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How we all watch TV has changed dramatically since Sky TV first appeared and introduced satellite to our lives.
Since then we’ve seen HD and recording live shows become staples of watching TV, but catch-up, on-demand and streaming services have come to prominence too.
While Sky has versions of all three of these within their own package, the likes of Netflix, Virgin Media and TiVo, Amazon Fire and others have done a good job of winning over fans of their own. So, in November, Sky announced their own next big update – new Sky boxes, a complete overhaul of their interface, increased integration of apps and web video and a touch-based remote were among the key components.
Though the launch date is still to be confirmed, it is marked down for “early 2016″ so is unlikely to be too far away. With that in mind, we went and had a closer look at what Sky Q can do.
As soon as you turn on the TV and pick up the remote you can see and feel that everything on the surface is different in Sky Q. From the new boxes, which are perhaps half the size of current generation Sky HD boxes and much sleeker, to the new remote in your hand complete with a touch pad for gesture control.
This is topped off by the interface that you now navigate. As you can see, it has been completely revamped. The far left serves as a preview/reminder window of the last or current channel being watched. In the centre is a column of section names that has a healthy dose of the familiar and the new. It’s here that you’ll find the TV Guide, your recordings, catch-up options and content broken down by genre.
Each section then appears on the right as you scroll. Which is done just like you would on a touchscreen, by swiping your finger up and down the touch pad on the remote. It becomes surprisingly comfortable despite being a new set-up, and within moments you will stop looking down at the remote when browsing. Only doing so to locate other new buttons as needed.
The real star is on-screen however, and how Sky Q now organises content, the intelligence it uses to group it, and how it presents it to you. At the heart of this is My Q, a new section which is filled with all a user’s favourite programs across genres and viewing type. It is from here that you can pick up recordings from where you left off, as well as see when new series begin. You can also pause on one screen and pick up on another from here as well.
Perhaps the best feature comes in how My Q is tied in with the new and improved Search, where a search for a show not only tells you where you can watch it, but also if there are any episodes being broadcast anywhere today, what you already have recorded and what’s available on-demand. It’s a comprehensive answer to any questions you could have over watching any show. It’s powerful and really feels that way. This is all the content of Sky TV combined with your favourite streaming service, and that is quite an enticing prospect.
Another highlight worth flagging comes in the sport section – with a new sub-menu dedicated to live sport – listing everything ‘live’ that is currently showing on any channel. It’s ideal for those sports junkies who will watch anything that’s on, from golf to darts and the Premier League. You can also search for shows by sport. Non-sports fans beware.
Where bigger strides have been made is in the tech that drives Sky Q. The new Q Silver box has 12 tuners built into it, which in short enables it to record four things at once while watching a fifth, as well as sending TV to up to two Q Mini boxes and a tablet running the Sky Q app, from all of which you can watch recordings, too.
Essentially you can watch anything, anywhere, and Sky has even left one tuner free for “future innovations”.
It’s worth noting that the larger Sky Q Silver box comes with 2 terabytes of storage and is ultra HD ready – just in time for the many 4K services that will inevitably roll out this year.
Jumping between rooms and screens is seamless too – with the layout identical across platforms, and devices identical and easy to use.
Then there is the Q Hub – the new WiFi router. Before you switch off, there’s a reason we mention it here. If you incorporate a Hub into a Sky Q set-up, each of TV boxes then double as WiFi hotspots around the house, boosting signal.
As mentioned earlier, Sky Q also has a great link-up with apps. There’s new Sidebar that can be pulled in from the side of the screen, with news and sports apps that enable users to glance at the news without leaving the channel they’re watching. It suddenly feels a lot more like a multimedia hub when you use this feature as you can also check the weather.
Facebook, YouTube and Vevo are among the services that are officially partnering with Sky on Q as well – the latter two having created own-built channels within the interface that create the impression of Sky Q as a platform, not just a TV package.
Though the new Touch Remote doesn’t resemble its familiar current generation remote, using it is very simple. The circular touch pad at the centre is the key to the whole thing, and responds to the same swiping gestures we’ve been using on tablets for years.
Additionally there’s a microphone built in for voice search, and the record button now automatically records a series with one press – reverting to a one-time record if you press it again.
Given how competition in the TV-consuming world has dramatically changed in the last five years, Sky’s next step had to be a big one. In terms of applied technology it looks an instant success on first viewing. The size and scale of the Sky content base was always going to be its strength, but the intelligence and modern feel it now has make it a tantalising proposition for those wanting to upgrade their home entertainment set-up. Most, if not all the bases are covered – suddenly “cutting the cord” and just using streaming services doesn’t feel quite so imminent.
