Microsoft launches Xbox 360 Sky Player

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 27th October 2009
Comments (24) Stumble
Microsoft launches Xbox 360 Sky Player

Microsoft has officially rolled out the Sky Player service for the Xbox 360, allowing on-demand TV on consoles.

Microsoft has officially rolled out the new Sky Player service for the Xbox 360, which was announced earlier this year and which allows Xbox 360 users in the UK and Ireland to watch Sky TV on demand.

There are some caveats, obviously.

The Sky Player for Xbox 360 will only be available to Xbox Live Gold members, who can watch programmes from 24 available channels in a live stream, with a selection of further channels re-running popular shows from the last month. There's also around 400 films available too from the current selection listed on the Sky Movies channels.

If you're a Xbox Live Gold member with a Sky subscription already then you get this content for free, providing that the channels are included in your Sky plan. No Sky Movies or Sky Sports unless you have those channels on your TV, for example. You'll also need to pay a £5 GBP charge for getting the content in multiple rooms too, just as you do with the PC-based version of Sky Player which has been available for a while.

If you don't have an existing Sky account then you can sign up to get the Sky content direct to your Xbox 360 through the internet (i.e. without a satellite dish) for a £15 GBP fee. That £15 covers only the Basic Entertainment Pack though and the cost rises to £50 GBP if you want to get the Sky Movies and full Sky Sports package too.

If you're using an Xbox Live Silver account then you are still able to get the Sky News content for free, while a new Sky Player retail package will be launching soon to offer you one month of Sky Sports, three months of Xbox Live Gold and a media remote. That'll cost you £29.99 GBP.

Content will only be available in standard definition too, in order to ensure smooth streaming for all users, and will be available at three different quality levels depending on your connection. The maximum line speed requirement is 2mbps.

The 24 channels currently on offer include the usual suspects - listed below - and Sky has hinted that it will expand the selection in the future, though doesn't plan to bring all the +1 channels to consoles just yet. No terrestrial channels are supported either.

Check the full channel list below and let us know your thoughts in the forums.

Entertainment Pack
G.O.L.D.
Sky Real Lives
Sky Arts 1
MTV ONE
Sky Sports News
British Eurosport
ESPN Classic
Sky News
National Geographic
Nat Geo Wild
History
Eden
Cartoon Network
Boomerang
Nickelodeon
Disney Channel
Nick Jr

Sport Pack
Sky Sports 1
Sky Sports 2
Sky Sports 3
Sky Sports XTRA
ESPN (additional cost)
(Plus all sport video on-demand channels)

Movies Pack
Sky Movies Screen 1
Sky Movies Screen 2
(Plus over 400 movies on-demand)
Quote Teq 27th October 2009, 11:37
Disappointed with the lack of Sky One and the Sci-Fi channel, Discovery needs to appear if Sky wish to peak my interest in this package, or at the very least reduce the price...
Quote Hex 27th October 2009, 11:41
As per the other thread in the Gaming forum, I'd love to play around with this but the Sky end is completely screwed :( Sky Player on the web and mobile keep going down today and the 360 service hasn't worked once for me yet. I just get network errors. A quick search on the internet (try #skyplayer on twitter for example) shows that hardly anyone has been able to get on it . Rubbish launch tbh.
Quote Hg 27th October 2009, 11:54
poor line up of channels tbh, have yet to play around with it as i'm currently at work but the channel list doesn’t want make me want to pay to use this service.
You get far more for your money, if you were to buy a 12 month sky+ package for your TV, and I think they’re not doing any favours for there existing customers by making them pay more for this service on the xbox.
Quote p3n 27th October 2009, 12:00
360 is far too noisy, M$ can smb...
Quote BLC 27th October 2009, 12:02
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheArticle
The Sky Player for Xbox 360 will only be available to Xbox Live Gold members, who can watch programmes from 24 available channels in a live steam

Umm... A live steam?
Quote Denis_iii 27th October 2009, 12:05
disappointing but with time all the content should become avialable I hope but never on pay n go as i want
Quote Bursar 27th October 2009, 12:14
The article is a little misleading. You only get 'free' live streaming if 1. You're an existing Sky subscriber, and 2. You have a Gold Live account, and 3. You either have Sky Broadband Unlimited or a multi-room subscription.

If you get your BB from another provider, and don't have a multi-room sub, then it's £9.75 a month to watch live TV. You do still have the option of On Demand programs though.
Quote AngusW 27th October 2009, 12:17
Meh if i had the money to pay for this i'd be aswell just going with a sky box...
Quote gavomatic57 27th October 2009, 12:26
Could it be the loudest, most unreliable sky box ever made?! ;)
Quote Joeymac 27th October 2009, 12:39
Quote:
Originally Posted by gavomatic57
Could it be the loudest, most unreliable sky box ever made?! ;)

Oh I get it, because the 360 is unreliable and noisy. Yeah, 2007 was funny wasn't it.

