Initially launched in the UK and Ireland on 9th February 2016, with the Ultra HD version rolled out on 13th August 2016, Sky Q has been dubbed the “next generation TV platform” that delivers “fluid viewing”. But what does all this mean?
Changing Television to Suit Evolving Viewing Habits
Sky’s shiny new “Q” television service aims to reimagine television by merging traditional TV content with on-demand and catch-up content, plus streaming video apps, wireless music and more all in one simple package. In keeping with modern demands, the service is available across various devices as well as Sky’s flagship set-top boxes, making it the most diversely accessible television service in the UK to date.
In recent years, people have changed the way they watch TV. Gone are the days of set daily and weekly scheduled programme viewing. People want to the watch the content they like, whenever they like, wherever they are and Sky has answered this demand by launching Sky Q.
Like no other service on the marketplace, Sky Q enables viewers to gain access to live and on-demand Sky content across all your devices, whether live or recorded, and watch that content is any room or on the move – in fact, literally anywhere. Sky Q acts as a central wireless hub in your home that pulls together all the available Sky TV content there is and then feeds that out to whatever device you choose.
But more importantly, that content is available in stunning 4K Ultra HD meaning there’s no better or sharper way to enjoy on-demand and live TV content anywhere else.
A Completely New Look
The Sky Q interface is completely brand new from the ground up, boasting a new touchpad remote plus new features including Apple Airplay, Bluetooth and apps including YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Weather and Sky Sports News.
There are some downsides however, with customers needing to upgrade their satellite dishes, plus there’s no compatibility with some existing Sky products such as Sky+ boxes. The Sky Q box is new being heralded as the standard Sky set-top box so this inevitably marks the end of the road for the Sky+ HD box which has had a good run up until now.
Since the beginning of 2017, Sky Q is said to already be in over 600,000 homes across the UK so the uptake is happening reasonably quickly. What’s more, Sky plans to release a newer Sky Q box next year which will allow access to Sky Q services over broadband without the need for a satellite dish whatsoever, marking an even greater shift away from traditional television technology over to the purely web-based delivery. This for sure is a benchmark that we’ll see more commonly across many other services in years soon to come.
Why is Sky Q Different?
Aside from the obvious improvements such as 4K super-sharp images and remote TV viewing, Sky Q also comes loaded with some really clever features.
For example, due to its wireless “fluid viewing” technology, you can watch any content on any screen in the house, whether a tablet or phone and pause the action in one room, and then continue where you left off in another using a completely different device; all thanks to Sky Q technology.
What’s more, you can take your content with you via the Sky Q app, and download Sky content to your handheld device and watch it on the move.
So in conclusion, Sky Q is now a truly inter-connected service that intelligently allows you to view your content how you choose, when you choose in more ways than ever before. This truly is an exciting new era in television viewing technology.
