Sky Q review | What Hi-Fi?
Sky Q is the most important overhaul Sky has given to its bundle because it launched Sky+, aiming to do for tv what Sonos did to music – and make it really multi-room.
The bundle is constructed across the Sky Q 1TB field, which primarily works as a hub, delivering content material to as much as two separate Sky Q Mini containers and two tablets concurrently round your private home. In complete, the field means that you can document six channels and watch a seventh concurrently – if you will discover sufficient screens.
At present, in territories the place Sky is out there, you might want to be linked to a satellite tv for pc dish, though Sky has been promising for years now {that a} new field is on the best way that can let you entry Sky Q TV over broadband and take away the necessity for a dish. With a bit of luck it will truly materialise sooner or later.
What Sky Q containers can be found?
There are 4 Sky Q containers, and the broadband hub. The primary field is the Sky Q 1TB, which is the default field given to anybody taking out a brand new Sky Q subscription. There may be additionally a Sky Q 2TB field, however that is now solely out there by particular request and can set you again an additional £99. Each of those containers deal with 4K Extremely HD content material.
A non-4K Sky Q 1TB field can be out there for individuals who are completely happy watching in HD.
The Sky Q Mini is for bedrooms and second rooms, and piggy-backs off your fundamental Q field. All of the containers observe the identical slimline design – the Mini and Hub look nigh-on similar. So, what are the variations?
Sky Q 1TB field
- Extremely HD prepared
- 1TB storage
- 12 tuners (three are dormant for now); can document six stay exhibits whereas watching a seventh
- HDMI, 2 x USB 2.0, digital optical out, ethernet, wi-fi
- Wi-fi, Bluetooth
- Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos over HDMI. Dolby Digital over optical.
- Helps simultaneous viewing on two tablets
- Helps simultaneous viewing on as much as two Q containers
- Helps simultaneous viewing on as much as two Q Mini
Sky Q 2TB field (particular order, previously Sky Q Silver field)
- Extremely HD prepared
- 2TB storage (1.7TB for buyer use)
- 12 tuners (three are dormant for now); can document six stay exhibits whereas watching a seventh
- HDMI, 2 x USB 2.0, digital optical out, ethernet, wi-fi
- Wi-fi, Bluetooth
- Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos over HDMI. Dolby Digital over optical.
- Helps simultaneous viewing on two tablets
- Helps simultaneous viewing on as much as two Q Mini containers
- Matt black end
Sky Q mini field
- Solely out there with Sky Q
- HD
- 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB, digital optical out, Ethernet
- Wi-fi, Bluetooth
- Dolby Digital over HDMI or optical
- Matt black end
Construct and design
The Q containers are simply essentially the most engaging Sky has ever produced. The 2TB field befits the premium value you’re paying and the Minis look a bit like high-end wi-fi routers.
However should you discover them a bit plain, they’re sufficiently small to tuck away behind the TV, and since the remotes work utilizing Bluetooth, they don’t want line of sight to the field.
The Mini containers are plug ’n’ play, too. All they want is an influence cable and a connection to the telly, to allow them to simply be moved round if required.
That doesn’t imply they’re much less succesful than the principle 1TB field although; there’s nonetheless an optical out for audio, or they’ll output Dolby Digital over HDMI if it’s chosen.
The primary Sky Q unit is clearly the best-connected Sky field but. There’s in-built wi-fi for connecting to the web, but it surely’s the community it creates with the Mini containers that makes Sky Q actually stand out.
It’s a Sonos-style mesh community, which means the pace of your broadband doesn’t matter – the wi-fi community itself determines how effectively the system streams content material round your private home. If in case you have Sky Broadband, every field additionally works as a wi-fi hotspot.
Utilizing the Mini containers is sort of similar to utilizing the principle one. The UI is identical, it provides you entry to something on the principle machine’s arduous drive (and you’ll delete stuff or obtain extra) or watch stay TV.
Fluid viewing
It’s a part of Sky’s ‘Fluid Viewing’ idea, which additionally means that you can stream to a pill. Once more, high quality is nice and the sign strong. Our unique iPad Mini lagged somewhat when scrolling by means of the EPG, however newer iPads haven’t any such issues.
Sky is eager to level out that it additionally means that you can cease watching a present on one TV and choose up on one other display elsewhere. You’ll be able to, and it really works seamlessly, but it surely’s not one thing that most individuals will make use of very steadily.
Fluid Viewing extends exterior of the house, however solely so far as caching downloaded or recorded Sky content material in your pill, so you possibly can meet up with Sport of Thrones in your commute, or replenish on films for a protracted haul flight.
It’s moderately quick too, so that you don’t should set all of it to obtain the evening earlier than you permit within the morning. Enable about 60 seconds for each 10 minutes of TV you wish to retailer.
