XBox beating Sky Player problems

It was supposed to run like clockwork. The launch of a new service that would give XBox Live users access to dozens of live Sky channels and on-demand TV shows.

But Tuesday's 10am launch didn't quite go according to plan. All some people logging on to the service could see was an error message.

Microsoft were forced to temporarily suspend the service, saying they didn't have the capacity to cater to the "unprecedented levels of simultaneous demand".

On Wednesday the company rolled out a revised service which means some customers are now able to access it, whilst others can't.

In a statement Microsoft said: "We apologise to all customers that have not been able to experience Sky Player on Xbox 360, we assure them that this is being rectified at present and we thank them for their patience."

It was announced months ago that XBox Live and Sky were going to work together.

The idea was to give users on-demand access to shows, as well as some live channels.

Toby Doyle, 15, from Cheltenham was one of those affected on Tuesday.

He said: "I was really disappointed when I found out it wasn't working.

"There's been lots of hype going on about it and I thought it'd all go well, so I was a bit shocked when it wasn't."

Sky apologised at the time, blaming a technical issue and promised full service by Wednesday.

Eighteen-year-old Liam from Dumfries said that wasn't good enough for him.

"I'm quite annoyed. I think they could have done a bit more to let people know they are having problems," he said.

This service isn't the only one to suffer problems.

Nintendo's Wii has offered users the chance to watch the BBC's iPlayer for months but has also suffered technical problems since September.

Users will be able to sign up to the Sky Player service on XBox on a month by month basis.

Depending on what package users go for it costs anywhere from £15 to £50.

Users also need good broadband speeds, around two meg, to make it work properly and it doesn't come in HD quality.

But, if you are willing to pay, you can see live Premier League football games, get Sky One on-demand and connect with online friends at the same time, using headsets to speak while you're watching.