Sky beaten to launch HDTV today by Telewest

bayards · 01-12-2005, 16:38

see article - oo er missus.

H

ntlhellworld · 01-12-2005, 16:53

It only says 400 "selected" customers have got it, but its still a signifiant step, although most people knew that telewest would launch first... a announcement on the digitalspy homepage can only be a good thing.

-Chris

Dan27 · 01-12-2005, 16:55

Im not too sure if 400 selected customers counts as a launch, but credit to Telewest, they've fired the first shot across Sky's bows..

Come on Sky and NTL, bring it on.

matty4donna · 01-12-2005, 17:16

Hold on though, Telewest always jump on the bandwagon as soon as they get a sniff that Sky or NTL are about to launch anything new.

But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first!

Vashta Nerada · 01-12-2005, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by matty4donna

Hold on though, Telewest always jump on the bandwagon as soon as they get a sniff that Sky or NTL are about to launch anything new.

But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first!

But what HD channels do TW have?

mromega · 01-12-2005, 17:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by robcole2004

But what HD channels do TW have?

None.

AFAIK it's only HD VOD.

Plus Sky will be first with a national HD launch.

01-12-2005, 17:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by mromega

None.

AFAIK it's only HD VOD.

Plus Sky will be first with a national HD launch.

Beat me to it.

Quote:

Spokesperson John Moorwood believes that ‘TV on demand is an interesting proposition for some TV companies to trial HDTV. It means they can gauge viewer response and don’t have to go to the expense of setting up a dedicated TV channel.’

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12...ive_with_hdtv/

It's a consumer launch of sorts, but the BBC and ProSieben ones have been available for a while on satellite.

Sky will probably still be the first national launch to all customers.

chriswatts · 01-12-2005, 18:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Phonics

Sky will probably still be the first national launch to all customers.

In your dreams, it will be the same with most other launches the first production batch will quickly be snaped up and then there will the wait until the next batch arrive.

I suspect by the time that all customers who want a Sky HD system have got one, Telewest would probably have rolled out to the rest of the UK.

01-12-2005, 18:43

Sky will likely have more severe supply problems due to lack of availability of MPEG4 chipsets which are in demand with BR/HD-DVD etc on the horizon.

Scientific Atlanta have been manufacturing variants of the Telewest box for about 3-4 years now for the US market.

Telewest have said they'll have broadcast HD stations later - no doubt when someone gets their finger out and starts broadcasting.

01-12-2005, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by chriswatts

In your dreams, it will be the same with most other launches the first production batch will quickly be snaped up and then there will the wait until the next batch arrive.

I suspect by the time that all customers who want a Sky HD system have got one, Telewest would probably have rolled out to the rest of the UK.

Being picky, the rest of the UK, if including the ntl customers is still only a 50% footprint.

When Sky go live it'll be the 98% again, and if they have enough boxes and installers ready it shouldn't be a problem. There may be a delay between batches, but they've been planning this for long enough and must have an idea of the demand.

If you watch to watch Sky One or National Geographic in HD it seems Sky will be first, unless Telewest roll out those channels soon.

The HD1 service has been available to the UK for a while now. All you need is a QualiTV box and a subscription, both available in the UK. There's English programming on there, so is Telewest strictly first?

01-12-2005, 18:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Phonics

Being picky, the rest of the UK, if including the ntl customers is still only a 50% footprint.

When Sky go live it'll be the 98% again, and if they have enough boxes and installers ready it shouldn't be a problem. There may be a delay between batches, but they've been planning this for long enough and must have an idea of the demand.

If you watch to watch Sky One or National Geographic in HD it seems Sky will be first, unless Telewest roll out those channels soon.

The HD1 service has been available to the UK for a while now. All you need is a QualiTV box and a subscription, both available in the UK. There's English programming on there, so is Telewest strictly first?

