Introduction
I moved into my home with my spouse and a 2 month previous child in 2016 and, on our first day in our new abode, the person from Sky got here and screwed a satellite tv for pc dish to the again wall and ran coaxial cables to varied rooms in the home.
Though that was almost eight years in the past now, it nonetheless felt like a fairly outdated approach to get the visuals showing on our TVs.
Netflix was clearly already a factor again then, and streaming units like Hearth TV, Nvidiaâs Android TV Protect and the Apple TV all existed.
I had the web velocity to deal with a streaming-only service. Itâs not the 1Gig velocity Iâve obtained these days, nevertheless it was a fibre connection (albeit fibre solely so far as the Openreach cupboard outdoors) that also gave me a dependable 60-65Mbps; so greater than able to dealing with a few 4K streams.
However again then it simply wasnât an choice. Sky did have its Now TV bins out within the wild, however that pick-and-mix strategy wasnât what I needed.
I needed the complete vary of sports activities, films and leisure channels years of Sky viewing had made me accustomed to. Mainly, all of it, on a regular basis, which simply wasn’t on provide.
Nonetheless, with the street paved by the launch of Sky Glass on the finish of 2021, Sky is now lastly providing a streaming-only service for purchasers; one which boasts conventional linear TV channels, but additionally affords multi-room entry and, crucially, permits customers to make use of their present televisions.
The truth is, Sky Stream really now takes pleasure of place above Sky Q when purchasing for TV packages direct with the broadcaster.
Itâs clear Sky needs individuals to ditch the dish (the 1,000 job cuts that simply occurred helps that principle) and go all in for a streaming setup.
So thatâs what I did, considerably reluctantly, again in November of final 12 months.
Learn on for my full overview of residing in a Sky Stream family.
Setup and tools
I feel itâs greatest, earlier than we go any additional, to clarify what I had earlier than and what I’ve now obtained for my Sky setup.
Within the eight years we had Sky Q in the home we had the primary, 2TB, Q field in the lounge with extra mini bins in the master suite and in my backyard workplace. We additionally had broadband by way of Sky too.
I stated that I âreluctantlyâ made the change to Sky Stream however I really started the method just a few months prior once we swapped from Sky broadband to Virgin Media.
Sky depends on Openreach to get its Full Fibre (900Mbps) broadband to households and my road wasn’t due for the FTTP improve till 2025. So I jumped ship to Virgin’s Gig1 service.
I might additionally stopped counting on the Sky Q mesh system up to now few years as I might began reviewing and residing with varied entire residence Wi-Fi mesh setups similar to Netgear’s Orbi and Amazon’s Eero.
However whereas my residence Wi-Fi considerations have been now alleviated, the system was nonetheless working ‘positive’, our planner was full and, crucially – as I am an enormous sports activities fan – I had by no means, ever skilled lag, buffering or a drop-out when watching The Huge Sport.
I beloved the thought of Stream, however the thought of counting on an web connection for my reside sport terrified me; even with that web connection being as quick as is feasible within the UK, with a top-of-the-range mesh Wi-Fi system working the present.
However the guys at Sky talked me into it and my new tools landed on my doorstep, together with a field to ship again all my previous Sky {hardware}.
It is essential to return all of your previous Sky bins when making the leap; you simply lease this tools from Sky, you do not personal it and you’ll get charged for it when you do not ship it again.
It isn’t a trouble although as Sky present all of the bins and pre-paid Royal Mail labels you may want and you do not even must go to the Publish Workplace, you may have all of it collected freed from cost.
You will not be capable to ship again the dish although. Sky will recycle it when you do get it down and ship it again to them however I would not suggest making an attempt this with out a professional. I’ve really left my dish up as it might be helpful for Freesat companies sooner or later.
If you’re pondering of constructing the leap to Stream from Q, then you definately get 30 days from the second you activate the primary Stream puck (or Glass TV) to determine if it is for you, which is a lot lengthy sufficient to ensure all of it works because it ought to in your family.
My Sky Stream system now includes of a 55-inch Glass TV for the bed room and pucks in the lounge, backyard workplace and one for my Sylvox Outside TV (the Sky Stream puck is just not stored outdoors, for apparent causes.)
