Sky Stream Review: Great TV to Stream | Expert reviews (2023)

renew:Sky has announced a major personalization update from 1 February 2023. The updates are part of the company's Entertainment OS 1.1 update and improve various parts of the Sky Stream user interface and add the long-awaited personalized playlist feature.

This allows users to create up to five personal playlists, one for each family member, as well as a general playlist that anyone can add to.

In addition to individual playlists, there will also be a new "Cast & Crew" section on the show page where you can see what other movies and TV shows the show's cast and director have worked on.

A new voice command is also available. Say "Play The Last of Us" and the Sky Stream will pick up where you left off. You can also choose what you want to watch on the screen, hold down the voice button and say "play" instead of touching the remote.

Our full Sky Stream review is below

When Sky Stream finally launches in late 2022, I'll be relieved. Finally I thought: here's a new Sky TV product I can help. Unlike Sky Glass, it's not held back by average TV equipment, nor is it overpriced. It simply delivers what Sky has always done best: premium UK-focused TV content, including Sky Sports.

In short, Sky wants Sky Stream to be the Sky Q of 2020 - the best product for watching quality British TV. Some might say it's too late for the party, other manufacturers are better at it and should have released a full 4K streaming-only product a long time ago, which is probably the case.

But its integrated approach to streaming, which combines cloud recording technology (more on that later) with Sky's full 4K TV offering, means it's unique among its rivals.

Read the next article:review of the glass sky

Sky Stream review: what you need to know

If you've already bought your Sky streaming service via Sky Glass, then you already know a little about Sky Stream hardware. The main difference is that you don't need to have a Sky Glass TV to buy one, nor do you need to have a satellite dish in front of your home to access Sky TV. not likeVirgin TV streaming deviceYou also don't need Sky Broadband. Sky Stream will work with any TV and any broadband service, but ideally your TV supports 4K Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as this content will help you get the most out of your device. Additionally, Stream supports HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, so it supports most major HDR standards.

But of course they are the same: a low profile plastic box, 18mm high and 110mm square. It has the Sky logo printed on the top, a small rectangular LED on the bottom front edge to indicate status, a power/reset button on the base with non-slip rubber pads, and plenty of ports to choose from. back. Here you have an HDMI 2 output, an Ethernet socket, a DC power input and a digital terrestrial aerial connection, which says Sky is not available.

The product box is as discreet as the Stream itself. The whole thing is made from brown recycled cardboard and includes the Stream itself, the same backlit remote, HDMI cable, USB 5V power supply and cables that come with the Sky Glass.

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Sky Stream review: Price and competition

Sky Stream's basic service costs £26 a month if you agree to an 18-month contract, or you can access the service on a rolling contract for £29 a month if you don't want to be tied down. You can cancel at any time. This gives you access to the Basic package, which includes Sky Ultimate TV and a Netflix Basic subscription - which, by the way, is a basic 720p ad-supported package, so don't get too excited.

Upgrade to standard Netflix HD for an extra £4 a month and Netflix Premium for an extra £8 a month. If you already have a Netflix subscription, you can pay separately if you want, but it's best to transfer your account to Sky so you don't have to pay extra. If you're already paying for Sky, there's no point paying Netflix another £16 a month because you can halve it.

Of course, there's no point paying for Sky Stream if you're not going to take full advantage of its premium content, which will only add to your costs. For many, Sky Sports will be the highlight of Sky Stream, which can be added for £25 a month (listed price is £20 a month at time of writing) as part of an 18-month deal. This can be added for £27 per month on an 18 month contract. Rolling contract for 31 days.

BT Sport can be added for £30 a month on a rolling 31-day contract, Sky Cinema can be added for an extra £11 a month (£13 per month running) and Sky Kids is £6 a month on a rolling contract. If you want to watch the entire project in 4K, there is an additional charge of £6 per month.

It's worth noting that Sky also charges an initial set-up fee of £20 for those on an 18-month contract and £40 for those who want to pay monthly. And if you want to use multiple rooms, that's an extra £12 a month, allowing you to connect up to six extra devices. The first box is free, subsequent boxes cost £40 each.

This is something that might confuse you, but it's worth noting that Sky Stream costs slightly less than the competition in some respects. I will focus on the cost of watching Sky Sports as this is probably the most common reason most people want to watch Sky.

For example, Sky Q starts at exactly the same £26 a month, but Sky Sports costs £7 more and upgrading to 4K is twice as much at £12. Sky Now is the cheapest and easiest way to access Sky Sports. It's available on TV with various streaming devices, but it's not available in 4K and is still quite expensive. Sky Sports is £39 a month and Sky Stream is £52 a month (currently on sale).

Interestingly, Virgin Media's Stream Box is the cheapest in sports, combining Sky Sports and BT Sport for significantly less than Sky Stream, and also gives you 10% monthly credit on all other monthly packages. The downside is that it's not HD and requires Virgin Broadband.

Overall, Sky Stream is on a par with its main rivals in terms of value and is slightly cheaper overall than Sky Q. It also has the advantage of being pay-as-you-go, meaning you can pay for Sky Sports during football season, for example. , cancel the off-season and then resume payment when the race resumes in August. The only downside is that the rollover fees are a bit more expensive than an 18-month contract. for example, Sky Sports currently costs £27 a month, down from £20 over 18 months, down from £25.

