Sky Q vs Glass vs Stream vs Now: Which is the very best TV?

Lengthy gone are the times when Sky was only a TV service which required strapping a satellite tv for pc dish to the facet of your home. There are a selection of various choices for getting Sky TV in your home, a few of which will be setup and have you ever watching inside minutes. 

Whereas Sky Q is the apparent alternative (that’s the set high field which wants the dish), Sky has a few satellite-free choices. You can go for Sky Glass, which is an precise tv with Sky built-in so all you’ll want to do is join it to the web. 

For those who’ve bought a TV and don’t desire a dish, then you need to use Sky Stream, a tiny little field much like an Apple TV which plugs into your TV so you may stream content material with minimal trouble. The agency calls it ‘Sky TV over Wi-Fi’. 

Lastly, there’s Now (beforehand known as Now TV) to stream every kind of content material on a variety of gadgets in a lot the identical means you’ll with Netflix however with a distinct set of subscription or ‘membership’ choices. 

That’s a short overview of the 4 choices however we’ll undergo all of them in additional element that will help you determine which one is true. Right here’s a desk outlining the important thing features akin to costs, contract size and options. 

Worth & Contracts 

How a lot Sky goes to price you depends upon loads of various factors, akin to which TV channels you need after which further options. 

As a final analysis, Sky TV prices £26 monthly for the common Leisure & Netflix bundle. This consists of Sky Signature which consists of 300 channels together with Sky Atlantic, Sky, Max, Comedy Central, Quest, MTV and Gold. The Netflix plan included is the Fundamental possibility in order that’s HD streaming on one machine with no simultaneous streams – you may see the variations in our comparability of the Netflix plans. 

This bundle applies to Sky Q, Sky Glass and Sky Stream, with the extra price within the desk above for Glass regarding the TV itself. It is available in three sizes – 43-, 55- and 65in – and you’ll both pay for it outright beginning at £699 or month-to-month funds from £14pm after a £10 upfront charge. 

Past the fundamental bundle, you’ll need to determine whether or not so as to add varied issues on akin to Sky Sports activities, Extremely HD image high quality and Multiscreen (which I’ll clarify intimately later). Right here’s a breakdown of the commonest ones. Notice these are the RRP figures however Sky virtually at all times has them lowered. 

Sky Q costs monthly 

• Sky Sports activities – £32 
• Sky Cinema – £19 
• BT Sport – £28 
• Sky Children – £6 rolling 
• Disney+ – £7.99 rolling 
• Paramount+ – Free with Sky Cinema 
• HD – £8 rolling 
• Extremely HD + HD – £12 rolling 
• Multiscreen – £15 rolling 
• Setup charge – £20 (one-off) 

purchase sky q

Glass/Stream costs monthly (18 month/31 day rolling) 

• Sky Sports activities – £25/27 
• Sky Cinema – £11/13 
• BT Sport – £30 rolling 
• Sky Children – £6 rolling 
• Paramount+ – Free with Sky Cinema 
• Extremely HD & Dolby Atmos – £6 rolling 
• Advert skipping – £5 rolling 
• Netflix Normal – £4 rolling 
• Netflix Premium – £8 rolling 
• Entire Dwelling – £12 with first puck free 
• Entire Dwelling setup – £39.95 (one-off) 

purchase sky glass

purchase sky stream

As you may see above, issues can get fairly dear when you’ve added a couple of issues to the fundamental Sky Signature bundle. Even including Sky Sports activities and Extremely HD will set you again an extra £44 every month. The excellent news is that it’s very versatile so you may actually tailor the expertise to what you need.

Sky

If this places you off, then that is the place Now involves the fore. That is Sky’s correct streaming service which requires none of its personal {hardware}. Identical to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, you may watch on a massive vary of gadgets akin to smartphones, video games consoles and sensible TVs.  

It may well add up if you need entry to all of the totally different areas however in the event you simply need Sky Sports activities, for instance, it’s far cheaper in comparison with Q or Glass. There are totally different Memberships to select from as follows: 

• Leisure – £9.99pm 
• Cinema – £9.99pm 
• Leisure + Cinema – £12.99pm (6 months) 
• Sports activities – £11.98 (24 hours) 
• Sports activities – £34.99pm (from 28 Feb) 
• Hayu – £4.99pm 
• Increase – £6pm (from 28 Feb) 

purchase sky now

Many of the above packages are self-explanatory, offering you with Sky channels for his or her respective classes. Hayu is particularly for US actuality reveals akin to Actual Housewives, Million Greenback Itemizing and Beneath Deck. 

Increase isn’t a channel bundle, however an add-on you’ll want if you wish to watch in Full HD high quality, do away with adverts, take pleasure in Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, stream on three gadgets concurrently and get Sky Sports activities in 50fps. Notice that a few of these have {hardware} necessities. 

Now additionally affords offers and bundles all year long, significantly round sale seasons akin to Black Friday. For those who join Now and cancel, then the streaming platform may give you a reduction as an incentive to enroll once more.  

Sky

In conclusion, Sky Q is the most costly and locks you into an 18-month contract however has advantages that the others don’t have; primarily that you simply’re utilizing a satellite tv for pc dish so don’t require good broadband and it has a tough drive for recordings. 

Now’s the most affordable, easiest and most versatile possibility however the expertise will depend upon what machine you’re utilizing it on. It is usually the one Sky product to not provide 4K, so if that’s a precedence, take into account one of many different choices. 