It is essential to notice that every one the pucks are the identical and are all created equal. Not like Sky Q mini bins, that are inferior to the primary field, all of the pucks are able to 4K, Dolby Atmos and all the opposite bells and whistles that I will discuss extra in a bit.
When you have a combination and match Glass and puck setup like me, you need to arrange the Glass first, however when you’re puck solely it would not matter what puck or what room you select to activate your service on. The primary one simply will get the system up and working, it would not develop into a major gadget.
When it comes to {hardware} and the design of Stream puck itâs not precisely a reinvention of the wheel in comparison with different streaming units; it seems like a barely squashed Apple TV.
The excellent news is, in comparison with the older conventional Sky satellite tv for pc tools, it is a lot smaller, a lot simpler to put in and, crucially, a lot quieter. There is not any whirring fan consistently inflicting a hum and hardly any warmth generated.
For my previous Sky Q major field, inside an AV cabinet, I had to make use of USB cooler followers to cease it overheating. There’s none of that wanted with Stream.
On the again youâll discover an enter for the facility lead, a HDMI 2.1 port, an Ethernet socket and an house for a coaxial aerial cable. The latter is redundant within the UK, there is not any plans at current to allow broadcast TV by way of the Sky Stream puck.
I will not go into an excessive amount of element on Sky Glass right here as this can be a overview of Sky’s streaming system as a complete.
Sky tells us that youâll want 10Mbps at least to make use of Stream, however 30Mbps is beneficial if youâre taking a look at streaming in 4K. Ethernet is clearly extra dependable however is capped at 100Mbps, which is a lot however you might discover your Wi-Fi is way sooner if the router on an entry level is close by.
When you’re able to go, simply plug in your first gadget and observe the on-screen directions. The step-by-step UI will make it easier to get the proper settings on your TV and also will pair your Sky distant through Bluetooth in order that it would not depend on line-of-sight IR.
Navigating the UI
When you’re all setup you may be offered with the Sky Stream homepage and revised UI; Sky calls the brand new onscreen visuals ‘Leisure OS.’ Itâs mainly an enormous aggregation of all of the native and third-party content material on provide, very like youâd discover on a Hearth TV.
Up high, and sometimes offered as an even bigger visible takeover, is the High Picks the place you may see sure films and exhibits highlighted, together with high-profile sporting occasions which are taking place reside.
Under that could be a rail of tabs you may entry to dig deeper – Playlist, TV Exhibits, Films, Sport, Youngsters, Audio, Information and extra.
Playlist basically replaces your planner and you may even have 5 totally different profiles arrange right here, in order totally different relations can have their very own areas.
It is easy so as to add stuff to the Playlist, with a crimson plus button on the distant permitting you to ‘bookmark’ exhibits and flicks from no matter display screen you’re on. The entire content material in your Playlist is offered in chronological order, not the stuff most just lately watched and no indication of something that you’re half-way by way of and many others.
Iâve discovered that, in contrast to the trusty previous Planner, we donât actually use Playlist in any respect; it is a lot simpler to only seek for exhibits we need to watch – the voice search on Sky Stream is nice – after which use the Proceed Watching row, which seems a few rows under the Playlist.
Proceed Watching is not good although, it is hit or miss relying on what service you’re utilizing. Stuff from Sky direct just about at all times picks up from the place you left off, and Netflix and the BBC iPlayer content material is fairly dependable too.
However I’ve had it playback exhibits from Disney+ a few episodes behind the place I left off on my iPad and Amazon Prime stuff is far and wide.
It will possibly additionally develop into a whole mess fairly rapidly as there is not any means of cleansing up what’s proven there – so even when you by chance begin streaming one thing for just a few seconds, it seems within the row.
Under the Playlist row is the TV information and reside TV – extra on that in a bit – after which under that there is curated content material similar to Sky Cinema premiers, the weekly high 10, Sky Retailer content material, themed rows similar to Oscar Season and extra.
Navigation is quick and clean, similar to a latest Apple TV or an Amazon Hearth Stick and far, a lot slicker than utilizing the native apps on my ageing Sony Bravia.
Nonetheless, some elements of the UI are simply plain daft. For instance, you get TV exhibits and flicks promoted to you from companies that you do not even subscribe to.
Thereâs additionally not full HDMI-CEC, so that you canât use your TVs distant management to navigate it, as you may with the likes of Apple TV; however you should utilize your Sky distant to show your TV on/off and alter the amount.
