Thanks @HAYSIE but it all sounds way too complicated for me.
I suppose. Although that little bit sounded very simple. It will find you a programme irrespective of the channel or app it is being shown on. So for example if you searched Tulsa King, it would bring up every episode that was available. This will apply even if it has appeared on different apps. You could then select which episodes/series you wish to watch, merely press the button, and watch free of charge.
Sky Stream review: A simply brilliant streaming TV box
UPDATE: Sky has announced that its personalisation features are arriving in a big update starting from 1 February 2023. The updates, which make up part of the firm’s Entertainment OS 1.1 update, improve various parts of the the Sky Stream UI, and include the addition of the long-awaited Personalised Playlist feature.
This allows users to create up to five personal playlists, one for each member of the family, and a further universal playlist that everyone can add to.
In addition to the personal playlist, there will be a new “Cast & Crew rail” on Show pages that allow you to see what other movies and TV shows the show’s actors and directors have been involved in.
There’s a new voice command, too. Say “Play The Last of Us” and Sky Stream should pick up where you left off. You can also highlight what you want to watch onscreen, hold the voice button down and say “Play” instead of clicking on the remote.
In a nutshell, Sky wants Sky Stream to be the Sky Q of the 2020s – the best product on which to experience premium UK TV. Some might say it’s too late to the party, that other manufacturers are doing a better job of this already, that it should have delivered a streaming-only, fully 4K capable product well before now, and that may well be true.
But an integrated approach to streaming that marries cloud recording technology (more on which later) with access to Sky’s flagship TV offerings in full 4K, means it’s unique among its peers.
My Sky bill increased by £8 this month. It increases by a further £6.39 in February. The £8 increase is made up of them allowing less discounts on a few bits. Sky signature has gone up £3. Sky Cinema £4. Sky multiscreen £1. The £6.39 in February is in respect of HD, which they are currently not charging me for. They are very slippery.
Apparently if I take off the HD, which I am not bothered about, I can only have Netflix on one screen, which I am bothered about.
I am going to have to have a chat with them.
Best chance is to do this quickly. Generally, Sky give their best offers in December-suspect it is their (financial) year end. In return for agreeing to a new 18 month contract, likely to get a decent discount.
Have you looked at Sky stream?
I have.
And, at least for now, it is not for me.
I like to record programmes. I like to choose to "own" things, rather than rent them.
But it may well go like music, where effectively you have little choice but to allow these people to exert more control over what you are allowed to watch.
You have probably noticed that I have started a thread on this now. Dont really understand your ownership comment. Doesnt what you are allowed to watch depend on the package you purchase?
On Sky Q, if you record & keep, you can watch it whenever you like.
Whereas on Stream you can only watch programmes when Sky decide you can. And Box sets regularly disappear for months on end, or transfer to a different provider.
Also, I have had a number of my recordings disappear from my Sky Q, where a provider has designated that a particular programme will only be available for a particular period.
Sky Q, for instance, starts at exactly the same £26 per month but costs £7 more for Sky Sports and the 4K upgrade is double the price at £12. Sky Now represents the cheapest, easiest way to get Sky Sports and can be watched on your TV via a variety of different streaming hardware but it’s not available in 4K and is still pretty pricey. It costs £39 per month for Sky Sports versus £52 (with the current discount) for Sky Stream.
The long and short of it, though, is that Sky Stream matches its key rivals for value, and is slightly cheaper overall than Sky Q. It also has the bonus that you can pay for its services on a rolling basis, meaning that you could, for example, pay for Sky Sports during the football season, cancel it during the off season and then resume paying in August once the action kicks off again. The only downside is that the rolling fees are a little more expensive than the 18-month contract prices; the fee for Sky Sports, for instance, is £27 per month at the moment, where the 18-month price is £20, reduced from £25.
I’ve just switched to Sky Stream with a couple of extra pucks around the house.
It’s quite good that the playlists remember where you are across the account but a bit rubbish that you can’t set up different accounts if you’re watching the same shows at different paces. The other issue is that the audio seems to very rarely be output in 5.1 presumably because it’s taking content from catch up services which are using the lower definition.
I’ve just switched to Sky Stream with a couple of extra pucks around the house.
