Question
I’m thinking of leaving Sky TV. Will I still be able to use my Sky+ box recording facilities?
Submitted by: Michael H
Similar question: “I have a Sky+ box, but have had to cancel my subscriptions for financial reasons. I have lost the pause and record features. Is there any way around this to restore those features?”
Our answer
The Sky+ service includes recording, series link, playback, live pause and the ability to rewind TV.
The Sky+ service is a subscription service. Whilst you are subscribing to any of Sky’s subscription packages, then you get the Sky+ service for free. If you cancel your Sky subscription, then Sky+ functionality will stop.
When you stop subscribing to Sky, you will still be able to view around 200 free channels – the channels that don’t require a subscription. Your Sky+ recorder functionality will be disabled when your subscription to Sky ends.
If you want to use Sky+ functionality, but don’t want to subscribe to one of Sky’s packages, then you can ask Sky to sign you up to a Sky+ Subscription, which last time we checked was £10 a month. A stand-alone Sky+ Subscription will allow you to record and playback the various subscription-free TV channels.
Any Alternatives?
So what happens if you want to be able to record satellite TV, but don’t fancy paying a monthly fee to Sky?
You could consider getting a Freesat Hard-drive recorder. These will let you watch and record over 140 satellite TV channels without any kind of subscription. There’s a one-off cost for the box, then nothing further to pay. Freesat hard drive recorders have features such as Series Link and Live Pause. Freesat uses the same satellite as Sky, so you won’t need a new dish.
You could also go for BT Vision, which offers a hard disc recorder with Series Link and Live pause, and also offers on-demand TV shows over broadband. See our BT Vision Review
The BT Vision+ Box, an alternative to Sky
Worth noting
Note that as soon as your Sky+ subscription ends, you won’t be able to watch any Sky+ recordings. Make sure you watch everything before the subscription ends, or alternatively, copy off recordings using a DVD recorder, video recorder, or by copying shows to a computer.
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