On that, when you simply need to management your TVâs native quantity, you most likely wonât have a problem. Nonetheless, throw a soundbar or AV system into the combo and also you would possibly run into hassle.
I discovered I had a HDMI handshake challenge with my Sonos Arc. A whole energy cycle of all the things, mixed with turning HDMI management off, obtained issues working as they need to however I am undecided the common (non tech-nerd) consumer would work this out as rapidly.
The whole lot on the Sky Stream puck is 1080p Full HD by default, you need to change to 2160p UHD in settings.
Additionally, when you do not use a puck recurrently and it is left powered off or on standby for a protracted whereas the puck will revert again to 1080p – presumably that is due to an absence of EDID messages between the puck and the TV, however it’s a bit annoying.
There’s additionally a UHD âgood swap issueâ whereby the change to 4K is not mirrored within the channel numbers on the TV information. For instance, Sky Sports activities Foremost Occasion would not develop into the UHD model on 401 instantly – though it may be discovered within the 900s.
On my major puck, in use in my lounge, this swap took a few hours and has remained appropriate ever since. Nonetheless, in my backyard workplace, the UHD model of Sky Sports activities Foremost Occasion has by no means hit 401… I presume due to that EDID challenge I discussed
When you pause a present for a very long time, or simply depart the homescreen on with out navigating then a pleasant screensaver kicks in, promoting varied content material. Then, after one other interval of exercise, the field will go into standby; the settings for this may be modified within the menu down the underside.
In use
I’ve talked about the apps just a few occasions and, whereas Sky Stream hasn’t obtained the identical quantity of companies as Google TV, Hearth TV or Apple TV, all the major gamers are current and proper.
Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Disney+, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, ITV Hub, All4, YouTube, Discovery+, Peacock, Fiit, Paramount Plus, Spotify, Peloton and extra are all on provide.
There’s the rigmarole of signing into all of the related streaming companies for first time use and, annoyingly, sign-ins donât sync throughout units, so you need to register to all the things a number of occasions, relying on what number of pucks and Glass TVs that you just go for. At the very least the most typical e-mail domains are preset for usernames, so it makes the method a bit faster and plenty of apps use a fast QR code technique too.
In terms of reside TV, and this was one among my main worries being a giant sports activities viewer, it is not really reside in any respect.
Technically, no TV is reside as that may be unimaginable. Sky Q customers would have most likely already observed that their 4K channels are a few seconds behind the HD ones. That is notably noticeable throughout huge soccer matches the place a cheer could be heard on the road a few second earlier than you see the objective.
Nonetheless, that delay is 2-3 seconds at most… on Sky Stream I clocked a delay of round 33 seconds. That outcome was fairly constant throughout totally different channels, on totally different days. Iâm on 1Gig web remember, so it is not a velocity challenge; that is simply how lengthy it takes to buffer and current the stream.
When you get your head round this it is… positive. Positive, for World Cup video games I would revert again to conventional BBC or ITV broadcasts when England are taking part in, however on the entire you just about neglect that half a minute(ish) delay even exists.
And you’ll browse reside TV similar to you would earlier than on Q, albeit with a a lot slicker wanting TV Information, and there is the added bonus of having the ability to restart just about an TV present that is being proven.
Sky’s native content material is fairly instantaneous for this, the likes of the BBC iPlayer and All4 generally have a delay of 15-20 minutes as soon as a reside broadcast has begun earlier than you may stream it from the beginning. This is not Sky’s doing, they depend on the app makers themselves and their particular streaming apps to current content material.
Loads of the channel numbers are the identical as they have been on Sky Q nevertheless it’s price noting that you just aren’t actually watching a broadcast, you are watching a stream. So, even on reside TV, you may get popped out to the likes of the iPlayer or ITVX to observe terrestrial TV.
Video and audio high quality
No matter you do watch, the Sky Stream pucks and the Glass TVs will stream within the highest doable format, relying on what the app makers are providing up and what your TV can deal with.
The pucks themselves are all able to 4K (Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HLG) and Dolby Atmos.
It actually is great high quality once you get a 4K stream singing and dancing in its highest quality and even the common Sky 4K and HD broadcasts are a giant step up from what’s on provide with Q by way of a dish; though it is price mentioning that there is really no Dolby Imaginative and prescient for Sky content material but, for that you will must stream from Netflix, Apple TV and the like.