I thinking using the same extent of being 'picky' in your first statement it'd be argued HD1 is a "European" service. You wouldn't be trying to argue we are part of Europe now

The chances are the channels Sky have a stake in will hold back before joining Telewest's HD service.

I'm not sure Sky were planning to launch this so early, I saw mid-2006 as "being so late the BBC can't show off the World Cup". By delaying hardware costs have to come down, I bet they didn't expect the competition to be first and got complacent.

bayards · 01-12-2005, 19:42

I'd have thought Sky would be delighted to have the BBC on board with the World Cup - a feather in their cap. The more choice on Sky HD there is, the more people will like the cut of it's jib.

H

01-12-2005, 19:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by bayards

I'd have thought Sky would be delighted to have the BBC on board with the World Cup - a feather in their cap. The more choice on Sky HD there is, the more people will like the cut of it's jib.

H

Maybe I'm just too cynical when it comes to Sky, but with Sky Sports and the rest of the HD content going to be an additional £10 a month I think the last thing they'd want is to launch HD and the BBC showcase it in all its glory before they can.

Lets face it unless a Premiership team makes it to the European Cup final it is unlikely Sky will have a really big (as in England v anybody in a World Cup tie) match in HD before next August.

matty4donna · 01-12-2005, 21:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfman

Lets face it unless a Premiership team makes it to the European Cup final it is unlikely Sky will have a really big (as in England v anybody in a World Cup tie) match in HD before next August.

Hehe my beloved Liverpool may be their saving grace then :P

ntlhellworld · 01-12-2005, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by matty4donna

But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first!

Hardly, If anything sky rushed there HD sky+ box after early hints from telewest. You clearly dont know what your talking about...

A varient of the telewest HD box without the HD capibilitys and european DVB support has been in use in US cablecos for 4 years now, (same model number, different logo).

The telewest HD box was "in devolpment" at about this time of year, in 2002! - well before sky annonced any plans for it, with pictures of the product in trail first seen febuary this year.

http://www.telewest.co.uk/html/tv_dr..._Tabs/how.html
nice

-Chris

camaj · 02-12-2005, 04:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfman

I'm not sure Sky were planning to launch this so early, I saw mid-2006 as "being so late the BBC can't show off the World Cup".

Sky have said "early 2006" since they announced SkyHD at the start of this year. Even without Sky they could use the cable and terrestrial trials

Quote:

the BBC and ProSieben ones have been available for a while on satellite.

Are you talking about that thing no one's managed to tune into yet?!

05-12-2005, 22:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntlhellworld

Hardly, If anything sky rushed their HD sky+ box after early hints from telewest. You clearly dont know what your talking about...

I think he's talking about Telewest's digital TV launch which was a total debacle. Telewest were forced into launching in digital because they were otherwise going to fall too far behind Sky. But they were not even half-ready as evidenced by the numerous bugs Telewest digital have had over the last few years. Telewest are STILL struggling to fully digitise their network even now. Sky switched off their analogue service a few years back!
I don't think announcing a set top box that supports HDTV is the same as actually launching a broadcast service in HDTV! Sky is hardly likely to make Sky One HD or Sky Sports HD available to another carrier before they launch it themselves, are they?
The whole thing is a moot point anyway, unless you've spent around two grand for a HD ready TV set!

wallstreetcrash · 06-12-2005, 10:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by sskywatcher

Sky is hardly likely to make Sky One HD or Sky Sports HD available to another carrier before they launch it themselves, are they?

I agree

01-12-2005, 16:38	#1
bayards Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: South Lincs Posts: 1,862	Sky beaten to launch HDTV today by Telewest see article - oo er missus. H

01-12-2005, 16:53	#2
ntlhellworld Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,649	It only says 400 "selected" customers have got it, but its still a signifiant step, although most people knew that telewest would launch first... a announcement on the digitalspy homepage can only be a good thing. -Chris

01-12-2005, 16:55	#3
Dan27 Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: By The Sea Posts: 9,574	Im not too sure if 400 selected customers counts as a launch, but credit to Telewest, they've fired the first shot across Sky's bows.. Come on Sky and NTL, bring it on.