Sky Glass and Stream present a cheerful center floor the place you get a really related expertise to Sky Q however at cheaper costs and extra versatile rolling contracts on the content material. Additionally they present the selection of an precise TV or a tiny streaming field, which leads us properly onto the {hardware}. 

{Hardware} 

We will depart Now out of this part as a result of it’s purely an internet streaming service. You must present the {hardware} your self. The opposite Sky merchandise are all fairly totally different although so listed here are the important thing variations. 

Sky Q is your conventional set-top field. It plugs into your TV and to the satellite tv for pc dish so you may watch TV with out relying in your broadband and Wi-Fi. It additionally has the good thing about a tough drive so you may document broadcast tv and hold it saved. 

The Sky Q mini is an non-compulsory further particularly made for Multiscreen (see under) and likewise acts as a Wi-Fi community extender in the event you’re utilizing Sky Wi-Fi. 

Sky

Sky Glass is a tv with Sky built-in so all you’ll want to do is plug it in and join it to your Wi-Fi community to get going. The consumer interface is just a little totally different to Sky Q as a result of it’s extra of a streaming primarily based system.  

You don’t want a dish strapped to the facet of your home, however you have to respectable broadband to keep away from buffering and the like. Sky advocate 10Mbps for HD and 25Mbps for UHD however notice that each Glass and Stream have Ethernet ports, so that you don’t have to make use of a Wi-Fi connection. You possibly can examine your Wi-Fi speeds right here. 

Sky

Sky Stream is a palm-sized little field that for a lot of would be the most handy method to get Sky TV at residence. Very like an Amazon Fireplace TV machine, it plugs into your present TV through HDMI after which connects to the Wi-Fi to stream content material.  

It’s primarily Sky Glass however with out the TV. Confusingly, Sky additionally refers to it as a Sky Stream puck when speaking in regards to the Entire Dwelling multiscreen system. Extra on this under. 

Recordings & Apps 

As talked about already, you need to get Sky Q in an effort to document TV and retailer it regionally. Sky affords a 1TB field as commonplace which is loads of house for a whole bunch of hours of reveals. 

Sky Q is the one product with recordings, although the Sky Q mini can entry the recordings however doesn’t have its personal arduous drive. Sky Glass and Stream are totally on-line providers, however you may ‘save’ issues to a Cloud DVR with the + icon inside the interface as a means of conserving your favorite reveals and flicks collectively. 

Sky

You continue to get Sky Go no matter which you select although. That is Sky’s on-the-go app the place you may watch Sky on gadgets like your laptop computer or pill. For those who’re at residence, you may entry your Sky Q recordings and obtain chosen titles earlier than you head out.  

Sly Go comes at no extra price and in the event you’re a Sky Cellular buyer then utilizing the app gained’t rely in the direction of your knowledge utilization. 

Now’s its personal app and on-line service and, as talked about earlier, is on the market on a variety of gadgets. It may well’t be used through an internet browser however there may be app help for Home windows and Mac. 

Multiscreen 

For Now, multiscreen is easy. Subscribe to Increase alongside together with your Membership and you’ll watch on three totally different gadgets concurrently with the additional benefit of Full HD high quality. 

Issues are extra difficult on Sky’s different merchandise.  

Sky

On Sky Q, you’ll want so as to add Multiscreen to your bundle, which prices £15pm on a rolling contract and comes with one Sky Q mini field providing you with two screens. You possibly can add extra mini bins later – these price a one-off charge of £50 per field.  

Multiscreen additionally offers you the power to look at Sky Go on 4 gadgets concurrently. 

For Sky Glass and Sky Stream, you’ll want the Entire Dwelling bundle. This prices £12pm together with your first puck (a Sky Stream). You possibly can add as much as 4 on Glass and three on Stream, requiring a setup charge of as much as £119.85. 

Which Sky product is greatest for me? 

With all of the above thought-about, right here’s a abstract of which Sky product to decide on relying in your wants. 

Sky Q – For many who desire a conventional broadcast TV expertise with the power to document in addition to stream and who don’t thoughts having a satellite tv for pc dish. 

Sky Glass – For many who don’t desire a satellite tv for pc dish and need Sky constructed right into a 4K sensible TV. 

Sky Stream – For many who need Sky TV over Wi-Fi and simply need to plug it into an present TV. 

Now – For many who need to stream Sky content material on a variety of gadgets at an reasonably priced value with out the necessity for a long-term contract. 

Sky TV options 

For those who’re not satisfied any of Sky’s merchandise are best for you then you definately do have numerous different choices.  

The principle one can be Virgin TV 360 which has similarities to Sky Q in that you’ve a tough drive for recordings and entry to a wealth of channels – together with Sky Sports activities – however works through cable slightly than satellite tv for pc. 

Virgin Stream is a really shut rival to the Sky Stream. It’s a one-off price of £35 then you may merely choose and select which content material you need to entry at additional month-to-month price akin to Netflix, Important Leisure channels and Sky Sports activities. 

Going additional afield, there are virtually countless fashionable choices to look at TV and sometimes free of charge. Many sensible TVs include Freeview Play and loads of apps to on-demand and catch-up TV. Once more, apps like ITVX and Channel 4 are free to make use of. 

When you have a primary TV, you may select from a variety of streaming sticks and bins that are very low-cost. These plug into your TV and hook up with your Wi-Fi very similar to the Sky Stream, providing you with entry to a great deal of apps. Makers embody Amazon with its Fireplace TV vary, Roku, Google’s Chromecast vary and Apple TV gadgets.