We run through the differences between the three models of Sky's next-generation box.
- Alongside its ageing Sky Hub, Sky offers two faster, more up to date routers. Namely: the Sky Broadband Hub, which launched in 2019, or 2016's Sky Q Hub, which is designed specifically to work with the Sky Q TV service. Here, we'll take a close look at them, outlining the.
- Sky Go vs Sky Go Extra. So, is there a difference between Sky Go and Sky Go Extra? Customers can upgrade to “Extra” for a standard fee per month. It offers several perks that are not available in the standard Go app. Here are the differences between its features and benefits.
Whether you take the basic Sky Signature package or bundle Sky Cinema, Sky Sports and everything else together, the brilliant Sky Q box is automatically included with all of the provider’s TV options.
Customers can choose from three different types of Sky box each of which have their own advantages and disadvantages. In this guide, we’ll explore what these are and compare the boxes side-by-side so you can decide which is the best for you.
Get Sky originals and Netflix side-by-side for a vast selection of unmissable entertainment.
Sky Q vs Virgin V6: Specs. When it comes to recording capabilities, Sky Q pips it. Though both boxes can record six programmes while you watch a seventh (though Sky Q will only do so in January. Sky Go is an online television service from Sky Group provided free for Sky TV subscribers that allows users to watch live and on demand Sky TV via an internet connection. The Sky Go app is available on Windows and Mac computers and also on Android and iOS devices. On demand content comprises sports highlights, latest news, movies.
- Over 2,000 box sets plus Netflix's acclaimed library of originals
- A huge selection of live TV channels including Sky Atlantic
- Watch your favourite films and TV series anywhere with Sky Go
What is a Sky Q box?
The Sky Q box gives you access to Sky’s premium TV service of the same name. As well as the ability to pause, rewind and record live TV, Sky Q boasts a whole load of features designed to enhance your viewing.
Sky Q 1TB box
With the Sky Q 1TB box you can:
- Record up to 3 shows whilst watching a fourth live
- Access apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and Spotify
- Store up to 500 hours of SD recordings
- Enjoy HD films and TV shows
- Watch live TV and your recordings on one Sky Q Mini box
With the Sky Q 2TB box you can:
- Record 6 shows whilst watching a 7th live
- Access apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and Spotify
- Store up to 1000 hours of SD recordings
- Enjoy 4K Ultra HD films and TV shows
- Watch live TV and your recordings on two Sky Q Mini boxes simultaneously
Sky Q 1TB UHD box
The Sky Q 1TB UHD box does everything that the standard model can do with one key difference, it allows you to enjoy a great variety of films, sport, series and documentaries in beautifully glossy UHD.
In addition to the box, customers will need a 4K compatible TV, the Sky HD and Ultra HD add ons plus a broadband speed of at least 25Mbps. If you want to watch films and sports in UHD, you'll need the Sky Cinema and Sky Sports add ons too.
Sky Q 1TB vs 2TB
Sky Q Sky Go Extra
The 2TB box allows you to do more than either version of the 1TB box but depending on your viewing habits it may not always be the best option for you.
Sky Q Vs Sky God
If you don’t need lots of recording space for example, then the 1TB box will be perfect for you. Those who live in a large household where the ability to stream to multiple mini boxes is important however, will want to opt for the 2TB box.
There’s also the idea of budget to consider. New customers will have to pay more to get the 2TB box installed on top of purchasing the base Sky Signature package and any extras like HD or Kids.
What is the Sky Q Mini box?
- Watch live TV and recordings
- Stream content to different rooms by adding Sky Q Multiscreen
- Up to four Sky Q Mini boxes can be chained together at one time
The Sky Q Mini box is a smaller version of the main Sky Q box that you can use to watch TV all around your house by purchasing Sky Q Multiscreen. You can watch live TV plus all of your recordings and can download content from on demand.
With the Sky 1TB box you can only stream to one additional Sky Q Mini box at a time. The Sky 2TB box allows you to stream to two Sky Q Mini boxes at once.
Do Sky Q Mini boxes support UHD viewing?
Even if you’ve got the 1TB UHD or 2TB Sky Q box, the Mini box unfortunately doesn’t support 4K Ultra HD viewing.
How much is Sky Q?
- £20 installation fee for the Sky 1TB box
- £25 a month for Sky Signature
- £14 a month for Sky Q Multiscreen
- A free Sky Q Mini box with Sky Q Multiscreen
A Sky Q box is offered as standard with every Sky TV package but you'll need to pay an installation fee.
The base Sky Signature package costs £25 a month while Sky Multiscreen costs £14 a month. You get one free Mini box with Sky Multiscreen but you'll be charged for any additional ones.
If you’d like to watch HD content you’ll need to take out the relevant add on at £6 a month. If you already have Sky HD taking out Sky UHD costs only £4 a month.
Can I transfer my Sky+ recordings to Sky Q?
Sky Q Sky Go Netflix
No, unfortunately there’s no way to transfer any recordings you’ve made on your Sky+ box to your new Sky Q box.
Sky TV + Netflix + HD + Sky Cinema + Sky Sports
£56.00 a month (down from £91.00)
There's something for everyone in this package which brings you the very best from the worlds of entertainment and sports.