01-12-2005, 17:16	#4
matty4donna Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Wirral, UK Posts: 478	Hold on though, Telewest always jump on the bandwagon as soon as they get a sniff that Sky or NTL are about to launch anything new. But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first!

01-12-2005, 17:25	#5
Vashta Nerada Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Barry, South Wales Posts: 4,382	Quote: Originally Posted by matty4donna Hold on though, Telewest always jump on the bandwagon as soon as they get a sniff that Sky or NTL are about to launch anything new. But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first! But what HD channels do TW have?

01-12-2005, 17:44	#6
mromega Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear Posts: 6,264	Quote: Originally Posted by robcole2004 But what HD channels do TW have? None. AFAIK it's only HD VOD. Plus Sky will be first with a national HD launch.

01-12-2005, 17:47	#7
Jim Phonics Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by mromega None. AFAIK it's only HD VOD. Plus Sky will be first with a national HD launch. Beat me to it. Quote: Spokesperson John Moorwood believes that ‘TV on demand is an interesting proposition for some TV companies to trial HDTV. It means they can gauge viewer response and don’t have to go to the expense of setting up a dedicated TV channel.’ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/12...ive_with_hdtv/ It's a consumer launch of sorts, but the BBC and ProSieben ones have been available for a while on satellite. Sky will probably still be the first national launch to all customers.

01-12-2005, 18:18	#8
chriswatts Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 537	Quote: Originally Posted by Jim Phonics Sky will probably still be the first national launch to all customers. In your dreams, it will be the same with most other launches the first production batch will quickly be snaped up and then there will the wait until the next batch arrive. I suspect by the time that all customers who want a Sky HD system have got one, Telewest would probably have rolled out to the rest of the UK.

01-12-2005, 18:43	#9
Sirius Posts: n/a	Sky will likely have more severe supply problems due to lack of availability of MPEG4 chipsets which are in demand with BR/HD-DVD etc on the horizon. Scientific Atlanta have been manufacturing variants of the Telewest box for about 3-4 years now for the US market. Telewest have said they'll have broadcast HD stations later - no doubt when someone gets their finger out and starts broadcasting.

01-12-2005, 18:45	#10
Jim Phonics Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by chriswatts In your dreams, it will be the same with most other launches the first production batch will quickly be snaped up and then there will the wait until the next batch arrive. I suspect by the time that all customers who want a Sky HD system have got one, Telewest would probably have rolled out to the rest of the UK. Being picky, the rest of the UK, if including the ntl customers is still only a 50% footprint. When Sky go live it'll be the 98% again, and if they have enough boxes and installers ready it shouldn't be a problem. There may be a delay between batches, but they've been planning this for long enough and must have an idea of the demand. If you watch to watch Sky One or National Geographic in HD it seems Sky will be first, unless Telewest roll out those channels soon. The HD1 service has been available to the UK for a while now. All you need is a QualiTV box and a subscription, both available in the UK. There's English programming on there, so is Telewest strictly first?

01-12-2005, 18:53	#11
Sirius Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by Jim Phonics Being picky, the rest of the UK, if including the ntl customers is still only a 50% footprint. When Sky go live it'll be the 98% again, and if they have enough boxes and installers ready it shouldn't be a problem. There may be a delay between batches, but they've been planning this for long enough and must have an idea of the demand. If you watch to watch Sky One or National Geographic in HD it seems Sky will be first, unless Telewest roll out those channels soon. The HD1 service has been available to the UK for a while now. All you need is a QualiTV box and a subscription, both available in the UK. There's English programming on there, so is Telewest strictly first? I thinking using the same extent of being 'picky' in your first statement it'd be argued HD1 is a "European" service. You wouldn't be trying to argue we are part of Europe now The chances are the channels Sky have a stake in will hold back before joining Telewest's HD service. I'm not sure Sky were planning to launch this so early, I saw mid-2006 as "being so late the BBC can't show off the World Cup". By delaying hardware costs have to come down, I bet they didn't expect the competition to be first and got complacent.

