topic Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it? in Sky Stream

Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Carlp1979 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:00:30 GMT

I have had sky Q for some time, and considering the switch to Sky Stream on my next upgrade.

I don't have an issue with upgrading my Broadband to a better connection to accomodate this, but want to know peoples thoughts especially those who were with Sky Q for quite some time and have switched, or those who have wished they hadn't changed.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Annie+UK — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:05:16 GMT

Sky Q to Stream is NOT an upgrade, they are two totally different services that need detailed research before making a decision

The simple description of Stream is it is a collection of streaming apps etc.. and has no facility to record content (you are at the mercy of the content providers)

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Carlp1979 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:07:07 GMT

I realise its not a upgrade and its a different product, but wondered what peoples perspecitve of the change from one to the other is and if its worth it.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Mark39 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:10:03 GMT

@Carlp1979 wrote:

I have had sky Q for some time, and considering the switch to Sky Stream on my next upgrade.

.

Do you have a particular reason for switching?

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Carlp1979 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:12:54 GMT

I am coming to the end of my Sky Q contract, and just seeing whether its worth continuing with Sky Q or switching to Sky Stream at that point.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Mark39 — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:31:07 GMT

I'm not an avid TV viewer, but for me the positives are slightly better picture quality, the availability,of UHD on more than one device and better reliability (I often got the proximity error on one of the Minis I had previously).

I'm fortunate to have stable, moderate WiFi bandwidth (around 50Mbps) and can connect without issue, but others have needed to adopt additional measure for reliability. The Sky Stream forum would give you a wider perspective.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

digglerthelegend — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:33:35 GMT

You can record with Sky Q.

Sky Q isn't reliant on internet connection.

Less channels on Sky Stream.

No satellite dish with Sky Stream.

Cannot record with Sky Stream (can take time for some programmes to be available after broadcast).

Multiroom UHD with Sky Stream (with compatible tv and subscription)

Just a few comparisons.

Do your research and decide what's best for you

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

SteRichards — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 20:02:13 GMT

If they did a sky q stream with the best of both systems that would be worthy of consideration I think. I like being able to record so you can watch something if your internet went down. On the other hand you can watch what you like even if the weather outside is causing issues on a dish.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Anonymous — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 20:56:45 GMT

Hi @Carlp1979 ,

There are a few major differences between Sky Q and Sky Stream, for me these are the biggest differences:

Sky Q has more channels available than Sky Stream
Sky Q has the facility to record TV, whereas Sky Stream does not and relies on 'playlists' of streaming internet content, for example, Eastenders would have to be played through BBC iPlayer on the puck rather than being able to record it yourself.
Sky Stream relies on the internet connection to be stable, however, if your connection goes down, there is the option to use an aerial through the Sky Stream puck to watch TV.
An advantage of Sky Stream is the option of a rolling 31-day contract or an 18-month contract, with Sky Q it's more expensive to be 'out of a fixed contract'.

Regards,

Daniel.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Noo525 — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 05:36:21 GMT

I had sky Q for years before I switched to switched to sky stream recently, the main reason being the price. I should have done my research. I 100% prefer sky Q. Stream has less channels and no + channels and sometimes if you miss the beginning of a program you can't stream it depending on the channels it's coming out on, with Q you can always record in advance so you don’t miss anything. You have to create accounts for BBC i player, channel 4 on demand and some other channels that have on demand to watch things that you missed. Only things that come out on sky channels eg sky Atlantic you can watch on demand without creating a separate account. If the Internet is slow the TV will sometimes freeze, and if you had rewinded a program it might just override that and won't let you rewind back to where you left off. Pause and rewind not as long as sky Q. Sky go is not linked to your sky stream so if you don't know where you left off you have start from the beginning. Sky stream is OK but I personally prefer sky Q.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

TimmyBGood — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 10:53:35 GMT

@Noo525 wrote:

If the Internet is slow the TV will sometimes freeze

By definition Glass/Stream is not going to be a suitable product where bandwidth arriving at the device is inadequate.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

K2ascent — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 10:26:43 GMT

I too am coming too the end of my Sky Q contract. I have spoken to Sky but have been unable to agree a new deal. I have been with Sky for 10 years and have always got one before.

I understand the pros and cons of Stream v Sky Q and would probably be happy to stay with Skt Q but would go to Stream if I could have one of their new deals because that look so much less expensive.

My question is has anybody been in this or a similar dilemma and if so how easy is it for a Sky Customer to just switch over like this and will they give you the same deal as a new customer to Stream?

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

MarkGoldsmith — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 11:15:18 GMT

@K2ascent wrote:
I too am coming too the end of my Sky Q contract. I have spoken to Sky but have been unable to agree a new deal. I have been with Sky for 10 years and have always got one before.