It’s quite good that the playlists remember where you are across the account but a bit rubbish that you can’t set up different accounts if you’re watching the same shows at different paces. The other issue is that the audio seems to very rarely be output in 5.1 presumably because it’s taking content from catch up services which are using the lower definition.
I am in two minds whether to switch, or get Sky glass.
I’ve just switched to Sky Stream with a couple of extra pucks around the house.
It’s quite good that the playlists remember where you are across the account but a bit rubbish that you can’t set up different accounts if you’re watching the same shows at different paces. The other issue is that the audio seems to very rarely be output in 5.1 presumably because it’s taking content from catch up services which are using the lower definition.
I’ve just switched to Sky Stream with a couple of extra pucks around the house.
It’s quite good that the playlists remember where you are across the account but a bit rubbish that you can’t set up different accounts if you’re watching the same shows at different paces. The other issue is that the audio seems to very rarely be output in 5.1 presumably because it’s taking content from catch up services which are using the lower definition.
I could see that causing problems.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
My Sky bill increased by £8 this month. It increases by a further £6.39 in February. The £8 increase is made up of them allowing less discounts on a few bits. Sky signature has gone up £3. Sky Cinema £4. Sky multiscreen £1. The £6.39 in February is in respect of HD, which they are currently not charging me for. They are very slippery.
Apparently if I take off the HD, which I am not bothered about, I can only have Netflix on one screen, which I am bothered about.
I am going to have to have a chat with them.
Best chance is to do this quickly. Generally, Sky give their best offers in December-suspect it is their (financial) year end. In return for agreeing to a new 18 month contract, likely to get a decent discount.
Have you looked at Sky stream?
I have.
And, at least for now, it is not for me.
I like to record programmes. I like to choose to "own" things, rather than rent them.
But it may well go like music, where effectively you have little choice but to allow these people to exert more control over what you are allowed to watch.
You have probably noticed that I have started a thread on this now. Dont really understand your ownership comment. Doesnt what you are allowed to watch depend on the package you purchase?
On Sky Q, if you record & keep, you can watch it whenever you like.
Whereas on Stream you can only watch programmes when Sky decide you can. And Box sets regularly disappear for months on end, or transfer to a different provider.
Also, I have had a number of my recordings disappear from my Sky Q, where a provider has designated that a particular programme will only be available for a particular period.
Sky Q, for instance, starts at exactly the same £26 per month but costs £7 more for Sky Sports and the 4K upgrade is double the price at £12. Sky Now represents the cheapest, easiest way to get Sky Sports and can be watched on your TV via a variety of different streaming hardware but it’s not available in 4K and is still pretty pricey. It costs £39 per month for Sky Sports versus £52 (with the current discount) for Sky Stream.
The long and short of it, though, is that Sky Stream matches its key rivals for value, and is slightly cheaper overall than Sky Q. It also has the bonus that you can pay for its services on a rolling basis, meaning that you could, for example, pay for Sky Sports during the football season, cancel it during the off season and then resume paying in August once the action kicks off again. The only downside is that the rolling fees are a little more expensive than the 18-month contract prices; the fee for Sky Sports, for instance, is £27 per month at the moment, where the 18-month price is £20, reduced from £25.
Of course the bonus with the “cloud DVR” is that you effectively have unlimited storage, meaning that, for instance, if you let a load of 4K Formula 1 build up in your playlist, it won’t fill up your hard disk as it does with Sky Q, so you never have to spend any time freeing up space.
Another benefit, especially right now as electricity prices are rising so fast, is that the Stream Box uses a lot less electricity than Sky Q: 1W in standby and a mere 3W while watching in 4K, compared with between 9W and 22W for Sky Q. In fact, you can switch off the Sky Stream entirely and it will still record your programmes because everything happens in the cloud so you don’t need to leave it switched on at all times, either.
Those running multiroom setups will prefer Sky Stream over Sky Q as well, and not just because every box is capable of full 4K playback (the Sky Q mini boxes can only do 720p), but because each box operates independently. With Sky Q, all the extra mini boxes link to the main Sky Q box and if that goes down or is turned off, all the rest of the boxes stop working, too.
