Sky+ HD tips and tricks: FIVE things you never knew your set-top box could do

FIVE tricks you never knew your Sky+ HD box had up its sleeve.

 

The Sky+ HD box is an impressive box with more than a few tricks up its sleeves.

Everybody knows it can pause, rewind and record live TV as well as access popular catch-up services.

But did you know your standard Sky+ HD can also play television in slow motion and has hidden similar functionality as a ChromeCast?

#1 Play In Slow Motion

Your Sky+ HD box can play back your favourite TV shows and movies in slow motion.

If you are watching live television, simply rewind to the start of the sequence you want to rewatch – then press and hold down the play button for at least two seconds.

 

The show should restart, but at an agonisingly slow pace.

If you are watching a film or show you recorded, or downloaded from the supported catch-up services, just hold down the play button to kickstart the slow motion setting.

Whenever you decide its time to return to normal speed, simply hit the play button again.

#2 Instant Rewind, Instant Fast Forward

If you find yourself watching your favourite show whizz past a 30x as you rush to the end or the start – stop.

 

The standard Sky box boasts the ability to play back your favourite TV shows and movies in slow-mo

Sky has built in an easy way to jump to the beginning or the end of your recording.

Your humble Sky+ HD box has a few tricks up its sleeve

 

Simply press and hold the rewind or fast forward button on your Sky remote for at least two seconds and you will be taken instantly to the furthest possible point of your programme in the direction you choose.

It also works to quickly rejoin a live show, if you have been rewinding. Pressing the Sky button also jumps back to live TV.

#3 Create a Best Of

Creating bookmarks is quick and painless using this little Sky trick – and will allow you to quickly access the best bits of your favourite movies and TV shows.

While watching a recording on your Sky+ HD box, hit the pause button, followed by the red button to bookmark that point in time.

If the show is still paused you can press the green button to display a list of all of the bookmarks currently created for that recording.

The Sky remote has a number of helpful shortcuts and the box can also slideshow your family album

You can select any one of these points in time to start viewing from the chosen bookmark.

During playback, you can jump between your bookmarks by pressing and holding the rewind or fast forward buttons.

#4 Fastest way back to your recording

Here's a neat trick.

If you have been watching a recording from your Sky+ planner, then switch back to live television you can return to your last point in the recording by just tapping the play button three times.

Its quicker than navigating through the bright-blue menus.

#5 Sky's secret Chromecast

Did you know you can use your Sky+ box to beam your favourite holidays snaps to your living room TV?

For some reason Sky hasn't made a big deal of this hidden feature.

 

The Chromecast-like functionality works through the  Sky+ smartphone app, which is available on both Android and iOS.

Tap the camera icon at the top of the screen.

You are then required to agree to allow the Sky app to access your smartphone photographs.

Once you have agreed to this, you can beam your snaps and albums straight to your TV.

The mobile app also boasts the ability to create an endless slideshow from your pictures.