Sky+ Has Drastically Changed the Way I Watch TV

Recently I have started using Sky+ and loved every minute of it. I made the switch after a recent house move. Before Sky+ my only previous way of recording television was via VCR. Therefore, Sky+ has been a real eye-opener for me.

One of the big advantages Sky+ has over conventional recording devices such as DVD and VCR recorders is the ability to pause live TV. This is a very useful feature if you are interrupted while watching TV. Simply pressing the pause button on the remote control will pause live TV. When, you're ready to continue watching the programme press the play button. Essentially, when you press the pause button on the remote control Sky+ starts recording. Then when you press play the programme restarts from the beginning of the recording. Of course, Sky+ will continue to record until you change channel or switch to live television.

Another useful feature of using Sky+ with live TV is the ability to rewind. This is a useful feature, if you happen to miss the start of your favourite programme. However, it does have limitations because your television must have been left on the right channel.

Although the ability to record live TV is a nice feature Sky+ really comes into its own when it comes to recording. This is especially the case when you are able to watch one programme, while recording another. Another useful feature is the series link. By selecting this option, if you record one programme then all other programmes in the series will also be recorded automatically.

Recording itself is incredibly simple and straightforward. To record a programme, simply press the record button on your Sky+ remote. This works both on a programme; you may be watching or by using the programme guide to select future listings. Once, recorded programmes can be accessed using the planner and watched by simply pressing the select button. Programmes will remain on the planner until you choose to delete them. In practice, what this means is, you can have around 20 hours of programmes on your planner at a time.

Another feature is Anytime TV. Essentially it is a list of programmes that are available to watch at any time. As you would expect, most of what is on the anytime list is movies. This can be quite good because you can watch a 15 certificate film at lunchtime, rather than having to wait until the evening.

Verdict

I am personally a big fan of Sky+ and I would recommend it to any Sky subscriber. The main advantages are the ability to pause live TV, record programmes effortlessly and being able to watch a range of programmes at any time.

The disadvantages are you can't rewind live TV if you aren't on the right channel and the 80 GB hard drive might be insufficient for some people. However, the Sky HD box comes with an increased capacity. Overall Sky+ is highly recommended.