Exclusive Pictures of the New Sky Router

[teak]

I've been holding off switching to Sky in the hopes of getting this new router. But thinking about it, I wouldn't put it past Sky to just create a new VoD broadband package that you pay extra for to get this router. Just like you used to pay extra for Sky+ and now SkyHD.

[NewsreadeR]

Maybe in the future, but there is no plans afaik for VOD within the immediate future. We all know VOD is on its way, but afaik that is planned for the V3 router, which could be 2 years away yet.

Here’s a few things we learned from Brian Sullivan, Sky's chief of customer operations and architect of Sky+, at last night’s launch of the limited edition SkyHD designer boxes.
We can’t show you the actual boxes because the designs are embargoed until they go on sale in October. But if you’re looking for a box you can put on a pedestal, they’re very nice.


Sky is working on a new multi-room box. It will have two video outputs so you can watch separate channels in different rooms. It won’t be a networked device using so-called ‘thin clients’ which decode a data stream sent over wireless, Ethernet, Powerline or anything else. Brian says the wireless and ‘no new wires’ network technologies still aren’t ready for mass deployment.

There won’t be a Sky-branded portable media player. The Sky2Go project has been dropped because Sky didn’t want to deal with all the end-user complications of an extra product range and extended Digital Rights Management. Brian expects portable media players to arrive using a third party DRM like the Windows DRM used in Sky Anytime on PCs. So you might be able to transfer Sky Anytime downloads onto compatible players from your PC, but it doesn’t look like the USB port on your Sky+ will be getting any exercise for the forseeable future.

It won’t be too hard to add extra hard disc capacity to Sky HD via the Serial ATA port. You can plug any size of hard disc into this baby, and Sky has overcome an issue with the NDS Xtv formatting system used on Sky+, which adds extra discs to the existing capacity without seeing two individual storage devices. This would have meant that if your external disc was disconnected or crashed, you’d lose all your recordings. There’s no timeline yet for the update, and Brian said Sky won’t be selling a branded line of hard discs, again to avoid customer service issues.

Copyright issues have stalled hopes for a Slingbox-style upgrade or product for Sky customers. Brian told us it would be technically possible (not easy, but possible) to reprogram the existing SkyHD hardware to deliver a Slingbox-type service via the built-in Ethernet port. The problem is those pesky rights-holders in Hollywood and the Premier League. Instead of seeing the viewer as the end-point for delivering their content, they see the set-top box as a fixed end-point in a territory, and they sell rights by territory. If you move out of that territory, you no longer have the rights to watch your subscription. Wake up you numpties, this is the 21st century and people don’t stay in one place. I don’t care where I am, I want my TV.

Discussed here

Source

[NewsreadeR]

Another picture sent to us

[SatDish]

lots of dots to collect dust, dog hairs, pizza etc i still prefer the white one

[Ryan1992]

Im not too keen on it actually

[Alan b]

Me niether, plus it looks bigger than the Netgear one.

[Ryan1992]

it does, the netgear one looks far more superior than this new one

[reddwarfcrew]

Well whoever wins it in the prize for SU bday will be able to tell us what it is really like

[NewsreadeR]

lol

It's not the prize.....

[Ryan1992]

thats a relief