SKT Sky Network Television Limited.

[mistaTea]

Thanks MistaTea

No joints at hand , but a good cider. Better now. Just like to get some communication when i send 30k into space, with no acknowledgement,.........

Yeah I hear you - I sent ~$140K 'into space' as you put it, but there is nothing to worry about. The funds are fully traceable, I put the correct reference details etc - so nothing to be anxious about.

Settlement is on 16 June (next Tuesday). I would only expect to receive something from Computershare then (as well as see my new shares). They can't add my new shares to my portfolio before the 16th as the new shares are only allowed to be traded from the 16th...

I am sure we will all receive notifications soon. Have no fear!

[RTM]

Not feeling so lonely now. Whew.

So... I signed up for SkySportNow.....and started to get ready for the Warriors.
First plan: iPad -> Apple TV -> Panasonic Tv.
Would not work even tho it had a day or so ago. Very very annoying. This is very much Plan A
I believe this should have worked.
2nd Plan: iPad -> Panasonic TV. No go
So off to computer screen...
iPad -> Smart TV (freeview) -> Screen.
Ran well for 10 minutes or so....the stopped. 3 x’s.
So I fired up my ‘Puter and ran it straight from that, great, no problems, great result as well.

But I really want it going on the TV !
I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.
Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV

[blackcap]

Not feeling so lonely now. Whew.

So... I signed up for SkySportNow.....and started to get ready for the Warriors.
First plan: iPad -> Apple TV -> Panasonic Tv.
Would not work even tho it had a day or so ago. Very very annoying. This is very much Plan A
I believe this should have worked.
2nd Plan: iPad -> Panasonic TV. No go
So off to computer screen...
iPad -> Smart TV (freeview) -> Screen.
Ran well for 10 minutes or so....the stopped. 3 x’s.
So I fired up my ‘Puter and ran it straight from that, great, no problems, great result as well.

But I really want it going on the TV !
I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.
Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

[Zaphod]

Yep, the fibre rollout has commoditised Broadband. So far as the 'quality' of the connection goes it makes no difference who your retailer is.

There are still some differences in the handover equipment to the ISP, with some of the smaller players using lower spec'd equipment and lower bandwidth backhaul links. For people browsing the web, email, single streaming <4k video etc. they're unlikely to notice any difference from any of the ISP's.

[Zaphod]

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

Part of the reason is that most of the tech being used isn't mature, and consequently there are some glaring issues with the user interface, patching, security and support that can cause frustration. There is also a race on between advertisers to own your viewing data which further complicates setup and use.

The Sky decoder is relatively simple to use and represent a much more mature technology stack.

[mistaTea]

I am not inclined to buy a new model Apple TV at this time.

Go on, spoil yourself. The new AppleTV 4K is fantastic and you will have no worries running the Sky Sport NOW app on there. The latest Sky Sport NOW update has well and truly optimised the user experience for the Apple TV 4K.

Does anyone know if the Google Chrome Cast will do the job for me ?
Apple iPad -> google ChromeCast -> Panasonic TV

Yes it will work. Chromecast is also awesome - just not quite as awesome as AppleTV 4K.

Alternatively you could always buy a VodafoneTV and get the traditional Sky bundle. No issues streaming there plus you can record/series link your favourite shows.

Lots and lots of options. But get rid of the old tech.

[mistaTea]

Why does it seem to me that with all this technology that we have it is becoming increasingly difficult to just watch stuff on a TV screen.

For some reason things in the 90's and early 2000's were far less complicated and things ran far more smoothly.

Are things being made intentionally difficult? I can really see why the SKY box model is still so popular amoung many people, myself included.

A lot to be said for the traditional STB model. If the distribution model didn't make the packages appear so 'expensive' relative to other streaming offers people wouldn't be handing their MySky boxes back in droves. The Market would be happier with Sky and I would get my elusive...ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

But the reality is, for the vast majority of people who have access to fibre and are using reasonably new tech - streaming content is incredibly easy. And cheap.

Mind you, what is cheap these days? I spend $97.34 in total per month with Sky for my VTV bundles of Starter + Entertainment + Sport and then I have my NEON sub. That works out to $3.20/day - less than a cup of coffee and I have access to an incredibly large range of content. Something for everyone in my household.

Others would look at that and think it was expensive (though they would happily go down the pub and piss $100 up against a wall!).

[RTM]

Go on, spoil yourself. The new AppleTV 4K is fantastic and you will have no worries running the Sky Sport NOW app on there. The latest Sky Sport NOW update has well and truly optimised the user experience for the Apple TV 4K.



Yes it will work. Chromecast is also awesome - just not quite as awesome as AppleTV 4K.

Alternatively you could always buy a VodafoneTV and get the traditional Sky bundle. No issues streaming there plus you can record/series link your favourite shows.

Lots and lots of options. But get rid of the old tech.

Sadly I think you are right. It’s time. Off to Noel Leemings we go.
I tried it again this morning....iPad -> Apple TV - > Panasonic TV. Worked perfectly. Changed the Sky channel on my iPad....and completely stuffed and can’t seem to recover even with resetting, turning on off everything. Hard to believe.
Will report back on the next experience.

The cost of the Sky Sport Now, which I thought was very good, is escalating !

Thanks for the help and comments.

[Zaphod]

Sadly I think you are right. It’s time. Off to Noel Leemings we go.
I tried it again this morning....iPad -> Apple TV - > Panasonic TV. Worked perfectly. Changed the Sky channel on my iPad....and completely stuffed and can’t seem to recover even with resetting, turning on off everything. Hard to believe.
Will report back on the next experience.

The cost of the Sky Sport Now, which I thought was very good, is escalating !

Thanks for the help and comments.

Of all the options above, the Apple TV experience is the most seamless and well supported. The downside is of course you're locked into Apple's ecosystem.

[mistaTea]

Of all the options above, the Apple TV experience is the most seamless and well supported. The downside is of course you're locked into Apple's ecosystem.

Yeah for sure.

I have ended up with both an AppleTV 4K and a Vodafone TV. I like to try out all of the options ok!

AppleTV 4k is absolutely fantastic. I have never had a single issue using the platform and the user experience is incredible. The remote is so simple yet effective. And because I have an iPhone I can use the remote app on my phone if I want which enables me to easily search content using a keyboard. I am a big fan.
The only downside for me is that there is no NEON app currently (that will change on July 7 when they release the 'new NEON').

Vodafone TV also has a good user experience (far better than MySky anyway!) but the experience is not as 'seamless' as Apple TV I find. Apple has set the bar very high, no question there.

Where Vodafone TV has AppleTV beat is that it is much more designed for the Kiwi market (and it is about half the price). Being able to watch all of the various traditional channels + an On Demand menu + all your other apps is very convenient. The latest VTV boxes have sorted out most of the issues that plagued the Beta version, and Netflix can now stream in 4K on VTV.

So overall...as much as I love AppleTV...at the moment I think Vodafone TV is the better product overall.

If you have no interest any any of the traditional Sky bundles, and just have a few OTT apps you subscribe to - then it's AppleTV all the way.