Sky Stream review: Verdict Sky Stream does take a bit of getting used to, and it isn’t quite the all-singing, all-dancing system that Sky Q is. But it is possible to work around its quirks and there are enough other positives that it’s a genuine alternative.
Image quality is excellent and the UI in particular is very friendly and slick. There is a bit of a learning curve to the Playlist feature but once you’ve worked it out, it’s very simple to use.
For those who would like access to Sky Sports and Sky’s other exclusive content in 4K but who can’t (or don’t want to) install a satellite dish, it’s a no-brainer. It’s a superior system for those who want and can afford multiroom Sky TV and, if you have already invested in a TV you don’t yet want to replace, means you don’t have to buy Sky Glass, either.
Overall, then, it’s a big thumbs up from me for the Sky Stream box. If you want Sky Sports in 4K and own a TV you don’t want to replace with Sky Glass, it’s a genuinely persuasive alternative to Sky Q.
Sky Stream: 5 things that Sky never told you about its latest TV box
4/ Want to fast-forwards the adverts? That'll cost extra Yes, Sky Stream viewers will need to pay an extra £5 per month to fast-forward through the adverts in on-demand and catch-up content. The feature is free for the first 18-months, regardless of whether you opt for an 18-month or 31-day rolling contract. In other words, it's not something you'll have to worry about for a little while, but it's worth knowing before you switch from Sky+HD or Sky Q.
Sky Glass has the same caveat, with the functionality – dubbed Ad Skipping Add On – bundled at no extra cost for the first 18-month with your new telly.
So, what's going on? Well, it's all to do with the way that Sky Stream handles recordings.
Sky Stream and Sky Glass both ditch the ability to record shows, films, and sport fixtures onto a local hard-drive.
This is a monumental change from Sky, which pioneered the ability to record shows, pause and rewind live television with its ground-breaking Sky+ box back in 2001. Recordings have been replaced with the all-new Playlist feature, which brings together episodes, films, and sport fixtures that you'd like to watch at a later date into a single menu.
It's worth noting that there are some advantages to the approach taken with Playlist on Sky Stream.
First up, since you're not writing data to a whirring hard-drive inside the box, you'll never need to worry about running out of storage on your Sky Stream box. That means you'll never need to hastily cull an old series you haven't got around to watching because you need to schedule a new recording. Likewise, you don't need to worry about power cuts or signal problems interrupting the recording because, you know, you're not actually recording anything to your box.
Playlist also brings together episodes from a dizzying number of sources. For example, if you add the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale on Channel 4 to your Playlist, the clever AI will scour streamers like Disney+, Netflix, Peacock, and Prime Video, as well as Sky's own library of on-demand titles, to bring together previous seasons alongside the new episodes airing each week. That way, you'll be able to catch-up on previous episodes to get up-to-speed before you jump into the latest instalment.
There are a couple of things I need to check. Like what programmes you can get if your internet was down.
unless you connect the TV to an aerial none I think
How the cloud storage works, and which channels it is applicable for.
any paid for channels, but it will only store links to their apps like the playlist
How the playlist works.
You have a list of favourites that play in the app they are from (this can be a problem if the app loses the contract for them or stops showing the show)
I hate paying for the multiroom, and HD.
No way round these I am afraid (blame Ryanair, headline price but once you add up all the add ons etc......) Glass has an option to add puck/pucks its all the same monthly cost but you pay for each additional puck
If I could get away with not paying for them I would probably buy 2 Sky glass TVs, as long as I only had to pay one subscription.
without the puck you couldn't watch paid channels, the TV is good as it has a built in soundbar but there are definitely better options that could be used with the puck for your second TV as I hardly ever use the voice control etc.
One anomaly when i got mine (not sure if it still applies or not), it was actually cheaper to pay the TV over 12 or 18 months than buy it outright, I assume the thinking behind was that you are more likely to keep the tv package if you are paying up the TV?
Do you have to pay £5 per month to allow you to fast forward through adverts?
Just saw this, yes if you want to skip ads you have to pay to do it
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job.
I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job.
