KEY POINTS:
Want super-sharp TV pictures? Don't hold your breath, at least not if you already have Sky.
Subscribers have been told they face a seven-week wait to get high-definition TV - a service new subscribers can get in three days.
HDTV is the latest fad for TV buffs. Fans of the service say the signal is twice as clear as a normal television.
But in the rush to sign up for the new service, the number of installers has been seriously stretched.
Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien said the company had to prioritise where it sent its technicians.
Customers having problems with Sky came first, followed by new customers wanting HD, followed by existing customers. The decision to put new customers ahead of existing subscribers in the queue for HD has left some customers fuming.
Orewa resident Steve Hickey said he was furious when he learned his workmate would get Sky HD two days before him, even though he had not asked for it until 6 1/2 weeks later.
The subscriber of four years said that when he heard new customers could get the service in three days, he cancelled his subscription.
Mr O'Brien said the company had had an "overwhelming" number of orders, with 12,200 HD units installed since they were offered in late July, and another 5500 people on the waiting list.
