Sky Supertelly
Supertelly is the name that Sky has given to their latest high quality package. It bundles together the Sky+HD box, broadband and telephone options so that everything is easy to manage. If ordered online, installation is free and the package can also include free broadband and telephone calls if you choose to take them.
The Sky+HD box is the current top of the range option for viewing excellence. The HD stands for ‘High Definition’, and provides superior quality viewing. Colours appear much more vivid than in standard definition, and the picture can be up to 5 times more detailed than standard. Many programmes are also broadcast with high quality sound, allowing those who have surround-sound systems to get the full cinema or sporting event experience.
There are currently just under 40 HD channels available from Sky, which is vastly more than the nearest competitor is able to offer. Customers will get any or all of these channels depending on which package they choose to subscribe to. As with the standard definition channels, there are half a dozen sports channels, a dozen movie channels and 14 entertainment channels, plus several free to air channels, so HD is well represented across all the packages.
As well as an improved viewing experience, the Sky+HD box has also improved some of the features from the standard definition box. As standard, viewers can record up to 60 hours of HD shows or 185 hours of standard definition shows. There is an option to upgrade the capacity significantly, allowing users to record more programmes in both standard and high definition – up to 240 hours of high definition television. A new ‘Series Stack’ feature makes it easier to manage recordings, MiniTV lets you search listings without losing sight of the programme you are watching, and the Search function has been improved to allow searches by title and genre. Obviously, all the basic features of the Sky + box have been kept. Customers can still pause and rewind live TV, and set whole series to record at the touch of a button.
In the very near future (2010), Sky are going to launch a ‘video on demand’ service and a ‘3D TV’ capability. They have already built this ability into the Sky+HD boxes, so there will be no need to upgrade the box when this technology becomes available.
Anyone intending to purchase the Supertelly option needs to have a TV that can display high definition. These are now labelled in stores as ‘HD Ready’ and there is an ever growing range to choose from. As more manufacturers are produced HD ready televisions, the cost is also coming down and is no longer a barrier to anyone having a much better viewing experience.