I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
I dont understand it then. I already have the multiroom on Sky Q. I thought that each TV that was connected may have had a separate playlist.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job. I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job. I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
yes this is what i have heard
Like what? I have multiroom, and it costs £12 per month. If you have Sky glass, or stream, they are calling it whole house, but it is still £12 per month. I do begrudge paying some of the charges. The most ridiculous of which is the £5 per month for ad skipping.
I dont understand it then. I already have the multiroom on Sky Q. I thought that each TV that was connected may have had a separate playlist.
Sky Q has separate hard disks where things are recorded to the box, so they can operate independently. The Stream pucks are simply giving you an internet connection like a firestick does, then the package grants you access to additional services (e.g. SkySports).
You can add as many pucks as you like but they’re all using the same playlist within the account. Sky could sort this by setting profiles within its software, but they haven’t.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job. I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
yes this is what i have heard
Like what? I have multiroom, and it costs £12 per month. If you have Sky glass, or stream, they are calling it whole house, but it is still £12 per month. I do begrudge paying some of the charges. The most ridiculous of which is the £5 per month for ad skipping.
Bargain of a lifetime that. £5 a month never to have to see another TV ad? I'd bite their hands off.
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job. I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
yes this is what i have heard
Like what? I have multiroom, and it costs £12 per month. If you have Sky glass, or stream, they are calling it whole house, but it is still £12 per month. I do begrudge paying some of the charges. The most ridiculous of which is the £5 per month for ad skipping.
Bargain of a lifetime that. £5 a month never to have to see another TV ad? I'd bite their hands off.
Here's what's included
Ad Skipping £5
We've included Ad-Skip so you maintain the experience you have today
Just to be clear. Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly? Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
When you log into various streaming services you can set up different profiles to keep your viewing preferences separate but there’s no such thing on the Sky interface so it’s operating at the account level.
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job. I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
yes this is what i have heard
Like what? I have multiroom, and it costs £12 per month. If you have Sky glass, or stream, they are calling it whole house, but it is still £12 per month. I do begrudge paying some of the charges. The most ridiculous of which is the £5 per month for ad skipping.
Bargain of a lifetime that. £5 a month never to have to see another TV ad? I'd bite their hands off.
Ad Skipping on Sky Glass and Sky Stream With the Ad Skipping TV pack, you'll be able to fast forward through adverts when using:
Live Pause - up to the live broadcast only Restart / 'Watch from start' Playlist Sky On Demand You can also fast forward adverts in the ITVX, STV Player and All4 TV apps.
The Ad Skipping pack doesn't mean that you won't see any adverts. It just lets you fast forward through the ads using the relevant remote control buttons and on screen menu options for what you're watching. It doesn't fast forward ads in:
Live TV; or Other TV apps, like Netflix, YouTube or Spotify. Ad Skipping has a 31-day rolling contract.
Ad Skipping offer: You might have an Ad Skipping offer on your account if you bought Sky Glass or Sky Stream before 29 November 2022. After the offer ends, you’ll be charged £5 a month for Ad Skipping unless you remove
I dont understand it then. I already have the multiroom on Sky Q. I thought that each TV that was connected may have had a separate playlist.
Sky Q has separate hard disks where things are recorded to the box, so they can operate independently. The Stream pucks are simply giving you an internet connection like a firestick does, then the package grants you access to additional services (e.g. SkySports).
You can add as many pucks as you like but they’re all using the same playlist within the account. Sky could sort this by setting profiles within its software, but they haven’t.
Sky Stream review: beautiful 4K and Dolby Atmos without a dish, but it'll cost you Our long-term review of Sky's streaming box reveals a great option for videophiles, with some foibles
The Sky Stream delivers gorgeous-looking 4K HDR pictures, especially from Sky's own channels, and great Dolby Atmos sound where supported. Its goal of mixing content from all the biggest streaming services works well, though is not without irritation and limitations – and I really wish it had HDMI-based control. For sports fans and movie lovers, it's a great addition to a streaming house, but it's not quite flexible enough to be the only streaming box everyone needs.
