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Now TV 6 months for £15 offer
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Clusterbombed
28-05-2013
I've subscribed to Now from the start, and have never paid the £15 a month that is their headline figure. They keep extending their offer of £8.99 a month.

I've got it on two boxes - YouView and Roku. The Youview picture is watchable but nowhere near HD. The Roku picture seems to be better than YouView for On Demand, but the sports streaming picture is bloody awful!
d'@ve
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by VisionMan1:
“I believe they have made this '£15 for six months' offer because they don't want to present/show churn on their subscriber numbers. But that is just my personal opinion.”

You are right, I am sure. If they pretty well give away NowTV for the next 6 months, that is sure to boost the subscriber numbers (like anything that's almost free) and they can use that to disguise a stagnation or fall in standard Sky TV subscriptions (because they now combine the two).

However, this may start to show up in their profitability figures so they need to be careful... or do some clever price increasing in other areas that isn't obvious. Probably the latter.
Dionbelmont
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by Clusterbombed:
“I've subscribed to Now from the start, and have never paid the £15 a month that is their headline figure. They keep extending their offer of £8.99 a month.

I've got it on two boxes - YouView and Roku. The Youview picture is watchable but nowhere near HD. The Roku picture seems to be better than YouView for On Demand, but the sports streaming picture is bloody awful!”

Agree with you totally on the Sky Sports Offering, quality and price are a joke.
I'd love to know how many day passes they have actually taken money for !!

Is your Roku still working ok on NOWTV Movies?
All I get at present when I select a film is the spining circle.
The film then never loads or starts to play.
VisionMan1
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by d'@ve:
“You are right, I am sure. If they pretty well give away NowTV for the next 6 months, that is sure to boost the subscriber numbers (like anything that's almost free) and they can use that to disguise a stagnation or fall in standard Sky TV subscriptions (because they now combine the two).

However, this may start to show up in their profitability figures so they need to be careful... or do some clever price increasing in other areas that isn't obvious. Probably the latter.”

They've already had two price increases since the new PL deal was announced. An 18% increase in telephone line rental and a £5 increase thats something to do with the introduction of the Entertainment Plus package where Sky Sports in HD is concerned. Though not being a paying Sky customer (I'm FSFS) I don't fully understand it.
richardcdon
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by ovbg:
“Wow, I signed up and I have to say I have never seen such bad streaming video quality. From the couple of things I have seen, it is almost unwatchable on my iMac. Even Demand 5 is better and that is free.

Hmmmm, maybe Richardcdon should have mentioned this since his link is a referral.


Is it possible to cancel this, or am I really stuck for 6 months of monthly payments for video quality worse than anything else out there?”

didnt relise the video quality was crap i just seen it on twitter and thought other might want to sign up ive never used now TV
kingdave
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by passingbat:
“The email confirmation that I got after signing up suggested that it could be cancelled any time as it was taken as £2.50 per month for six months and then automatically went to full price. You may be able to cancel now and just pay £2.50 for a months worth.

The quality is not good, but I'm watching at normal TV viewing distances, and I can put up with it at this cheap price for films I won't get to see via Netflix.”

Thing is though, despite all their advertising about getting everything 12 months before Netflix and Lovefilm, it's not actually true - for Netflix at least.

There are plenty of mentions of services like Unblock Us and Overplay in these forums alone (let alone all over the internet) about how great and cheap these services are which open up a whole new world of digital entertainment and you still pay less for one of these services plus Netflix and get much more choice.

Anyone that has signed up to Netflix but hasn't signed up to a Smart DND service really don't know what they are missing!
passingbat
28-05-2013
Originally Posted by kingdave:
“Thing is though, despite all their advertising about getting everything 12 months before Netflix and Lovefilm, it's not actually true - for Netflix at least.

There are plenty of mentions of services like Unblock Us and Overplay in these forums alone (let alone all over the internet) about how great and cheap these services are which open up a whole new world of digital entertainment and you still pay less for one of these services plus Netflix and get much more choice.

Anyone that has signed up to Netflix but hasn't signed up to a Smart DND service really don't know what they are missing!”

I use Unblockus for Netflix, but last night I watched the latest Spiderman film on Now TV and they also have Avengers Assemble which I want to watch, neither of which is on any Netflix ATM. If the offer hadn't been that cheap, I wouldn't have done it, but at £15 for 6 months, I thought it was worth it. And Netflix with Unblockus is fantastic value for money.
ovbg
29-05-2013
^^That may be true, but getting the poor quality video onto a television is not that easy.

I do have a Roku box, but it's an American one. So, I thought about AirPlay from my iPad - sadly, Sky don't support AirPlay with this package. So, I either watch on a computer or laptop, not the most sofa friendly to be honest.
passingbat
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by ovbg:
“^^That may be true, but getting the poor quality video onto a television is not that easy.

I do have a Roku box, but it's an American one. So, I thought about AirPlay from my iPad - sadly, Sky don't support AirPlay with this package. So, I either watch on a computer or laptop, not the most sofa friendly to be honest.”

Can you connect your laptop to the TV?

