Sky+ HD
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| Original author(s) | Sky plc |
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| Developer(s) | Sky plc |
| Initial release | 22 May 2006 |
| Development status | Current |
| Website | www |
Sky+ HD is the brand name of the HDTV service launched by Sky plc on 22 May 2006 in the United Kingdom and Ireland to enable high definition channels on Sky to be viewed. For the first 2 years after launch, the service was branded Sky HD. The service requires the user to have a Sky+ HD Digibox and an HD ready TV. Customers who pre-ordered by paying a deposit before 6 April 2006 were the first to receive the service, with installations starting on 21 May 2006.
As of 21 August 2014 the number of Sky+HD boxes currently in use stands at over 10 million.
A subscription to the original HD pack carries an extra fee of £10.25 (€15.00 in Ireland) a month on top of the standard Sky subscription. This fee allows customers to view any HD channels which correspond to the channel packs they subscribe to. Thus, Discovery HD and National Geographic HD will only be available if you have the entertainment extra package in addition to HD. Before that someone without the Knowledge Pack (part of the Entertainment Extra as of September 2011, which corresponds to the Variety Pack) could not view the SD Discovery or National Geographic but they can view the HD versions. Additional Pay-Per-View events on Sky Box Office HD are not available to customers unless they subscribe to the Sky HD pack.
The HD package, like Sky TV has a one-year minimum subscription and after this point a 31-day cancellation period is needed.
In January 2010, customers started being offered the Sky+ HD box as standard, and it is now optional to take the HD package. The HD package still remains at the same subscription price. The Sky+ box is no longer listed for purchase on the Sky website, and the Sky+ HD is now classed as the standard box installation.
As of late 2013, the £10.25/month HD pack is not offered to new customers - instead, customers with the basic entertainment channels may obtain selected channels in HD by subscribing to the Family package, which presently carries a £5 per month premium over the cost of the regular Variety package. Access to HD versions of Sky Sports and Sky Movies now requires a separate HD pack subscription, priced at £5.25 per month.
Sky+ recording facilities are included at no cost if a customer subscribes to any Sky TV package. Sky+ recording facilities carries an extra fee of £10.25 if a customer does not subscribe to any Sky TV package. Viewers who do not take a subscription Sky TV package or the Sky+ service will still receive all free SD and HD channels, but cannot use the recording facilities. It is for this reason that uptakers of the subscription-free Freesat from Sky service are provided with a box branded as 'SkyHD' rather than Sky+ HD. SkyHD boxes provided by Freesat from Sky do not contain hardware for recording (not to be confused with those older Sky HD boxes which existed before the rebrand to Sky+ HD. Those Sky HD boxes have recording functions which are disabled until subscribed to).
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