Page 1 of Sky+

I`m thinking about upgrading from regular Sky to Sky+. Has anyone else done this? If so, are the package fees the same as with regular Sky (I`m currently on the `Sky World & Family` packaged) or are they bumped up if you use Sky+? Any help much appreciated...

Cheers,
CDP

Contrary to popular belief, it looks like Sky aren`t dropping the £10 monthly premium you pay for the Sky+ service unless you take out at least two premium channels (sports or movies). The box is still a hefty deposit and installation as well.

Sky users are welcome to contradict me at any point ;)

J Mark Oates

Nope ur right, I still think its a bit on the expensive side at the moment, its like having a couple of mobile phones on contract accept that you dont get the box for free, Come on SKY dont u think you charge us enough money already.

A WISE MAN ONCE SAID

I got mine as part of a deal, whereby I kept my old box but I`m only(!) paying for the extra box and not the £10 Sky+ charge.
I have to say that Sky+ is absolutely fantastic. I think it`s the only Sky Digital receiver that can pick up Dolby Digital transmissions.
I didn`t realise how useful the hard drive recording capability would be, but I`d find it difficult to live without now.
Yes it`s expensive, but it is a great piece of kit.

Not sure whether the dropped £10 fee for 2 premium channels is for just new customers or everybody.
I paid £299 for mine +£65 install and still pay the £10 per month and its worth every penny.You won`t realise what a liberating bit of kit it is until you have had it a few days,then you won`t know how you managed without it.For standard timeshifting off Sky this is the best there is.I also have the HS2 with its hard drive,but that comes into its own when editing for transfer to dvd.If you are looking for live broadcast quality recordings,and especially the ability to watch one channel and record another at the same time,don`t hesitate.
Sky appear to do different deals for different people,but as long as you don`t mind the initial outlay you won`t regret it

Completely agree.
I must have been fairly lucky as I paid nothing for the installation and £200 or the Sky+ box.
According to the Sky magazine, they will be upgrading the Sky+ boxes so that you will be able to record two programmes simultaneously while watching an existing recording. How clever is that? I just hope I`ll be able to take advantage of the technology. Apparently the software will be updated automatically, but I`m not sure how I`ll know when it`s happened!

How the hell have you managed your deal I have not phoned them yet but would like to know how you have done it!

This is paste from a recent press release:

BSkyB is to slash the price of its personal video recording service, which allows viewers to pause programmes during live transmission or automatically order a complete series of one show, in an effort to triple the number of subscribers.
The broadcaster is scrapping the £120 a year subscription fee to Sky Plus for customers spending at least £30 a month on its subscription channels

The move, which BSkyB hopes will persuade another 200,000 customers to trade up to Sky Plus set-top boxes by June 2004, is part of a drive by the chief executive, Tony Ball, to increase the amount each customer spends on their Sky package.

Just 105,000 of BSkyB`s near seven million subscribers have bought the Sky Plus set-top box, which allows viewers to record programmes on to an in-built hard disk.

It was launched as Sky`s answer to the American system, TiVo, but the initial £400 outlay has proved prohibitive for the vast majority of viewers.

Prices of the set-top box were slashed to £199 but growth in the service has still been slow.

BSkyB believes customers have been put off by the hefty subscription fees, which come on top of a £199 charge for the Sky Plus box and a £50 installation fee.

Under the terms of the new offer, which will be accompanied by a major marketing push, customers will be able to use their Sky Digibox in a second room in the house for a £10 a month fee compared with the existing charge of £15 a month.

Extra revenues from Sky Plus would help the satellite group to achieve its target of raising an average of £400 per subscriber every year.

"Five years after launching the UK`s first digital TV platform BSkyB is as committed as ever to bringing its subscribers the most advanced television services," said Jon Florsheim, the sales and marketing director of BSkyB.

"By reducing the cost of Sky Plus ownership for our most valuable customers we aim to increase penetration, further stimulate take-up of premium channels and ensure that Sky remains the leading brand in multichannel TV."

The technology, which also allows viewers to pause and rewind live programmes and record every episode of a particular series at the touch of a button, is seen as a key part of its strategy to persuade customers to pay more and remain loyal.

Separately, Sky Digital is also planning to relaunch its movie channels before Christmas.

This item was edited on Tuesday, 9th September 2003, 21:48

I had been subscribing to the full package for about a year (about £45 per month). They contacted me with the offer, presumably `cos I was a good customer!
I do have to pay the extra £15 per month for the second box (so £60 per month now), but the £10 fee for Sky+ was waived.
I wanted to get Sky+ anyway, so I reasoned I was only effectively paying an extra £5 per month for the second box (with two teanage daughters, it`s actually quite useful).
I wonder if I`ll benefit from a reduction if the £10 charge is scrapped. Somehow doubt it!