Sky Stream sits alongside Sky Q and Sky Glass in the present lineup from Sky TV (Image: SKY • EXPRESS NEWSPAPERS) This text accommodates affiliate links, we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Stream is the most recent addition to the Sky TV lineup. This lightweight set-top box allows you to ditch the satellite dish – with live television beamed over Wi-Fi as an alternative.
Despite dropping the dish, the Stream puck still offers access to over 150 channels, including Sky TV exclusives like Sky Atlantic, on-demand boxsets from HBO Max, Peacock, and Sky Originals, sports fixtures from Sky and BT Sports, Hollywood blockbusters, and streamers like Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, and Paramount+, to call a couple of.
Sky Stream supports picture quality as much as 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Atmos surround sound, and HDR. All the things is available with an 18-month contract term, like Sky Q, or on a 31-day rolling monthly contract like Sky’s sister streamer NOW, formerly NOW TV, or streaming subscriptions like Netflix and Disney+.
If you need to be certainly one of the primary to get Sky Stream, you possibly can order the all-new box now, with prices ranging from £26 monthly. Unlike Sky Q and NOW, High Definition (HD) quality is included as standard – making it certainly one of the best Sky deals available for individuals who want to observe exclusive boxsets like House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Gangs of London, and Succession in pin-sharp picture quality.
In search of more information on the brand new streaming box? We have all the things it’s essential to find out about Sky Stream below. Or use the links to leap to a relevant section.
Stream will be plugged into any telly in your private home with an HDMI cable (Image: SKY)
How does Sky Stream work?
Because the name Sky Stream suggests, this small set-top box streams live television channels, on-demand boxsets, sports, and flicks to your telly.
That is a very different approach to Sky Q, which follows within the footsteps of Sky+ HD and uses a satellite dish to beam live television onto your screens. That said, Sky Stream is not a totally latest idea – Sky Glass, the custom-designed 4K TV that Sky launched last yr, uses the identical approach.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream offer a similar viewing experience …however the latter will be plugged into any television you already own, whereas Sky Glass is your latest television. If you happen to’re in the necessity of a latest telly, read our in-depth thoughts on the custom-designed QLED 4K TV from Sky in our Sky Glass review.
Sky Stream is simple to get up-and-running. It plugs into any television via HDMI and has an influence cable. But that is it.
Following the on-screen instructions, you may connect the set-top box to your Wi-Fi network using the keypad in your distant. And then you definitely’ll find a way to begin watching live television. Simples, eh? Sky believes the set-up is so foolproof that it doesn’t require an engineer to go to latest customers to get Sky Stream working.
That is a distinct approach every other option from Sky TV. For instance, with Sky Q you’ll have to book an appointment for engineers to put in a satellite dish and wire all the things up. While you order Sky Glass, a delivery team will bring the tv right into a room of your selection, with the choice of taking away the packaging for recycling too.
Sky Stream is offered with next-day delivery at no extra cost. All being well, you may be watching the brand new box by that evening.
Stream ships with the identical redesigned distant that launched alongside Sky Glass (Image: SKY)
What broadband speed do you wish for Sky Stream?
Sky Stream doesn’t use a satellite dish to receive exclusive Sky TV channels. As an alternative, it relies on Wi-Fi to beam live television channels, boxsets and streamers to your screen.
For many who live in rented properties, don’t fancy affixing a satellite dish to the side of their house, or live in apartment blocks with out a communal dish on the roof …Sky Stream is the primary opportunity to enjoy Sky TV packages at home. In fact, since all the things is beamed over Wi-Fi you will want an honest web conneciton.
Sky recommends a minimum download speed of 10Mbps to order Sky Stream. If you need to watch in 4K Ultra HD, you’ll have a minimum of 25Mbps, Sky says. To place that figure into context, Netflix recommends between 3-5Mbps to observe its boxsets in High Definition, and 15Mbps for 4K Ultra HD. Clearly, Sky is constructing in a little bit of a buffer, which is sensible.
While it’d annoying in case your Netflix boxset pauses momentarily to buffer, if that happens with a live television channel – meaning you discover out a couple of last-minute goal from the cheering neighbours while your Sky Stream buffers – it could leave you eager for a satellite dish again.
If you need to watch Sky in multiple rooms across the house, you’ll have to plump for the Whole Home package. Sky recommends a minimum broadband speed of 15Mbps for Whole Home, plus the 10Mbps already needed for the Sky Stream puck in your lounge. Each additional Sky Stream box across the home will need an additional 5Mbps.
In total, should you want Sky Stream downstairs and in two bedrooms, you’ll have roughly 35Mbps to observe all the things in High Definition (HD) across the house.
