Sky+, or
Sky Plus, is a personal video recorder (PVR) service for Sky in the UK. Launched in September 2001, it allows the user to record, pause and instantly rewind live TV. The system performs these functions using an internal hard drive inside the Sky+ set top box. Its chief competitors in the UK market are the
Freeview+Freeview+ and Freeview+ HD is a consumer brand created in the UK by DTV Services Ltd to "raise consumer awareness and promote sales" of Freeview capable digital TV recorders otherwise known as personal video recorders...
,
Freesat+Freesat+ is a consumer brand created to raise consumer awareness and promote sales of Freesat-capable digital TV recorders, otherwise known as personal video recorders...
,
BT VisionBT Vision is a hybrid IPTV-digital terrestrial television service provided by BT Group in the United Kingdom which was launched in December 2006...
, and
Virgin MediaVirgin Media Inc. is a company which provides fixed and mobile telephone, television and broadband internet services to businesses and consumers in the United Kingdom...
's V+.
In the
Republic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Sky+ competes with
UPCUPC Ireland is Liberty Global Europe's telecommunications operation in Ireland. UPC Ireland is the largest digital cable television provider within the Republic of Ireland. As of September 2010 the company offers broadband internet, digital television and digital telephony to over 531,000 customers...
's Digital+ box which offers 160GB or 250GB of storage. As of 30 September 2009, there were 5.9 million customers with Sky+.
The £10 per month subscription fee was discontinued for subscribers from 1 July 2007, but will continue for
Freesat from SkyFreesat from Sky is a British satellite television service from BSkyB. It offers over 240 free-to-air channels and 12 free-to-view encrypted channels...
use.
Technical information
- Combined digital satellite receiver/decoder and personal video recorder (PVR).
- Twin digital satellite tuners – for connection to identical independent feeds from Astra 28.2°E
Astra 28.2°E is the name for the group of Astra communications satellites co-located at the 28.2° East position in the Clarke Belt that are owned and operated by SES based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg...
. Allows simultaneous recording/viewing or recording of 2 channels at once.
- The set-top box middleware is provided by OpenTV
OpenTV is an interactive television company founded in 1994. Its main business involves the sale of set-top-box operating systems and software. On March 28, 2010 OpenTV became a fully owned subsidiary of the NAGRA Kudelski Group and officially delisted from the NASDAQ, where it was previously...
, but the EPGElectronic program guides and interactive program guides provide users of television, radio, and other media applications with continuously updated menus displaying broadcast programming or scheduling information for current and upcoming programming...
and all the software extensions that manage the PVR functions are produced by NDSNDS Group Plc. is a developer of pay TV technology. NDS was established in 1988 as an Israeli start up company. It was acquired by News Corporation in 1992. The company is currently headquartered in Staines, United Kingdom...
under the name of XTV PVR.
- Sky+ has its own electronic programme guide made by Sky. From here, users can see what programmes are on in the next seven days. The current EPG software version (as of July 2010) is Sky+ 5.08.6.
Versions
There have been various versions of Sky+:
- Sky+ 40 GB (discontinued) – First version of Sky+. An average of twenty hours recording time. The first generation of boxes (referred to as a PVR1s within Sky) were manufactured exclusively by Pace for the UK and Ireland market. The second generation of 40 GB boxes (referred to as PVR2s), were manufactured by both Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
and Pace.
- Sky+ 160 GB (discontinued) – Referred to as Sky+160, this box was manufactured by Thomson, with the model number DSI6210, and was available only in the UK. Launched in the autumn of 2004 as Premium Sky+ box, it has an average of eighty hours recording time. The box has a 160 GB hard drive installed, and all 160 GB is available for user recordings. The Sky Anytime
Sky Anytime is the brand-name of a range of services from BSkyB designed to compete with video on demand services currently offered by rival companies such as Virgin Media or Tiscali TV as well as Internet Television services such as ITV Player and Sky Go....
TV service is not available on this box. The Sky+160 box was discontinued during the first quarter of 2006.
- Sky+ 80 GB (discontinued) – Now officially and colloquially referred to as Sky+, this third generation of box (PVR3) are manufactured by Altech UEC, Pace, Amstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
and Thomson. Launched in September 2005 as standard Sky+ box, the box has an average of forty hours recording time. The box has a 160 GB hard drive installed, however half of this (80 GB) is reserved for use by the Sky AnytimeSky Anytime is the brand-name of a range of services from BSkyB designed to compete with video on demand services currently offered by rival companies such as Virgin Media or Tiscali TV as well as Internet Television services such as ITV Player and Sky Go....
TV service. The box is known internally at Sky as a PVR3 or Sky+ 80/80.
- Sky+ (HD) 250 GB - Made by different companies, including Pace, Samsung and Amstrad. Formerly with a smaller hard drive (160 GB). Presumably upgraded with the increasing numbers of HD channels. Still containing dual tuners and the Sky Anytime
Sky Anytime is the brand-name of a range of services from BSkyB designed to compete with video on demand services currently offered by rival companies such as Virgin Media or Tiscali TV as well as Internet Television services such as ITV Player and Sky Go....
service, although this does not use personal recording space as the hard drive is in fact 500GB with a separate 250GB partition dedicated to the Anytime service.
