Sky will hold a blockbuster launch event this week, where it’s rumoured to launch a redesigned set-top box. With support for 4K HDR picture quality, the ability to record six shows simultaneously while watching a seventh, clever voice search capabilities, and more… it’s difficult to see exactly what Sky could add to a new box.
According to sources speaking to Express.co.uk, the new box isn’t designed to bring a slew of new features. Instead, it will only have a single new trick up its sleeve – ditching the need for a satellite dish!
Yes, the complete Sky Q experience could finally be available to those without a satellite dish drilled into their walls or roof. Sky originally announced plans to beam its popular Sky Q service into living rooms without the need for a dish back in 2017. During the initial announcement, then-CEO Jeremy Darroch said that streaming the complete Sky Q experience over a fibre broadband connection would enable over six million households across Europe, including two million in the UK alone, who don’t own – or don’t want to own – a dish.
And now, we’re told the new set-top box is days away from launch. Sky is expected to use the same hardware recently revealed by its US parent company Comcast. Dubbed XiOne, the coaster-shaped streaming gadget will be used to offer Xfinity Flex to new customers in the United States, while in the UK, it will bring the fully-featured Sky Q experience across Europe.
Comcast has confirmed that its all-new XiOne set-top box supports the latest Wi-Fi 6 standards for speedy streaming, 4K Ultra HD picture quality with HDR and Dolby Vision. There’s also Dolby Atmos support, which means the XiOne can truly stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sky Q box. XiOne also arrives with “a new simpler and smaller voice remote designed with streamers in mind,” the US company reveals.
XiOne is already available to Sky Q customers in Italy and Germany under the “Sky IP” brand name, Comcast has confirmed. Interestingly, now that we’ve seen the complete list of features packed into this diddy streaming box, it’s clear that the satellite dish-less subscription plans currently available in Italy and Germany aren’t taking full advantage of the functionality built into the XiOne hardware.
For example, Sky IP customers in Germany can’t watch in Ultra HD… despite the box supporting Ultra HD streaming with HDR and Dolby Vision. It remains unclear whether a future XiOne launch in the UK would support all of these features, although sources speaking to Express.co.uk revealed that Sky TV subscribers in the UK can expect to see 4K, HDR, and Dolby Atmos included.
We’re told that Sky will include support for 1,000 hours of cloud recording to also enable Sky subscribers watching via the Comcast-designed XiOne box to pause and rewind live television – one of the most popular features on Sky Q and Sky+ HD – something that’s also missing from the German equivalent at the moment.
As well as saving you from the hassle of drilling holes in the side of your home to affix a satellite dish, it could also be a bit of a space saver. The new XiOne set-top box is smaller than hardware from NOW (formerly NOW TV), which is one of the only ways to access live Sky channels and on-demand content without a dish.
Speaking about the all-new hardware, President of Technology for Comcast Charlie Herrin said: “When Sky joined the Comcast family, we brought together our engineers to share insights, roadmaps, talent, and technology to support our global customers. The launch of our new XiOne device is a direct result of these efforts and underscores how our collaborative development approach can bring new and innovative streaming products to markets faster and more efficiently.”
When it comes to a UK launch, the US media company has remained tight-lipped about the exact details. “Comcast plans to make the device available across more channels and to its Xfinity X1 customers and syndication partners in the future,” it hints.
In terms of pricing, don’t expect a dramatic difference between the satellite-less Sky Q and its dishy counterpart. We’re informed that contractual periods will be the same, with viewers likely to pay £26 a month for access to the complete suite of Sky TV channels, including Sky Atlantic, Sky Documentaries, and Sky Comedy.
Popular paid-for channels like MTV, W, Comedy Central, and others will be included too. Sky Cinema and Sky Sports will cost extra.
Again, this seems to be a significant departure from what we’ve seen launch in Germany. There, subscriptions for the satellite-less service start from €12.50 (£10.70) per month and includes basic package Sky Entertainment. The minimum contract period runs for one year. After that, you can cancel your subscription with a month’s notice. Additional channels and options can be added for an extra monthly fee.
Just like the satellite-powered Sky Q box already available in the UK, we’re told the all-new Sky IP set-top box will include some of the biggest video on-demand services including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, DAZN, YouTube Kids, and Spotify.
So, it should offer a very similar experience. Searching for shows, movies, actors and directors will surface results from the TV Guide, on-demand shows from Sky and any of your existing subscriptions. This should prevent you from paying to rent a film that’s included in your Disney+ subscription, for example.
Express.co.uk will be in the audience during Sky’s feverishly-anticipated October 7 event. Stay tuned to find out whether the XiOne makes an appearance.
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