Sky Sports HD means I’m watching the Ashes in the past

Having the cricket on in the background is one of the myriad benefits of working from home. But it’s not so great for Al, who works in the room next door. The room without the TV in.

Initially, he resolved this issue by using the Sky Player to stream the Ashes onto his Mac, but it kept buffering at vital moments, and we both got fed up with him stealing all the internet: BT Home Hubs aren’t designed for two web heads on wireless connections.

Instead, he bowed to the inevitable and took the retrograde step of tuning into the radio to listen to the cricket commentary like normal, Skyless people.

This has led to an interesting phenomenon, which I’ve noticed many times over the years and usually moaned about. However, in this case, it’s actually been quite handy.

It turns out, when you watch Sky HD, you are watching everything in the past thanks to the time lag. You’ll have noticed it when you switch from low-def to high def, but the time difference is even more pronounced if you’re listening to the radio.

Back in the World Cup, this time difference took the edge off penalty shoot outs because we could hear the neighbours down the road cheering or groaning a few seconds before we saw the player take the shot. We ended up enduring the stifling heat and watching with the windows shut.

But this time all it means is every time there’s a wicket Al comes running in to watch it and I look up from my monitor to catch the moment “live” for myself. It’s proved a very useful time lag and means that I’ve enjoyed the best bits of the cricket without having to watch the dreary afternoon slouch towards a draw.

So while I’m enjoying the edited highlights of the Ashes, Al’s getting a regular break from his screen with those room-to-room jogs.