Hoping you TV/techno whizzes can help me on this - its driving me mad:

I have a standard Skybox and the familypack type subscription, which includes Discovery Real Time, ie the channel with most fishing on. Want to get recorder box, but don't have a HD TV yet, and Sky's current Sky+ offers are all based on HD packages with monthly scubscrition on top Looks like it'll cost ~£100 for a normal Sky+ box as an existing customer, which feels a bit of a rip-off. Have looked at alternatives, eg Freeview+/Topup TV boxes, Freesat+, BT Vision etc, which i like the idea of because its a one-off cost, but as far as I can tell from surfing the net and trying in vain to find full TV channel listings for the various options, you can ONLY get Discovery Realtime on Sky. Is this right or has anyone else got any cunning suggestions? (I know there are also various plug-in decoder gadgets you can get - legal ones - that unlock numerous digital channels - but I'm told Sky manages to block these)

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I'd bite the bullet and buy a sky+ box Jeff,we've had one for two years and it's brilliant in my opinion.
I'm almost sure you don't need a HD television to use this.

I got a Sky + box a few months ago and it's the best thing I ever bought .I got it as my DVD recorder was getting iffy about what discs it would accept but i can still use it to transfer recorded programmes to disc .

( To the OP)Check the Digital Spy Sky + Forums .They are full of knowledgeable folk who will help you .
EDIT ...Check the Sky site for offers ..I got my Sky+ box plus the new cable ( rooftop install) for £49 instead of £99 all because I telephoned to ask something about the cost ..The call centre staff are on commission.

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Previously known as molley
and
Don't call me "mate" .

Sky+ is brilliant and you don't need HD for it. I've had one for a few years and it's as indispensable as any modern device. I'm thinking about upgrading to the HD version but that means getting a new TV as well otherwise it would be pointless.

I've seen HD TV and it's stunning but the basic Sky+ box with a standard digital TV will do the business.

There's a new Matt Hayes series starting next Friday on Sky 242 but I suspect it might be clips from old shows re-hashed. Rural TV on Sky 279 and the Horse & Country Channel on Sky 280 are showing a fair bit of fishing at the moment.

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“There is no more lovely country than Monmouthshire in early spring. Nowhere do the larks sing quite so passionately, as if somehow inspired by the Welsh themselves. There is a blackbird on every thorn and a cock chaffinch, a twink as they call him there, on every bush...... It moved me profoundly. I had been spared to see another spring, and I thank God for it.”

Oliver Kite
“A Spring Day on the Usk”
A Fisherman’s Diary

Tell Sky you'll cancel unless they come up with a deal for you. If not, cancel and if you are married/have a partner, get another package in their name. You'll then benefit from their new customer offers. May not need to be so drastic; a colleague of mine threatened to leave and got all sorts of freebies!

You just have to have a brass neck....

Cheers fellas, the trick seems to be to beat them down from £99 by threat of cancellation - quite happy to do that, and in fact it wouldn't be an idle threat as I am on BTBroadband and can get the BTVision V-Box recorder for free (but not the Discovery fishing stuff through that it seems). To those that said Sky+ works without HD, thanks, I realise that, its just that the current discount offers are all HD related, on basis of trying to get you to sign up to the monthly charge for HD.

It does seem though that Sky have the monopoly on Discovery RT (maybe they're not so daft given that there's so many fishermen!)

Think I'll be signing up for Setanta Sports too so I can record the Redsox baseball games

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have you had a look at cable (virgin media)i get discovery realtime with my package (xl) and they throw in setanta sports free! for only £32 a month including phone and broadband

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fishing in scottish waters

Hi Jeff, my daughter has had Sky+ for ages and has only just got an HD tv.
I know this because I bought the new flat screen TV for her as a Christmas present.
It really is great, and wouldn't mind it myself, but SWMBO says no!!
My daughter was on Sky before she got the box, and I think she threatened to leave and they told her they would do it for £49, so worth a try.
Cheers S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

great idea.....except that there's no cable in my village! One of the disadvantages of living out in the sticks...

Steven - just for a change is my other half that's pestering me for Sky+! I'm not that bothered myself - I either watch things when I can, or I miss it. Anything on the Beeb I can catch on iplayer anyway. Doubt I'd get time to watch most recorded stuff

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