Living without Sky tv

Posted 8th May 2023
We've always had Sky TV and since going to the dark side of iptv, I've realised we don't watch Sky any more.
The wife does record everything so we'd need to either keep that service or get an alternative box? Are there any as good as Sky's?
Getting giddy at the thought of saving £50 a month but the reality might be settling on a discounted amount when I speak to cancellations. Is it possible to be Skyless after 20+ years?
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  1. KodaBear's avatar
    The YouView Pro boxes are fantastic. Honestly I’d say they’re even better than Sky Q to use. That will give you Freeview recording as well as all the catch up content should you need it.

    If you don’t have an aerial then the Freesat 4K recorders are the only option you could use with a Sky Q dish. They’re decent but can be a little sluggish and the software isn’t anywhere near as polished as YouView and such.

    The other option is checking if your TV supports recording directly. With mine I can plug in a hard drive and record live TV shows that way. Although it’s only a case of watch one show, record another. Not several at the same time like you can with the likes of the YouView boxes.

    £72 at CeX with 2 year warranty:

    BT TV Box Pro 4K UHD Freeview Set Top Box, B
    uk.webuy.com/pro…87B
    sm9690's avatar
    Don't you have to have BT broadband for this?
  2. abigsmurf's avatar
    If you're remotely into sport it's not an option to give it up annoyingly and they're really careful to make it difficult to save any significant money only buying the sport.

    Disney+, Prime and Netflix is cheaper and better than sky now for general entertainment. If you miss the HBO series, you can always buy a month of now tv when there's a series to catch up on.
    newbie68's avatar
    I agree - don't need sport, don't need these services - they have nothing to offer. Recordings is a killer for many people, but it's an adjustment only (recordings - streaming)
  3. Gollywood's avatar
    You're not really living without Sky because everything you watched and more, you're now watching on IPTV.

    It's just their box and recording you miss. (edited)
  4. Jessoodle's avatar
    I ditched sky too over 3 years ago. I did record a lot too, but I actually just got used to using free catch up apps if I really wanted to watch something I missed
    Conkers816's avatar
    I think if i could get it out of my head that I need to record what little I do watch on terrestrial then I could probably go 100% streamed as well.

    When I do watch certain shows though I do often fast forward through bits I don't like and that's something streaming doesn't do very well, at least for me.
  5. Paddy_o_furniture's avatar
    Yes. You can also ditch the TV license saving further £££.

    Over a year now. Wife initially struggled with a different interface than that not sky q. But now she's more than happy.

    Everything you probably record will be available on catch up. Some IPTV services have a catch-up where they have the previous week's TV in full.

    She's still with sky mobile so we haven't lost our VIP either. (edited)
    WiganLaticsFan's avatar
    Author
    Ditch TV licence? How so? What are you using now ?
  6. nopartylikeansclubparty's avatar
    Echoing the first reply that Several IPTV services now offer 7 days catchup
  7. Griffinpark1982's avatar
    Can u not keep your SKY TV box for the recording feature only? I've heard people say on here that they pay around £5-10 a month for that reason alone as its worth it just to keep the box. I've still got my Sky HD + box and it's still going strong
  8. jonauk's avatar
    Ditched sky just over 2 years ago I think. IPTV and all the catch up on free view are all we need. It is strange at first but you soon get used to it
  9. Mendoza's avatar
    I’ve been off Sky for about 6 years, and using your dark side since (I’m not allowed to use the letters, as my posts are obviously modded) ..

    I use Tivi app, but it’s not very good with any of the benefits anymore, eg: recording, watch from start, rewind/pause etc ..

    I don’t know if that’s down to the app, or to the sub, if anyone has any suggestions about this, I’d be grateful 🙏
    moschops1's avatar
    Could be down to the device you are using, I use tivimate premium app on Nvidia shield TV Pro and I can pause and record, if you're using a firestick then you won't be able to as there isn't enough memory. (edited)
  10. Tyrone_H_'s avatar
    You can keep the sky interface / box and features for £5 a month. Sky essentials its called .
    deleted9453's avatar
    This is around £15 now iirc.
  11. rimz790's avatar
    Ditched sky many years ago, don't watch terrestrial tv, kids, missus and myself watch youtube more than anything. Also recently stopped the tv licence and got a refund of £92, even though i had it renew in february time... (edited)
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