Sky Q is the ultimate way to watch television - but at what cost?

SKY Q is the biggest change to Sky television in decades - and systematically ticks-off a number of wish list features Sky+HD viewers have been clamouring for. But is this premium service worth your time, and more importantly, your hard-earned money?

 

Sky Q ships with a brand-new user interface and touch sensitive remote control

 

Sky Q is the satellite broadcaster's vision of the future of television.

The overhauled TV service comes bundled with new hardware, an unrecognisable touchpad remote control, wireless multi-room boxes and an upgraded home broadband hub.

Sky Q will not replace the broadcaster's current offering but sits above Sky+ HD, which offers a small hint at the types of prices we can expect from this premium product.

The service has yet to get an official launch date, but NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com has already had an exclusive play on Sky Q.

First Impressions – 

Sky Q really feels like a fresh start for the hugely popular broadcaster.

From the redesigned touch remote to the slick image-heavy new user interface, it feels like the Sky Q team were given a blank slate to try and design a new system to help Sky catch-up with its rivals.

At the centre of it all is the Sky Q Silver box, and it's a truly impressive piece of kit.

 

At half the size of the Sky+ HD set-top box, the Silver cuts a trim, stylish and svelte frame.

Sky has packed a staggering 2TB hard drive inside the device, which should be enough to store 350 hours of television in high definition.

The 2TB of available storage will also future-proof the device ready for the launch of Sky's own Ultra HD 4K film and sport channels, which are scheduled to roll out mid-2016.

Sky Q Silver packs 12 tuners, allowing you to record four programmes at the same time while watching a fifth. That's more than double what the current generation of Sky+ HD box can muster.

Sky has done a phenomenal job with the design of the Sky Q Silver box. And the sleek hardware leaves the current Sky+ HD box looking like an out-dated VHS player.

 

Sky Q Silver has an impressive 12 tuners, which should ensure you never miss another TV show again

  

A colourful Q symbol shines on the front of the device – tapping it triggers a bleeping alarm inside the new remote control, which'll help you locate it down the back of the sofa.

This is undoubtedly the ultimate way to watch Sky around your home

 

Sky has clearly not been oblivious to innovations from the likes of Roku, Amazon and Apple. The new Sky Q remote ditches its predecessor's old-fashioned directional keys and replaces them with a concave, circular new touchpad.

Swiping on the touchpad cycles through the new vertical menu structure, and pushing down in the centre returns a satisfying click.

It doesn't take long before these gestures become second-nature, and we were swiping through menus and on-screen TV guides within minutes of picking up the remote.

Having said that, some of our swipes didn't register as well as others, something which could quickly leave you feeling a little frustrated. But we’ll need more time with it to bring you a definitive verdict.

 

Sky Q viewers navigate around the new menu with swipes on the touch pad

 

Elsewhere, Sky has streamlined the plethora of buttons on its current Sky+ remote – ditching the dedicated Box Office, Interactive, TV Guide and Services – and adding a new search function button.

Voice search is also supported by the new remote, although this will be added at a later date via a software update from Sky.

The majority of rival smart TV boxes, including the Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku, feature voice search. We're not sure why Sky is not making this feature available at launch, as it could really add to the experience.

 







Sky were pretty tight-lipped about how the voice search would be implemented, but there is staggering potential here.

"Go to BBC One," would be a nice addition. 

But we hope Sky will take its voice implementation even further and include some intelligent software features – like the Amazon Fire TV – which would allow Sky viewers to ask questions like "what time does The Apprentice start this week?" and get responses – as well as a prompt to set a Series Link for the next episode.

The redesigned Sky remote is also surprisingly light – although the fact that it runs on AA batteries is a little disappointing, especially when rival Apple recently unveiled a new touchscreen TV remote which charges via an iPhone charger and has "months of use" under a single charge.

But it's not only the Sky Q hardware that has changed. The premium satellite television service has also had an impressive on-screen facelift.



Gone is Sky HD's blocky blue-and-yellow menu, replaced with a glossy, modern new look



TV Guide is at the top of the new menu, with Sky instead prioritising access to My Q and Top Picks

 

Other than the classic Sky blue, the new menu is almost unrecognisable.

Flicking through the vertical menus is certainly more appealing than Sky+, with television shows, films and your saved recording displayed with a large movie poster, or shot from the show.

Menus shuffle like a stack of glossy papers as you delve deeper into each section, a nice visual flair.

There's also a new My Q section, which suggests television shows and movies based on your previous viewing habits. 

Time will tell how good Sky's recommendation engine is at picking your next favourite show, something we were unable to test during our short time with the service.

Annoyingly, Sky has placed the TV Guide above Top Picks, My Q, Recordings and Catch Up TV in its new main menu. As a result, swiping up to view the TV Guide takes significantly longer than it does on Sky+, where it's placed front-and-centre in the menu.

 

Sky has included its own picture-in-picture apps, including Sky News and Sky Sports

 

Sky has included its own apps with Sky Q, which brings the latest news headlines and football scores to the side of your screen – without interrupting what you're watching.

During our brief test, these new apps were slow to load, something we hope Sky can fix before the service lands in homes.

Sky Q overhauls the broadcaster's multi-room service via the new Q Mini boxes.

These work over your home broadband, so won't require a engineer to start drilling holes and running cables around your home.

You can have up to two Q Mini boxes around the home, with each able to tune into a separate channel. There's also the option to view and watch all of your previous recordings, which are streamed from the Sky Q Silver.

 

Sky Q Mini boxes act as wifi hotspots around your home, as well as wireless multi-room hubs

 

It's these Sky Q Mini boxes that power the service's headline feature – Fluid Viewing.

This lets viewers pause what they're watching in one room and then pick-up from where they left off in another.

In our tests this worked well – with shows picking up instantly as we moved around the flat – although it's currently only available on recordings and not live TV.

Finally, if you opt for Sky’s new broadband service each of your Q Mini boxes will act as a wifi hotspot, bringing better connectivity to every nook and cranny in your home.

Fluid viewing also lets you transfer your current TV show or movie to the new dedicated Sky Q tablet apps.

As well as watching live and on-demand TV, you’ll also be able to transfer old recordings from the Sky Q box to your tablet.

These can then be viewed away from the house and, more importantly, away from your home wifi. 

 

Watch live and on-demand TV from the new tablet apps, which can also be used to schedule recordings

 

Most recordings are compatible although shows from the BBC can’t be transferred to your tablet. And since it's downloading your recordings from your Sky Q Silver box to your tablet, you'll need to be in the house to stock-up on offline viewing.

The Sky Q app will be available for Apple and Android tablets with a smartphone version expected soon.

Granted, we've only had a few hours with Sky Q but we've been left impressed by what it has to offer.

The new Sky Q box is a vast improvement over the ageing Sky+ and the Q Mini boxes will finally make it easy to enjoy the satellite service in other part of your home.

 

My Q hopes to recommend your next favourite show or movie, based on your Sky Q habits

 

Sky's new menu system has a bright, modern feel and offers plenty of ways to catch up on your favourite shows. And the ability to take your old recordings on your commute is a brilliant new addition.

There's a few niggles with the new remote including a slight lag when scrolling and the missing voice search, but we expect Sky to solve these over the coming months.

Everything looks promising for Sky's future-proofed new satellite service. But with prices expected to start above the current Sky+ packages, don't expect a bargain.

This is undoubtedly the ultimate way to watch Sky around your home. Whether you value Sky enough to cough-up the premium price, remains to be seen.

• NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com will keep you posted with the latest news on pricing, UK release date, and our definitive verdict on Sky Q in the coming weeks and months.