Live telly? Pshaw. These days it’s
on-demand and catch-up that leave us glued to the Sofe. But which smart service
comes out on top?
Sky+HD
Price: free + $48/month
Website: sky.com
What’s the story?
Sky’s hardly cheap, but it’s the clear
choice for telly addicts. Quality is great: twin tuners, up to 65 HD channels,
plus several in 3D. And though Virgin now has Sky Sports and Movies, you’ll
only find Sky Atlantic and its top-tier shows here.
On-demand content
Sky gives access to a huge range of
content, including premium shows from the US. You get loads of films too: some
free and some exclusive releases on a pay-per-view basis. All that, plus a
dedicated Catch Up TV hub for terrestrial telly.
Quality
is great: twin tuners, up to 65 HD channels, plus several in 3D.
Going multi-room
You can add additional boxes to your
subscription at any time, at a cost of $15.375/month per additional device
(plus hardware and installation costs). An Xbox 360 with the on-demand Sky Go
app is a cheaper second-room alternative.
The apps
The Sky+ iPad app acts as a remote and lets
you browse the EPG, record shows remotely and contribute to that vital Strictly
debate via Zeebox. The Sky Go app allows your iPad to act as a second screen,
streaming most Sky channels from the net.
With unrivalled TV riches, an abundance of
HD content and neat new smart features, Sky is still the best package around.
With
unrivalled TV riches, an abundance of HD content and neat new smart features
Tech specs
·
500GB HDD (250GB recordings, 250GB on-demand;
2TB available for $225)
·
HDMI, Scart, coaxial digital, optical digital,
stereo, Ethernet
·
iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, Sky On
Demand
·
364x255x73mm, 4kg
Virgin Media TiVo
Price: free + $28.5/month
Website: virginmedia.com
What’s the story?
If TiVo has a weakness, it’s in the smaller
range of live TV it offers. However, you’ll still get up to 24 HD channels,
three TV tuners, and a super-smart box which learns what you like and will
auto-record similar shows, like a handy TV butler.
On-demand content
…has always been Virgin’s strength. You get up to 3500 hours of
on-demand and catch-up TV, and the massive (but costly) Film Flex movie
service. The interface and remote are less intuitive than Sky, but you’ll get
there in the end.
If
TiVo has a weakness, it’s in the smaller range of live TV it offers.
Going multi-room
The basic tuner-only V HD box is smaller
than the standard TiVo and costs $9.750/month extra. It’s a good option for a
bedroom or kitchen. Extra TiVo boxes are available for another $75 (500GB) or
$150 (1TB), plus $17.25/month.
The apps
Virgin Media’s new TV Anywhere app is a
full remote control that also lets you set and manage recordings and search TV
from your iThing (an Android app is due this year). Plus, it’ll stream some
live TV and on-demand shows, over Wi-Fi The excellent mind-reading TiVo box
almost gets Virgin the win but Sky just has the edge on exclusive content.
Plus,
it’ll stream some live TV and on-demand shows, over Wi-Fi The excellent
mind-reading TiVo box almost gets Virgin the win but Sky just has the edge on
exclusive content.
Tech specs
·
500GB HDD (1TB box available for $75)
·
HDMI, Scart, optical digital, Ethernet
·
eBay, Facebook, FilmFlex, iPlayer, Spotify, PictureBox,
Twitter, YouTube
·
370x240x80mm, 3kg
Humax DTR-T1000
Price: $375
Website: humaxdigital.com
On-demand content
On top of catch-up there’s also top quality
on demand content from the main services. Not totally anti-subscription? Add
Sky’s Now TV, for $22.5/month. The currently film-only offering is surprisingly
close to the standard Sky Movies package.
On
top of catch-up there’s also top quality on-demand content from the main
services.
What’s the story?
The T1000 is a YouView box, which means you
get Freeview HD with a seven-day EPG and twin tuners for easy catch-up or
recording. Sounds great, although there’s only so many episodes of Antiques
Roadshow you’ll really want to watch.
Going multi-room
To get YouView in more rooms, just buy more
YouView boxes: it won’t cost you any more so long as you’ve got aerial outlets
and (ideally) Ethernet access in each room. If you’ve got Now TV, you can watch
it on your Xbox 360 instead.
If
you’ve got Now TV, you can watch it on your Xbox 360 instead.
The apps
The (for now) iOS-only YouView app is basic
– you just get an EPG and remote recording skills but more functionality is on
the way. There’s no mobile streaming, but a third-party app such as TV Catchup
will get you Freeview on the moveSky and Virgin just pip it on content, but the
smart, slick and superb value T1000 is a fine alternative to subscription TV.
The
(for now) iOS-only YouView app is basic – you just get an EPG and remote
recording skills but more functionality is on the way. There’s
Tech specs
·
500GB HDD (1TB box available for $450)
·
HDMI, Scart, composite video, optical digital,
stereo analogue, Ethernet
·
iPlayer, ITV Player, 4oD, Demand 5, 7-day EPG,
Sky Now T
·
380x246x55mm, 2.75kg
