SKY Q any good?

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Discussion

surveyor_101

Original Poster:

5,069 posts

178 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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Finished my contract and sky weren't offering me more than £6 off my subscription so canceled after they told me sky q was £149 upfront for me but £10 fro new customers!

Only want one box in the main lounge, but fould hd and my 2tb very unreliable never get them filled before they start crashing and need wiping.

Is it worth £44 a month which we paid £40 for family pack and an extra box.




essIII

363 posts

143 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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My neighbours have got it; for me it has three interesting features -

1. I can record something on my box, then watch it on an iPad from somewhere else (i.e. my dad's, who still only has freeview)
2. Bluetooth remote - means you can hide the box away; no line of sight needed
3. Apps such as youtube are built into the planner software, which in itself is far ahead of the normal Sky HD guide

I've not bought it, as I don't think it warrants the extra cost as an existing customer. However, as a new customer I'd certainly give it a bash.

moffat

1,020 posts

224 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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I'm an existing Sky HD customer and think it's a complete rip off:

1. No UHD / 4k
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
3. The cost
4. Nothing wrong with the current HD box if you change the drive and have 1tb++

jonwm

2,504 posts

113 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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I've had it about a month now, always had Sky (15+ years) the deal i got with free install meant it was cheaper than my currently multi room set up.

Plus points:
Box is small (silver) mini box is tiny upstairs
Interface is slick and is constantly evolving with changes etc
Looks really pleasant and picture seems more sharp (is now 1080p not I)
Very fast
Mutiple record causes no clashes
Next episode automatically comes on (great if you have kids who like peppa pig like me)
Nice integration of on demand and apps

Bad points for me:
Bluetooth touch pad remote is fiddly, i prefer the normal one you get with it.
Wife cant get her head round it still
TV guide seems a forgotten feature and SKY seem to thing we watch everything on demand
TV guide not as east to navigate as the old one (early days though)

Ultimately it is great wouldn't go back now!

surveyor_101

Original Poster:

5,069 posts

178 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
quotequote all
moffat said:
I'm an existing Sky HD customer and think it's a complete rip off:

1. No UHD / 4k
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
3. The cost
4. Nothing wrong with the current HD box if you change the drive and have 1tb++
There is uhd/4K compatibility but it's being released in the future, that's what I was told.

Cost wise it's 18 month contract and is a bit dearer than normal sky but they cover the box as long as you have it, rather than normal 12 month warranty.

I have had a number of unreliable boxes and my current 2tb is not great. My multi room standard he is very slow.

mandos_01

628 posts

100 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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UHD will be live in time for the football season

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-36793510

a4cabrio

899 posts

158 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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We've had Sky Q for a couple of months now and it so far so good, the user interface is tricky at 1st but gets easier as you get used to it, the Bluetooth remote has been chucked in a draw and we just use the normal remote, the Bluetooth one is far too sensitive, if it falls off the arm of the sofa or gets picked up the slightest touch can have what you were watching gone off the screen or rewinding at full speed lol

It's also stopped a lot of arguments in our house, the multichannel recording facility is a god send as is the ability to pause the tv's in one room and then continue watching in another room, were still finding things out about it but we're glad we got it.

When I go to my parents house who still have Sky HD, the whole package is so dated compared to Sky Q

We had been with Sky for years but weren't happy with the deals on offer, then I seen another user on PH offering friends & family deals for Sky Q so we took them up on one and cancelled Sky HD which was in my name and just took a new contract out for Sky Q in my Fiancée's name, saving £45 a month for 18 months, was a no brainier

Magic919

14,126 posts

200 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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moffat said:
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
They also use infrared.

tdm34

7,365 posts

209 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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Magic919 said:
moffat said:
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
They also use infrared.
The standard remote control is infra red, so it'll work with a Harmony

I think the system is brilliant, much better picture and sound quality than SkyHD especially using SKY Cinema last update gave us a 4k output, upscaling only at the moment, but goes 4k proper on 13/8/16, very slick epg, touch remote a pain but the last update made it a little better, so hopefully it'll get better with subsequent updates.

The only thing I miss about SkyHD is the reminder feature... but that's it.