Pros +High-quality 4K Dolby Vision pictures +Overall easy to use, within its sandbox +Dolby Atmos audio support +Some good-value subscription options Cons -Pushes shows from services you don't have -Some features inconsistent across apps -Limited streaming app support -4K and Atmos are a paid upgrade
The Sky Stream has a bunch of small irritations for me, though. The largest of which is the lack of HDMI-CEC, so you can't control it using your TV's remote. In theory, the Sky Stream should learn to control your TV using its own remote during setup, but this didn't work properly for me, and there's no way to repeat the process from the menu, so I can't control volume from the Stream's remote. HDMI-CEC would make all this automatic.
It also promotes shows and movies to you from services you don't have, which can be annoying, since it's just wasted recommendation space. And the experience isn't totally consistent between services. For example, Sky's great 'Playlist' button on the remote makes it so easy to add things to a watchlist to find later, but it doesn't work in Paramount Plus, which has its own totally separate system… but I only have access to Paramount Plus through the Stream, so it just feels silly. I would say the Stream's menus are also generally less responsive and smooth than the Apple TV 4K.
For people with broad tastes, you couldn't rely on just the Sky Stream, either. There's no Shudder or Hayu, for example, so you'd need another streaming device to watch those (and other more niche streaming services) – probably either an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Chromecast with Google TV or Apple TV 4K. But as a mainstream, uh, streamer, Sky Stream and its many packages will keep most people well satisfied, as long as you can take the cost.
Unlike most similar streaming boxes we cover here, you need to think of Sky Stream as a subscription. The box on its own is not a thing. The most basic way to get it is for £26 per month on an 18-month contract or £29 per month on a rolling one-month contract with no long-term obligation (a one-month free trial is available for either). For that price, you're getting the core Sky Entertainment and Netflix package for movies and shows.
That means all of Sky's core channels and originals are open to you, including the likes of Sky Atlantic and Sky Max, plus standard UK TV channels, Eurosport and various other things to watch. Stuff from Sky's channels is available on-demand or live, all streamed. And Netflix is included for this price too, in its 'Basic' package, which is okay if you'll only watch from the Sky Stream anyway. But bear in mind, this is all in HD only, and with no Dolby Atmos.
If you want to go UHD and Atmos, it's an additional £6 per month, which is no small addition. So with one of the best 4K TVs and best Dolby Atmos soundbars, the minimum price to really make the most is actually £32 per month. And that upgrade doesn't apply to Netflix! To upgrade Netflix from 'Basic' to 'Premium' so you get 4K and Atmos, an additional £8 per month is needed. So, call it £40 per month in total just for the most basic package in 4K.
And then we get to the other add-ons. Sky Sports is usually £25 per month on an 18-month contract, or £27 on a rolling contract. TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is £30 per month.
Sky Cinema is £11 per month on an 18-month contract, or £13 per month on a rolling contract. This includes not just Sky Cinema's movie offerings, but also a Paramount Plus subscription, which unlocks tons more movies and a load of TV shows, of course. This makes the Sky Cinema option an especially tempting add-on, in my opinion, but I'm also a huge movie-fiend, so it really hits the target for me.
Then there's Sky Kids, which is £6 per month to unlock the likes of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. And finally, once you've added all this up, if you want to skip the ads at the start of on-demand shows that Sky has included, despite these costs, that's £5 per month. This one will gall a lot of people…
One of the best features of Sky Stream is the 'Playlist' feature, where you just hit the '+' button on the remote to add things to your watch list, and it works across different types of stuff. You can hit it during a live show to make future episodes appear in your playlist, you can hit it while browsing movies to just bookmark the movie for later viewing, and you can use it for films and shows you'll find recommended for many apps, including Netflix and Disney Plus. But it doesn't work for everything. Most surprisingly, it doesn't work with Paramount Plus, which feels bizarre considering it's included with Sky Cinema.
Comments
Although that little bit sounded very simple.
It will find you a programme irrespective of the channel or app it is being shown on.
So for example if you searched Tulsa King, it would bring up every episode that was available.
This will apply even if it has appeared on different apps.
You could then select which episodes/series you wish to watch, merely press the button, and watch free of charge.
UPDATE: Sky has announced that its personalisation features are arriving in a big update starting from 1 February 2023. The updates, which make up part of the firm’s Entertainment OS 1.1 update, improve various parts of the the Sky Stream UI, and include the addition of the long-awaited Personalised Playlist feature.
