Sky to launch Sky Q without dish by Xmas based on Xfinity X1 box

[TimmyBGood]

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@lewey13 wrote:

I believe that this signals the end of satellite broadcast from sky 

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Eventually, yes, but that's not due to a decision by Sky: it's made inevitable by the unwillingness of investors in satellite companies to finance the construction and launch of anything other than internet-delivery platforms despite the huge growth of UHD content.  Sky has never had its own orbiting hardware, and isn't going to start doing so now.

[tarbat]

Within the next couple of years the 3 Astra satellites will be 10:years old. The crunch point will come when they decide whether to replace the older satellites.

[LGUser]

Where this new system shine is if you have a good enough broadband connection and you are stuck on a communal system with Sky+HD. I would go for it.

[CyberFriday]

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@Chrisee wrote:

@TomThumb5ive it is a very interesting question whether this will suceed its cetainly a brave move trying to make a radical change to the TV market. Sky have effectively removed the up front payment for a new shiny TV I can see plenty of takers. They are also assuring loyalty by tieing the TV to their service in much the same way the mobile operators do.

I suspect Dixons Group will not be best pleased as this is pitched right in the area they sell a lot of TVs - the upper market sellers less so Quite a disruptive move.

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@Chrisee They are simply offering you the option of an interest free loan with monthly payments to cover the cost of the tv.  You can opt for a single one of payment for the tv.  But as the tv has a 2 year guarantee why would you want to spread the cost over 48 months ?  Is that disrupting the market ? Or are they simply trying to increase your frequency of buying a new tv eg every 2 years (assuming they keep evolving their tv offering). I'm no tv nerd but i'd say been selective on the tv comparison they used on their web page. The test will be whether their tvs offer a better sound and vision experience compared to the branded rivals. Also, their choice to lock you in to their tv if you want to stream the capability gives them the ability to embed their chosen DRM solution into the tv. But then you have to ask as they are content to stream the now tv then why isn't the drm they use for that fit to protect this new streaming capability ?  Or is it more an aesthetics issue and have just the screen/tv and no extra box to get in the way ? Or they could they  be trying to steal market share by coming in with a lower priced product (taking the short term hit on revenue) and as their market share increases the cost of the tv increases. Just as BT did when they started in the sports broadcasts.  

https://www.sky.com/glass/technical-specifications/55inch?contract=full

[blade+the]

A 60Hz refresh rate lol this is a poor screen, hlg hdr will be dreadful as it's obviously a cheap panel, all for a premium price, jog on, this is a gimmick, nothing more. You must be desperate to fall for this

[LGUser]

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@blade+the wrote:

A 60Hz refresh rate lol this is a poor screen, hlg hdr will be dreadful as it's obviously a cheap panel, all for a premium price, jog on, this is a gimmick, nothing more. You must be desperate to fall for this

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It's not a premium price.  The prices are actually reasonable. Cheaper priced then other quantum dot TVs such as Samsung. Andasfor the 60Hz, that's fine for most people.

[Chrisee]

@CyberFriday you are enitled to your opinion of course but market analysts and the financial journalists seem to agree with me that this is potentially a major step. Most reports are behind paywalls but this FT report isn't, note the quote from Clare Enders who is the top analyst in this industry. 

The warranty point is confusing with a 48 month credit term but of course need to be of no real concern to customers who will be covered by consumer legislation. 

This product may well flop but I suspect Comcast know what they are doing in making the move as they will have researched the market carefully. Everyone is focussing in on the specs and missing the point this is not intended as a competitor for TV of the year it is solidly mid market offering.  

The finance package is designed to lock customers to Sky just as buying you iPhone from Sky Mobile locks you into their phone service. The profit is in the service provision. If Sky can really offer a way of simplifying finding content across disperate apps and providers they will have another powerful USP

In a couple of years we will know which of us is right.

[lewey13]

Personally this TV is a great second room option looking at the cost of buying an equivalent TV together with a Dolby Atmos soundbar, the Glass seems a good solution provided you have the internet speed required for this and a puck for your main TV is another great addition. 

There will be plenty of reviews shortly so you don't have buy straight away.

[stereohaven]

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@CyberFriday wrote:

@Chrisee They are simply offering you the option of an interest free loan with monthly payments to cover the cost of the tv.  You can opt for a single one of payment for the tv.  But as the tv has a 2 year guarantee why would you want to spread the cost over 48 months ?  Is that disrupting the market ? Or are they simply trying to increase your frequency of buying a new tv eg every 2 years (assuming they keep evolving their tv offering)...