I have a HTPC which I connect via HDMI to the lounge TV and a laptop which I connect via VGA to a TV in the bedroom.

Many TV's have a VGA input for PCs that don't have HDMI out. If the laptop has HDMI out, it is just a case of HDMI out from laptop to HDMI in on the TV.
noise747
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by richardcdon:
“didnt relise the video quality was crap i just seen it on twitter and thought other might want to sign up ive never used now TV ”

It is awful, got it on my Ps3 for a pound a month for 3 months and to be honest it is not even worth that.
ovbg
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by passingbat:
“Can you connect your laptop to the TV?

I have a HTPC which I connect via HDMI to the lounge TV and a laptop which I connect via VGA to a TV in the bedroom.

Many TV's have a VGA input for PCs that don't have HDMI out. If the laptop has HDMI out, it is just a case of HDMI out from laptop to HDMI in on the TV.”

Absolutely, but I generally don't want to.

My laptop is used for work or travel. To connect it to my TV, requires physical labour. Not that I don't like that - I do, but coming home, unpacking the laptop, connecting it to the TV, firing it up, changing the television setting to the laptop input, starting the Now TV website whilst kneeling in front of the television, navigating by track pad to the right show, starting it, sitting down, realizing I want to watch a different show, getting up from the sofa, repeating the process.... then having to deal with Mrs ovbg asking why there are cables dangling around the living room and what's wrong with all the normal set-top boxes we have...

... maybe you get my point. Yes, I can always connect my laptop to my TV, but quite honestly that is a step backwards for me. In 1985 I remember being able to control my television and VCR from the comfort of my sofa without having to get up or have cables dangling across the floor.

Possibly because of my bad hair back then, the woodpaneling and horrid wallpaper, I don't intend to step back to the 1970's because Sky can't be bothered with a proper service with NowTV.
passingbat
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by ovbg:
“starting the Now TV website whilst kneeling in front of the television, navigating by track pad to the right show, starting it, sitting down, realizing I want to watch a different show, getting up from the sofa, repeating the process.... then having to deal .”

A wireless mouse and using an on screen keyboard (Windows has one included) would prevent you having to do anything other than hooking the laptop up to the TV. Everything else can be done from the comfort of your sofa.
ovbg
29-05-2013
^^ I've tried those and find them quite unpleasant. Granted, it's better than using arrow keys on a remote, but it is still far from comfortable - at least in my opinion.
BigFoot87
29-05-2013
Isn't Now TV streaming at 720i on the Xbox?
VisionMan1
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by BigFoot87:
“Isn't Now TV streaming at 720i on the Xbox?”

I believe so. Sky are fully supporting Now TV on games consoles and the (part Sky owned) ROKU. But 720i at only 2Mbps. Really? Ouch. Netflix are now showing Super HD at 1080p and at a bitrate of 7-8Mbps. Now thats HD TV.

And, where IPTV content is concerned, for both quality and reliability reasons, they need support mechanisms in place to guarantee such. And a decent bit rate too.

But Sky are doing none of the above. No QoS (Quality of Service) and no Open Connect Network either.

Thats bad. And quite poor, actually.
Clusterbombed
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by Dionbelmont:
“Is your Roku still working ok on NOWTV Movies?
All I get at present when I select a film is the spining circle.
The film then never loads or starts to play.”

Yep, no problems. I tend to find the streaming of the movie channels is a bit better than the streaming of the sports channels. I think it's because there's more moving of the camera in sports.
muppetman11
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by VisionMan1:
“I believe so. Sky are fully supporting Now TV on games consoles and the (part Sky owned) ROKU. But 720i at only 2Mbps. Really? Ouch. Netflix are now showing Super HD at 1080p and at a bitrate of 7-8Mbps. Now thats HD TV.

And, where IPTV content is concerned, for both quality and reliability reasons, they need support mechanisms in place to guarantee such. And a decent bit rate too.

But Sky are doing none of the above. No QoS (Quality of Service) and no Open Connect Network either.

Thats bad. And quite poor, actually.”

But your comparing a firm what's been streaming content since 2008 and has some 30 million plus subscribers to one that only launched in July 12 and has less than 100,000 , I would fully expect Netflix's streaming technology to be far more advanced given its their core service and they've had time to develop it and continually improve.
VisionMan1
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by muppetman11:
“But your comparing a firm what's been streaming content since 2008 and has some 30 million plus subscribers to one that only launched in July 12 and has less than 100,000 , I would fully expect Netflix's streaming technology to be far more advanced given its their core service and they've had time to develop it and continually improve.”

Well, for the sake of users who want a reliable quality service for their money, I flippin' hope so.

Though the £15 for six months viewing is a good offer, if one can put up with the current poor picture quality.
muppetman11
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by VisionMan1:
“Well, for the sake of users who want a reliable quality service for their money, I flippin' hope so.

Though the £15 for six months viewing is a good offer, if one can put up with the current poor picture quality.”

