Using Sky Go

[Scubbie]

Why are Sky dropping support of the Sky Player component for Windows Media Centre for Windows 7?

This has become popular with many people and means one less program to be installed on our PCs.

http://skyplayer.sky.com/vod/content/Home/Application_Navigation/Help/Windows_Media_Center/content/d...

"If you have Microsoft Windows 7, you can access Sky Player and watch TV from Sky in Windows Media Center (Sky Player on Windows Media Center is currently only available in the UK.)

From July 1st 2011 Sky Player will no longer be available on Windows Media Center. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope you continue to enjoy Sky Player on your computer, Xbox 360 or Fetch set top box."

[Malcolm-M]

Hi Scubbie, it wasn't something I was aware of so thanks for the post. I'll try to find out what the official statement is on it.

[Scubbie · Accepted solution]

Well it looks like sky is dropping Sky Player completely...

http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2011/Sky_TV_Goes_Online_and_Mobile_for_all_10%20millio...

Press release

10 June 2011
Sky TV Goes Online and Mobile for all 10 million customers

Sky Go brings together online and mobile TV in a single, simple service,
free to Sky TV customers

From next month, all Sky TV customers will have the opportunity to watch Sky channels and programmes on PCs, laptops, mobiles and tablets at no extra charge.

Available free to all Sky TV customers, Sky Go will provide flexible access to Sky content across multiple devices including the iPhone, iPad, PC and Mac. Launching on July 6 th , it brings together two existing services: Sky Player, Sky's online TV service, and Sky Mobile TV, the UK's largest mobile TV service, with these services rebranded as Sky Go . Offering even more value from the Sky subscription, this will allow customers to watch live linear channels in line with their subscription while on the move in the UK and Ireland.

Sky Go will give customers yet more control and choice over how, when and where they enjoy Sky. Each Sky home will be entitled to register up to two devices, through which they can enjoy access to live channels and selected on-demand content.

On mobile and tablet devices, customers will be able to access all five Sky Sports channels, ESPN and Sky News, with further channels to be added over time.

On laptops and computers customers will be able to access more than 30 live channels, including all five Sky Sports channels, Sky Movies, Sky News, Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts, MTV, Disney, G.O.LD, Nickelodeon, NatGeo, History, Eden and ESPN, supported by an extensive library of on-demand content.

Sky Go will be available from August to non-Sky TV customers, with monthly subscriptions priced from £15-£40. Sky will also remain available on Xbox and Fetch TV, but will rebrand simply as Sky (currently Sky Player).

In time, Sky Go will be supported by Sky's acquisition earlier this year of The Cloud, a leading public Wi-Fi network that offers wireless access in over 4,500 public locations - across coffee shops, hotels, restaurants, public transport hubs and other public spaces. Out-of-home Wi-Fi will support a higher quality experience for online services including Sky Go and other high bandwidth services and applications. Further details on the roll out of the network, including timings, will be announced in due course.

Stephen van Rooyen, Deputy MD of Sky's Customer Group, comments :

“The explosion of smartphones and tablets demonstrates the increasing consumer demand for accessing entertainment and communicating on the move. We have already responded to this by offering a range of services, including live TV, across many new innovative platforms and devices, like laptops and iPhones.

“Clearly the consumer appetite is there, and it's growing. In responding to that, and to create even more value, choice and flexibility for our customers, we are now going to offer online and mobile access to Sky content at no extra charge. The future support of a nationwide Wi-Fi network will help us supercharge that experience further still.”

-END-

[Happy+Continge…]

In my opinion this is a backward step.

The good thing about WMC is that it aggregates all the different services together in one application.

In what way is accessing Sky via a web browser superior to accessing it via WMC? It's actually less user friendly and time consuming. Why have separate apps, when everything is already integrated?

Very angry at this news...

[Scubbie]

I'd have to agree with you.

I've never liked M$'s integration of Recording Rights protection, so I tend to use more friendly programs to play my MP3s & Movies. I now tend to use WinAmp for my music & VLC for videos. I no longer need to keep downloading & installing the latest CODEC for a new video or wait for a search to find a track I want to hear.

I don't like having to install lots of different applications to allow me to do something which another single application could have done better. WMC integrates several tasks, but it could be improved. It would be nice if it could integrate BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, 4-on-Demand and Demand 5.

Next year a new on-line service is launching and Sky, along with the other providers, has signed up to it. I can only hope that they won't be messing us around even more when that reaches the high street.

[Ger4-1Eng]

Can't say I'm too happy at the reduced number of devices I can have registered either.

But for those of you that want to watch iplayer, ITV ch4 etc inside MCE try this

http://www.milliesoft.co.uk/index.php/mce-software-1228996485/tunerfreemce

It's free and it just hooks straight in to MCE and gives it the functionality it deserves

Which is nice for us Brits as theyanks seem to get all the good additions but not us.

[Scubbie]

Thanks for that.

Although it works, it is a little buggy for my Win 7 Laptop.

I managed to get an error message playing something from Ch 4 & it crashed after playing something from BBC iPlayer.

Definitely something to keep an eye on for the future.

[Sawney]

get a tvcatchup account and install this. http://plugins.tvcatchup.com/~mce/ 64 + 32 bit pluggins at the bottom. Freeview.

[singy2]

why has it been dropped???

[Mattman]

This is crazy as I use it this way all the time.

[soundstud]

Do you have to remove Sky Player from pc (windows7)  to be able to download from Sky Go. I can sign into Sky go ok but can't download 

[caesarome]

I doesn't do any harm in removing it as you will not be able to use it anymore. Reboot your computer after you have done it and then give Skygo a try again.

[David+Zocchi]

http://www.milliesoft.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9:iplayer-mce&catid=1:softw...

i use this its bloody brilliant for bbc iplayer and ilot more channels

http://www.mediabrowser.tv/

and this for organising everything is beautiful and amazing and smoother and gets all your meta data and image covers

sorry for opening an old thread