Tech
BSkyB's new premium product - the 'Sky+ 160' - will offer an average of 80 hours storage capacity. It will cost £399 and come with two USB ports for future expansion.
Sky+ 160, so called because of its 160Gb hard disk, is expected to be available from October 2004.
Brian Sullivan, Director of New Product Development and Sales at Sky said today: "Sky+ is transforming the way we watch TV. The next stage of that revolution will be the forthcoming launches of Sky+ 160, and the software upgrade to all Sky+ boxes, providing even more flexibility, choice and control for our growing customer base.
"Feedback from Sky+ owners since it first launched in 2001 has been amazing and we are constantly working to make the product the best TV experience available anywhere. After listening to customers we are delivering this new interactive recording and sorting functionality as well as the option for an average of 80 hours storage space with Sky+ 160. Once again Sky is leading the way in digital TV, putting viewers in control of their TV schedules."
The Sky+ 160 is a product which has been awaited by many users of our forums since the original launch of Sky+ in 2001. Its use of a 160Gb disk is interesting: the current Sky+ hardware only appears to have a disk capacity limit of 132Gb. And some will feel that the anticipated price point of £399 - £200 more than the standard box - might be considered a little steep considering that a base £160Gb IDE disk currently defined by the manufacturer as perfect for a PVR seems to be selling on the net for under £80!
The software talked about by Sullivan in this release sounds very similar to the software downloaded last month.
The inclusion of two USB ports could be interesting depending on what support is provided for their use and only time will give us an idea of that. According to Sky, these are for "future use" only and there are no details whether they are USB v1 or v2.
This probably means that there will be no direct hardware upgrade, although Sky could offer an upgrade path for existing users with the swapping of hardware. We look forward to seeing more on the technical issues of this product and who will be manufacturing it closer to when it becomes available in October.
Keep an eye on the forums for more details and speculation.
Sky+ 160, so called because of its 160Gb hard disk, is expected to be available from October 2004.
Brian Sullivan, Director of New Product Development and Sales at Sky said today: "Sky+ is transforming the way we watch TV. The next stage of that revolution will be the forthcoming launches of Sky+ 160, and the software upgrade to all Sky+ boxes, providing even more flexibility, choice and control for our growing customer base.
"Feedback from Sky+ owners since it first launched in 2001 has been amazing and we are constantly working to make the product the best TV experience available anywhere. After listening to customers we are delivering this new interactive recording and sorting functionality as well as the option for an average of 80 hours storage space with Sky+ 160. Once again Sky is leading the way in digital TV, putting viewers in control of their TV schedules."
The Sky+ 160 is a product which has been awaited by many users of our forums since the original launch of Sky+ in 2001. Its use of a 160Gb disk is interesting: the current Sky+ hardware only appears to have a disk capacity limit of 132Gb. And some will feel that the anticipated price point of £399 - £200 more than the standard box - might be considered a little steep considering that a base £160Gb IDE disk currently defined by the manufacturer as perfect for a PVR seems to be selling on the net for under £80!
The software talked about by Sullivan in this release sounds very similar to the software downloaded last month.
The inclusion of two USB ports could be interesting depending on what support is provided for their use and only time will give us an idea of that. According to Sky, these are for "future use" only and there are no details whether they are USB v1 or v2.
This probably means that there will be no direct hardware upgrade, although Sky could offer an upgrade path for existing users with the swapping of hardware. We look forward to seeing more on the technical issues of this product and who will be manufacturing it closer to when it becomes available in October.
Keep an eye on the forums for more details and speculation.
More: Tech, Satellite TV
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