Digital Reality (Sky Digital)

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Product:	Sky Digital
Date:	09/07/02 (351 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Choice, Interactive, Consumer Support

Disadvantages: Some Disconnections

Sky Digital has certainly established itself as the most secure and trust worthy Digital service; after the cracking of ITV Digital and the mounting complaints about Telewest it seems that Sky Digital is the only sure bet for the consumer.


Installing Sky Digital is very simple; you will more than likely receive a leaflet through your door, which shall give you details about the service and how you can apply. If you have not received one then you can go online and visit their site (I can't give URL due to Dooyoo Terms Of Agreement) but simply launch a search on Yahoo UK and it should pop right up.


The initial charge for installation is £100, but it is always subject to change but this is what I paid. Before you can apply, you must confirm that you are in a digital area and thus eligible to receive Sky Digital; believe it or not there are actually parts of the country which don't receive digital television, but this is often very rare. Once confirmed, an installation man should pop round and install your Digibox. This is a small black box, which rests underneath or above your television, whichever is preferable. You should get a small card with it, which is like a login card of authentication.


Now, although the channels go all the way up to 999, don't expect there to be this many channels. There are often huge gaps between numbers such as Sky One 106 and UK Gold 110. Therefore it is a bit of an illusion saying that there are 999 channels. However, Sky are always filling the gaps with new channels so I guess in a way, one day all these gaps should be all relatively filled, just not yet!


In saying this the amount of channels that you can watch largely depends on the package that you get. This ranges from the family package which has no sport or movie channels, just living UK, cartoon network, sky one and other general channels to the Sky World package which consists of everything, from the sports c
hannels to the movie channels. However, the packages are fully customisable, you may choose to get Sky Moviemax but not Sky Premier, as this is more expensive.


The services that individual channels offer as a consequence of having Sky Digital are truly remarkable. During the football season, the sports channels allow sports pundits everywhere to enjoy different camera angles and replays on the match that they are watching.


I haven't really noticed any dramatic change in the quality of the picture although this was supposed to be a big drive behind the idea of Digital Television. I suspect that it depends largely on where you are in the country and also the quality of your television. Don't expect any miracles.


The interactive service I must say is brilliant and something, which I really didn't expect. Not only are there so many options such as Shopping, Sports, and even Games but also the service in my experience has never been down and ordering goods off it is fast and simple. The games although not PS2 quality, allow a bit of amusement during the many breaks that the channels often enjoy taking.


The support for the service is quick and efficient. I find that most problems can be sorted over the phone and simply consists of taking a few orders from the assistant.


However, there are some problems which can't be fixed, when there is heavy rain or hail stone, you may find that the Digibox displays, "Not Receiving A Signal"; in this case, you have just got to wait although this waiting only ever lasts a few minutes and is very rare.


Sky Digital is fully customisable and this is something, which I love so much about it. Not only does it have its own TV Guide, but also the guys are always coming up with new ideas. For instance, they have even invented a program, which allows users to plan the channels they want to watch with an Auto View feature included. What
can I say other than Sky Digital I the voice of the future which is echoing the new age of television, don't be deaf to its music.

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