MORE than a dozen Sky channels are expected to disappear on satellite this week as part of a major upgrade plan.
Fortunately it’s not the absolute end of these beloved stations – but some viewers may lose access if their box is too old.
Sky is switching off the standard definition (SD) versions of its popular Sky Sports channels, as well as Sky Cinema.
Instead, they’ll go HD-only.
The move affects satellite broadcasts – they’ll still be available in SD via Virgin Media.
BBC and ITV have already done the same earlier this year, as the UK finally shifts from old quality and increasingly makes HD the norm.
Sky’s changes will see SD sport and movie channels go first.
Most people have a Sky Q or Sky+HD box which should mean the impact is relatively low.
But if you’re still using an old Sky+ or Digibox, you’ll lose access to the channels entirely as these aren’t capable of handling HD.
See the full list of affected Sky box models below.
Digibox
Sky+
Fortunately if you are impacted, you can get a free upgrade to Sky Q.
“We’re changing how we deliver our TV services,” Sky’s website says.
“This means if you have an SD box, you’ll need to upgrade to continue watching Sky channels.”
According to RXTVInfo, the following SD channels will disappear from satellite on Wednesday.
SD broadcasts will continue for the Republic of Ireland.
Analysis by Jamie Harris, Senior Technology and Science Reporter at The Sun
Don’t panic, your favourite channels aren’t shutting down, it’s just the standard definition versions.
And about time too.
HD TVs are commonplace now – and if you can afford to subscribe to Sky Sports and Sky Cinema, you can surely afford a HD TV too.
Those who aren’t watching via HD are missing out on a far superior experience.
Sky is even offering a free upgrade to Sky Q, which you may as well take up.
Ending SD broadcasts via satellite frees up satellite capacity, which costs companies money to run and ultimately falls on all customers to pay towards – it’s hard to justify this cost when so few are still using them.
Remember, this only affects satellite for now.
SD broadcasts of other channels will still be available on Freeview for the foreseeable future.
