topic Re: Essentials package in Sky Q

Essentials package

Woodst — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:04:33 GMT

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month. Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box? I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

Re: Essentials package

oldfella — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:10:23 GMT

@Woodst wrote:

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month. Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box? I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

Hi @Woodst

See following link

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials

Anything on your Q box that you no longer have a Subscription for will not be accessible

The Sky basic package comes with your general Freeview channels alongside the Sky TV channels. See the list of the most popular Sky channels below: All the following will be in SD only

Sky Atlantic
Sky Showcase
Sky Max
Sky Comedy
Sky Sci-Fi
Sky Witness
Sky History
Sky Documentaries
Sky Crime
Sky Nature
Comedy Central
Peacock
Alibi
Nickelodeon

Re: Essentials package

nigea99 — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:12:44 GMT

@Woodst wrote:

I currently have sky Q and multiroom. It's now gone up to a £100 a month. Firstly if I move to Essentials will I lose the films and other programs on my box? I'd get rid of it but my son is disabled and loves certain films and quiz shows.

what channels can I watch with Essentials.

sorry for the questions just stressed about it all.

many thanks

hi @Woodst

Essentials is effectively Freesat via SKY Q so the channel list is here:

https://www.freesat.co.uk/channels

Any recordings you have from any 'subscription' channel (i.e. any not included above) will not be accessible after you downgrade (which include any SKY branded channels including SKY Cinema)

BTW At one time you could not have multiscreen with Essentials but I believe that may have changed

Re: Essentials package

Woodst — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:13:07 GMT

Ahh that's disappointing about the films. So hard to know what to do.

many thanks for your time.

Re: Essentials package

Woodst — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:16:11 GMT

Ps wow that's a lot of channels. My son loves challenge tv and that's on the list. I thought this was under entertainment package only so that's great news.

Re: Essentials package

nigea99 — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:42:29 GMT

@Woodst

One minor word of caution - some channels available via Esentials/Freesat may be in SD only & their HD counterparts being subscription (W being one) so any existing HD recordings from such channels may be inaccessible after a downgrade

Re: Essentials package

Woodst — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 10:54:42 GMT

Thank you for the warning that's really helpful.

Re: Essentials package

MattyBoy567 — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:01:33 GMT

Can I please ask regarding the essentials pack with a Q box, are the basics channels (bbc 1, ITV etc) in HD? Or are all of the channels in SD?

Re: Essentials package

Mister_Dalek — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:05:04 GMT

@MattyBoy567 wrote:
Can I please ask regarding the essentials pack with a Q box, are the basics channels (bbc 1, ITV etc) in HD? Or are all of the channels in SD?

The 'basics' channels are in HD. It's the same channel list that you get on FreeSat.

Re: Essentials package

TimmyBGood — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 16:24:31 GMT

@MattyBoy567

Sky advises that for some reason C4 and C5 catch-up service on Essentials is in SD.

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-essentials

Re: Essentials package

breamish22 — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:23:34 GMT

Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know how to overcome. Thanks

Re: Essentials package

PandJ2020 — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:39:11 GMT

@breamish22 wrote:
Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know how to overcome. Thanks

It's one of the 'free' channels that doesn't work in HD on Essentials.

You would need to subscribe to base HD pack as well to restore it.

Re: Essentials package

SKY1992bf — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:39:32 GMT

@breamish22 You would need to revert back to the previous base package you had along with adding the hd add on back

@breamish22 wrote:
Recently changed to sky essentials and now unable to view recordings from chanell 5HD, any one know how to overcome. Thanks

Re: Essentials package

kingkenny12 — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:38:23 GMT

I signed up for sky essentials record rewind pause (ech) yesterday i got a black Friday deal and I have a sky+Hd box I told sky I have no intentions of changing over to sky Q as I have zero interest in it. She told me thats fine it will be a rolling contract I can leave whenever I want. It's all up and running. So if anyone who thinks that sky arnt bothered about activating Sky+Hd boxes they most certainly are. give them a ring £5 a month the user friendly interface it suits me great and it has all the channels I want to watch.

Re: Essentials package

SKY1992bf — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 17:51:02 GMT

@kingkenny12 wrote:
I signed up for sky essentials record rewind pause (ech) yesterday i got a black Friday deal and I have a sky+Hd box I told sky I have no intentions of changing over to sky Q as I have zero interest in it. She told me thats fine it will be a rolling contract I can leave whenever I want. It's all up and running. So if anyone who thinks that sky arnt bothered about activating Sky+Hd boxes they most certainly are. give them a ring £5 a month the user friendly interface it suits me great and it has all the channels I want to watch.

@kingkenny12 you can certainly do what you have done if you downgrade an existing active package

but they won't do so if you don't currently have an active subscription

Re: Essentials package

kingkenny12 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 21:54:36 GMT

I never had a subscription I stopped subscribing to sky 4 months ago. All I had was the sky+hd box that was disconnect and laying around the house doing nothing. I was more than happy with YouTube. I just phoned them and they were more than happy to switch the box back on even though I never had a subscription. So all I would say is anyone who wants the essentials pack and has a sky Hd box without currently subscribing to sky, Give them a ring it took me 10 min.and it's a fiver a month.

Re: Essentials package

MattyBoy567 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 22:33:30 GMT

With a sky+ box you don't need to subscribe to Sky Essentials for the free to air channels, just plug it in. As long as you have a sky+ dish.

Our Q contract finished, so downgraded to Essentials to keep the Q box, otherwise you have to pay for the box.

Re: Essentials package

kingkenny12 — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 22:40:05 GMT

The only reason I pay the fiver a month for the sky hd is for the convenience of having the record rewind pause and the user friendly interface on the sky hd box. I get all the channels I need. So for me it's worth a fiver a month.

Re: Essentials package

AlexRDL — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:16:34 GMT

How'd you get iy for a fiver? Isn't essential 15?!

Re: Essentials package

kingkenny12 — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:27:34 GMT

My sky essentials is on sky+Hd and it was a black Friday deal last year. I would not pay £15 for what is basically Freesat some people mite but certainly not me. I have no idea how much essentials is now and I don't honestly care. I am on a rolling £5 quid a month. But for the record and pause facilities and I players it does me. As I have zero interest in sky's pay channels.