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Sky Stream review: how it works and how easy it is to use

As you'd expect from any device or streaming device, Sky Stream works entirely over Wi-Fi - you don't need an antenna at all. It also supports Wi-Fi 6 for dual-band connectivity. As with the Sky Glass TV, I initially had issues with the Devolo Magic 2 WiFi system not accepting the WPA2 password, but the problem was quickly resolved by using the Sky broadband option and pressing the WPS button on the nearest extender.

Once connected to Wi-Fi, simply enter your Sky credentials and follow the on-screen instructions. If your account is set up correctly, you should be signed in in a few minutes, and if you've used Sky Q or Sky+ before, a reset period begins. In fact, since Sky Stream works a little differently, there's a lot to think about with any streaming service.

The key thing to understand about Sky Stream is that instead of recording to local storage like Sky Q (and Sky+), you can add playlists of programs to it. Sky says this will save the show to "cloud dVR" for quick access later.

It's a system that works well and the advantage is that even live shows that have just ended can be watched immediately. With a regular streaming device, you might have to wait about half an hour for the live broadcast to be processed and uploaded before you can watch it.

Otherwise, the system works exactly as you expect. You can pause live TV and rewind and fast forward while watching it. It's not quite as responsive as when recording on Sky Q, but you quickly get used to the short wait before you can fast-forward and rewind.

You can search for shows, channels and apps by voice or keywords. Alternatively, you can browse by category using the traditional TV guide. Sky also has a range of themed 'tracks' which will tell you what it thinks you should be watching based on your viewing habits.

Overall, the ease of use is better than Sky Q. After using the system as my primary TV platform at home for a few weeks, I find the user interface simpler and quicker to navigate, and prefer the remote control. As I mentioned above, the remote control is exactly the same as the one that comes with the Sky Glass TV. It's backlit so the buttons are more visible when the lights dim, and it's well laid out with soft-touch buttons that fit comfortably under your fingers.

Like most streaming sticks, the remote can also turn on the TV and adjust the volume by pressing and holding the power button. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has the same rounded back as the Sky Q remote, which sometimes slipped out of my hand when I was using it.

Read the next article:review of the glass sky

Sky Stream review: content, performance and picture quality

Sky Stream is very similar to Sky Glass and doesn't have access to exactly the same content as Sky Q. At last count there were 150 channels on Sky Stream and over 300 on Sky. Most Freeview channels and popular streaming apps are present and valid, including all UK terrestrial TV channels, Prime Video, Netflix, Disney Plus and Apple TV+.

In terms of content, most of the differences are in the channels for international and commercial categories, but there are some serious gaps in sports coverage. For example, there is currently no MUTV or LFCTV, Premier Sports 1 or 2 or BT Sports Box Office. It's a pretty fluid situation though, so if any missing channels are important to you, it's worth checking Sky's website for a full channel list:

• Full list of TV channels on Sky Glass and Sky Stream
• A full list of streaming apps/platforms can be found on the Sky Stream FAQ page

As for the image quality, I can't say I had any problems. All 4K channels and apps look sharp and detailed. There don't seem to be any HDR or audio issues. It's worth noting that Sky recommends a minimum broadband speed of at least 10 Mbps for Full HD streaming and 25 Mbps for 4K, without the speed being particularly burdensome. It's always a good idea to check your connection before using Sky Stream just in case, but most modern broadband connections should be able to handle it.

One thing I've noticed is that the Sky Stream Box doesn't handle Wi-Fi or broadband spikes particularly well. Usually, when Wi-Fi problems start, the streaming image freezes while the audio continues, then when the connection is restored after a few seconds, the video fast-forwards until the action reaches the audio. At one point, the picture didn't keep up with the sound and the two programs were out of sync for a few seconds. However, a quick power cycle solves the problem.

As mentioned, fast-forwarding and rewinding isn't the smoothest, especially when coming off the super-fast end (holding down the d-pad on the remote) where you have to wait a few seconds for playback to start. If you are impatient and press the play button too soon, the playback will stop and you will have to press the play button again to continue. It's a bit irritating.

Of course, the benefit of "cloud DVR" is that you have virtually unlimited storage, which means that if you put a lot of Formula 1 cars on a playlist in 4K, for example, it won't fill up your hard drive. Sky Q does just that, so you don't have to waste time freeing up space.

Another plus, especially with electricity prices rising so quickly, is that the Stream Box uses significantly less power than the Sky Q: 1W in standby mode and just 3W when watching 4K, compared to the Sky Q's 9W to 22W between. In fact, you can turn Sky Stream off completely and it will still record your show because everything happens in the cloud, so you don't have to keep it on all the time.

Those using a multi-room setup will also prefer Sky Stream to Sky Q, not only because each device can play full 4K (the Sky Q mini box can only play 720p), but also because each device works independently. With Sky Q, all the secondary mini-boxes are connected to the main Sky Q unit and if the main box fails or is switched off, all the other mini-boxes will also stop working.

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Sky Stream Review: The Verdict

Sky Stream takes some getting used to and doesn't sing and dance like Sky Q. However, there are ways around its quirks, and there are enough other positives to suggest it's a genuine alternative.

The picture quality is very good, especially the user interface is very friendly and smooth. The playlist function takes a bit of learning, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to use.

This is obvious for those who want to watch Sky Sports and other exclusive 4K Sky content but can't (or won't) install a satellite dish. It's the perfect system for those who want and can afford a multi-room Sky TV, and if you already have a TV but don't want to replace it, then you don't need to buy Sky Glass.

Overall I'm very happy with the Sky Stream box. This is a really attractive alternative to Sky Q if you want Sky Sports in 4K and have a TV you don't want to replace with Sky Glass.