Nobody is forcing people to subscribe if the PQ is that bad leave it well alone , however my point stands Now TV is never going to have streaming technology as good as Netflix so soon they've simply not been in the game long enough , Lovefilms streaming doesn't even come close to that of Netflix. Until Now TV has its PQ issues fully sorted it will struggle to retain customers , I also think £15.00 is too expensive to be a real competitor in the streaming market.
VisionMan1
29-05-2013
Originally Posted by muppetman11:
“Nobody is forcing people to subscribe if the PQ is that bad leave it well alone , however my point stands Now TV is never going to have streaming technology as good as Netflix so soon they've simply not been in the game long enough , Lovefilms streaming doesn't even come close to that of Netflix. Until Now TV has its PQ issues fully sorted it will struggle to retain customers , I also think £15.00 is too expensive to be a real competitor in the streaming market.”

Agree. But they've realised this too. People use internet TV services because they're good quality, reliable and more importantly, cheap. So Now TV aren't currently charging the advertised £15 a month. Indeed, they are heavily discounting it. Hence the topic of this thread. Which benefits the user, at the end of the day.
kingdave
30-05-2013
Originally Posted by muppetman11:
“But your comparing a firm what's been streaming content since 2008 and has some 30 million plus subscribers to one that only launched in July 12 and has less than 100,000 , I would fully expect Netflix's streaming technology to be far more advanced given its their core service and they've had time to develop it and continually improve.”

Not strictly true. They are using the same streaming technology that Sky Go (and previously Sky Player) are using and thats been going for a few years now and is equally poor in picture quality.

And Sky Go even uses the same tech that Sky Go Germany uses and that delivers in HD, even with live sports and other live channels as well as on demand.

Sky need to pull their finger out and let people choose their preferred delivery method with a similar quality across all methods.
1andrew1
30-05-2013
Originally Posted by muppetman11:
“But your comparing a firm what's been streaming content since 2008 and has some 30 million plus subscribers to one that only launched in July 12 and has less than 100,000 , I would fully expect Netflix's streaming technology to be far more advanced given its their core service and they've had time to develop it and continually improve.”

Acetrax which Sky acquired for its streaming capabilities started in 2006 so it had a two-year head start on Netflix.
VisionMan1
30-05-2013
Originally Posted by kingdave:
“Not strictly true. They are using the same streaming technology that Sky Go (and previously Sky Player) are using and thats been going for a few years now and is equally poor in picture quality.

And Sky Go even uses the same tech that Sky Go Germany uses and that delivers in HD, even with live sports and other live channels as well as on demand.

Sky need to pull their finger out and let people choose their preferred delivery method with a similar quality across all methods.”

They wanted to provide what is to they a low cost operation for a high profit margin. But seasoned internet users (Lovefilm, Netflix, BT Vision) simply won't go for such garbage. Because its poor, to say the least.
kingdave
30-05-2013
Originally Posted by VisionMan1:
“They wanted to provide what is to they a low cost operation for a high profit margin. But seasoned internet users (Lovefilm, Netflix, BT Vision) simply won't go for such garbage. Because its poor, to say the least.”

Utterly agreed. And the responses from the Sky Reps on their own forum to questions like "When will Sky Go get HD?" or "When will it be as good as Sky Deutsche Go?" either fall on deaf ears or are responded with "We have no plans to offer HD/improve the picture quality/generally listen to anything that the people who pay our wages say"

I'm sure they will up their game eventually, but despite trying to promote a sort of "leader of new technologies" type facade I find them to be quite backward and limited in their deployment of new things - even when widescreen was becoming mainstream with the terrestrial channels it wasn't happening with Sky 1, Movies or Sports.

It always comes down to costs and profits with Sky, but if they want to make sure that people stick with them they need to offer a similar service to the likes of Netflix and LoveFilm with a similar pricing model, and not rely on the mugs that insist on paying £15 for Movies and £25 for Sport a month to set the pricing benchmark for non satellite delivered entertainment. But since they've overpaid for football and film rights that isn't going to happen!
VisionMan1
30-05-2013
Originally Posted by kingdave:
“Utterly agreed. And the responses from the Sky Reps on their own forum to questions like "When will Sky Go get HD?" or "When will it be as good as Sky Deutsche Go?" either fall on deaf ears or are responded with "We have no plans to offer HD/improve the picture quality/generally listen to anything that the people who pay our wages say"

I'm sure they will up their game eventually, but despite trying to promote a sort of "leader of new technologies" type facade I find them to be quite backward and limited in their deployment of new things - even when widescreen was becoming mainstream with the terrestrial channels it wasn't happening with Sky 1, Movies or Sports.

It always comes down to costs and profits with Sky, but if they want to make sure that people stick with them they need to offer a similar service to the likes of Netflix and LoveFilm with a similar pricing model, and not rely on the mugs that insist on paying £15 for Movies and £25 for Sport a month to set the pricing benchmark for non satellite delivered entertainment. But since they've overpaid for football and film rights that isn't going to happen!”

Agree.

Indeed, on the Now TV forum, on one particular thread, the comments were that scathing, the Mods deleted half of it. So I don't call that a forum.
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