Entertainment For Lively Minds
Anyone used the Sky Player?
Posted by David Hepworth on 24 August 2009 - 8:02am.
Far as I can understand via the ads, this is a way you can watch Sky Sports online without having a dish or paying an annual sub. Has anyone used it? Is so, does it do what it says on the tin?
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Subscription
Think you do have to subscribe and pay monthly charge for most of it. Certainly had to for British Lions this summer.
I have used it
My experience is that when it's good - it's very very good. And when it's not it's infuriating.
It seems to depend on the strength of the connection at any given time. At times, you get uninterrupted high definition coverage. At other times - picture constantly re-buffering or prone to pixilation.
There is also a delay between the live action and the streaming - which increases if there are connection problems.
However, at one point yesterday - the Light and Lids were out - and I was simultaneously - listening to TMS, watching Ashes on TV and Chelsea-Fulham via Sky on the laptop. With cold beer nearby. Bloke bliss
Aside from Sport, you can also get Entertainment, Music, Documentaries, News etc - from non-Sky sources inc. BBC.
I am a Sky Sports subscriber - so I am not sure what the rules are for non-Sky subscribers. I suspect that it may be a limited time offer to give you a taste of the coverage to draw you in.
It's very easy to set-up and - all in all - it's an excellent service.
Sky Player
You need to be a subscriber to access it for free, and what you're able to see matches your TV package - so if you have a sports package, the same channels will be available online. If you're not a subscriber, you can access events via pay-per-view.
At least I think that's how it works - although I'm a subscriber, I've never used the service.
not free...well not permanently
if you are sky subscriber then you only get it if you *also* have a multi room subscription (ie: 9.75 a month) . its only been free for july and august as a special offer. It costs again from sept 1st onwards.
i've been using it over the summer to watch the ashes in the kitchen. or upstairs. lovely.
you also need to install silverlight to use it the microsoft version of flash type plug in. (but thats pretty simple).
Media pcs etc
Can I ask you, and Sheev, what sort of computers you are using ? I am warming up to buying a PC or Mac for home media use, and just wondering what minimum spec will do it.
(edit: I currently use iPlayer on a 2003 model 1.3 GHz laptop which does remarkably well but you can tell it's not quite up to it even with downloaded files)
Mainly
use my Sony Vaio laptop - about 9 months old now. Has widescreen and Blu-ray so does the trick for watching DVD/media players.
As an aside, it came installed with Vista which had to be "mucked about with" (technical term) by my IT bloke to make it compatible with our systems at work which are all XP.
Choices
Currently most tempted by a hatbox (esp the Blu-Ray versions):
http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2008/01/ces_2008_sony_i_3.html
or a biscuit tin:
http://www.apple.com/uk/macmini/
but neither company have been prioritisng these products and I am kind of waiting for developments.
So....
Please forgive my ignorance here. I do not have a Sky subscription at all - I am basic freeview only. If I want to watch an Arsenal game live on my PC I can pay a one-off charge to Sky.com to watch it?
I don't know
My feeling is that not everything is available in PPV.
Thanks
Yes, it seems too G to be T, cos otherwise people might leave Sky to cherry pick their team's matches. A dilemma for Sky possibly cos they'd get £9.99 from me that they wouldn't otherwise receive.
*ahem*
You ain't seen me - right?
Me too, kb,
I would also happily pay £6 or £7 quid for a one off match, rather than the £20 some odd for a month of matches that I don't want to see, and wall to wall pro celebrity pool.
Teams will go it alone eventually
This is why the 'big' teams Arsenal, United, Liverpool et al wil break away eventually and charge their fans for viewing rights rather than charging Sky who pay for everyone.
It says a lot about advertising that I should ask the question
I'm sure if I bothered to go to their site they would explain this in detail but there's nothing like the experience of users. I'm sure I would have to pay some form of sub but having heard the terrible tales of people who tried to access certain games on Setanta and then found themselves locked into a lifetime deal, I'm keen to know how difficult this would be.
SlingBox
Its not Sky Player but you get the same functionality with SlingBox - ie remote viewing of your Sky/Virgin Box on a pc/mac- and there its a one -off cost
http://www.slingmedia.com/
The surprising thing is it actually works - made good use of it during the ashes. You can also totally control your box at home with it - so pause, record etc.