This allows users to create up to five personal playlists, one for each member of the family, and a further universal playlist that everyone can add to.
In addition to the personal playlist, there will be a new “Cast & Crew rail” on Show pages that allow you to see what other movies and TV shows the show’s actors and directors have been involved in.
There’s a new voice command, too. Say “Play The Last of Us” and Sky Stream should pick up where you left off. You can also highlight what you want to watch onscreen, hold the voice button down and say “Play” instead of clicking on the remote.
In a nutshell, Sky wants Sky Stream to be the Sky Q of the 2020s – the best product on which to experience premium UK TV. Some might say it’s too late to the party, that other manufacturers are doing a better job of this already, that it should have delivered a streaming-only, fully 4K capable product well before now, and that may well be true.
But an integrated approach to streaming that marries cloud recording technology (more on which later) with access to Sky’s flagship TV offerings in full 4K, means it’s unique among its peers.
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/sky/1417180/sky-stream-review
The long and short of it, though, is that Sky Stream matches its key rivals for value, and is slightly cheaper overall than Sky Q. It also has the bonus that you can pay for its services on a rolling basis, meaning that you could, for example, pay for Sky Sports during the football season, cancel it during the off season and then resume paying in August once the action kicks off again. The only downside is that the rolling fees are a little more expensive than the 18-month contract prices; the fee for Sky Sports, for instance, is £27 per month at the moment, where the 18-month price is £20, reduced from £25.
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/sky/1417180/sky-stream-review
It’s quite good that the playlists remember where you are across the account but a bit rubbish that you can’t set up different accounts if you’re watching the same shows at different paces. The other issue is that the audio seems to very rarely be output in 5.1 presumably because it’s taking content from catch up services which are using the lower definition.
Are you saying that this applies in the case of two accounts on the same telly?
Or would it also apply to two accounts on different tellies?
Another benefit, especially right now as electricity prices are rising so fast, is that the Stream Box uses a lot less electricity than Sky Q: 1W in standby and a mere 3W while watching in 4K, compared with between 9W and 22W for Sky Q. In fact, you can switch off the Sky Stream entirely and it will still record your programmes because everything happens in the cloud so you don’t need to leave it switched on at all times, either.
Those running multiroom setups will prefer Sky Stream over Sky Q as well, and not just because every box is capable of full 4K playback (the Sky Q mini boxes can only do 720p), but because each box operates independently. With Sky Q, all the extra mini boxes link to the main Sky Q box and if that goes down or is turned off, all the rest of the boxes stop working, too.
Sky Stream review: Verdict
Sky Stream does take a bit of getting used to, and it isn’t quite the all-singing, all-dancing system that Sky Q is. But it is possible to work around its quirks and there are enough other positives that it’s a genuine alternative.
Image quality is excellent and the UI in particular is very friendly and slick. There is a bit of a learning curve to the Playlist feature but once you’ve worked it out, it’s very simple to use.
For those who would like access to Sky Sports and Sky’s other exclusive content in 4K but who can’t (or don’t want to) install a satellite dish, it’s a no-brainer. It’s a superior system for those who want and can afford multiroom Sky TV and, if you have already invested in a TV you don’t yet want to replace, means you don’t have to buy Sky Glass, either.
Overall, then, it’s a big thumbs up from me for the Sky Stream box. If you want Sky Sports in 4K and own a TV you don’t want to replace with Sky Glass, it’s a genuinely persuasive alternative to Sky Q.
https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/sky/1417180/sky-stream-review
Sky Entertainment & Netflix
18 month contract
Previous price £26, now £0
£26
£0
for 3 months
Sky Cinema
18 month contract
£11
UHD & Dolby Atmos
Find out more about UHD & Dolby Atmos
31 day rolling
£6
Ad Skipping
Find out more about Ad Skipping
31 day rolling
£5
Netflix Standard
31 day rolling
£6
Whole Home
Find out more about Whole Home
31 day rolling
£12
Sky Stream Puck
Setup fee
Previous price £39.95, now £0
£39.95
£0
Lock in a cheaper price for 18 months, or stay flexible with a rolling contract.
