Sky Q review: Still the best way to watch Sky TV, but a better deal than ever before

Sky Q evaluation: The Verdict

Brief on time? Right here it’s: Sky Q is an extremely highly effective set-top field with entry to the most effective dwell tv, sports activities fixtures, blockbusters, and must-binge boxsets from Netflix – all accessible from a single menu. Coupled with the most recent spherical of reductions (particularly in contrast with the newer and pricier Sky Glass), Sky Q is the most effective Sky TV deal you will discover. In different phrases, when you’re in search of the final word improve in your tv – that is it.

When Sky Q launched in early 2016, it was lacking numerous core options. For instance, whereas the R&D groups had included a microphone on the distant, the software program that enabled voice search wouldn’t be prepared for an additional yr after launch. Sky Q additionally shipped and not using a Netflix app and no phrase on whether or not it might ever be supported on the field. It will definitely arrived in November 2018, unlocking lots of extra boxsets and films.

There are dozens extra examples of nitpicks that Sky has fastidiously ironed out with a daily stream of software program updates for Sky Q. And it hasn’t stopped there, the satellite tv for pc firm has added numerous new options that have been by no means even talked about through the glitzy launch occasion in late 2015. For instance, Sky has elevated the variety of recordings potential on the similar time – permitting viewers to report as much as six reveals whereas nonetheless watching a seventh channel dwell. In different phrases, the Sky Q expertise obtainable right this moment is very completely different.

It’s extra open, endlessly fine-honed and streamlined, and consequently, infinitely higher. If you happen to tried Sky Q through the first yr and weren’t impressed, it’s effectively price a re-evaluation. And that is regardless of the arrival of the flashy new custom-designed QLED TV from the satellite tv for pc firm, which you’ll be able to examine in our Sky Glass evaluation.

Sky Q evaluation: Design And Q Mini

With Sky Q, it’s clear the R&D groups got a very clean slate. Out of the field, Sky Q makes its predecessor, Sky+HD, look laughably outdated.

Sky Q is a contemporary set-top field with a horny backlit emblem emblazoned on the entrance, that shares extra in frequent with streaming dongles like Roku, Amazon Fireplace TV and Apple TV 4K than the VHS stylings of Sky+HD.

Sky has packed an almost-excessive 12 TV tuners into the field so you may report 5 channels whereas watching a sixth. An possibility within the settings permits you to report six channels, whereas watching a seventh dwell …though, between the myriad catch-up and on-demand platforms that feed immediately into Sky Q, we’ve by no means truly recorded that many reveals concurrently.

Nonetheless, ought to the issue come up, it’s good to know you’ll by no means miss a present.

If you’re not recording half a dozen reveals in the identical time slot, these tuners can be utilized for picture-in-picture, so you may see a dwell preview of what’s on-air within the decrease third of your display as you cycle via channels (extremely helpful if you wish to channel-hop between industrial breaks).

When it launched, there have been 4 variations on the Sky Q field all with completely different exhausting drive capacities, capabilities, and subtitles like “Sky Q Silver”. Fortunately, Sky has changed all the confusion with a one-size-fits-all possibility with Extremely HD image high quality, Dolby Atmos assist, and 1TB of storage.

That’s sufficient to report 150 hours in Excessive Definition. After all, you’ll have the ability to retailer extra on the field when you report in normal definition, and also you’ll wrestle to get into triple figures if every thing is in 4K Extremely HD. Busy households would possibly have to fastidiously juggle the variety of boxsets and films saved on the hard-drive, however not like Sky Glass, Sky Q viewers will have the ability to completely maintain onto a present, clip, sports activities fixture or film for so long as they hold the set-top field – even when the present leaves the BBC iPlayer catalogue, or a change in broadcasting rights means it’s not included with Sky Cinema.

Not like multi-room set-ups for Sky+HD prospects, the place every room information reveals and films to its personal devoted set-top field, the Sky Q hooked-up to the satellite tv for pc dish handles your entire family’s recordings. All the things is recorded onto the 1TB exhausting drive, then beamed round the home over an ethernet connection or Wi-Fi community to the Sky Q Mini bins.

And because the Sky Q Mini bins work wirelessly, there is no want for an engineer to start out drilling holes and working cables round your house. You may watch dwell tv channels, stream from Netflix, Disney+, and different supported streaming platforms, schedule recordings, and extra. The one drawback with the Q Mini bins is the shortage of assist for 4K Extremely HD. As such, you would possibly come throughout motion pictures or reveals in your recordings that you simply’re unable to look at in one other room with out re-downloading in a decrease high quality.

Since every thing is performed again from the first Sky Q field, you can begin watching in a single room, pause the motion, and pick-up from the precise spot from one other field. It’s been just a few years since Sky Q debuted, however this characteristic nonetheless looks like magic. Beginning a film in the lounge, however ending the ultimate 20 minutes with a cuppa in mattress stays an outstanding luxurious.

Even when you don’t add any Sky Q Mini bins to your package deal, you’ll have the ability to use the Sky Go app to renew recordings with an iPhone, iPad, Android telephone or pill, or laptop computer from anyplace. You may even obtain recordings onto the app for the morning commute or a long-haul flight.

Because the Q Mini bins depend on a strong web connection to beam dwell channels, recorded reveals and films to different rooms in the home – you’ll have to ensure you have a robust Wi-Fi connection in each room. We examined Sky Q with a mesh community, and that works a deal with. Nevertheless, these with a single Wi-Fi router from their web supplier – particularly in an older home with inner brick partitions – would possibly wrestle to look at in each room.