01-12-2005, 19:42	#12
bayards Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: South Lincs Posts: 1,862	I'd have thought Sky would be delighted to have the BBC on board with the World Cup - a feather in their cap. The more choice on Sky HD there is, the more people will like the cut of it's jib. H

01-12-2005, 19:58	#13
Sirius Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by bayards I'd have thought Sky would be delighted to have the BBC on board with the World Cup - a feather in their cap. The more choice on Sky HD there is, the more people will like the cut of it's jib. H Maybe I'm just too cynical when it comes to Sky, but with Sky Sports and the rest of the HD content going to be an additional £10 a month I think the last thing they'd want is to launch HD and the BBC showcase it in all its glory before they can. Lets face it unless a Premiership team makes it to the European Cup final it is unlikely Sky will have a really big (as in England v anybody in a World Cup tie) match in HD before next August.

01-12-2005, 21:16	#14
matty4donna Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Wirral, UK Posts: 478	Quote: Originally Posted by jfman Lets face it unless a Premiership team makes it to the European Cup final it is unlikely Sky will have a really big (as in England v anybody in a World Cup tie) match in HD before next August. Hehe my beloved Liverpool may be their saving grace then :P

01-12-2005, 22:36	#15
ntlhellworld Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 2,649	Quote: Originally Posted by matty4donna But as they do things at the last minute, there is very little in the way of development and users always find a lot of bugs in their releases. Id rather have a stable product that is ready for the public to use from NTL or Sky rather then an unstable and rushed product from Telewest, just so they can they say they were first! Hardly, If anything sky rushed there HD sky+ box after early hints from telewest. You clearly dont know what your talking about... A varient of the telewest HD box without the HD capibilitys and european DVB support has been in use in US cablecos for 4 years now, (same model number, different logo). The telewest HD box was "in devolpment" at about this time of year, in 2002! - well before sky annonced any plans for it, with pictures of the product in trail first seen febuary this year. http://www.telewest.co.uk/html/tv_dr..._Tabs/how.html nice -Chris

02-12-2005, 04:37	#16
camaj Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 813	Quote: Originally Posted by jfman I'm not sure Sky were planning to launch this so early, I saw mid-2006 as "being so late the BBC can't show off the World Cup". Sky have said "early 2006" since they announced SkyHD at the start of this year. Even without Sky they could use the cable and terrestrial trials Quote: the BBC and ProSieben ones have been available for a while on satellite. Are you talking about that thing no one's managed to tune into yet?!

05-12-2005, 22:25	#17
sskywatcher Posts: n/a	Quote: Originally Posted by ntlhellworld Hardly, If anything sky rushed their HD sky+ box after early hints from telewest. You clearly dont know what your talking about... I think he's talking about Telewest's digital TV launch which was a total debacle. Telewest were forced into launching in digital because they were otherwise going to fall too far behind Sky. But they were not even half-ready as evidenced by the numerous bugs Telewest digital have had over the last few years. Telewest are STILL struggling to fully digitise their network even now. Sky switched off their analogue service a few years back! I don't think announcing a set top box that supports HDTV is the same as actually launching a broadcast service in HDTV! Sky is hardly likely to make Sky One HD or Sky Sports HD available to another carrier before they launch it themselves, are they? The whole thing is a moot point anyway, unless you've spent around two grand for a HD ready TV set!

06-12-2005, 10:03	#18
wallstreetcrash Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 199	Quote: Originally Posted by sskywatcher Sky is hardly likely to make Sky One HD or Sky Sports HD available to another carrier before they launch it themselves, are they? I agree

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Sky beaten to launch HDTV today by Telewest