser[nb]You can browse videos on the controller whilst one is playing on the TV[/nb], the dedicated YT app is rubbish) All without needing a paid account to access the net like Xbox Live.

I think you're only boned on the footy really. Have you considered taking up Subbuteo instead?

Hmm, if I can get my other half to agree to going halves on a Wii U I'll buy you a pint! Yeah, it's the footy that ruins things, Sky know this and ramp up the price on other services.  I actually prefer the coverage on Fox Soccer when I get streams of that channel, and you can sign up for a web subscription to that, but only in the US. I guess it would be much faffing about to hide your IP and watch on a telly reliably.

I do really resent paying a tenner a month just for Sky Plus, how many times over I could have paid for another box by now. And cunty things like me cancelling the sports channels for a bit and them wiping all my recordings of Sport. Fuck you, I recorded them! My precious Agueroooooo that I could have stuck on a VHS and lovingly filed away in the old days!

[The Masked Unit]

What about http://www.topuptv.com/

[buntyman]

Someone in my work was chucking out a Sky+ HD box so I said I'll have it. Do I need a satellite dish to get any use out of it at all? It'd be great if I could use it even if it was just to record freeview channels.

[Beagle 2]

You do need a dish, and even if you had one you can't record stuff without a sky + subscription (so at least a tenner a month).

Yeah, the thing about that Top up TV is that it's £34.99 a month just for Sky Sports 1&2, and obviously I'd need a new box, and I'd lose Sky Atlantic and Arts, which are actually decent. So really it seems if they aint got you one way, they've got you another.

[Viero_Berlotti]

I don't know why SKY don't just set up a pay-per-view streaming service for the Premier League. Dodgy streams are crap and there's a massive market for people that would be willing to pay £5-£7 to watch a game online legitimately that don't want to commit to a SKY subscription. They'd rake it in surely.

[Beagle 2]

Well whaddayaknow Viero, I just came across this. I suppose if there's a few of you round to chip in and back-to-back games are on it's an option.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271189/Sky-Sports-offer-9-99-day-pay-Premier-League-games-online-time.html

[Uncle TechTip]

Sky had a deal with Orange, and one could view live streams of SS1-4 for nothing. All good, right?

No, because the bitrate was so terrible, one couldn't even resolve the ball in a game of gridiron. It was next to useless. Clearly a tempter to make you subscribe to the proper service. You'd hope that the 9.99 offering would be better, but you'll only find out by paying.

Sky - because £6.5bn in yearly revenues isn't enough.

I'd stick to the on-line streams, there's a huge number of them around and some of them aren't terrible quality.

[The Masked Unit]

I don't know why SKY don't just set up a pay-per-view streaming service for the Premier League. Dodgy streams are crap and there's a massive market for people that would be willing to pay £5-£7 to watch a game online legitimately that don't want to commit to a SKY subscription. They'd rake it in surely.

I guess they've done customer research and concluded that it would result in loads of people ditching off their expensive subs once their initial contract's once they realise that they only actually watch a couple games a month or something and would be better off just streaming from time to time. If it would make them money, they'd be doing it already.

[Paaaaul]

Watch Sopcast feeds rather than Flash feeds. The quality of them is often near HD

[Viero_Berlotti]

I guess they've done customer research and concluded that it would result in loads of people ditching off their expensive subs once their initial contract's once they realise that they only actually watch a couple games a month or something and would be better off just streaming from time to time. If it would make them money, they'd be doing it already.

I'm guessing it might also have something to do with the way Premier League TV rights are sold collectively. If it ever comes to pass that clubs can sell their rights individually, then in theory there's nothing stopping clubs from selling access to streaming from their own websites.

[gabrielconroy]

The Sopcast comment is definitely true. For most Spurs games, either YES or Bloodzeed tend to be streaming, which are both 1500kb/s+. Tends to be more stable, too. Just need to join the stream a while before the game starts before it reaches capacity.

[Sexton Brackets Drugbust]

To save a bit of cash, my parents decided to leave Sky - realising they were paying £50 for a load of channels they hardly ever watch - only to be told that they couldn't. My dad had contacted Sky earlier in the year about leaving and they had tempted him back with deal that lasted six months. Sky had decided that accepting the six month deal constituted a year long contract with them, despite no such agreement being made.

Sky insisted that a verbal contract had been entered into and that they had a recording of said agreement - but that the recordings were outsourced to another company and were therefore difficult to access for proof. My dad didn't accept this explanation, certain he'd not made any such agreement and basically argued that, unless he could hear this recording, there was no contract and he would be stopping the direct debit for Sky services. Sky said he could have a transcript of the recording that proved he had agreed, but they couldn't get him a recording. A circular argument then continued, on and off, for about a week - at one point my dad was apparently on the phone with a manager for a full 90 minutes.

Eventually, after stalling and stalling, a senior manager rang to say that, yes, they couldn't prove any such agreement had been made and that they were sorry for wasting my parents' time... but if they wanted to return to Sky, they'd get a great deal.

It's difficult to believe the lack of foresight; by pissing around like this, my family are never likely to return to Sky. I'd heard stories about Sky making it difficult for customers to leave, but this was ridiculous.

[olliebean]

They probably make more money from people who just accept it and see out the 12 months than they lose from people like your parents never returning, most of whom probably would never have returned anyway.

My housemate had a similar problem at her last place with Tiscali, who were arguing that a new 12 month contract had started when they took over HomeChoice, who she previously had a contract with, and that her doing absolutely nothing at the time constituted acceptance of this new contract that they had never informed her about until she wanted to break it. Her reason was that she was moving house to a place (mine) where she had no say in which company provided internet services, under which circumstances I'm not sure they could have legally enforced it anyway as they would have been unable to deliver the service.

[Beagle 2]

Well I want to cancel the movie channels, which you have to do by phone (you can add channels on their website, natch), and I know what a pain in the arse it is, so have put it off for days now. There is some logic in their "be complete cunts on the phone" technique. I was astounded how much they called us after we bought Sky in the first place, weekly to offer us some fucking deal or other. WE'VE BOUGHT YOUR OVERPRICED SHIT, FUCK OFF.

When I called to cancel the sports last time I had to have a massive argument with Mumbai's answer to Chris Tarrant who wouldn't take "turn it off please" as a final answer. I had an Iggy Pop Record on in the background. When he finally capitulated he put me on hold while he sorted it, but evidently didn't press the right button, and suddenly shouted in my ear "WHAT'S THIS BLOODY SHIT MUSIC HE'S GOT ON NOW?" to his mate. When he returned I was too stunned to say anything, and meekly thanked him.

Take me roughly from behind Sky, I'm a mug and I'm begging for it.

[biggytitbo]

We are doing a now tv thing that lets you buy a days worth of sky sports for a tenner, but if you're a regular sports watcher that's going to get more expensive than a subscription. The original plan was to offer individual events for something like 3 quid each, but unfortunetly the rights holders won't allow it.