[General Questions and Answers] combat goofwing:
it gets better after a barrage of question after the last staement this is what they come back with, to give you an idea how far behind they are, they dont support a single android tablet yet, no jellybean support yet, not support for HTC one seris yet not even on ICS

"Android Q & A

Why is it taking so long to test for JellyBean?

We have been testing the Jellybean operating system across the range of handsets we currently support (and new unsupported devices) and have run into a few challenges around media playback. These are all being worked through by our Android development team and we hope to release before Christmas along with support for the HTC One series. We’re unable to go into further details around these challenges as this is sensitive information. As soon as we have a confirmed date for the next release we will announce it here.

Why are devices blocked?

The main reason why some Android devices are blocked is due to rooting; we are not able to support rooted devices because of the risk to our security measures. All unsupported devices are unable to download the official Sky Go app.

How come Sky is the only company which seems to have such a problem with TV rights issues?

Unlike some other content providers we have a lot of 3rd party content available on Sky Go, we have multiple contracts with varying obligations in order to protect this content. For example, Sky has rights to content in the first pay TV window (following DVD release) whereas some other Movie services do not, therefore our security requirements are different. We have a very sophisticated Digital Rights Management system which we which we work hard to protect. It means we are unable to release one generic app that will work across all Android handsets, and to ensure each handset adheres to our content protection requirements, they do need to be Q/A and tested individually.

How long does it take to test a device?

Generally speaking testing takes a minimum of two weeks, if we run into compatibility issues on any variant of the Android operating system for that device we need to investigate, implement fixes and test them. In addition our suite of services spans many platforms (Mobile, Web, Xbox) and a variety of apps which all tie in to the same backend system and therefore utilise the same working environments, bringing in inter-team dependencies. Releases are scheduled so that multiple updates can be delivered simultaneously.

No other legitimate TV app has these problems, why?

We’re not able to comment on the rights deals other comparable services have with third party content providers

Why can other companies who have the same issues with content/licensing/contractual obligations provide apps that work across the android ecosystem almost immediately?

We cannot confirm if they do have the same challenges we have. Some companies in the UK have third party content and some don’t which may affect the level of protection required.

Why is HDMI out supported on PC / Laptop but not mobile or tablet?

HDMI out on a laptop is not something we are able to control; where HDMI blocking is within our control we must make every effort to block it as this is a contractual studio requirement

Why isn't your Sky Go director leading the push to get Sky Go on all platforms?

Our Director and the team here are all pushing to get Sky Go on as many platforms as we can. We have two equally resourced teams that work on app development for Sky Go, one for Apple development and one for Android. We are platform agnostic and do not have exclusive relationships with any manufacturers. We are well aware of the level of Android penetration in the UK and as such have been working as quickly as we can to develop support for the ever growing number of handsets and operating systems. We are hoping to release support for the HTC One Series before Christmas along with JellyBean. We have every intention of continuing to develop versions of Sky Go for new handsets and new operating systems; the fact of the matter is that we face significant challenges in Android development so unfortunately this will not happen overnight.