Sky Q evaluation: New Voice Distant

Throughout its lifespan, Sky Q has cycled via numerous completely different distant management designs. The primary technology arrived with a touchpad as a substitute of the normal directional arrows. Swipes and faucets contained in the concave touchpad changed button presses and the outcomes have been …blended.

The touchpad felt trendy and was quieter than the stream of clicks that normally accompany navigating across the menu. Nevertheless, it was a bit of too delicate – if the distant slid between the cushions in your couch, you’d usually uncover everybody on-screen sprinting Benny Hill-style resulting from an unintentional contact sending the present into fast-forward.

If you happen to join Sky Q right this moment, you received’t take supply of this distant. The newest technology swaps the voice search button from the facet of the distant to a distinguished place above the File button – exhibiting how vital the characteristic has grow to be to Sky Q viewers. There isn’t any touchpad to be discovered, as a substitute, you’ll have to click on directional buttons to maneuver across the menus.

The present Sky Q distant will really feel acquainted to Sky+ HD viewers, however with out being caught prior to now. Whereas Sky Glass’ distant has a extra minimalist look, for our cash, the Sky Q distant stays a greater design. With devoted fast-forward buttons, a satisfying concave form that’s snug within the hand, and the flexibility to emit a chime to make it simpler to seek out when it’s misplaced down the again of the couch …this can be a good distant.

And in contrast to Sky+ HD, the Sky Q distant connects to the field over Bluetooth, you may disguise your Sky Q set-top field in a cupboard or tuck it behind the tv with none connectivity issues.

Nevertheless, the Sky Q distant isn’t excellent. Though it helps voice search – permitting you to keep away from the effort of typing out present titles and actors’ names utilizing the alphanumeric keypad – that is pretty restricted. Sky has coded just a few basic film quotes, so you may say “present me the cash!” to load the itemizing for Jerry Maguire, which is enjoyable. And you’ll navigate to channels by saying the names, nevertheless, it might be nice to see this idea taken a lot, a lot additional.

It might be good if Sky Q viewers might ask “What time does Inside No. 9 begin this week?” solely to get the reply – in addition to a immediate to set a reminder for the most recent episode. The distant management nonetheless runs on AA batteries, which is one other disappointment. Rivals, just like the Apple TV, use a chargeable distant that may be topped up with a USB charging cable whereas Samsung ships just a few distant controls that by no means have to be recharged. Certainly one of these depends on solar energy and one other makes use of your Wi-Fi community to maintain the battery topped up. It might be nice to see both of those substitute the age-old AA batteries within the Sky Q distant.

That mentioned, this is not one thing that Sky rectified with its follow-up to Sky Q, dubbed Sky Glass. That is one thing that we criticised in our Sky Glass evaluation. 

Sky Q evaluation: What’s On Display screen

Sky Q didn’t solely introduce new {hardware}, however it additionally utterly revamped the software program expertise too. Other than the trademark blue color, there’s little or no in frequent between Sky Q and the older Sky+ HD software program.

Taking inspiration from Fireplace TV and Netflix, the groups at Sky have created a slick, trendy consumer interface with high-resolution paintings in your favorite reveals and movies in all places. If there’s an occasion that everybody is speaking about – just like the Euros 2020 ultimate, or Platinum Jubillee – Sky will take over the primary menu with bespoke imagery in addition to shortcuts to dwell protection and supplementary content material, together with documentaries, boxsets from streaming providers, and viral movies from the web.

If nothing noteworthy is going down, Sky Q will counsel dwell and on-demand reveals based mostly in your tastes. These embrace suggestions from Disney+, Apple TV+ and Netflix, so that you received’t should open up particular person apps to hunt out new reveals and films unique to those streaming platforms.

Between the lots of of channels included with Sky, the five hundred or so on-demand boxsets in its catalogue, the common sports activities fixtures, new movie releases, and must-binge collection on streaming providers …it’s straightforward to spend extra time in search of one thing to placed on than watching telly. Sky Q does a stellar job at addressing the paralysis of selection.

That is one thing that a few of the richest expertise firms on the planet are attempting to resolve too. Bins just like the Apple TV, Fireplace TV and Chromecast with Google TV all make suggestions based mostly in your viewing habits and produce collectively reveals from siloed streaming platforms. However Sky Q has one unbelievable benefit – its capability to mix dwell tv into the combo too.

The TV Information continues to be a vital a part of the redesigned Sky Q menu, so you may browse the schedule to set reminders or report reveals. If there are two occasions that you simply need to watch dwell – Sky Q permits you to cut up the display to look at two sports activities fixtures concurrently.

Sky Q additionally ships with a collection of apps, which will be loaded side-by-side as you watch tv too. Nevertheless, these are a lot much less profitable than the flexibility to juggle between two soccer matches. For starters, the apps are extremely sluggish to load, leaving you gazing a loading icon lengthy after you can’ve pulled your smartphone out of your pocket to ask the query, or hopped over a information channel to test the headlines. There’s no third-party assist both, so that you received’t have the ability to scroll via a Twitter timeline on-screen.

Sky Q evaluation: Value and Availability

Sky Q is obtainable proper now, with costs ranging from simply £26 a month. Sky additionally presents bundles with out its unique channels, like Sky Atlantic, for many who need to use the Sky Q {hardware} to improve their Freeview expertise. We have rounded up the most recent offers and reductions beneath…