Sky Q

Sky Q is a subscription-based television and entertainment service operated by British satellite television provider Sky, as a part of its operations in the UK and Ireland, Germany and Austria, and Italy. The name also refers to the Sky Q set-top box.

Logo of Sky Q

Sky Q originally launched in 2016, replacing the previous Sky+ and Sky+ HD services.[1] Sky Q has been referred to as a "multimedia platform" that combines conventional television with on demand and catch up services, as well as third-party services.[2] It includes a PVR set top box, multiroom set top box, a dedicated broadband-connected "hub", and applications for mobile and desktop devices. As of April 2018, Sky Q was in 2.5 million homes in the UK, Ireland and Italy.[3] In July 2018, Sky reported that there were 3.6 million Sky Q customers.[4]

Launch

Sky Q was first announced by Sky UK in November 2015,[5] formerly known as Project Ethan, and was released in the UK in February 2016.

Sky did not roll out Sky Q in Germany, Austria and Italy immediately, but released a modified version of Sky Q set top box by Autumn 2016, named Sky+ Pro in Germany and Austria, and My Sky in Italy.[6][7] Like Sky Q, the box is capable of UHD resolution and has a built-in Wi-Fi router, but omits significant Sky Q features.[6][7] Sky Italia later launched Sky Q in Italy in November 2017,[8] and Sky Deutschland did so in Germany and Austria in May 2018.[9] In contrast to the UK, Ireland and Italy (especially where Sky Italia launched Sky Q separately from My Sky), existing customers in Germany and Austria could receive Sky Q through a free software update on existing Sky+ Pro receivers.[9]

Hardware
The Sky Q Silver box

The Sky Q "Silver" set top box (called "Platinum" in Italy) has a 2 terabyte hard disk and 12 satellite tuners, allowing up to six live TV channels to be recorded while watching a seventh.[10] This box is also capable of receiving and displaying 4K resolution "ultra-high-definition" (UHD) broadcasts, which were started by Sky in the UK in August 2016.[11]

The regular Sky Q box has 1 terabyte of storage and has 8 tuners, supporting broadcasts up to 1080p ("Full HD"). A third box, Sky Q Mini, acts as a secondary device without tuners or hard drives that merely networks to the main box to allow the Sky Q service to be used in multiple rooms, and can also be used as a Wi-Fi "extender" to provide stable broadband connections.[12]

The Sky Q remote control is fully redesigned compared to the existing Sky+ and SKY+ HD versions, implementing a large touchpad for scrolling and selecting within the user interface.[13][12]

Software

Using the Sky Q apps designed for the Android and iOS operating systems, Sky Q recordings at home can be watched on mobile devices on the go.[13] Sky Q also offers access to box sets on Sky Store. In 2019, Sky teamed up with Netflix to offer that service with Sky Q for £3 per month, cheaper than a standard Netflix subscription, called "Ultimate On Demand".[14] Disney+ is also fully integrated in Sky Q.[15]

In August 2017, Sky added Dolby Atmos sound support on Sky Q.[16] Sky announced that High Dynamic Range (HDR) will be coming to Sky Q in 2019[17] but was delayed until 2020.[18] HDR broadcasts began on 27 May 2020.[19]

Sky Q over Internet

"Sky X" redirects here. For the aircraft, see Alenia Aermacchi Sky-X.

In January 2017, Sky plc's earnings report for 2016 indicated that it would launch a dish-less version of Sky Q service delivered through broadband Internet, with UK rollout projected for 2018.[20][21] No further developments on the UK rollout have emerged ever since.

The Austrian version, named Sky X, was launched in March 2019, replacing a version of Now TV operated in the country as Sky Ticket.[22][23] The Italian version, named Sky Q Fibra, was launched in September 2019;[24] unlike the Austrian Sky X, the Italian Sky Q Fibra co-exists with Now TV. Both Austrian and Italian Internet television services slightly differ from Sky Q satellite service in terms of features.

Reception

Sky Q mostly received positive critical reception in the UK. Alphr.com in April 2018 called the service "pure brilliance" and that it "keeps getting better", rating it 5 out of 5.[25] TrustedReviews in April 2019 rated it 4.5 stars out of 5, praising the interface, on-the-go recordings, UHD resolution and Netflix integration, while criticising that it isn't cheap.[26] Another review from 2019, by T3, also rated it 5 stars out of 5, with the verdict stating "Sky Q was already the best viewing experience money could buy and now, with Netflix seamlessly integrated into its UI, it has powered even further away from its rivals." The cons were stated to be lack of Amazon Prime Video and HDR.[27] Stuff also rated it 5 stars out of 5 as of January 2019, commenting that it "works flawlessly and could change the way you watch TV", although adding that "Sky Q isn’t for everyone (at least not yet)" and that for some people its "extra features will look like luxuries that might not be worth the extra expense".[28] TechRadar rated it 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it the "best TV subscription service on the planet", with its main criticisms being lack of Amazon Prime Video and HDR.[29] A What Hi-Fi? review from April 2019 gave it 5 stars out of 5, praising the content and multi-room ability, while criticising it for being expensive and the touchpad remote being "fiddly".[30]