- Must-watch series from Sky and Netflix all in one place
- Choose from over 1,000 brilliant HD films on demand
- Get closer to the action with beautifully glossy HD
or call 020 3974 9020
Sky Go is an online television service from Sky Group provided free for Sky TV subscribers that allows users to watch live and on demand Sky TV via an internet connection. The Sky Go app is available on Windows and Mac computers and also on Android and iOS devices.
Overview[edit]
On demand content comprises sports highlights, latest news, movies and TV programmes. Content is viewable for a limited amount of time and is protected by digital rights management software provided by Microsoft and the NDS Group, and therefore cannot be copied to disc or viewed beyond the date carried by its license. The service is available at no extra cost to existing Sky TV customers, with accessible content depending on the subscriber's Sky package. Non-Sky TV customers can access the service by subscribing on a pay-per-view basis.
Sky Go is viewable on up to two devices, with the ability to increase this to four devices with Sky Go Extra for a monthly fee. The now-deprecated Microsoft Silverlight 3.0 browser plug-in is required to play content on computers. Due to viewing rights, certain programmes are not available to watch via Sky Go, and are 'blacked out' from the schedule. To have access to the full selection of live TV channels available on Sky Go, users will need a subscription to the relevant Sky TV packages that correspond to the available channels.
History[edit]
It originally launched on 11 January 2006 as Sky by Broadband. On 25 November 2006 Sky announced that Sky By Broadband had been rebranded as Sky Anytime on PC. The rebranding also coincided with an update to the client, which included a new interface and a pay-per-view service for movies and US television shows. On 16 May 2008, Sky Anytime on PC was rebranded as Sky Player, along with updated software to include live simulcasts of Sky News and Sky Sports.
On 29 October 2009, the service expanded on to the Xbox 360. An Xbox Live Gold subscription is required, and users need to register via the Sky Go website.[1] Features include a party system which allows multiple users to watch content at the same time, with users represented by their Xbox 360 Avatars in a virtual room. Due to the high level of demand, the launch of the service was troublesome and technical issues caused the entire Sky Go platform to become unavailable. To rectify this, Sky decided to open up Sky Go on Xbox 360 to users incrementally over the following days.[2]
On 19 November 2009, Sky Player was also made available to Windows Media Center-equipped Windows 7 computers.
Users of 3G phones on Vodafone, Orange, and T-Mobile could subscribe to Sky Mobile TV. The service consisted of three packages —-Sky News, Sport and Factual Pack; Sky Entertainment Pack; and Sky Music Pack—-which include a mixture of live and made-for-mobile channels of broadcasters’ channels.
On 6 July 2011, Sky Player and Sky Mobile TV services were merged and rebranded as Sky Go.[3] Key changes include the ability to watch live channels in line with your Sky TV subscription at no additional cost, limited to two simultaneous devices. Support for Windows Media Center was dropped, however an app was released for Apple's iOS operating system, used on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. A Sky Go app for Android devices was released on 20 February 2012.[4] Sky Go for Android does not work on rooted phones and was initially only available on a selection of Android phones from HTC and Samsung.[5] On 11 December 2012, Sky Go added support for Jelly Bean and additional devices, including those from Google, LG and Sony.[6]
As of 2013, Sky Go is not in development for other platforms such as BlackBerry 10, Windows Phone 8 or Windows RT, as Sky believes that the market is too small to justify the cost of development.[7][8]
On 22 January 2013, a download service called Sky Go Extra was added, allowing up to four users to download content to their computers, smartphones and tablets to view offline for an additional monthly fee.[9] The download feature was previously available for free in the Sky Go Desktop client.
On 1 May 2014, Sky announced the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 will be receiving Sky Go by the end of 2014.[10] The PlayStation 4 received the service on 3 December 2014, through an application named 'TV from Sky' [11] and on 29 January 2015 Sky launched this application on the PlayStation 3.[12]
Since 2019, Sky Mobile customers can use Sky Go including Sky Cinema and Sky Sports without a mobile data charge.
References[edit]
- ^'Watch TV From Sky Through Your XBOX 360'. Xbox.com. 25 September 2009. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
- ^'Sky Player's Delayed launch'. pocket-lint.com. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2010.
- ^'Sky TV Goes Online and Mobile for all 10 million customers'. British Sky Broadcasting. 10 June 2011.
- ^'Sky Go for Android launched'. TechRadar. 20 February 2012.
- ^'Sky Go for Android: If you want it to work, don't upgrade to Android 4.0'. Electricpig. 20 February 2012.
- ^'Sky Go Android app launched for 14 new devices including Google Nexus 4'. Trusted Reviews. 11 December 2012.
- ^'Don't hold your breath for Sky Go on Windows Phone or Surface'. TechRadar. 12 November 2012.
- ^'Sky Go BlackBerry 10 app not in the works says broadcaster'. Trusted Reviews. 1 February 2013.
- ^'Sky Go Extra download service launches'. The Daily Telegraph. 22 January 2013.
- ^'Sky Go and NOW TV to join PlayStation®4 this summer'. BSkyB. 1 May 2014.
- ^Duncan Heaney. Sky Go app available for PlayStation 4, but it’s not called Sky Go, broadbandchoices.co.uk, December, 2014.
- ^Rik Henderson. Sky Go now available for PS3 owners too, TV from Sky app in PlayStation Store, pocket-lint.com, January, 2015.
External links[edit]