topic Re: Sky Stream picture quality in Sky Stream

Sky Stream picture quality

Mr+Ripley — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 17:20:43 GMT

Can someone please tell me what the picture quality is like with Sky Stream, in particular when using other platforms & in UHD? I currently use Sky Q, but I never use Netflix, Amazon, etc. via Sky Q, I always use the apps on my Samsung TV as the PQ is better from them directly. Is this still the case with Sky Stream, or has it improved?

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Nigelb1972 — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 18:14:00 GMT

Quality generally is excellent and the puck supports Dolby Vision but doesn't support HDR10+.. I have a Samsung QLED and the picture quality on the tv's native apps is slightly better because the Puck defaults to 50hz output whereas your TV's apps will deliver 24fps when available and later Samsungs also support HDR10+ which more of the streaming platforms are now starting to support as an alternative to Dolby Vision...

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

BenJoBanjo — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:21:54 GMT

@Mr+Ripley

Picture quality is generally excellent from a Stream puck, but as @Nigelb1972 points out, is limited to 50Hz output or 60Hz with judder reduction turned on for apps. There is no frame rate matching capability in the current SkyOS.
If you're not fussy about frame rates or HDR10+ then it's perfectly fine for most viewing. It can be sluggish opening apps & starting streams at full UHD resolution (due to the added latency from being server based) but once running, picture quality is excellent.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Mr+Ripley — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:37:04 GMT

Thanks for the replies. I have a 2025 Samsung QLED TV, so I will probably continue to use the TV apps. Good to know the PQ is very good on Stream, though.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

BenJoBanjo — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:45:07 GMT

@Mr+Ripley wrote:
Thanks for the replies. I have a 2025 Samsung QLED TV, so I will probably continue to use the TV apps. Good to know the PQ is very good on Stream, though.

Yes, stick with your TV's apps, particularly with a Samsung TV. You'll get HDR10+ on various apps which Sky Stream can't provide.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

lettice — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 11:56:44 GMT

Ignoring HDR10+, as do see that as limited on content and only on some apps and with some TV setups.

Ive never used Amazon Prime, so can't comment on that.

Think though HDR10+ is seen more as providing extra background metadata control than pq enhancements to really notice.

See also they are talking about Dolby Vision 2 now, sigh 😀

It's nice to see someone that cares somewhat about pq.

It often disappoints me when I visit someone who has Sky Stream attached to a mid or high end TV and see a poor quality picture or wrongly setup sound option.
Noticing they have left those TV motion/smoothing/eco manufacturer picture settings still on and gone in and poorly tweaked their brightness and the like picture settings and badly adjusted their sound settings for either TV sound or with an external soundbar.
Be honest, apart from turning off all those manufacture settings, most should just leave the TV as is, as most TVs recently produce a very good out of the box experience now, with less need for a professional calibration that was so more helpful a decade ago.

When I moved to Sky Stream over 18 + months ago, from Sky Q, I saw a noticeable uplift in PQ.

Of course, it adds Dolby Vision to the apps along with HDR10 and HLG HDR.

I have mid and high end TVs and I did tend to mostly use the TV apps or an attached 4k Roku, rather than Sky Q. But did often try the apps on Sky Q for help here and to compare.

Since moving to Sky Stream, I now only use apps via Sky Stream on my lounge and bedroom pucks.

The apps launch quickly, work well with Playlist (except you can't use Disney+ with Playlist).

I very often switch through apps at mixed content watching times and busy multiple sports watching times, as well as live linear TV and the Sky Sports + feeds, using voice within the apps or within Sky Stream menus or live linear content. I never exit apps and have has a reliable experience moving through all that.
All I do is do a settings restart once a week, on each of my pucks, that gives the pucks a cache based refresh for a calm helping hand experience.

Must admit, I have been impressed also with how Sky Cinema plays out with HLG HDR and Dolby sound , but of course the Sky drama On demand much like Sky Q played out fine too, but with an uplift on Sky Stream.

Regularly use the playlist for the 'recording' bookmarking along with on demand for iPlayer, ITVx, 4 and 5, that works well with Sky Stream, but regularly also for Netflix, Paramount+, Apple TV (when I've had one of the many free offers) and Disney+

I do take advantage of the Sky Stream free offering of Netflix standard with ads and P+ free with Sky Cinema.