The common home broadband speed within the UK around 70Mbps, which implies most individuals should find a way to observe Sky Stream with none issues. Nevertheless, it’s price remembering that your broadband’s bandwidth is a bit like a motorway – so those with busy households with multiple people attempting to take heed to Spotify, back-up photos to the cloud, download software updates, play video games online, watch YouTube, make video calls …that 70Mbps can soon vanish.
When that happens, you possibly can expect to see some stuttering with any of your online activities, including Sky Stream.
Sky Stream requires a Wi-Fi connection to beam live Sky TV channels to your telly (Image: SKY)
What features are included with Sky Stream?
Despite by its diddy size, Sky Stream packs all of the identical features as Sky Glass.
Which means you may find a way to make use of your voice to look across live channels and streaming services equivalent to Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4 and Peacock at the identical time. This implies you may never by accident buy something within the Sky Store that is already included with certainly one of your streaming subscriptions.
You can too use voice search to seek out latest shows and flicks too. Simply say “Show me comedy” to look for brand spanking new boxsets or get some inspiration. As you utilize Sky Stream, the clever box will begin to get a way of your tastes and offer higher recommendations based in your viewing history.
These recommendations will only be on channels or streamers you currently pay for – so Sky Stream won’t suggest countless movies on Sky Cinema or boxsets on Prime Video should you haven’t got either of those in your box, for instance.
Do not be fooled by its diddy size, Sky Stream arrives with the identical features as Sky Glass
Sky Stream also supports the nifty Restart feature found on Sky Glass too, which allows you to jump back to the start of any show that’s on live telly.
You may never must endure an incomplete recording or wait for the show to make its technique to BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub or All4 ever again – just hit the button on the distant and you will travel back in time to the start of the published.
Like Sky Glass, recordings have been ditched from Sky Stream. As an alternative of setting recordings for the shows, sports and movies you want – after which recording them onto a spinning hard-drive to revisit later, just like the more traditional Sky Q box, Sky Stream uses a feature called Playlists.
Adding something to your Playlists works in a really similar, with the + button on the distant quickly shows from the TV Guide to the Playlist tab. Nevertheless, since there is not any recording going down throughout the set-top box – you may never run out of storage or get an incomplete recording due to a nasty satellite signal or power cut.
Sky Stream is bundled with the identical redesigned handheld remote control as Sky Glass (Image: SKY)
Playlists brings together shows, movies and sports from the dizzying variety of streaming and catch-up services available. For instance, should you add the most recent episode of The Masked Singer into your Playlist, you may actually be watching the on-demand episode from ITV Hub if you watch at a later date – not a private recording you have made in your set-top box.
The feature is designed to surface previous episodes too. So, if you add the most recent episode of Inside Number 9 to your Playlist, it can also surface the previous series of the show, which can be found to observe on Netflix. This is especially useful should you’re slightly late to the show that everyone seems to be talking about – with all previous seasons (irrespective of which streamer is hosting them) pulled into your Playlist so you possibly can binge-watch and get up-to-date before the most recent weekly instalment appears in your Playlist in the approaching days.
That is something that simply is not possible with older hardware from Sky, with Q users forced to leap into the dedicated Netflix or Disney+ app to seek out older seasons of a show they have on Series Link within the Recordings menu. That said, the flexibility to maintain recordings indefinitely – as an alternative of the show vanishing from Playlists when its faraway from the BBC iPlayer or ITV Hub on-demand catalogue – is something that we praised in our Sky Q review.
Sky Stream supports Sky Go, so you may find a way to observe live television, shows and flicks out of your Playlist, and more in your iPhone, iPad, Android phone and tablet, Ps, Xbox, and Apple TV. Like Sky Glass, Stream ships with a redesigned handheld remote control with backlit buttons for late-night viewing.
Is Sky Stream cheaper than Sky Q and Sky Glass?
Sky Stream and Sky Q share the identical starting price (£26 monthly) and upfront cost of £20.
Nevertheless, since Sky Stream owners can make a choice from an 18-month contract (the default for any package with Sky Q) and a rolling 31-day day package (enabling you to cancel anytime, like we’re all accustomed to with streamers like Netflix, Disney+ and Sky’s own sister service NOW) that impacts the price of your package. The identical £26 monthly deal rises to £29 monthly when choosing a 31-day rolling contract. The upfront costs almost doubles to £39.95 for the added flexibility too.
Sky Glass customers can pay the exact same costs for the bundle of exclusive Sky TV channels, on-demand boxsets and bundled Netflix subscription. Nevertheless, there’s also the interest-free payments for the tv hardware, which starts from £13 monthly for the 43-inch model.
Below, we have compared the most recent pricing for Sky Q, Sky Stream, and a 43-inch Sky Glass TV for the essential package of Sky TV channels, on-demand boxsets from HBO Max, Sky Originals, and US streaming service Peacock, in addition to a Netflix subscription.
