Ad skipping problems

[Paperboy61]

Hi! Have just moved to Sky and have Sky Stream. I've paid for ad skipping,  but it doesn't always work. An ad will come up and I hit fast-forward. A yellow line comes up and the dot moves across. However, when it gets to the end, it just freezes. Then if you press play. It just goes back to the start of the ad! Other times, the screen just goes black for 30 seconds or so, then plays the programme. Either way, despite paying for the service, it doesn't seem to work. Any suggestions?

[SlenderRobert]

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Hi! Have just moved to Sky and have Sky Stream. I've paid for ad skipping,  but it doesn't always work. An ad will come up and I hit fast-forward. A yellow line comes up and the dot moves across. However, when it gets to the end, it just freezes. Then if you press play. It just goes back to the start of the ad! Other times, the screen just goes black for 30 seconds or so, then plays the programme. Either way, despite paying for the service, it doesn't seem to work. Any suggestions?

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No suggestions I'm afraid. It's just flaky. And not worth £5pm.

[Fothergill1]

@Paperboy61I have also experienced the issue you mention and I imagine it is caused by the buffer not having sufficient time to catch up.  If I start experiencing the problem I find it helps to stop the FF just before the end of the adverts which gives the buffer a chance to catch up. 

As @SlenderRobert says, to use his words, Ad skipping is flaky.  How good or bad it is seems to depend on what App you are watching from.  

To charge anything for Ad Skipping is absurd as you are basically paying for the privilege of using a  FF button that barely works most of the time.

[Paperboy61]

Does SkyQ charge for Ad Skipping, too?

[SlenderRobert]

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Does SkyQ charge for Ad Skipping, too?

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No. It's the key difference between a stream and a recording on a hard drive. Sky have control over streams and ads which go on them. You have control over a recording and are free to skip through it without any additional charge. 

[Fothergill1]

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Does SkyQ charge for Ad Skipping, too?

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@Paperboy61 No they don't, with Sky Q you are actually recording the programmes so can FF any time you want and as it is recorded on the Sky Q box there is no buffering.  This is another reason why charging Stream customers is ludicrous.

[Paperboy61]

Perhaps I should consider switching over to SkyQ, then, but I guess it will be more expensive

[SlenderRobert]

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Perhaps I should consider switching over to SkyQ, then, but I guess it will be more expensive

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If you can have a dish and only need it on one TV then I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. It's a much more pleasurable viewing experience, faster and much more reliable. 

Whether it costs more or not is entirely dependent on individual circumstances. Nobody pays the same price for Sky's services - it depends on who you speak to any given day, and what package you agree upon. There are probably more deals around on Q, but you do have to commit to an 18 month contract. 

*EDIT - Just did a comparison as a new customer and Sky Q actually works out cheaper. 

On Sky Q, if you get Signature & Netflix, then add HD/UHD (which gives you Netflix Premium) it comes to £44pm on an 18month contract.

On Stream, if you get Entertainment & Netflix, then add UHD/Atmos, Ad Skipping and Netflix Premium, the total comes to £45pm.     

[TimmyBGood]

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@SlenderRobert wrote:

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Does SkyQ charge for Ad Skipping, too?

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You have control over a recording and are free to skip through it without any additional charge. 

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Well, at the moment, anyway.  It's a software function, not an absolute right.

[SlenderRobert]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@SlenderRobert wrote:

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@Paperboy61 wrote:

Does SkyQ charge for Ad Skipping, too?

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You have control over a recording and are free to skip through it without any additional charge. 

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Well, at the moment, anyway.  It's a software function, not an absolute right.

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I think the chances of Sky re-writing the Q software to detect ad breaks and prevent use of the fast forward button on the remote are very, very slim at this stage though!

[TimmyBGood]

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@SlenderRobert wrote:

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I think the chances of Sky re-writing the Q software to detect ad breaks and prevent use of the fast forward button on the remote are very, very slim at this stage though!

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Comcast might, though....

I think you are probably right: given satellite may not have more than a five year lifespan from this point anyway, significant change to the Q platform seems unlikely.

[slaters]

@Paperboy61 which platform are you having troube with i.e itv, ch4, 5, sky or all ? 

i find it works fine on all of them except the occasional problem with Sky on demand shows, have you tried fast forwarding on the slowest or second option rather than the fastest, i find sometimes its  the fastest option that causes issues. 

[Paperboy61]

I think mainly on ITVX, but all of them really. Haven't tried the "slower" option, but will give it a go