24/7 High Definition (Sky HD)

Member Name: bozzy120

Product:	Sky HD
Date:	12/01/09 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clear, crisp viewing just as it should be

Disadvantages: Lack of channels though this is gradually increasing

We have been Sky customers for years and got Sky+ as soon as it was released a couple of years ago. (Can't imagine being without now, it's fab!) Despite having a nice 32" Sony HD ready LCD, we resisted the urge to get Sky+ HD due to the high initial charges. We already had the benefit of being able to watch blurays on the PS3 so had some "High Definition" action showing on our screen.

However, in Oct we treated ourselves to a new high spec Samsung 40" and could no longer resist the temptation for an HD picture 24/7! At the time Sky had an offer for existing customers of a half price box of £75 as opposed to the usual £150 and half price set-up of £30 as opposed to £60.

Less than two weeks later we had an engineer bring our sparkly new dark grey HD box (much better than the ghastly white sky+ box!). He was very helpful and the box was installed within 30 minutes without any problems.

The picture was instantly fantastic on some channels particularly on the especially scenic channels such as National Geograpic or Discovery channels, an incredibly clear picture with vivid strong colours. Not all programmes shown are true HD but only scaled up standard quality, for me you can instantly tell the difference though they are still better quality than the norm.

Current channel selection is limited though this is gradually increasing. There are currently approx 9 film channels, 4 sports , 1 music, 1 children's and the rest entertainment/documentaries. Anytime TV automatically shows programmes in HD where available and Box Office also shows most films in HD. We do take advantage of all the channels but particularly the Sports and Movie channels which in my opinion are fantastic, the difference between standard and high def is obvious. Transformers and The Incredible Hulk stick in my mind as particularly fantastic!

As I write this (Jan 09), there is currently approximately a 9 week wait for existing sky customers to upgrade to sky+ HD. This is at a cost of £99 for the box with a £60 one off standard set up cost as well as a £9.75 monthly subscription charge (The HD channels you receive depend on your Sky TV channel package. The HD Pack price is additional to your Sky TV subscription.) For new customers, charges are the same other than benefitting from a cheaper set up cost of £30 as opposed to £60.

Sky+ HD comes with all the benefits of Sky+ like pausing, rewinding and series link plus double the storage capacity.
For me Sky+ is definitely worth it, particularly if you enjoy sports and movies (I'd personally only take advantage of HD if I had the full package which we do) but I'm glad I didn't have a 9 week wait when I ordered my box!

Summary: Sky+ HD gives a dramatic improvement to your home viewing experience...make the move!