18 month contract
The cheapest price
31 day rolling contract
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4/ Want to fast-forwards the adverts? That'll cost extra
Yes, Sky Stream viewers will need to pay an extra £5 per month to fast-forward through the adverts in on-demand and catch-up content. The feature is free for the first 18-months, regardless of whether you opt for an 18-month or 31-day rolling contract. In other words, it's not something you'll have to worry about for a little while, but it's worth knowing before you switch from Sky+HD or Sky Q.
Sky Glass has the same caveat, with the functionality – dubbed Ad Skipping Add On – bundled at no extra cost for the first 18-month with your new telly.
So, what's going on? Well, it's all to do with the way that Sky Stream handles recordings.
Sky Stream and Sky Glass both ditch the ability to record shows, films, and sport fixtures onto a local hard-drive.
This is a monumental change from Sky, which pioneered the ability to record shows, pause and rewind live television with its ground-breaking Sky+ box back in 2001. Recordings have been replaced with the all-new Playlist feature, which brings together episodes, films, and sport fixtures that you'd like to watch at a later date into a single menu.
It's worth noting that there are some advantages to the approach taken with Playlist on Sky Stream.
First up, since you're not writing data to a whirring hard-drive inside the box, you'll never need to worry about running out of storage on your Sky Stream box. That means you'll never need to hastily cull an old series you haven't got around to watching because you need to schedule a new recording. Likewise, you don't need to worry about power cuts or signal problems interrupting the recording because, you know, you're not actually recording anything to your box.
Playlist also brings together episodes from a dizzying number of sources. For example, if you add the latest episode of The Handmaid's Tale on Channel 4 to your Playlist, the clever AI will scour streamers like Disney+, Netflix, Peacock, and Prime Video, as well as Sky's own library of on-demand titles, to bring together previous seasons alongside the new episodes airing each week. That way, you'll be able to catch-up on previous episodes to get up-to-speed before you jump into the latest instalment.
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/1686644/Sky-Stream-Streaming-TV-Box-Price-UK-Release-Date-5-Things-Sky-Didnt-Tell-You
If you get 2 separate TVs linked to 2 separate emails and subscription plans I imagine they could be separate, but that would be a very expensive way to get multi room particularly for someone who begrudges spending a little extra to do the job.
I haven’t looked too much into the specs of the Sky Glass TVs but I’d be surprised if there weren’t better options available if all you were trying to do was get Sky in another room.
I already have the multiroom on Sky Q.
I thought that each TV that was connected may have had a separate playlist.
yes this is what i have heard
I have multiroom, and it costs £12 per month.
If you have Sky glass, or stream, they are calling it whole house, but it is still £12 per month.
I do begrudge paying some of the charges.
The most ridiculous of which is the £5 per month for ad skipping.
You can add as many pucks as you like but they’re all using the same playlist within the account. Sky could sort this by setting profiles within its software, but they haven’t.
Bargain of a lifetime that. £5 a month never to have to see another TV ad? I'd bite their hands off.
Ad Skipping £5
We've included Ad-Skip so you maintain the experience you have today
With the Ad Skipping TV pack, you'll be able to fast forward through adverts when using:
Live Pause - up to the live broadcast only
Restart / 'Watch from start'
Playlist
Sky On Demand
You can also fast forward adverts in the ITVX, STV Player and All4 TV apps.
The Ad Skipping pack doesn't mean that you won't see any adverts. It just lets you fast forward through the ads using the relevant remote control buttons and on screen menu options for what you're watching. It doesn't fast forward ads in:
Live TV; or
Other TV apps, like Netflix, YouTube or Spotify.
Ad Skipping has a 31-day rolling contract.
Ad Skipping offer: You might have an Ad Skipping offer on your account if you bought Sky Glass or Sky Stream before 29 November 2022. After the offer ends, you’ll be charged £5 a month for Ad Skipping unless you remove
Our long-term review of Sky's streaming box reveals a great option for videophiles, with some foibles
The Sky Stream delivers gorgeous-looking 4K HDR pictures, especially from Sky's own channels, and great Dolby Atmos sound where supported. Its goal of mixing content from all the biggest streaming services works well, though is not without irritation and limitations – and I really wish it had HDMI-based control. For sports fans and movie lovers, it's a great addition to a streaming house, but it's not quite flexible enough to be the only streaming box everyone needs.