Image
In relation to common HD, which is what most customers will watch more often than not, there are extra hi-def channels on provide than ever.
Delve all the way down to the extra leftfield ones on the backside of the EPG and issues get fuzzy across the edges however, on the mainstream channels you’ll watch 99 per cent of the time, high quality is superb, significantly on Sky’s personal channels. The Sky Cinema channels even use a brand new format that claims to enhance image high quality.
Basically the image is crisp, full of element and with a pleasantly wealthy color steadiness. Distinction ranges are good, with good perception into darkish scenes and loads of punch in brights. Movement dealing with is easy and largely secure.
Importantly, high quality on the additional containers and tablets dotted across the dwelling is superb too.
On-demand content material is downloaded reasonably than streamed, so the image isn’t prone to breaking apart or pixelating if somebody elsewhere in the home begins streaming on Amazon Video and places further pressure on the connection.
Extremely HD and HDR
4K Extremely HD content material on Sky comes within the type of films, TV exhibits and sports activities protection, in addition to titles from the Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ apps.
After a protracted wait, HDR lastly debuted on Sky Q in Could 2020 and the quantity of HDR content material has grown pretty quickly since: there are actually over 100 films and 15 TV exhibits offered by Sky in HDR, plus the large HDR libraries of the aforementioned embedded streaming providers. Stay Premier League soccer is now out there in HDR, and extra sport can be getting the excessive dynamic vary therapy quickly. Simply notice that not all Sky Q box models are compatible.
However even with out HDR, sport in 4K seems nice. From the membership crests on participant shirts to the native 4K animations, you possibly can pick all method of element within the Premier League protection. Change between HD and UHD broadcasts and there is a delicate elevate within the nuanced particulars displayed in your telly.
Sky’s 4K System 1 content material simply matches the soccer for high quality. Particulars on the race helmets and the logos on the vehicles are clearly seen, and the pictures of vehicles cornering are splendidly secure and composed. From the evening racing in Bahrain to the sun-drenched Monaco circuit, the consistency of the picture is excellent.
4K film content material on Sky Q is available in two varieties. Should you see the phrase ‘Remastered’ or ‘Enhanced’ on the high of the programme preview web page, this means the title has a grasp in a better decision than HD and has been upconverted in post-production and remastered to 4K decision.
Something that does not say ‘Remastered’ or ‘Enhanced’ has both been recorded in Extremely HD or the studios (or Sky) have gone again to the unique materials and processed it with an Extremely HD workflow in post-production.
Tenet is one such 4K title and it seems sensational, with oodles of element, crisp definition and attractive three-dimensionality. The HDR ensures there’s loads of pop and vibrancy, too.
The ‘Enhanced’ titles present stunning ranges of readability and element – you would be forgiven for pondering older films would wrestle towards newer, more energizing content material. Completely happy Gilmore is 25 years previous but Sky’s 4K model is in no way disgraced. The identical goes for the It is a Fantastic Life.
Sound
The standard of the sound you’ll get from Sky Q relies upon largely on what you plug it into, but it surely helps Dolby Digital and Dolby Atmos, and may output to a 5.1 encompass sound system or soundbar over HDMI or optical cable.
Not each channel helps these codecs, but it surely kicks in routinely when the related sign is detected. Who wants encompass sound for College Problem anyway?
Throughout the vary of programme sorts sound high quality is nice. Voices are effectively articulated, whether or not it’s a drama or commentary throughout a cricket match, whereas music and results are punchy with out going excessive.
Quantity appears to be effectively standardised throughout the channels, so that you don’t should preserve reaching for the distant everytime you change over.
With out assist it’s going to by no means substitute a correct stereo system or perhaps a respectable Bluetooth speaker, however you possibly can nearly get away with utilizing it to play music from a telephone over AirPlay or Bluetooth, and Sky now has native apps for Spotify and BBC Sounds.
Options
The Sky Q contact distant is a fraction of the dimensions of its hefty predecessor. The half you’ll use most is the contact delicate panel that naturally rests beneath your thumb. Swipe left, proper, up and all the way down to navigate Q’s redesigned menu, and push it in to pick a channel, obtain a present or affirm a setting.
That UI is a revelation – it makes the previous Sky+ EPG look positively vintage. A lot of tweaks since launch have seen it turn out to be slicker and higher tailor-made to your watching habits, providing up programmes and movies based mostly in your viewing habits, whereas giving you quick access to your recordings.
Frequent updates have made it even simpler to navigate, too: ‘expanded view’ has changed the static side-bar menu with a collapsible one that may be hidden to provide extra display real-estate to what you are truly searching.