When does this service start via Windows 7 media centre? That would be more useful for me. I'm not going to download their crappy sky player software but via media centre I might use it for the on-demand stuff.
Quote gavomatic57 27th October 2009, 12:49
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joeymac
Oh I get it, because the 360 is unreliable and noisy.

Glad you've caught up.
Quote Bursar 27th October 2009, 12:53
My Elite is more or less silent. It certainly doesn't make any more noise than the PS3. My Premium on the other hand...!
Quote Teq 27th October 2009, 13:32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joeymac
Quote:
Originally Posted by gavomatic57
Could it be the loudest, most unreliable sky box ever made?! ;)

Oh I get it, because the 360 is unreliable and noisy. Yeah, 2007 was funny wasn't it.

When does this service start via Windows 7 media centre? That would be more useful for me. I'm not going to download their crappy sky player software but via media centre I might use it for the on-demand stuff.

^ It is already available on a Windows Media Center PC with the right hardware though the legality is a grey area
Quote Hex 27th October 2009, 13:38
It's been removed from the dashboard now as it clearly doesn't work. Hopefully they won't put it back on until it does!
Quote scarrmrcc 27th October 2009, 13:55
so, wait.... this system allows you to watch Tv on your xbox.. that is connected to the ...TV?

why not just turn the system off?
Quote Hex 27th October 2009, 14:18
Quote:
Originally Posted by scarrmrcc
so, wait.... this system allows you to watch Tv on your xbox.. that is connected to the ...TV?

why not just turn the system off?
Because some of us live in areas that don't like the pikeydish look. No matter how small the dish is, we can't have one on or near our house. No cable here either so all I have is freeview and the internet.
Quote rollo 27th October 2009, 14:59
no hd content

makes it instant no no

no sky one ? no sky fi?

already got multiroom like and hd boxs in most of the rooms. So rather irelivent. But still they could of done better channals. The dish is so small is irelivent these days.
Quote Hex 27th October 2009, 15:42
I'm in now. Still doesn't work (now it says 'coming later today') but as I'd already downloaded the app I can see all the options and shows available. Some stuff under 'On Demand' only has the option to subscribe to watch it though, which seems a bit wrong and not very on-demandy.
Quote mikeuk2004 27th October 2009, 17:51
Dont they ever test these things enough, time after time they release somehting that doesnt work, and im not just moaning about MS, im moaning about everyone.

edit: Let me get this right. You have to be a xbox live Gold subscriber and have to pay £15 a month ontop for Sky? What is the point? Why do only gold members get access to a service you still got to pay for? I dont get it.

So what happens when your xbox live runs out and you dont want to renew? That means your still have to pay for your sky subscription eventhough you can no longer access it.

If thts right then its very backwards and will annoy consumers.
Quote Hex 27th October 2009, 18:19
In fairness all the problems with this launch sit firmly at the doors of Sky and not MS as it was their servers crumbling that caused all the issues.

And yes I agree it does seem a silly way of doing it, I won't be subscribing because there just isn't enough there to warrant that much money. When it finally lets me add on-line payment options I will so that I can get PAYG docus if I feel like it. Would've liked more PAYG content tbh.
Quote Star*Dagger 27th October 2009, 21:06
It is so cloudy in England that you have to pay to see video of the Sky?!?!
Quote Dreaming 28th October 2009, 08:59
Do you think we will need to pay TV licence? As it's a live stream really? I'm sure the TV licencing people would argue that yes, you do:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp
Quote:
You must be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record television programmes as they're being shown on TV. It makes no difference what equipment you use - whether it’s a laptop, PC, mobile phone, digital box, DVD recorder or a TV set - you still need a licence.

You do not need a TV Licence to view video clips on the internet, as long as what you are viewing is not being shown on TV at the same time as you are viewing it.
Quote BLC 28th October 2009, 11:04
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreaming
Do you think we will need to pay TV licence? As it's a live stream really? I'm sure the TV licencing people would argue that yes, you do:

http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/information/index.jsp

You'd need a TV licence for the TV that you plug your Xbox into! ;) :D
Quote Dreaming 28th October 2009, 21:19
Not always - I've got a 32" HDTV as a monitor (1080p games is pretty awesome!) and as I don't receive any TV signals I don't need a TV licence. Though technically if I watch BBC iplayer live, i do. Silly rules really.
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