Awards

TrustedReviews named Sky Q the "Home Entertainment Product of the Year" in 2016, beating PlayStation 4 and Xbox One S.[31] Sky Q was rated "Best TV platform" by T3 in its 2018 awards.[32] Sky Q was the 2019 award winner by the What Hi-Fi? magazine.[33]

Advertising

Actor Idris Elba is used by Sky UK for its advertising campaigns.[34]

gollark: Alternatively, postmarketOS.
gollark: > please someone tell me if there's an alternative to androidiOS. I assume you don't mean that, so UBPorts.
gollark: They can... WITH ROOT!
gollark: I'm surprised it's so low given the whole A/B partition scheme they have now.
gollark: Correction: 6.7GB of 32GB.

See also

References
  1. "Sky reinvents itself with Sky Q". Engadget.
  2. "Sky Q reaches 1.5 million customers in Germany". Broadband TV News. 1 March 2019.
  3. "Sky Q in 2.5 million homes". Broadband TV News. 19 April 2018.
  4. "Sky passes 23 million subscribers, launching HDR in 2019". www.csimagazine.com.
  5. "Introducing Sky Q, a whole new way of watching TV" (Press release). Sky. 18 November 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. "Sky to launch UHD set-top box in Germany, Italy this autumn". Digital TV Europe. Informa. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. O'Brien, Jordan (19 August 2016). "Sky Q Rebranded For German Launch". Essential Install. All Things Media. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. "Sky Q launches in Italy". TVBEurope. 27 November 2017.
  9. "Sky Deutschland to introduce Sky Q in May". Broadband TV News. 18 April 2018.
  10. "Sky Q now lets you record six programmes, while watching a seventh". Pocket-lint. 15 June 2017.
  11. Johnson, Luke (13 July 2016). "Sky confirms when its Sky UHD 4K services will launch". Digital Spy.
  12. "What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?". Pocket-lint. 14 March 2019.
  13. Nield 2016-12-28T10:00:30.362Z, David. "12 essential Sky Q tips and tricks". T3.
  14. Holt, Molly (9 July 2019). "Sky customers can now get Netflix for just £3 a month". mirror.
  15. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/on-demand/2020-04-23/can-i-watch-disney-on-sky-how-to-get-it-on-sky-q-and-now-tv/
  16. "Sky Q now has Dolby Atmos support, just in time for Premier League kick-off". Pocket-lint. 11 August 2017.
  17. Brown 2019-02-25T06:43:26Z, Aaron. "Sky TV update: all the new features coming to revolutionise Sky Q in 2019". T3.
  18. "Sky delays HDR video update until late 2020". What HIFI.
  19. "Sky Q kicks off HDR support starting with on-demand nature shows". BBC News. 27 May 2020. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  20. Woollaston, Victoria (26 January 2017). "You'll soon be able to get Sky TV without a satellite dish". Wired UK. Condé Nast Publications. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  21. Brian, Matt (26 January 2017). "Sky Q will be available without a satellite dish from 2018". Engadget. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  22. Krieger, Jörn (4 March 2019). "Sky without cable or satellite: Sky X launches in Austria". Broadband TV News. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  23. Thomson, Stuart (5 March 2019). "Sky Austria launches streaming offering Sky X". Digital TV Europe. Informa. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  24. Easton, Jonathan (26 September 2019). "Sky Italia launches dishless Sky Q". Digital TV Europe. Informa. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  25. "Sky Q review: Everything you need to know". Alphr.
  26. "Sky Q Review". Trusted Reviews.
  27. Jones 2019-04-26T10:58:19Z, Robert. "Sky Q review: Netflix on Sky Q delivers a supreme viewing experience". T3.
  28. "Sky Q". Stuff.
  29. receivers, Gerald Lynch 2019-03-14T16:14:56Z Digital TV. "Sky Q review". TechRadar.
  30. Review, What Hi-Fi? Posted 2019-04-24T14:44:58Z. "Sky Q review". whathifi.
  31. Roberts, Joe (17 November 2016). "Sky Q wins Home Entertainment Product of the Year at #TrustedReviewsAwards 2016". Trusted Reviews.
  32. Bell 2018-09-28T10:17:27Z, Duncan. "T3 Awards 2018: absolutely ALL of the winners". T3.
  33. https://www.whathifi.com/sky/q/review
  34. "Ad of the Day: Sky Q brings back Idris Elba to prove it's 'The Next Generation Box'". The Drum.
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