Every in style Sky TV present now has a ‘present centre’, too, a hub from which customers can entry all seasons, episodes, broadcast schedules and on-demand hyperlinks, and these present centres even exist for sure Disney+ exhibits resembling WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.
What’s extra, if you cannot be bothered to kind a present’s identify into your distant, you possibly can merely say it as an alternative the set’s voice recognition will take you proper to it. Should you’re unsure what to look at, merely ask your distant “what ought to I watch?” and your field will give you a raft of personalised ideas from Sky, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and the BBC, relying in your subscriptions.
You can too search by extra area of interest parameters, resembling actors, administrators or for movie suggestions. Saying “thrillers with Nicole Kidman”, for instance, will deliver up related ideas. And a easy utterance of “soccer” will take you to the soccer sport centre. Fairly merely, it is the most effective voice assistants we have used.
Sky has additionally added a ‘sensible’ button just like Netflix’s ‘proceed watching’, ‘play from the beginning’ and ‘play subsequent episode’ one. Equally, ‘sport centres’ for soccer, F1, cricket, golf, boxing, tennis (and extra sports activities) are the place sports activities followers can see the newest matches, news, fixtures, podcasts and tables.
Utilizing the panel to swipe across the Sky Q interface quickly turns into second nature, with the crescent-shaped space above it used to fast-forward and rewind. Faucet and slide your thumb on the principle pad and you’ll skip forwards and backwards even faster.
Typically it may be somewhat too delicate, and it’s straightforward to by chance pause or rewind what you’re watching by brushing towards the mistaken a part of the distant. You’ll be able to flip off the contact management should you want.
There’s another distant that’s similar aside from a set of ordinary directional buttons the place the contact panel is. It’s this fashion of distant you get with the Minis.
Netflix’s unique content material grabs the headlines today, however you possibly can’t argue with the sheer amount of what Sky presents. With over 350 stay channels alone, to not point out all of the on-demand films and TV exhibits, the selection is second to none – and that’s earlier than you issue within the stay sport.
BT Sport might need eaten into Sky’s soccer providing, however Sky nonetheless exhibits the lion’s share of Premier League video games, plus a wealth of world soccer.
BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4 and Channel 5 catch-up providers are right here too, with programmes downloaded to the field reasonably than streamed. Different apps on board embrace Netflix, Spotify, YouTube, Vevo and Disney+.
Worth
With Q, Sky actually has by no means been higher, but it surely has additionally by no means been costlier. If that’s the elephant within the room, it’s a fairly sizeable one. All of the attainable bundle permutations are dizzying however if you wish to watch 4K content material in a number of rooms, then you are going to be paying out a fairly penny.
At launch, Should you have been an current Sky buyer who already paid a good quantity, ie. you bought, say, Sky Motion pictures or Sky Sports activities in HD, then Sky Q wasn’t truly much more cash. For brand spanking new clients, nevertheless, or these on extra inexpensive Sky TV bundles, it did appear costlier.
However issues have modified because the service has developed. The Sky Q field has turn out to be the usual Sky machine, so relating to shopping for a Sky bundle you’re the truth is shopping for a Sky Q bundle.
Pricing fluctuates recurrently however, on the time of writing, the present entry-level Sky Q bundle is ‘Signature’, which is able to set you again £25 monthly and a one-off cost of £20. This will get you the Sky Q 1TB field and the fundamental Sky TV channels, plus Netflix.
If you wish to watch content material in increased high quality than ugly standard-def, you are going to wish to plump for the HD pack (£7 further monthly) or the Extremely HD + HD pack (£11 further monthly), and going for Multiscreen will price you an additional £15 monthly.
You’ll be able to then add Multiscreen (£15 further monthly), Sky Cinema (£11 further monthly), Sky Sports activities (£20 further monthly), BT Sport (£27 further monthly), Children (£5 further monthly) and/or Disney+ (£7.99 monthly, so no cheaper than subscribing immediately).
Sky presents incentives for combining add-ons, so including Multiscreen and Extremely HD collectively will price you £22 monthly (a saving of £4 monthly), and subscribing to each Sky Sports activities and BT Sport will web you a saving of a tenner a month (£27 monthly reasonably than £37).
As talked about, pricing and bundles change recurrently, so control our best Sky Q deals web page for the newest and lowest costs.
Verdict
As an general bundle, Sky Q feels totally up to date, combining nearly each method of watching TV and permitting you to entry them throughout your private home (and, to an extent, exterior).
Make no mistake, that is pretty much as good as TV will get – should you can bear the not inconsiderable price.
MORE:
Sky Q tips, tricks and features
https://www.whathifi.com/us/sky/q/overview | Sky Q overview | What Hello-Fi?
