Sky Glass: 3 features you won’t find on Sky Q, but there’s one thing this TV is missing

After months and months of waiting, Sky’s new Glass TV is now available for anyone and everyone to buy. Despite this groundbreaking telly launching way back in October it’s been frustratingly hard to get hold of with only certain VIP members being offered the chance to take delivery of one. Luckily, that has all now changed with Sky offering Glass to anyone who fancies it via a dedicated page on its website.

Prices start from just £13 per month which certainly sounds enticing plus, unlike Sky Q, there’s no annoying installation or need to wait in for an engineer to visit your home.

That easy set-up isn’t the only thing that sets Sky Glass apart from Sky Q.

Express.co.uk has been using both of these platforms over the past few months and here are 3 things you get on Glass that you won’t find on Sky Q and one feature that’s sadly missing.

READ MORE: Best Sky TV deals: Get discounts on Sky Q and Sky Glass

NO NEED FOR A DISH

If you don’t want a black dish stuck to the outside of your picture-perfect cottage or simply aren’t allowed to install one then Glass offers the ultimate solution.

Sky’s new telly doesn’t use a satellite signal to beam content to the big screen with shows and movies arriving in living rooms via the internet instead.

It’s a huge bonus of this device as Sky simply delivers it in a box and even sets things up with your account pre-installed so all you have to do is plug it in, connect it to the Wi-Fi and start watching TV.

It’s ludicrously simply and beats having holes drilled through the brickwork and people in Hi-Vis jackets trudging through your home.

The only thing to note is that a good broadband signal is vital as your nightly boxset binge will grind to a halt if your connection is dismal.

Sky recommends a minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps although you might want something at least twice as fast as that if you’re planning to view content in stunning 4K UHD quality.

If you’re going to tuck this TV in your loft room it’s also a good idea to make sure your Wi-Fi reaches that part of your home otherwise you’ll be left with a shiny new telly but a big blank screen.

BACKLIT REMOTE

Sky Q has always had one of the best remotes in the business with this channel changing device featuring simple controls, easy access to voice search and even an alarm should you lose it down the side of the sofa.

However, if you enjoy a movie with the lights down low then Glass has one advantage as, just like your laptop, its keys are all backlit.

That means these vital buttons all glow in the dark making it much easier to see and use them when the lights get low.

It’s a genius idea and we have no idea why Sky hasn’t featured it before.

This Glass remote is also perfectly colour matched to the telly with Sky offering things in a number of shades including Anthracite Black, Ocean Blue, Racing Green and Dusky Pink.

FORGET BUYING A SOUNDBAR

One of the big selling points of Glass is that Sky packs everything you need for a movie night inside this TV. That means there is no extra set-top box to squeeze into a cabinet or horrible mess of cables dangling down from behind the screen.

Perhaps the best part of the Glass design is the soundbar that’s tucked neatly under the display.

This makes what you’re watching sound a whole lot better without having to spend any extra money on posh audio equipment.

Sky’s in-built soundbar includes six speakers and Dolby Atmos surround sound technology for a more immersive experience.

To make things super simple, there’s even an Auto-Enhance mode that knows what you’re watching, such as sports or movies and adapts the sound accordingly.

SKY Q STILL HAS ONE ADVANTAGE

There’s plenty to love about Sky Glass but Sky Q does still have one huge advantage. That’s because this new TV doesn’t feature any way to record your favourite shows, movies or sporting action. Instead, everything is stored via catch up services in the cloud with users placing things they like to watch in something Sky calls “Playlists”.

The majority of shows can all be viewed at a touch of a button which may make you think you don’t need a hard drive tucked inside to store endless boxsets on.

However, there are some limitations that don’t affect Sky Q users.

Take Match of the Day for example. Sky Q customers are able to record this popular football show and keep it for as long as they like.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for Sky Glass. Premier League TV rights mean the BBC can only feature it on its iPlayer service for a limited time and once it’s gone there’s no way to watch it again.

Most Sky Q customers will have old movies they’ve recorded at Christmas or an episode of a show they watch over and over again.

Sky Glass can make doing this much harder and it’s one big flaw in the Sky Glass system.

In fact, we wonder if Sky might include an inbuilt hard drive in future models to fix this annoying glitch. Watch this space!