topic Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system? in Sky Q

Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 09:47:17 GMT

Not sure I have the right board ! Not a customer yet.

Currently with Virgin Media VM) and looking to change. Their TV box is very good and my wife likes it, lol. It can store multiple progs whilst we watch another. I understand the SKY TV box cant store programs?

So can a user log progs to watch, say in a series or other wise, and then download them as required? If this is the case then how many progs and for how long do they reamin to view. If this is true it is rather like the SKY servers store the progs of interest rather than the VM TV box.

I picked up somewhere that its possible to scroll backwards on a prog being watched for up to 45 minutes, Is this correct? Is there any slow motion feature?

Thanks Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

MightyQuinn — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:02:31 GMT

Hi @Tempo2 There are 3 types of Sky TV, Sky Q (record up to 6 other channels while watching another), Stream (which is a streaming service, save to a play list to view later) and Glass TV is is a TV with Stream built in.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

PandJ2020 — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:04:00 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
understand the SKY TV box cant store programs?

You've posted in the Q forum - so I presume you're asking about Q? (That is primarily satellite dish system)

Q has a hard disk which can store live recorded programmes or downloaded content.

So can a user log progs to watch, say in a series or other wise, and then download them as required? If this is the case then how many progs and for how long do they reamin to view.

Yes, multiple downloads can be stored. Q does not have the concept of 'users' - so all content is shared with all users.

Recorded content doesn't have an expiry, some download content does depending on the programme.

I picked up somewhere that its possible to scroll backwards on a prog being watched for up to 45 minutes, Is this correct? Is there any slow motion feature?

Yes, you can rewind live TV (back as far as the channel was selected). No slow motion.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 10:53:17 GMT

Thanks for quick replies.

I didnt know that SKY Q was satellite. I would rather not have a dish unless it has a reputation of being the best service. It would please my wife that it has a box to store locally TV progs.

I take it the terrestrial services are some type of modem as SKY, as far as I know, doesnt have fibre pass the house as VM does? Unless they have a sharing arrangement with VM? Do the terrestrial service have Broadband adequate for most peoples needs?

thanks Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

PandJ2020 — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 11:10:41 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
I take it the terrestrial services are some type of modem as SKY, as far as I know, doesnt have fibre pass the house as VM does? Unless they have a sharing arrangement with VM? Do the terrestrial service have Broadband adequate for most peoples needs?

You can connect Sky TV services to VM broadband.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:09:56 GMT

Thanks for reply. Yes! as VM customers we have many SKY TV progs but I believe that SKY does not have a sharing arrangement to use VM fibre for no longer their customers. So if I had the non satelite package how does SKY supply this? Is it some sort of rafio transmission as telephone lines no longer exist for use of modems.

thanks Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

PandJ2020 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:16:07 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
So if I had the non satelite package how does SKY supply this? Is it some sort of rafio transmission as telephone lines no longer exist for use of modems.

Over the Internet. And you can use your VM broadband just fine for that.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:47:59 GMT

No! Sorry I dont understand. If I change from VM to SKY I wont have VM Broadband.

thanks Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

PandJ2020 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 08:56:03 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
No! Sorry I dont understand. If I change from VM to SKY I wont have VM Broadband.

You can have your broadband with VM and have your TV with Sky.

Sky streaming works over the Internet, whoever supplies it to you.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

nigea99 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:36:37 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:

No! Sorry I dont understand. If I change from VM to SKY I wont have VM Broadband.

thanks Tempo2

hi @Tempo2

It is not fully clear as to what you are asking - are you asking about switching just the TV or TV and Broadband (Internet)

Most of the answers have been just on the TV element

If you switch your broadband as well as the TV then SKY Broadband is delivered to your house either via the old telephone wire (FTTC - Fibre to the Cabinet & then the final bit over the telephone Cable) or via Fibre to your House (FTTP Fibre to the premises) depending on what is availble in your area. If FTTP then it would be via a new fibre cable either underground or from a Telephone pole as they do not share with VM

Regarding TV - the internet delivered version SKY Stream is delivered via the internet (which could be your existing VM if you do not switch broadband)

Note SKY Stream is just streaming and does not store recordings on a local box - you add programmes to a 'Play list'

SKy Q (which records to the box) gets TV via a Satellite Dish and also download & use of apps via any internet connection

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

TimmyBGood — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 16:28:32 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:

as telephone lines no longer exist for use of modems.

That would be somewhat surprising news to the twenty million UK households which receive their broadband over the national Openreach copper and optical network....

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 07:58:15 GMT

Sorry for confusion. I meant that telegraph poles and copper wire are on the way out. Most media providors offer VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) where the so called land line phone signals travel on the internet.