I understand the pros and cons of Stream v Sky Q and would probably be happy to stay with Skt Q but would go to Stream if I could have one of their new deals because that look so much less expensive.
My question is has anybody been in this or a similar dilemma and if so how easy is it for a Sky Customer to just switch over like this and will they give you the same deal as a new customer to Stream?

So typically the Sky Stream deal will be better priced for existing customers to persuade them to switch over from Sky Q but they aren't anywhere near the new customer deals as you need to not be a Sky TV customer for 18 months to qualify as a.m new Sky TV customer.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

MichaelN — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 18:52:43 GMT

I think it is very misleading of Sky that they claim programs are recorded in the cloud when they clearly are not. All it is a series of pointers which point to where a program can be found. If they remove a movie sky Q keeps it on your hard drive. If you place it in the Play list it will disappear.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

MarkGoldsmith — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 19:25:57 GMT

@MichaelN wrote:
I think it is very misleading of Sky that they claim programs are recorded in the cloud when they clearly are not. All it is a series of pointers which point to where a program can be found. If they remove a movie sky Q keeps it on your hard drive. If you place it in the Play list it will disappear.

Programmes are cloud recorded where Sky have the legal rights to do so. For a number of shows the broadcasters prefer the content to be watched via their own on-demand app, hence why BBC and C4 shows always are linked to their apps. The same is typically true for ITV however I have come across ITV shows that do get cloud recorded rather than you having to wait for ITV to upload the show to ITV X (itv tend to be slower than C4 and BBC in making shows available immediately after broadcast).

Sporting content is a great example of where cloud recordings work and take precedence over the on-demand service. Great examples is content from TNT Sports which is a cloud recording and doesn't link you to Discovery + until the cloud recording has expired and been removed.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

ozsat — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 20:22:12 GMT

I've not swapped to stream and the main reason for me not to swap is the loss of too many channels including a couple of my favourite channels Talking Pictures and That's TV.

@Carlp1979 wrote:
I have had sky Q for some time, and considering the switch to Sky Stream on my next upgrade.

I don't have an issue with upgrading my Broadband to a better connection to accomodate this, but want to know peoples thoughts especially those who were with Sky Q for quite some time and have switched, or those who have wished they hadn't changed.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

K2ascent — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:23:16 GMT

Just a few observations of my personal experience following my original post.
As my contract is up shortly I rang Sky about a new deal explaining I would be open to switching from Q to Stream if a deal could be done. I did not expect a "New Customer" type price but some reduction might have swung it for me to recontract.

They were not willing to give me anything.

So does this mean that Sky at present are not particularly bothered about moving even loyal customers from Q to Stream. Strange if Stream is considered the way forward for the future?

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Padam_Padam — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:08:29 GMT

@K2ascent wrote:
Just a few observations of my personal experience following my original post.
As my contract is up shortly I rang Sky about a new deal explaining I would be open to switching from Q to Stream if a deal could be done. I did not expect a "New Customer" type price but some reduction might have swung it for me to recontract.
They were not willing to give me anything.
So does this mean that Sky at present are not particularly bothered about moving even loyal customers from Q to Stream. Strange if Stream is considered the way forward for the future?

It could be down to a number of factors. Sky are more interested in getting new customers onto the streaming platform rather than porting existing Q customers. Q works well and most customers who have it are happy. Stream can be a shock for some people who switch from Q as it's a very different type of service. It's easier for Sky to keep existing customers on the stable system which customers know and love than it is to deal with them when they complain about missing channels or inability to record or fast forward easily.

Someone who's never had Sky before is more likely to be impressed by the structure and format of the Entertainment OS streaming platform, than someone who's spent years recording, watching and deleting programmes at their leisure. It's worth noting that although Sky Stream does 'cloud record' some content, it's not like having a big hard drive in the cloud which you, the customer, has control over. It's not like having a Q-like planner at all. There is no list of cloud recordings for you to manage and delete at will, all that kind of stuff is hidden and under Sky's control. Now that's absolutely fine for many people, but for those who are used to managing their own recordings on Q, it can be quite difficult to grasp.

Once Sky Stream is more bedded in (it took Q a few years to settle) and the satellite service is nearer to closing, I'm sure Sky will be more than happy to get everyone currently on Q switched over.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

TimmyBGood — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 09:48:52 GMT

@K2ascent wrote:

So does this mean that Sky at present are not particularly bothered about moving even loyal customers from Q to Stream. Strange if Stream is considered the way forward for the future?

Unless Stream is eventually inevitable, given the current broadcast satellites have a limited life expectancy: the Sky contract with SES runs to the end of 2028, with the three Astra platforms themselves expending the last of their positioning propellant sometime at the start of the next decade if not earlier.

Re: Is the upgrade from Sky Q to Sky Stream Worth it?

Mr+Stebbings — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 15:41:06 GMT

stay with sky Q as long as you can afford it, as it can record and download program, plus with most downloads sky removes the adverts, but with streaming you have to pay extra to remove the adverts. So sky Q is still the best option