- Sky+ (HD) 1 TB - The same as the smaller hard-drived HD box, however a four-times larger hard drive. Similar in appearance however silver parts are replaced with black making a much slicker looking box.
Although the different generations of the Sky+ box look similar, they have minor external differences (viewing card positions etc.) and significant internal differences. By December 2005, Sky+ 80 GB boxes manufactured by Pace,
AmstradAmstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
and Thomson were being installed. Many people have reported various problems with the different boxes. A persistent complaint is that early Amstrad 80 GB models are noisy in operation.
AmstradAmstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
was bought out by Sky in 2007, and decided to bring in its satellite receiver development and manufacturing in-house.
http://www.itpro.co.uk/121394/end-of-an-era-as-sky-buys-amstrad
Sky+ remote
A typical Sky+ remote control is similar to a typical Sky remote, but provides controls for the extra features, e.g. rewinding the programme, record, play or pause, fast forward and stopping playback of the programme. The Sky+ remote is silver coloured or beige for the early remotes issues with 40GB Boxes (like the set top box) rather than the dark blue of the normal and original Sky remote.
The sky + remote will work a Sky HD Box automatically but does require additional tuning to work with a standard sky box which can be found below.
Step 1. Press TV
Step 2. Hold Yellow+Select until LED flashes twice
Step 3. Press 0
Step 4. Press Select
Step 5. Press Sky
Remote recording
In July 2006, Sky added remote recording functionality to Sky+ in the UK and Ireland. This enables customers to schedule recordings when they are away from home via a mobile telephone. Programmes can be added to the planner either by downloading an application to the mobile phone, called 'Sky By Mobile', or by sending as SMS with details of the programme name, time, date and channel. In February 2007, Sky added remote recording via the sky.com website, so customers can program their STB from any web browser using an EPG similar to that found on the Sky+ system.
Sky Anytime TV service
On January 2, 2007, Sky announced plans to release a service, named Sky Anytime to Sky+ subscribers. The service is a
Push-Video on Demand (push-
VoDVideo on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
) system similar to Top Up TV Anytime, where the Sky+ PVR automatically records programmes transmitted over-night. The service, will be available to over 2 million Sky+ subscribers, using reserved space on the PVR's hard drive.
The service works as a catch-up service for the best programmes of the week. The service launched some time in March 2007, it is available to owners of
Sky HDSky+ HD is the brand name of the HDTV service launched by BSkyB on 22 May 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland to enable high definition channels on Sky to be viewed. For the first 2 years after launch, the service was branded Sky HD. The service requires the user to have a Sky+ HD Digibox...
and newer Sky+ boxes.
Critical reception
Following a six-month trial of the service, Guy Dixon wrote in
PC Advisor magazinePC Advisor is a monthly computer magazine, released in the United Kingdom, and website published by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs, related items such as digital photography, the internet, security and smartphones, and other personal-technology products and services.It is the UK...
that he found Sky+ very easy to use and particularly praised the Series Link feature, describing it as a "killer app". He also described the ability to pause and rewind live TV as a "novelty...that wore off after a couple of days" and criticised the inability to customise the EPG's standard channel list. He also questioned whether both the high cost of the hardware and extra subscription fee would harm its success and suggested Sky should waive the hardware and installation fees. Sky would later offer reduced cost hardware, and began to waive the extra subscription fee to its premium channel subscribers, and subsequently all subscribers.
Critics argued that it was too expensive and were unconvinced of the need for or reliability of the product. Indeed, take-up of the service was slow, perhaps due to equally little advertising, in its first two years on the market. However, as the price fell and awareness grew thanks to much increased advertising, the Sky+ roll-out accelerated.
BSkyBBritish Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
spent upward of £20 million advertising the new service. In 2004, Sky began to waive the service fee to customers who were subscribers of their premium sport and/or movie channels, and from 2007, the charge was dropped for all subscribers. Sky+ is also built into
Sky HDSky+ HD is the brand name of the HDTV service launched by BSkyB on 22 May 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland to enable high definition channels on Sky to be viewed. For the first 2 years after launch, the service was branded Sky HD. The service requires the user to have a Sky+ HD Digibox...
digiboxes.
A number of hackers have attempted to upgrade the Sky+ receiver, primarily through the installation of larger hard drives to increase recording capacity; instruction manuals and tool kits to do this are widely available. Installing a larger hard drive in the unit is no harder than in a normal PC, but the Sky+ receiver is sensitive to the type of disk installed. Disks with low power requirements and fast spin up times are most likely to be compatible. Hard drives (Consumer Electronics Drives) designed specifically by manufacturers for use with PVRs provide a considerably lower noise level and produce significantly less heat, reducing the need for internal fans to operate as frequently and again cutting down on noise generation.
Software is also freely available which facilitates the migration of recorded material from the hard drive to a replacement. However at the time of writing (December 2010) this software is incapable of migrating recorded material from a standard definition Sky+ Box to a Sky+ HD box. It is thought that this is due to the planner databases used for Sky+ and Sky+ HD being incompatible.
External links