Pros
+High-quality 4K Dolby Vision pictures
+Overall easy to use, within its sandbox
+Dolby Atmos audio support
+Some good-value subscription options
Cons
-Pushes shows from services you don't have
-Some features inconsistent across apps
-Limited streaming app support
-4K and Atmos are a paid upgrade
The Sky Stream has a bunch of small irritations for me, though. The largest of which is the lack of HDMI-CEC, so you can't control it using your TV's remote. In theory, the Sky Stream should learn to control your TV using its own remote during setup, but this didn't work properly for me, and there's no way to repeat the process from the menu, so I can't control volume from the Stream's remote. HDMI-CEC would make all this automatic.
It also promotes shows and movies to you from services you don't have, which can be annoying, since it's just wasted recommendation space. And the experience isn't totally consistent between services. For example, Sky's great 'Playlist' button on the remote makes it so easy to add things to a watchlist to find later, but it doesn't work in Paramount Plus, which has its own totally separate system… but I only have access to Paramount Plus through the Stream, so it just feels silly. I would say the Stream's menus are also generally less responsive and smooth than the Apple TV 4K.
For people with broad tastes, you couldn't rely on just the Sky Stream, either. There's no Shudder or Hayu, for example, so you'd need another streaming device to watch those (and other more niche streaming services) – probably either an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max, Chromecast with Google TV or Apple TV 4K. But as a mainstream, uh, streamer, Sky Stream and its many packages will keep most people well satisfied, as long as you can take the cost.
Unlike most similar streaming boxes we cover here, you need to think of Sky Stream as a subscription. The box on its own is not a thing. The most basic way to get it is for £26 per month on an 18-month contract or £29 per month on a rolling one-month contract with no long-term obligation (a one-month free trial is available for either). For that price, you're getting the core Sky Entertainment and Netflix package for movies and shows.
That means all of Sky's core channels and originals are open to you, including the likes of Sky Atlantic and Sky Max, plus standard UK TV channels, Eurosport and various other things to watch. Stuff from Sky's channels is available on-demand or live, all streamed. And Netflix is included for this price too, in its 'Basic' package, which is okay if you'll only watch from the Sky Stream anyway. But bear in mind, this is all in HD only, and with no Dolby Atmos.
If you want to go UHD and Atmos, it's an additional £6 per month, which is no small addition. So with one of the best 4K TVs and best Dolby Atmos soundbars, the minimum price to really make the most is actually £32 per month. And that upgrade doesn't apply to Netflix! To upgrade Netflix from 'Basic' to 'Premium' so you get 4K and Atmos, an additional £8 per month is needed. So, call it £40 per month in total just for the most basic package in 4K.
And then we get to the other add-ons. Sky Sports is usually £25 per month on an 18-month contract, or £27 on a rolling contract. TNT Sports (formerly BT Sport) is £30 per month.
Sky Cinema is £11 per month on an 18-month contract, or £13 per month on a rolling contract. This includes not just Sky Cinema's movie offerings, but also a Paramount Plus subscription, which unlocks tons more movies and a load of TV shows, of course. This makes the Sky Cinema option an especially tempting add-on, in my opinion, but I'm also a huge movie-fiend, so it really hits the target for me.
Then there's Sky Kids, which is £6 per month to unlock the likes of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. And finally, once you've added all this up, if you want to skip the ads at the start of on-demand shows that Sky has included, despite these costs, that's £5 per month. This one will gall a lot of people…
One of the best features of Sky Stream is the 'Playlist' feature, where you just hit the '+' button on the remote to add things to your watch list, and it works across different types of stuff. You can hit it during a live show to make future episodes appear in your playlist, you can hit it while browsing movies to just bookmark the movie for later viewing, and you can use it for films and shows you'll find recommended for many apps, including Netflix and Disney Plus. But it doesn't work for everything. Most surprisingly, it doesn't work with Paramount Plus, which feels bizarre considering it's included with Sky Cinema.
https://www.techradar.com/televisions/streaming-devices/sky-stream-review-beautiful-4k-and-dolby-atmos-without-a-dish-but-itll-cost-you