Sky making older receivers redundant

[FastEddie1]

Worrying seeing as many people still have and are pretty happy with Sky+ HD...

https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/how-sky-is-now-making-older-receivers-redundant/

[Padam_Padam]

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@FastEddie1 wrote:

Worrying seeing as many people still have and are pretty happy with Sky+ HD...

https://rxtvinfo.com/2024/how-sky-is-now-making-older-receivers-redundant/

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Broadcasting via satellite is expensive. Streaming is cheap in comparison. It's a slow but steady transition but one we'll all have to make, probably before the decade is out. Those satellites aren't going to be up there forever...

We've made the switch already and are now a 100% streaming TV household. We don't miss the recording capability of Sky+ HD or Q at all.  

[Mark39]

@FastEddie1 it's unsurprising as Sky+HD is a legacy platform. As it stands, Sky+HD boxes will, however, continue to receive all the channels they currently receive. As the article mentions, they've lost some interactive functionality, but much, if not all of it is available online anyway. 

All Sky+HD boxes are likely to be on borrowed time. The most recent boxes are 9 years old, and hard disks don't last forever.

[TimmyBGood]

@FastEddie1 

Note that it's pre-HD boxes which are rendered effectively useless by this change: Sky+ HD is losing some relatively minor functionality, but not (at the moment) any channels.

Given that the era of satellite television as a whole is probably drawing to a close (at least in the UK) it's quite possible that Sky will keep both HD and Q going for another few years and then close both simultaneous.

[FastEddie1]

I got a new HD box off Sky at the end of 2019 so it's not that old.

I'll probably skip the Sky Q and go straight to the streaming when the time comes. I just hope that it's a while yet and the new system is as easy and reliable as Sky+ has been.

[Mark39]

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@FastEddie1 wrote:

I got a new HD box off Sky at the end of 2019 so it's not that old.

It's unlikely it was new, bearing in mind they hadn't been made for at least 4 years. More likely refurbished. 

[MusicIsGr8]

My sky+hd box has a lost signal for 4 days Ive just rang up tech help and told them I did all the checks that tells u what to do online.  They said there  is only 1 more check to do n thats a 4 min hold on the standby button and that didnt work.  They wanted me to go over to skyq cos they've stopped the manufacturing of the box and stopped the engineer call outs for that box.  They said either I can pay for a local engineer to come or go to skyq, i feel like I cant go to skyq bc I have a 97% full planner of films, cookery shows, and other shows I havent watched yet I dont want to lose this hard drive full of stuff.  Can anyone help me plz 

[Mark39]

If you're seeing a 'no satellite signal' message, it's most likely a problem with your dish setup. Did you try turning the box off at the plug, then disconnecting and reconnecting the dish cables? Failing that, Sky are right - you would have to engage a local satellite engineer to come out and take a look at your expense (unless you have Sky Protect).

The alternative is indeed to upgrade to Sky Q. Bear in mind your Sky+HD hard disk will fail eventually anyway and you'll lose all your saved recordings when it does. Your box must already be at least 9 years old.....

[TimmyBGood]

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@FastEddie1 wrote:

I just hope that it's a while yet and the new system is as easy and reliable as Sky+ has been.

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Given how much more a streaming system is doing, both on the surface and under the hood, that's not a particularly realistic hope.  

Would you expect a smartphone to be 'as easy and reliable' as a rotary dial GPO handset?