Sky HD Vs Telewest HD
What is High Definition all about?
Believe it or not High Definition is the biggest revolution since the switch from black and white to colour. Standard definition TV is made up of just 567 horizontal lines while HD is offering 720 in progressive scan mode or a mammoth 1080 lines in interlaced mode. This increase means HD pictures are of amazing quality with finer detail and far more impressive colours.
What can you watch in HD?
So far the two companies to invest in HD broadcasting are Sky and Telewest which has now merged with NTL. However, the differences in how much they have to offer is huge.
Sky’s HD channels (amount of programmes featured)
How do you receive HD broadcasts?
In order to receive the HD programmes you will need to have a Sky HD digibox or a Telewest TVDrive digibox connected to a HD ready TV. The Sky HD digibox also has Sky+ functionality so you can pause and rewind programmes. The TVDrive digibox is similar in that you can set it to record your favourite programmes automatically. What may help to make your mind up is what the digibox looks like. The Telewest TVDrive digibox is silver with a black control panel and looks very last season compared to the sleek, curvy, black little number being offered by Sky.
So what is the difference in the price?
If the saying "you get what you pay for" is anything to go by, it certainly is in this case. If you were after the absolute supreme deal of HD channels and programmes that Sky has on offer you are definitely going to notice the monthly direct debit leaving your bank account. You will pay a one-off payment of 299 for the digibox followed by a 10 monthly subscription for HD broadcasting. On top of that you need to add on your normal monthly Sky subscription too. This is where Telewest comes out on top as the overall price is considerably lower. For a start there is no initial equipment fee for the TVDrive Digibox. This good news is followed by not having to subscribe to HD TV, however, you will have to pay your normal Supreme TV subscription (around 10-15 monthly).
Verdict
If you can afford to get the Sky HD service you should. Although expensive it offers a much better service that is worth paying for. It is early days for Telewest and it may be a good idea to wait until their HD service really gets going. However, there is nothing to say that by this point they may have seen sense and put up the price for the TVDrive Digibox. So, if your HD ready TV is sat there on its lonesome, sort yourself out with Sky HD and start watching the best quality TV you have ever seen. You won’t believe your eyes.
Sony Braiva
LCD TVs
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