Nonetheless, all of this very good streaming high quality doesnât come with out a few âquirksâ.
For instance, Iâve had points with the Apple TVâs app in the case of 4K and, taking a look at Sky’s boards, so have quite a lot of different individuals too.
Typically it streams from Apple TV in HDR, Dolby Imaginative and prescient, and generally not. A reboot usually kinds it when itâs not taking part in ball, however then it goes again to ânormalâ 4K just a few days later.
I donât have this challenge with Netflix or Prime, so I presume itâs a bitrate / reminiscence challenge between the app and the Streamâs RAM.
There’s additionally a 4K Subject with the field going into standby when beginning stream from some apps. The menus and apps all seem positive however the second you push play the display screen goes clean with the TV saying there isn’t a enter detected.
This was a serious drawback for me when utilizing Sky Stream with my Philips Hue Sync Field, which technically helps Dolby Imaginative and prescient passthrough. I’ve since killed the Sync Field from my setup and had no 4K app crashes, however remember this challenge does exist with a spread of TVs too, so possibly verify what your TV is able to, by way of the most recent UHD requirements, earlier than shopping for.
One other bug I discovered is that after the field enters auto sleep, once you push the facility button you get the load up graphic however then simply does an infinite âPlease waitâ and you need to flip the puck on and off once more.
I discovered that turning off HDMI Management and In a single day Energy Saving settings sorted this.
Packages out there
The Entire House subscription (£12 month-to-month) technically covers as much as six Stream pucks and three Glass televisions however there is a presently a 4 field restrict and you will have to pay round £35 per field (though you by no means personal them). But it surely’s good you do not have to pay per display screen month-to-month.
What you’ll have to pay for, month-to-month, is the vary of channels and apps you need. Stuff like Sky Sports activities and Sky Cinema is an additional premium on high of the common Leisure bundle and, other than Netflix, you may nonetheless must have separate agreements with the opposite premium streaming companies.
Packages vary massively relying on what you need, as was and nonetheless is the case with Sky Q and all Sky techniques that got here earlier than it.
These costs are consistently altering and Sky does an enormous vary of bundles that throw in stuff like broadband and cell contracts into the combo so your greatest wager is to check out the most recent offers right here.
Like Sky Q, you may pay further for 4K and Dolby Atmos (£6 a month) and, this one is a bit cheeky I feel: it is also an additional £5 a month to get ad-skipping thrown in too.
On Netflix, it is simple sufficient to only merge your present Netflix account to a Sky Leisure bundle, however in order for you 4K on Netflix, you may must pay the additional £8 a month to get to Netflix’s high tier.
Closing ideas
Sky Stream is the long run, there is not any doubt about that, and whereas I used to be frightened about being considerably of an early adopter, the massive points with Glass all appear to be sorted after a few years out there and the Stream pucks are fairly strong. They don’t seem to be good and there are some software program and UI points that want addressing however the high quality of the bundle as a complete is spectacular. I ditched the dish and I urge you to do the identical.
How we check
After we publish our evaluations, you may relaxation assured that they’re the results of âresiding withâ long run exams.
Streaming bins often reside inside a sensible residence ecosystem, or a spread of merchandise that â supposedly â all work in concord. Due to this fact, itâs unimaginable to make use of a related gadget for per week and ship a verdict.
As a result of weâre testing equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a specific gadget compares to alternate options that you may also be contemplating.
Our evaluations are complete, goal and honest and, in fact, we’re by no means paid on to overview a tool.
Learn our overview course of to be taught extra.
FAQS
Does Sky Stream assist 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient?
Sure, you may get UHD Dolby Imaginative and prescient by way of apps like Apple TV, Prime and Netflix.
Do you need to have Sky Broadband with Sky Stream?
No, you should utilize an broadband ISP you need – however you may want no less than a 10Mbps velocity, with 25-30Mbps beneficial for 4K streaming.
Are you able to improve from Sky Q to Sky Stream?
Switching from Sky Q or Sky+ to Sky Stream is simple. Your present Sky Q service will stay energetic till you activate Sky Stream and you will get a 30 day testing interval to ensure it really works for you.
