Sky + HD: Is it worth upgrading?

You have Sky +. You've had it ages and you're quite happy with it, no intention of changing anything. You also have a forty something inch HD ready lump of plastic, either hanging on the wall or sitting in the corner on that very expensive smoked glass unit, and the picture is perfectly fine. You can see every acne spot on Wayne Rooney's finely chiselled features, and, at this moment in time, that's probably about as much as you want to see.

But, if you're anything like me, there's a muted voice in your head, nagging away at you every time you switch on the TV, and it won't go away. Every time you watch the football, or the tennis or even the rugby, you ask yourself the question - how much better would it look in High Definition? That's the first part of the question. The second part is - can I convince my partner it's worth paying an extra ten quid a month because we are already giving Murdoch fifty odd quid each month, and sometimes we can trawl through a hundred and ninety seven channels and find nothing of interest. That's usually on a Saturday evening after you've convinced your other half that it would be a good idea to stay in and order an Indian meal.

Yep, we've all been there.

Well, here's the good news. July 2011 is probably a good time to find out about HD. A couple of years ago, if you wanted HD it would have cost you £269.00 + £60.00 installation fee. And for that sort of money, never mind High Def, I'd want Wazza sitting in my front room, cup of tea in one hand a fairy cake in the other, telling me exactly how he smashed it past the Man City goalkeeper earlier that day.

So, what does it cost now? Order Sky+HD and it will cost fifteen quid. That's it. Just a delivery charge. (And an extra ten quid a month, but I'll get to that later) Of course, you'll have to install it yourself and you may be sitting there thinking - self install a sky box? You must be joking, I can barely change a plug. But, it's so simple to set up, Sky engineers who charged £60.00 for installation should be serving with Captain Jack Sparrow, wearing eye patches and waving cutlasses about.

Unpack the box. There's just two leads. A power cable and HDMI cable.  And every connection point on the back of your new box is colour coded. Show the instruction booklet to your Labrador, and he'll have the thing up and running inside five minutes. If you don't have a family pet, pull all the leads and cables out of your old box and replace them into your new HD box. The only discernible difference is your new box uses the new HDMI cable instead of the Scart lead.

Now you need to update the software. I can almost hear several of you going uh-oh. Hold the cat back, he may also want to get in on the action. Switch on your TV and turn on the new Sky box and wait three minutes. Press and hold the standby button on the remote until the light on the sky box turns red. Press and hold the back up button on the top of your new Sky box. A message comes up on screen - Updating System Software. Release the back up button. Pour yourself a stiff drink - you've earned it. Pour another one and then glance at the screen. That riot of colour and close up shots of individually defined nose hairs is High Definition.

Haven't finished yet, I'm afraid. Pour another drink and then remove the sky card from your old box and insert it into your new box. A message appears on-screen telling you the new box does not recognise your card. You could look at the instruction booklet, go through a few menus and sort it out yourself - but why bother? Pour yourself another drink and phone the number that has just appeared on the screen. A friendly Sky person will talk you through the menus, ask for a couple of details, and then tell you it may take twenty-four hours for the details to register.

I don't know why they say that, you'll see your card being accepted by the new box even as the Sky person is talking. Put the phone down and look at the screen. Everything is working, you are up and running. Pour yourself another drink, sit down and watch whatever is on screen. Georgie Thompson and Sky Sports News is a good place to start. Something for everyone there, I think.

Whatever turns you on...

When your partner arrives home, point at the screen and look smug. You'll probably be asked if it was difficult to install. Use the standard answer. Goes like this. Well, it was a bit fiddly, and I had to upgrade the software and sort out HDMI connections and such like, but it only took a couple of hours and I did save us sixty quid installation charges.  So I might buy that new sweater/shoes/shirt/handbag/hat I was looking at the other the day. Remember, the thing you said was too expensive.

If you hear the dog growling at this point, do not catch his eye or he will probably take you down.

So, is Sky+HD worth an extra £10.00 a month? Yes, it is. For the first time since you bought your television it will be running at full capacity, showing the picture it was designed to show. The clarity of picture, the vibrancy of colour, the improved sound, everything is upgraded by 30/40 percent. (I wish I were being paid by Sky for this! And a case of Jim Beam wouldn't go amiss, either.) The first programme I watched in HD was Michael Portillo's rail journey. A very good programme in its own right, but my God, the pictures of the English countryside in HD were stunning. In the first couple of days, I've watched a movie, a wildlife programme and a football match and I've come to the conclusion that EVERYTHING looks better in High Definition - even Wayne Rooney's hair transplant.

If you can afford another ten quid a month without putting the kids into a workhouse - go for it. You won't regret it. 

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