Sky launched a new feature for Sky+ (and HD) users today - Remote Record. This allows users to set-up Sky+ recordings via:
- Text message
- Sky by Mobile
- Sky.com
Text Message
You first need to register your mobile to your phone. Then you can simply send a text to 61759 in the format Programme title. Channel Number. Day/Month. Time. i.e.
24. Sky 1. 02/07. 21:00.
You will get a confirmation message if the details are correct. If they aren’t you will get a text message with four options that are the nearest match to your request. Select which option and the recording is added. If you are unsure of the time send Programme title to the above number and again you will get a text returned with a list of the next available programs. All very smart but the text request will cost 25p plus normal text charges. I can also see problems in entering the program titles correctly. Still, there are easier ways to use this service.
Sky by Mobile
Sky by Mobile has been around for a while allowing you to get news and video’s via your mobile. From today you can also set Sky+ recordings. For this to work you need a compatible handset, to have linked your Sky box to your mobile and then download a java app to your phone. Once downloaded, installed and run it is very easy to view the full Sky tv guide, select programs to record and also search for a program by keying in a title and letting the app find it for you. Key for me is that this service is free - you only pay for the data you’ve downloaded as per your normal service provider charges. It also doesn’t download much data meaning this is by far the cheapest way of remotely using your Sky box. Another reason for looking at T-Mobiles great web surfing deals.
Sky.com
Not available yet (August is the rumour) but hopefully this will be the easiest way of remote recording. Login to Sky.com, browse the channel list and select a program to record it. Sounds simple and hopefully the interface will be quick and easy to use.
Nice to see these features being added. Always handy in case you forget to set a recording.
It’s been four weeks since Sky HD was installed - here are my thoughts so far.
Sports
The World Cup in HD looks amazing. I was really impressed with most of the BBC coverage. A couple of the games earlier in the tournament seemed to be of lower bit rate which made the picture look slightly blurred as it moved. Apart from that I have no complaints with the BBC - just a shame ITV showed their HD games on Telewest only as when you swapped to an ITV game you got a pixelly unfocussed mess that rammed home the benefits of HD. Looking forward to Premiership and Ryder Cup.
Wimbledon has also been great. Centre and No 1 courts were displayed in HD and the difference was massive. I saw no blurring of the ball as reported elsewhere but I think some of these issues are down to poor quality tv’s rather than the broadcast itself. One point to note - the BBC suffered from a dead pixel. Well I found it quite funny - wonder if they’ll get a refund on their equipment or did they buy it from a firm that only offers returns for more than five dead pixels?
Movies
HD films + Dolby Digital 5.1 sound = better than upscaled DVD experience. Spiderman 2 and Sin City looked vastly superior to the non upscaled DVD versions and still better even when the DVD was upscaled. The only issue is that some broadcasts are using Dolby Pro Logic II which just isn’t as good as Dolby Digital. Oddly second or third broadcasts of the films (Spiderman for example) did have Dolby Digital unlike their original screenings.
Despite that if you like movies and you’ve got an HD Ready TV then it’s a no brainer - Sky HD really is that good. Will have to wait and see if they are as good as HD-DVD/Blu-Ray although I would have through the new hi-def disks will be better again (less compression I imagine).
Programming
Lack of content is the main issue. Sky One are broadcasting HD repeats through the night which shows just how good the programs will look - the only problem is I’ve seen most of them already. BBC HD is a trial service with repeats and Nat Geog and Discovery aren’t showing much new. The main issue is that many of the US import series have ended and so we’re waiting for them to start. Also there are still few programs shot in HD, especially in the UK which is a situation that will only improve.
Be interesting to see what ITV and Channels 4 & 5 do (if anything) over the coming months with regards HD. However for most channels I’m getting a better image than my Freeview box could offer so I’m still pleased - just need a bit more in HD.
Technology
Sky HD’s achilles heel is the hardware itself. Firstly 160Gb is small when recording HD content. 140 Gb is being reserved by Sky for a future download service - would be nice to have option to use it depending on whether you sign up for the service. Secondly Sky has problems with reliability and glitches. According to the Sunday Herald around 30% of users have had hardware problems. More worrying are reports that TV’s are being damaged by the Sky hardware, most prone being Pioneer models when the HDMI port is used. I’ve had a couple of box freezes but thankfully no missed recordings…yet. Firmware updates will sort out the latter but failing and damaging hardware is a far bigger issue that would only be fixed by repair/recall. Hopefully it won’t end up that way.
Overall I’m really chuffed with Sky HD. The Sky+ functionality is superb (should have got it ages ago) and the picture from HD channels is amazing. However I wouldn’t recommend getting it without looking at what is being broadcast first to avoid any disappointment. Sport and movie fans though will love it.
It finally arrived late yesterday - Sky HD. I’ve only watched a few HD broadcasts so far but I’m very impressed with HD and also the upscaled SD transmissions via the new Sky box. The box itself looks great and is pretty quiet - nothing to trouble you while watching and only a slight noise when recording and the TV is off which is only to be expected.
The BBC HD channel is the most impressive. Clips from Planet Earth are amazing and like others have said the HD adds real depth to whatever you are watching. I’ve not had time to take some photo’s yet but from the others I’ve seen on the web they don’t capture how much of a difference HD can make.
World Cup broadcasts have been superb - no motion blurring and just so much detail compared to the SD channel broadcasting the same game. No Dolby Digital 5.1 which was supposed to be part of the HD broadcasts. I guess it still is a test service for the BBC.
Sky Sports cricket was looking superb in HD also. Sky One HD was a bit iffy - mostly upscaled stuff that wasn’t true HD and it showed. Discovery and National Geographic were also very good.
The box has been reliable so far apart from one instance - I watched a recording and then switched back to normal viewing - the video seemed to stutter every 3 or 4 seconds. Switching the box off and on resolved the problem so it’s probably a firmware fix that’s required to resolve that and other issues that folk have - crashing boxes etc.
Sky+ functionality works like a charm. It’s great to be able to pause, rewind live TV and something I should really have bought in to a long time ago. I also notice a big difference with the upscaled SD channels. Doctor Who looked far superior than it did over Freeview. No macro blocking and a really clean picture which wasn’t something I expected.
If you have an HD television then this is THE broadcast step change you’ve been waiting for. The difference between SD and HD is quite marked and is certainly clearer than DVD. Well done to Sky and Telewest for getting HD out there - I’m still peeved that NTL are stating that it’s 2007 before they will have an HD solution. Poor. My TV is only 32inch and I can see a big difference with HD. Given that larger TV’s highlight the issues with SD material more than a 32 inch box is a no brainer that HD will look great the larger your TV is. Highly recommended although there will be hardware issues (early adopter tax) and a lack of HD material compared to SD. The later will only improve over time (Ryder Cup in HD - woo hoo) and hopefully the former will be resolved with timely firmware updates. Right - back to the World Cup.
