Sky Stream has no recording, and NHK World is no longer available...

[Eoin_OShea]

So... I've been a reasonably long time customer with Virgin Media, but I recently changed to Sky because I was priced out of my contract.

The issue is, my mother is a long-time customer with Sky, so knowing her experience, and her hardware, I thought I'd be getting a proper box, and that I'd still be able to record. My mother also has access to the live feed of NHK World (and can still record it!), which recently dropped out of Virgin Media's listings. I was disappointed to learn that both of these are not available on Sky Stream, and despite mentioning wanting to get back to watching NHK World's live feed during my setup, I was NOT informed that the channel was no longer available via Sky Stream, and that Sky Stream doesn't provide recording.

Given Virgin Media still does provide recording, I'm rather disappointed that Sky does not anymore. I used the recording service with Virgin Media a lot, and there's a fair number of digital channels that STILL don't provide an on demand service (and that don't allow you to watch certain programs after the live broadcast), so the playlist system doesn't always work for me.

The frustrating thing is that Sky does so many other things right for me, that it's impossible for me to consider going back to Virgin, or moving to another provider. I can't even ask for a Q box (there IS a dish already attached to my house) because they don't provide them anymore. I just can't believe how frustrating it is when I literally talked about these things during the setup, and they didn't tell me that they were no longer supplied.

I don't know if Sky would even consider addressing this... I'm just disappointed.

[oj01 · Accepted solution]

@Eoin_OShea Sky Q is still available for new customers, but you appear to have ordered Sky Stream. If you're still within your cooling off period, phone Sky and switch to Sky Q. 

[Stephen+Mourton]

@Eoin_OShea   When you say you can't record on Sky Stream, technically that's is true, but in reality with the exception of 'live' programs there is no need to record.  Virtually all other programs are there to watch whenever you want including all past episodes or seasons.  To act as a reminder you can add programs and all previous seasons to the Playlist and they will all be there to watch when you want.  

[TimmyBGood]

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@Eoin_OShea wrote:

I don't know if Sky would even consider addressing this... I'm just disappointed.

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Sky Glass/Stream not having local storage is fundamental to the nature of the platform.

Whether individual channel owners choose to be distributed is not up to Sky.

[Angel_Aka]

@Eoin_OShea 

Sky Q, the satellite delivered and recordable Sky TV service (with more channels) is still available, but can only be ordered over the phone. 
You can switch from a streamed TV service to Q by calling Sky. 

[Stephen+Mourton]

@Eoin_OShea It is good you have found your answer.  It is worth pointing out the SkyQ is no longer being developed, which isn't that important as it is a perfectly good system as it is.  However it is Skys intention to discontinue the system in the relative near future.  Although to the best of my knowledge  date for that has yet been set, it is expected within the next few years.

[Eoin_OShea]

Sadly, from what I've read, Sky Q is prohibitively expensive now (presumably to force anyone hoping to be able to record to put up with the playlist service). I'm not happy with that, but I hear Virgin is also getting rid of recording (if they haven't already), so it's all streaming from here on (which sucks because it means broadcasters can just have things disappear as they please). While preservationists might be able to go out of their way to ensure that some record of these things exist, it's a shame that broadcasters (as well as many other media companies, see the nightmare that is games preservation, for example) do not appreciate the ability to have such things available.

[Eoin_OShea]

Virtually isn't the same as definitely though. Broadcasters can still have things disappear if they see fit - and while it was also possible with recorded stuff on Sky and Virgin, they were often given a much longer stay of execution, so to speak. That extra breathing room was really helpful with longer programs that required a significant amount of free time to get through. Now, it's just 'oh, it's gone? Tough'.

[Eoin_OShea]

Yes, but they could just choose to not be available on Sky. And Sky always did have the ability to stop certain channels and programs from being recorded at the broadcaster's behest. It's just that now, it can't be stored locally, so when the internet goes down, the whole service is inaccessible.

[Eoin_OShea]

@Angel_Aka Yeah, but as I said to Stephen+Mourton though, Sky Q is prohibitively expensive now. And of course, Sky are keeping it VERY quiet so people don't know it still exists.

[Eoin_OShea]

...ok, new to this forum, didn't realise the formatting of this forum doesn't make it clear which post is replying to what (and worse, you can't edit any of it).

Post 7 was addressing Post 2 from @oj01 (but what I said is relevant to anyone really)
Post 8 was addressing Post 3 and 6 from @Stephen+Mourton 
Post 9 was addressing Post 4 from @TimmyBGood 
Post 10 I correctly tagged as being for @Angel_Aka addressing Post 5, but I wrongly said I mentioned the cost issue in my reply to Stephen+Mourton, it's actually mentioned in Post 7 to oj01.

Hopefully I'll be used to this format when anything else goes wrong. Because if anything is certain, it's a matter of when, not if.

[Daniel0210]

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@Eoin_OShea wrote:

(and worse, you can't edit any of it).

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@Eoin_OShea 

You can edit your own posts (for up to 2 hours after posting) once you've reached Level 3. 

[Hunter2660]

We're in a different world now. Time shifting was begrudgingly allowed, but recording to keep wasn't, it's just that it couldn't be enforced by law. And anyway videotape and PVR's had a limited lifespsan so once the tape got mangled in the machine, or your PVR went **bleep** up, that was the end of archiving that particular "programme". Basically if there's anything you desperately need to keep, buy the DVD/Blueray. At least you are pretty much guaranteed to keep it, and it'll be in better quality.