Who's switching from Q to Stream?

[fizzdisco]

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@Jporch316 wrote:

There's a few threads kicking around about the separate sound systems 

if memory serves I think you have to turn them on in a specific order 

ie puck first then the sound system 

I could be wrong though .....

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The puck wasn't on. That's the problem. It's sat there in standby. 

[Jporch316]

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Glass/Sky-Glass-Puck-switching-to-TV-speakers-amp-Stuttering/td-p/3...

[tarbat]

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@fizzdisco wrote:

Another new irritation...

The Stream box appears to have killed the CEC link between my TV and amp. Even when it's in standby.

What a crock.

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As per my reply on other threads, you'll need a CEC blocker, something like this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DL48KVI/

Proven to work by several puck owners.

[fizzdisco]

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@Jporch316 wrote:

https://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Sky-Glass/Sky-Glass-Puck-switching-to-TV-speakers-amp-Stuttering/td-p/3...

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Thanks - yes I remember seeing that. 

The thing is, my puck is connected to the amp via HDMI (in exactly the same way the Q box was) and loops through it to the TV. Every other device is attached to the TV directly via HDMI and has CEC enabled, their audio routed over ARC to the amp. This has worked flawlessly for months. 

I'm giving up on it for now. It's the car crash that I expected. I'll just rip out the puck later and shove it onto the TV in my office instead.  

[fizzdisco]

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@tarbat wrote:

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@fizzdisco wrote:

Another new irritation...

The Stream box appears to have killed the CEC link between my TV and amp. Even when it's in standby.

What a crock.

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As per my reply on other threads, you'll need a CEC blocker, something like this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DL48KVI/

Proven to work by several puck owners.

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Thanks @tarbat - very useful to know but really, really shouldn't be necessary. 

Sky hardware is just endlessly underwhelming. 

[bydandie]

Well I've just called them at the third attempt and now have an 18 month contract like for like for a £1 more than my already good deal with Q (all TV except Sports and Kids). 🙂

[tychon]

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@fizzdisco wrote:

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@tarbat wrote:

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@fizzdisco wrote:

Another new irritation...

The Stream box appears to have killed the CEC link between my TV and amp. Even when it's in standby.

What a crock.

---

As per my reply on other threads, you'll need a CEC blocker, something like this : https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00DL48KVI/

Proven to work by several puck owners.

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Thanks @tarbat - very useful to know but really, really shouldn't be necessary. 

Sky hardware is just endlessly underwhelming. 

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I'm suffering from the same issue (LG C1, Sonos Arc). I really hope this is something that can be fixed in a future firmware update. I'd rather not have to fix it out of my own pocket...

[fizzdisco]

I've removed the puck from my main TV and CEC has been restored to every other device. 

I've now connected it to my old Samsung TV in the office and re-paired the remote. 

Had a play around and added a few things to the playlist just for the hell of it. 

My impressions aren't improving though. 

Tried playing something in UHD HDR via Prime. Still feels sluggish when navigating. It started playing and the audio was about 3 seconds out of sync. Not 3 frames. 3 seconds. Paused and pressed play again and that got it into better sync. Still not perfect though. 

In fact lip sync on all live channels appears to be a bit off. 

This is with HDMI audio output set to auto. 

Comparing the free-to-air live channels with the TV's internal Freeview tuner - sorry folks, but Freeview HD looks sharper. 

Had a quick look at 'This England' in HLG HDR. Started playing quickly and was nice and sharp - actually looked really good. Then realised it was mute. No audio playing at all. Went into settings (used voice control. Took 3 attempts for it to recognise the word 'settings') and toggled from Auto to PCM which kick started it. Toggled back to Auto and it stayed. 

Navigating the EPG is pretty painful. Very sluggish. There's clearly very little RAM in this box. It's been manufactured on a budget, much like Glass, but unfortunately it really shows. 

Is it worth £26pm for the basic Sky channel package? Take a wild guess. 

Freeview Play, built in to many TVs, has a watchlist that is completely free and triggers playback from the TVs own streaming apps in exactly the same way as Stream does. Couple that with a NOW TV subscription with Boost for the odd month here and there and you'll get much better value. In fact, NOW is currently offering me 6 months of Entertainment and Cinema for £14.99pm with a free 7 day trial of Boost... 

IMHO Sky Stream is only worth considering if you're a sports fan who simply must have everything in UHD HDR, are happy to pay through the nose for it and cannot get it via Q. (Oh, and don't mind the random nature of the playlist.... you might get to watch it later... or you might not!)

It's an adequate option for those who want their TV service entirely via their broadband. Adequate. Nothing beyond that. The software still needs serious work. To be this glitchy after a year is kind of ridiculous.

There you go. I wanted to be pleasantly surprised by Stream, but alas, no. 

Still, it's bound to sell by the bucketload and I'll be shot down in flames as usual but hey, that's why I come here! 

[Ed.B.]

There is simply no excuse for a sluggish UI. 

My girlfriend has a 2021 Samsung TV and it can take two or three seconds to move from app to app along the home screen navigation. Even volume can take a second or two to respond. 

Compared to my own Samsung which zips along even though it's from 2019 and shares ostensibly the same UI, hers is barely unusable 

[fizzdisco]

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@Ed.B. wrote:

There is simply no excuse for a sluggish UI. 

My girlfriend has a 2021 Samsung TV and it can take two or three seconds to move from app to app along the home screen navigation. Even volume can take a second or two to respond. 

Compared to my own Samsung which zips along even though it's from 2019 and shares ostensibly the same UI, hers is barely unusable 

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My Mum's LG TV is like that. I came very close to hurling the remote at it a few weeks ago when I was visiting. She of course finds it to be perfectly normal. I wanted to destroy it. 

The Samsung TV I have in my office is a 2018 model but the apps on it probably open at the same speed as those on Stream. There's more of them too. 

[Jporch316]

@fizzdisco 

I have not experienced the issues you have on the actual glass tv 

the ui is smooth and fast . If sky returns ever call me back about the unusable puck I received on Saturday I'll have a comparison of sorts to go on 

[Jporch316]

Apart from the annoying lightning blasts on amazon prime app that is when watching hdr 

[fizzdisco]

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@Jporch316 wrote:

@fizzdisco 

I have not experienced the issues you have on the actual glass tv 

the ui is smooth and fast . If sky returns ever call me back about the unusable puck I received on Saturday I'll have a comparison of sorts to go on 

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There's perhaps a bit more RAM in the Glass units?

I think that's part of my problem - I just get used to a certain level of speed and fluidity of movement on a UI that whenever something isn't up to the standards I'm used to, it just feels poor. That's why I upgraded from the standard Firestick 4K - it was just getting grindingly slow. The Max is much speedier. The Stream puck is definitely slower and has that micro-lag between pressing a button and it doing something on-screen. 

[Carnoch04]

@fizzdisco I am not going to shoot you down in flames as everyone is entitled to their opinion. I don't find any problem with the guide and it moves seamlessly for me. I can't get UHD/Atmos on Prime (don't know why but I have a cube for that) but the UHD on Iplayer and Netflix is as good as I have seen and the American football in UHD last night was spectacular. For me, Sky Stream is an excellent bit of kit and I am delighted with it. 

[fizzdisco]

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@Jporch316 wrote:

Apart from the annoying lightning blasts on amazon prime app that is when watching hdr 

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I'll see if I can find any of that. 

That's the one positive thing I can say about the puck - UHD & HDR do look sharp and very clean. 

Live channels in HD are just OK. Channel 4 in particular looked much sharper on Freeview HD than from the live feed on Stream.