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They did say during the presentation that the option to have a contract that enables you to keep getting the latest version of the TV (much like the iPhone upgrade programme), will be available.

It's going to be interesting to see how the actual pricing and any discounts shape up on this new product.

Based on what we know so far, including how you have to pay for apps through Sky to use them with Sky Glass (and that includes the premium versions of Netflix), you are looking at the following costs for the 43" (the 2 year option) depending on the apps you use, the picture quality you want and if you need whole home:

£20 upfront then the following monthly:

Sky Glass - £26

Ultimate TV - £26

Ultra HDR & Atmos - £5

Ad skipping - £5 (free for the first 12 months)

Whole Home - £10 (plus £50 up front per puck)

Sky Sports - £25

Sky Cinema - £11

Sky Kids - £5

BT Sport - £24

Prime Video - £5.99

Disney+ - £7.99

Netflix upgrades - up to £8 extra based on standard pricing?

Discovery+ - £4.99

I could go on...😲

[Joe-Bow]

@Chrisee It is confusing though.  People with Sky Q have often found the mini box limitation frustrating yet the new mid range offering from Sky massively expands on this, yet ties you in to getting the TV too.  

With no refresh seemingly to Sky Q whether it be smart tv or Apple TV apps, it leaves the only way to upgrade to more than 4 extra Sky TV box's around the home with more than two watchable at one time, is to install Glass, which is very frustrating.  
Q is being left behind now, I can't see much more development happening there if I'm honest, so it's an extra tv and it's expense you don't need in order to expand Sky in your home if you require that.

[bob1234]

@stereohavenI am not sure you have your pricing right as there are 3 packages a basic one and two that contain a lot more, if either of those suit you it is cheaper than the list you give.

I have never seen this, only outright purchases.

"They did say during the presentation that the option to have a contract that enables you to keep getting the latest version of the TV (much like the iPhone upgrade programme), will be available."

[stereohaven]

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@bob1234 wrote:

@stereohavenI am not sure you have your pricing right as there are 3 packages a basic one and two that contain a lot more, if either of those suit you it is cheaper than the list you give.

I have never seen this, only outright purchases.

"They did say during the presentation that the option to have a contract that enables you to keep getting the latest version of the TV (much like the iPhone upgrade programme), will be available."

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The pricing for Sky Glass comes from the PDF posted earlier in the thread. The terms on having to pay for subscriptions to apps via Sky is on the main Sky Glass page. Of course, what you choose to have in terms of add on packs and apps will be an individual choice.

You will see them talk about the ability to swap TVs for newer versions around the 32 minute mark of the presentation: https://youtu.be/fcfcWxeR_a4?t=1945 

Sky Glass TV Swap

As with any new product launch, the devil is in the detail. 

I was really keen on this personally until the detail started to come out, it certainly isn't something I will swap Q for at the moment, it would cost me a hell of a lot more per month than I pay now.

My parents though would probably love it, they have Q and the HDD is as clean as the day it arrived because they don't record anything! Each to their own.

[Q-tips]

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@stereohaven wrote:

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@CyberFriday wrote:

@Chrisee They are simply offering you the option of an interest free loan with monthly payments to cover the cost of the tv.  You can opt for a single one of payment for the tv.  But as the tv has a 2 year guarantee why would you want to spread the cost over 48 months ?  Is that disrupting the market ? Or are they simply trying to increase your frequency of buying a new tv eg every 2 years (assuming they keep evolving their tv offering)...

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They did say during the presentation that the option to have a contract that enables you to keep getting the latest version of the TV (much like the iPhone upgrade programme), will be available.

It's going to be interesting to see how the actual pricing and any discounts shape up on this new product.

Based on what we know so far, including how you have to pay for apps through Sky to use them with Sky Glass (and that includes the premium versions of Netflix), you are looking at the following costs for the 43" (the 2 year option) depending on the apps you use, the picture quality you want and if you need whole home:

£20 upfront then the following monthly:

Sky Glass - £26

Ultimate TV - £26

Ultra HDR & Atmos - £5

Ad skipping - £5 (free for the first 12 months)

Whole Home - £10 (plus £50 up front per puck)

Sky Sports - £25

Sky Cinema - £11

Sky Kids - £5

BT Sport - £24

Prime Video - £5.99

Disney+ - £7.99

Netflix upgrades - up to £8 extra based on standard pricing?

