topic Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream in Sky Stream

Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

PortlandBill — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:13:08 GMT

4 months in and seriously regretting my decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream. I mean, the channels are all very much the same, but even the ones that you'd think would work better on Sky (I'm thinking specifically Sky Showcase) actually works better on Virgin. Virgin will record Showcase, meaning i can watch it when I want to, fast forward, rewind, and pause, not to mention skipping all the ads. On Sky, i have to watch Showcase programs at the time they're on, not later, when convenient to me.

And what's with the remote control? I can understand they want it simple, but it means you don't get simple but easy to use buttons like "switch between channels" , subtitles on/off, 4 dedicated colour buttons, etc.

And why, I when I switch it on, doesn't it go to the previously used channel? I have to go through the guide to find it, everytime.

And what's with the interfaces with ITVX and 4? Fast forward and rewind are awful, you have to watch all the adverts multiple times, and often get just a black screen while it passes the time that would have been filled with adverts on the live showing. And now, when I pause, I get a static screen ad. Sky certainly are monetising every possible second.

I've ended up with nothing more than freeview, with poor interfaces to a series of apps, and a featureless remote.

The Playlist can't handle series like formula 1 (it doesn't describe in enough detail what episode is what, I or which race is showing, etc), and the Guide doesn't give any details about when each program was 1st released so I have no idea if "series 7 episode 11" is the latest or from 5 years ago.

The Sky guide doesn't even allow you to look back in time, so if I missed a program yesterday I can't just find it on the guide, hit play and watch it like I could with the Virgin guide. And why does the guide list all the channels I don't get? Scrolling through pages and pages to get to the channels I do get, what a time waster. I know I can set my favourites, but that list has to be constantly edited, every time there's a channel change.

All these things are so much better with Virgin, I will be changing back at the end of my contract (or, hopefully, I'll get the option to cancel the next time Sky increase my subscription - they've already tried that despite me only being 4 months into an 18 month contract).

1 thing in Sky's favour - the WiFi is more reliable and achieves the expected speeds and coverage. I'll be keeping that.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

GD1 — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:46:35 GMT

@PortlandBill Sky stream has never had the ability to record, you add things to a playlist, you really can't compare the syetsm to a Virgon Media box with a hard drive, I'm guessing from your post you did no research as all the relevant info about stream is freely available.

Shame you're past the 31 day cool off 🙂

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

PortlandBill — Sat, 20 Jul 2024 18:36:33 GMT

@GD1yes, it is all out there, and good to have it all confirmed that it's as bad as I have found. I shouldn't have believed the sales guy who told me how great the playlist system (and the guide) is.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Nigelb1972 — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:04:59 GMT

@PortlandBill I moved from a system where you could record locally to Sky Stream a year ago and I find that the combination of apps and cloud recording works really well and really don't miss local recording at all. And the playlist system works well as I've got a Playlist for my stuff, my wife has hers and we have a family one ..

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Exiled-in-HH — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 07:24:01 GMT

If you wanted to make recordings and have a HDD ... Sky Q would have been a better choice or EE TV (with a more more limited selection of channels)🤔

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 10:21:21 GMT

The majority of sky programming from sky channels is actually recorded now via sky stream, albeit to the cloud as is the majority of programmes from CH5. With the recent software update, it tells you whether the programme is being recorded or added to playlist for on demand apps.

In respect of you passing the 30 day point, this makes absolutely no difference, you will be able to cancel stream without charge or penalty. This is due to the digital communications act, just phone sky and tell them you wish to cancel.

For all tense and purposes the contracts are a period of time that you have the price for, albeit with annual increases.

if you aren't happy, simply cancel

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 10:24:08 GMT

@GD1 This isn't true, sky stream does record, it records many programmes to the cloud. Most of Ch 5 programmes are now recorded, as are most of skys own programmes. Just because something isn't physically recorded to a hard drive doesn't mean it isn't still recorded. Recording to the cloud is not different to recording to a hard drive, just a different way of doing it

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

TimmyBGood — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 11:15:25 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:

Recording to the cloud is not different to recording to a hard drive, just a different way of doing it

Realistically it is different, though, because everything that goes through a Q satellite tuner can end up on the Q hard drive with playback available as long as the user keeps subscribing and the disk keeps spinning.

Cloud 'recording' on Glass/Stream is a subset of content with a years retention (unless the rights owner decides otherwise) : it's fundamentally much less within the control of the user.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Mister_Dalek — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 11:13:27 GMT

@TimmyBGood wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Recording to the cloud is not different to recording to a hard drive, just a different way of doing it
Realistically it is different, though, because everything that goes through a Q satellite tuner can end up on the Q hard drive with playback available as long as the user keeps subscribing and the drive keeps spinning.