There will still be copper, underground I guess, that travel from the users house to the nearest fibre cabinet (this is what BT do if you ask Goggle). Some users may be lucky and have the fibre passing their building and go super fast without the copper.

Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

MightyQuinn — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 08:15:01 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
I meant that telegraph poles and copper wire are on the way out.

Hi @Tempo2 My Full Fibre 600 mbps broadband is delivered to my house from a telegraph pole (flying wires) like millions of other households.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

nigea99 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 08:10:25 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:

Sorry for confusion. I meant that telegraph poles and copper wire are on the way out. Most media providors offer VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) where the so called land line phone signals travel on the internet.

There will still be copper, underground I guess, that travel from the users house to the nearest fibre cabinet (this is what BT do if you ask Goggle). Some users may be lucky and have the fibre passing their building and go super fast without the copper.

Tempo2

@Tempo2 telegraph poles are not completely on the way out - for some (myself included) the fibre connections are still made using telegraph poles with Fibre cables then overhead to the premises just like the old copper wires were.

In fact contractors on behalf of Virgin Media have just been cabling round my area and whilst they have dug many footpaths, they have also cabled up the same telegraph poles that BT openreach added Fibre connections to a few years ago.

BTW It does make them look rather unsightly as the fibre connection boxes on the poles are quite large (especially when there is doubling up by having BT Openreach & VM on the same poles) and the copper wires are still left , resulting in both copper & fibre going to many premises.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 09:33:34 GMT

Interesting. Poles gone in parts where I live. I had wondered what those 'sausage like' boxes were on some poles

thanks Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Chodley — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 05:35:14 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:
Interesting. Poles gone in parts where I live. I had wondered what those 'sausage like' boxes were on some poles

thanks Tempo2

Fibre to the property, whether underground or via poles, has been available for non-VM customers in many more areas than VM serve for about 10 years. Openreach are rolling it (out at a snail's pace) across the country and local independents too although with the latter, which is what I have, I think you are tied to that ISP.

TV and broadband do not have to be provided by the same supplier but they usually give you a decent discount for bundling them.

But many people prefer the way Q works over Stream, per your local recordings comments, and while it uses the internet for on-demand and streaming apps, it does require a dish.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

TimmyBGood — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 06:46:32 GMT

@Tempo2

The national network provider simply isn't permitted to plan to leave households without broadband service. There are going to be 80,000+ new FTTP activations every week between now and December 2026 to meet the 85% 'commercially viable' coverage target.

The remaining 15% of properties are distinctly harder to reach, and will require alternative methods (primarily cellular with some satellite and long range wireless provision) or additional funding.

In the interim the copper network will remain in place: the scheduled PSTN switch-off is not the end of metallic circuits.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

Tempo2 — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 10:16:30 GMT

For situations, where telegraph poles have been removed, then the old ducts, from the poles, that used to connect to the system would still be there. So these would be used to connect SKY services to the nearest fibre box?

Trying to understand the connectivity of broadband and TV (yes! I appreciate they are separate). Would the SKY hub, with its Internet conncetion, be near my PC and connected to it via Ethernet? Its old and doesnt do WI-FI but is adequate for my needs.

Then, either the hub or the PC? , again via Ethernet, connect to the router for WI-FI for the TV? For a VOIP phone this would simply plug into the hub.

Thanks for verifying if I'm thinking on the right lines (or other wise 😁)

Tempo2

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

TimmyBGood — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 11:51:16 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:

For situations, where telegraph poles have been removed, then the old ducts, from the poles, that used to connect to the system would still be there. So these would be used to connect SKY services to the nearest fibre box?

FTTP doesn't use 'fibre boxes' (Openreach cabinets) : those are populated by copper cable 'phone' pairs, and the optical network has a completely different topology. Ducts and poles remain relevant for both fibre backhaul and getting drop cable from local distribution points to individual properties, and will eventually have all the metallic circuits removed from them.

Re: Is Sky TV downloads like a store and forward system?

TimmyBGood — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 13:07:58 GMT

@Tempo2 wrote:

Would the SKY hub, with its Internet conncetion, be near my PC

Not necessarily

and connected to it via Ethernet? Its old and doesnt do WI-FI but is adequate for my needs.

That's outside the remit of the ISP

Then, either the hub or the PC? , again via Ethernet, connect to the router for WI-FI for the TV?

Router to TV, but again up to the householder to sort out

For a VOIP phone this would simply plug into the hub.

A standard analogue handset or DECT base, not a VoIP phone. It's the router which does the conversion.