Discovery+ - £4.99

I could go on...😲

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Plus that webcam gizmo which will be a smart 4K camera and not cheap (hence Sky haven't told us the price). Plus gigabit FTTP at around £60pm if you want Virgin's flagship 1130/52mbps offering (which Sky are about to invest in, their current broadband offering being essentially BT's service).

I would be nervous about committing myself to a complete ecosystem owned and controlled by one company: with Glass TV locking you in, the need for competitive pricing could be diminished at some point down the line (obviously after the required number of people have bought into Glass). But once you're in, you have little choice but to swallow whatever price increases Sky may be planning.

But I suspect Glass will be a success at the bottom and middle of the market. It is undeniably appealing at first sight - and the camera gizmo has huge potential to take two-way video communications to a new level across a vast gamut of applications from porn to medical consultations. Nor can I belittle the significant boost Sky are bringing to the High Street - or the eventual disappearance of all those ugly satellite dishes cluttering up the urban landscape.

I fear there will be plenty of subscribers who won't realise the scale of their financial commitment to Sky until after they have signed up. I currently pay £54pm for SkyQ (Entertainment + Sports + Netflix) and £61pm to Gigaclear for 1000/1000mbps FTTH and being retired, that's as much as I want to invest. My TVs are either quite new smarts (Sony OLED 65", LG 32") or old, dumb and still great (Panny Viera 42" plasma) so I'm not in the market for a new one - nor can I see any benefit to swapping my two 1080p TVs for 4K models as they deliver excellent picture quality in small rooms.

Nor will I ever again make the mistake of buying a Sky system without a Reminder function.

It will be interesting to compare Glass vs Q monthly costs. And to see whether Sky gradually increase the cost of Q to push more subscribers into switching. At that point I hope that WarnerMedia's new HBO Max European streaming service will have made its way to the UK...

[Silver+Surfer+64]

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@stereohaven wrote:

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@CyberFriday wrote:

@Chrisee They are simply offering you the option of an interest free loan with monthly payments to cover the cost of the tv.  You can opt for a single one of payment for the tv.  But as the tv has a 2 year guarantee why would you want to spread the cost over 48 months ?  Is that disrupting the market ? Or are they simply trying to increase your frequency of buying a new tv eg every 2 years (assuming they keep evolving their tv offering)...

---

They did say during the presentation that the option to have a contract that enables you to keep getting the latest version of the TV (much like the iPhone upgrade programme), will be available.

It's going to be interesting to see how the actual pricing and any discounts shape up on this new product.

Based on what we know so far, including how you have to pay for apps through Sky to use them with Sky Glass (and that includes the premium versions of Netflix), you are looking at the following costs for the 43" (the 2 year option) depending on the apps you use, the picture quality you want and if you need whole home:

£20 upfront then the following monthly:

Sky Glass - £26

Ultimate TV - £26

Ultra HDR & Atmos - £5

Ad skipping - £5 (free for the first 12 months)

Whole Home - £10 (plus £50 up front per puck)

Sky Sports - £25

Sky Cinema - £11

Sky Kids - £5

BT Sport - £24

Prime Video - £5.99

Disney+ - £7.99

Netflix upgrades - up to £8 extra based on standard pricing?

Discovery+ - £4.99

I could go on...😲

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Yes, it's an absurd mess and here's the other big rub. Apparently, Sky has gone down the "hey, let's incorporate all of our new Sky internet TV services, packages, as well as other features like soundbars etc into a specially made TV with it all built into it that we lease out to customers" route in order to help people 'declutter their homes so they don't have boxes, speakers all over the place"....blah blah blah.

Nothing could be more like doing the OPPOSITE. If people want the Sky internet TV service, they are being forced to have an additional TV set in their homes on top of the one/ones they already have which will all take up MORE space in their homes than a few speakers or a soundbar etc, oh, and as someone rightly mentioned when I brought this up previously, they will probably expect people to hold onto the box for when they wish to return the TV. This whole idea of theirs is just totally asinine beyond belief!

[Neil+Stevens]

also this one cable no fuss nonsense and being carbon neutral. If they truly aspired to that then they'd make the sky ecosystem available via an app so that you aren't needing to purchase pucks for multiroom