Cloud 'recording' on Glass/Stream is a subset of content with a years retention (unless the rights owner decides otherwise)

Plus the fact that there isn't actually a 'recording' which the user can delete.

As far as we know, there is no actual individual cloud storage space for each Sky Stream customer. All these 'cloud recordings' are just a marked section of a broadcast stream, stored on Sky's main server which anyone who added that particular show to their playlist has access to until they remove it from their playlist or the rights holder decides to remove it.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Robb0 — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 12:14:33 GMT

With regards to the controller and the "switch between channels" button, you just press up and down on the directional wheel to quickly go up and down channels (if I think that's what you mean)

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

PortlandBill — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 12:51:58 GMT

@Robb0 if I'm watching a movie on, say, channel 72, and I want to see the score of a football match on channel 3, I can just press a button and swap between those channels. I haven't found a way to do that on Stream.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Robb0 — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 13:44:09 GMT

@PortlandBill ah I see what you mean. I think you'd need to press home button then click left to switch to your last channel. Also works when you switch on for first time and want to go to last channel.

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

MarkGoldsmith — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 13:52:33 GMT

@Robb0 wrote:
@PortlandBill ah I see what you mean. I think you'd need to press home button then click left to switch to your last channel. Also works when you switch on for first time and want to go to last channel.

Pressing left on the default rail on the Home Screen will scroll through the last few apps or channels you have been watching

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:23:25 GMT

I completely disagree. Whether something is recorded locally on a hard drive or via the cloud, it makes no difference, it's recorded. As for deleting something on the cloud, you simply remove from the playlist. Does it matter what the storage level is ? Has anyone actually been told ever that they've breached it ? I doubt it. Some folk are never happy, sky has made great progress here and listened to customers. It's clear where they have agreed the rights with broadcaster they are allowing local recording to the cloud. Pretty much all of skys own programming is recorded to the cloud as is channel 5

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:26:28 GMT

@TimmyBGood can you please provide evidence of the max 12 months storage via cloud please, I would be interested to see this in writing. Cheers

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

TimmyBGood — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:35:21 GMT

@Anonymous

From the drop-down 'Programme not showing in your Playlist'

Shows saved for 12 months

Most shows and movies in your Playlist will be saved for 12 months. Some that are available through a TV app, like Netflix or ITVX, might not be available for that long, as they have different contractual agreements.

For example, most programmes from BBC iPlayer are available for 12 months. But some, like Match of the Day or the News, aren't available for as long.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/your-playlist-and-tv-guide-sky-glass

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:41:58 GMT

That makes no specific mention of cloud recording and even quotes a programme from iPlayer, where does it specifically state that programmes recorded via cloud are held for 12 months ?? It doesn't

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Mister_Dalek — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 15:06:58 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
That makes no specific mention of cloud recording and even quotes a programme from iPlayer, where does it specifically state that programmes recorded via cloud are held for 12 months ?? It doesn't

I think the issue is there is no specific clarity as to how the entire streaming platform works. It's constantly evolving and they're making things up as they go, and not updating these 'help' guides because things change all the time.

The fact of the matter is, Sky Stream isn't marketed as having a DVR. If it was then everyone would expect to be able to cloud record anything they wanted, and delete those recordings much like they would do on Q. That's how proper cloud DVR services work.

But Sky Stream isn't and never was intended to be a DVR.

Until there comes a point in time where Sky reaches some sort of agreement with every major broadcaster in the UK to allow their channel streams to be cloud recorded, Sky Stream can't be called a DVR or be expected to act like one. This is why Sky have cleverly coined the phrase 'playlist it' - this covers them for actual cloud recordings and catch up content provided by third party apps.

The line in that article about 'shows saved for 12 months' is suitably vague. Does anyone currently have anything in their playlist that they remember adding more than 12 months ago? A one off show that hasn't had any other episodes released since? Do Sky automatically clear 'dead' links in a customer's playlist after 12 months, if it's a show which has been cancelled and isn't going to have another episode added?

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 16:06:51 GMT

@Mister_Dalek you are actually not correct, to the contrary when sky stream was launched it stated that cloud recording was available up to a maximum of 1000 hours on the initial promotion material.

Sky can only allowed cloud recording where there is an agreement with the broadcaster. This is clearly possible however as the BT tv box has full cloud recording, I understand

Re: Bad decision to change from Virgin to Sky Stream

Hunter2660 — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 16:15:06 GMT

The BT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Mister_Dalek you are actually not correct, to the contrary when sky stream was launched it stated that cloud recording was available up to a maximum of 1000 hours on the initial promotion material.

Sky can only allowed cloud recording where there is an agreement with the broadcaster. This is clearly possible however as the BT tv box has full cloud recording, I understand

The BTTV box is a normal pvr that records onto it's internal HDD, including all ip channels. Interestingly you can't fast forward through the ads on any recording on ITV, even with an ITVX sub. The shape of things to come?