I think it's worth every penny

a4cabrio

899 posts

158 months

Thursday 28th July 2016
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My only gripe with Sky Q is when you press the "home" button on the remote it seems it's default setting is to go to "Top Picks" on the menu screen, is there any way to change it so it defaults to the "TV Guide"???

surveyor_101

Original Poster:

5,069 posts

178 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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Yesterday afternoon sky rang me as i cancelled on the 21st, as they offered me £5 off a month of £44 package if I signed a 12 month contract.

10 days on retentions call me and offer me £27 a month for 9 months no contract.

In the end beat them down to £22 a month for 12 months no contract so will wait for sky que to come down.

craig1912

3,275 posts

111 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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Had it for a couple of months and costing us less than multi room HD and free install.
The default to "top picks", lack of "favourites" and over sensitive Bluetooth controller the main gripes.
Additional boxes are tiny

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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If you've got multi room then it looks far more attractive. If you pay for insurance on your Sky HD box to cover faults, then it's a no brainer, as Sky Q is rented, not bought, so no need for any insurance.

I don't have insurance but do have 3 rooms on multi room. Sky Q with 2 miniboxes is cheaper over the next 18 months on a deal I got with them than staying on Sky HD. It arrives next week. And 4K football!!! woohoo

Alex

9,975 posts

283 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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Magic919 said:
moffat said:
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
They also use infrared.
And Harmony Hub supports Bluetooth.

geeks

9,121 posts

138 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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So is the idea that this replaces the Sky Box?

GT03ROB

13,210 posts

220 months

Friday 29th July 2016
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Simplistically what is it? Whats the difference is there between normal?

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Friday 29th July 2016
quotequote all
GT03ROB said:
Simplistically what is it? Whats the difference is there between normal?
1. Sky Q silver has 5 tuners instead of the usual 2. So, depending on the number of mini boxes used on other TVs, you can record 5 programs at once. Or record 4 and watch 1. Or record 3 and watch 2. Or record 2 and watch 3. (if you have 2 miniboxes)

2. The main Sky Q box covers the whole house. So all the min boxes in other rooms all feed into the main box. If your kids have sky in their room at the mo, it runs separately to the sky box in the main tv room. With sky q you have the main box and miniboxes feed into it. If you and the wife record adult movies, then junior will be able to see that on the planner in their room!!! Because their planner is your planner. So it's not for everyone.

3. You'll need Sky Q to get 4k broadcasts, currently some movies and PL football as of next month.

4. SkyHD is owned, Sky Q is rented. Any faults, it's down to Sky to sort it.

I think those are the main differences, plus a host of less important stuff.

ASK1974

254 posts

131 months

Saturday 30th July 2016
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moffat said:
I'm an existing Sky HD customer and think it's a complete rip off:

1. No UHD / 4k
2. Bluetooth good if you use the remote, means it won't work with my Harmony remote
3. The cost
4. Nothing wrong with the current HD box if you change the drive and have 1tb++
Blimey...

It was common knowledge that 4K would follow at a later date and it's been reported that it'll launch next month. I have a Control4 system in my lounge and theatre and haven't used the supplied remotes since installation in those rooms, only the bedroom TV uses the supplied remote. It'll work with any IR control system. I'm also paying less than I did for Sky HD and I have an integrated three room system rather than two independent zones.

There are a few grips which most have identified; defaulting to 'top picks' which never has anything I'm interested in is one, occasional audio drop outs another but then again I haven't had that since doing a firmware update so maybe that's been fixed. Overall it's an improvement on Sky HD and I like the new interface, not necessarily more efficient than the last but more attractive and very easy to move around. Wouldn't go back.

_Rich_

966 posts

171 months

Saturday 30th July 2016
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Out of interest,
Do you need super fast broadband for the 4k content like i believe you need with bt?

and

Do they change the LNB on the satellite? i only ask as I've changed mine not so long back to allow me to run eight satellite cables through the house (freesat in the other rooms)

4K is tempting me especially for football and film.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,248 posts

149 months

Saturday 30th July 2016
quotequote all
_Rich_ said:
Out of interest,
Do you need super fast broadband for the 4k content like i believe you need with bt?

and

Do they change the LNB on the satellite? i only ask as I've changed mine not so long back to allow me to run eight satellite cables through the house (freesat in the other rooms)

4K is tempting me especially for football and film.
No, the 4K signal comes in via the dish, not broadband.

Yes, they keep the original dish but ugrade all the attached components.