Have though tried Disney and P+ in Premium versions and been impressed with the pq. But, honestly feel no need to pay extra for the premium, as the hd pq is excellent and it's more the content in my view often than just watching all in a higher quality.

The main uplift for me is all the Sky Sports and recent Eurosport HDR (sadly Eurosport of course moved to TNT Sports now, that I do not sub too), that plays out so much better than it did on Sky Q. Do not get me wrong, on Sky Q on a mid to high end TV the HLG HDR played out fine, but Sky Stream does do it so much cleaner.

Plus, the Dolby sound and Atmos on Sky Stream is also a smoother play out, being what I have found with Dolby Atmos integrated in some of my high end TVs or with attached soundbars.

I used to have a decade old Samsung TV attached to the bedroom puck, recently replaced with an LG C5, the pq difference was a noticebale upgrade on that change.

TVs and their technologies slowly get slightly better with time, so that may have been a combination of Sky Stream and the LG working well together.

Also, I used to have a Roku connected only for that Samsung TV to take on Airplay use, as the Samsung TV never had it.

Thankfully the LG does Airplay as well as Chromecast use. Mainly for the Talking Pictures airplayed from an iPad for the few series or films I watch on that channel.

Have a read, if you have not already of my Sky Q to Sky Stream move 18 +months or more ago, referenced in my signature, with some updates over time.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Nigelb1972 — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:02:42 GMT

@lettice my father in law has a 55QLED Samsung with Sky Q and he watches everything in Standard Def..

It makes me cry 🤣

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Mr+Ripley — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:35:00 GMT

@lettice Thank you for one of the most detailed replies I've read on this forum. I'm not sure when I will be making the move to Stream, so I have bookmarked this for future reference. Excellent post.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

lettice — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:41:24 GMT

@Nigelb1972 wrote:

@lettice my father in law has a 55QLED Samsung with Sky Q and he watches everything in Standard Def..

It makes me cry 🤣

Oh dear.

Sad for them of course, but even sadder for you when you have to suffer it 😀

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Nigelb1972 — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:55:05 GMT

@lettice even worse when most of the stuff you watch at home is UHD😆

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

2muchTV — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 13:58:48 GMT

@Nigelb1972 wrote:
@lettice my father in law has a 55QLED Samsung with Sky Q and he watches everything in Standard Def..
It makes me cry 🤣

Family.... my sister has a 65" Hisense OLED... but only watches the SD channels on Freeview 😱

She also has access to FTTP via City Fibre or Virgin... But guess what crappy slow broadband technology she is subscribed to?

I see on her on Monday.... I will try again 😜

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Mr+Ripley — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:23:16 GMT

@2muchTV I couldn't help noticing your personal details at the bottom of your post. As well as your 65" Samsung TV, you have 6 other TVs & 43+ network-connected devices. That's an impressive array, but I was wondering, why so many? My partner said you must run a B&B. Would that be right? Hope you don't mind me asking.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

Mr+Ripley — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:26:35 GMT

@lettice As to your comment about Amazon & HDR+10, I was watching a film on AP last night & it had HDR+10. I then checked some more films in my Watchlist & they also had HDR+10, so Amazon does support it.

Re: Sky Stream picture quality

2muchTV — Sun, 26 Oct 2025 14:04:58 GMT

@Mr+Ripley wrote:
@2muchTV I couldn't help noticing your personal details at the bottom of your post. As well as your 65" Samsung TV, you have 6 other TVs & 43+ network-connected devices. That's an impressive array, but I was wondering, why so many? My partner said you must run a B&B. Would that be right? Hope you don't mind me asking.

No B&B... but thanks for the idea 😁

So part of the reason I am leaving Stream for Now TV is because I needed more than "Whole Home" and like to see my Sky programmes wherever I am in the house.

Stream was excellent on my OLED with a stunning picture. I cannot see any difference with picture quality from Stream to Now TV.

So here's where my other 6 TVs are

1. Kitchen... (4K 32" Benq computer screen with a Roku Streambar). Can watch football and wash the dishes!

2. Home office (Toshiba 40"- wall mounted mainly for news on silent)

3. Bedroom

4. Partner's hobby/ sewing room 24" Philips

5. Daughter's bedroom (Philips 19" computer screen with Roku Streambar)

6. Spare/ guest room (24" Tecknika)

ps... My partner and I do talk and not just watch TV 😜