HD TV and Sky
 

Hi all!

Flying out on the 11th July and have a quick question which I think has been mentioned on the forums before.

Is HD TV available in NZ and if not does anyone know when?

Also what is NZ Sky like? Is the service as c**p as it is in the UK......

Not that I am going to the other side of the world just to watch tele of course but you have to ask these questions!!!

Rich :D

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

No idea about HD TV but we've just got Sky and its pretty rubbish, but OH couldn't not what with world cup approaching :beer:

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

If you think that Sky in the UK is crap then I wouldn't bother with the one in NZ.

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Hi, how many terrestial channels are there? and are they digital or going to be digital? More to the point what's the kids TV programs like? :)

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

there's 4 main ones - TVOne, two & three then Prime (Australian).
There's also C4, Maori and other local ones.
We've stuck with the terrestrial and it's pretty OK. Kids stuff is available, just not much of it - tends to be a bit like the old BBC approach - early mornings, around 3pm and then saturday mornings - no children exclusive channels but they do feature some familiar stuff - fifi flowertots, tractor tom, bob etc etc (sorry -my kids are only little!!)
Vicki

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

There are four MAIN channels..One,Two,Three and Prime.
http://home.nzcity.co.nz/tvnow/tvguide.asp?c=w
That shows you whats on....

The Sky channels are...
http://www.skytv.co.nz/index.cfm?pageid=449

Kids channels aren't too bad.

Hope this helps :)

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Lol..... tell me about it!! My 2 year old watches the same episode of whatever his favourite DVD is over and over again. Hes poorly at the moment so we are inside a lot. His favourite this week is Barney and SuperTed.... drives me nuts watching the same thing time and time again!!!

Just wondering why is the same episode of Blues Clues on every day all week?

We dont have sky.... didnt think it was very good value for money and we dont watch much sports so didnt see the point.

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

NOOOOOOOOOOO, please don't mention the B word, my daugther who is nearly 4 would watch her videos and DVD's all day not so long ago, her 7 year old brother's my wife and myself could tell you words to all the songs that purple dinosaur sings :scared:
We've had a bit of a rest bite from it lately but no one dares to utter his name for fear of what could happen. However she has now taken over the computer much to everyone's disgust Cbeebies website gets a daily pounding, mainly Balamory and Boogie Beebies, but hey it has everything a nearly 4 year old little madam could wish for. :D

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Sky are saying "about 18 months time", and it will probably only be sport and movies initially.

It's certainly nothing special. About the only thing we really miss from the UK service is Discovery Kids and Ceebeebies though, and the fact that all the programs are still broadcast in 4:3, there's no widescreen at all (not sure about the premium channels).

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

I don't think Canwest would be too pleased with your answer, but i can see where you are coming from. Canwest own TV3 and channel 4. Channel 4 has 80% coverage of the nation, and cost a fair bit to install. At first it was quite successful, but Canwest discovered they were taking their own audience away from their flagship TV3, and gaining no more advertising. They turned it into a music video channel and it has been very succesful since, and gets a big audience. Having said that, Maori TV is also free to air and gets about 80% coverage, but I don't think it gets many viewers.

There is no terrestrial digital service in NZ, HD or otherwise. All the free to air channels are available on satellite (for free if you buy a satellite decoder), which combined with TVNZ's (the government owned lot) apparent desire to reduce transmission costs at the expense of availability, means that it would take the government to mandate digital terrestrial TV or it won't happen. Seems a bit unlikely for quite a while.

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

WOW is Blues Clues still on - I remember watching it offshore in 2002 in Australia with a bunch of ruffty tuffty Ozzie riggers every day - what a laugh all these offshore blokes avidly watching a kiddies program - well it was that and the Ozzie aerobics too - I wonder why!

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Best advice I can give all you parents of toddlers before you leave UK is copy hours and hours of CBEEBIES onto disk/video..... we copied 4 video tapes of it and it has been a godsend! In the last couple of months we asked relatives at home to copy more for us and send it across which they have done..... he loves it...and watches it over and over.

My DS has suddenly gone Barney mad..... we only have the one episode to play but its driving me nuts as its on all the time. He cant talk very well yet and it comes out as Barbie..... we keep saying Barney to him but he shouts BARBIE at us..... lol.... trying to explain that Barbie is something entirely different.

I have a secret to tell anyway whilst I'm here..... I found out on monday that I'm pregnant.....how the hell did that happen!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :D

SarahB :eek:

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Oh Congratulations Sarah,

All the best to you and your significant other and of course your DS!!!
If your not sure how it happened I suggest you stay off the booze,
thats usually how it happens..... :beer:

Hope the pregnancy is a smooth and easy one.
Sue :D

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

What's HD?
We only got Sky to improve thepicture of our telly which most people in our area of Hamilton/Cambridge do! It worked lovely picture. I quite like the Living Channel. Never had Sky before though.

Re: HD TV and Sky
 

Congratulations Sarah, this one'll be a proper Kiwi!! Good luck.