Sky Player appears in Media Center

 

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Posted on 23 Oct 2009 at 13:27

We've been using Windows 7 for months now, but yesterday's official launch triggered a number of automatic updates for the operating system, the most intriguing of which was the Sky Player option that appeared in the TV menu of Windows Media Center.

Its appearance isn't a total surprise, as Microsoft and Sky had already announced their intentions to work together in bringing Sky TV content to the Xbox 360's Live service. The companies announced there intention to work together via Windows 7 yesterday, but we hadn't expected proof of this collaboration to pop up in Media Center so quickly.

The link doesn't actually launch Sky Player, despite it being available as a browser-based player for some time. Instead it simply opens up a page with some scant details about the upcoming integration of the service with Media Center and a link to a web page.

Currently, Sky Player is essentially a bonus service for Sky TV subscribers (costing £5 or free for those with Sky Multiroom or Sky Broadband Unlimited), letting them access content they've already signed up for via their PC. You have been able to sign up for Sky Player-only packages, but these have practically cost the same as the full Sky TV deals but with less content and no free Sky+ box.

We've long held the view that Sky's dominance of pay-TV has held back Media Centre's uptake in the UK. In the US you can buy cable viewing card adaptors to get subscription-based TV services for your PC, but Sky has never provided such a system in the UK.

The new service seems to be much the same, so you're still talking about £43 a month to get all of Sky's and ESPN's Premiership football coverage. However, better integration with Media Centre should persuade those with laptops or PCs that the additional £5 charge to access this content from a PC as well is worthwhile. Though without the full functionality to record channels, as you get with a Sky+ box or Freeview on Media Center, we can't see Sky Player-only accounts catching on.

Author: Seth Barton