My opinion on Sky Glass

[Paul+James+G]

Just left Sky after more than 20 years, specifically because of Sky Glass and the lack of support that came with it.

Really can't say how disappointed we are.

The TV itself is fine.  We know this now we're running EE TV through it without any problems.  

Sky Glass itself glitches like mad for us, and it appears many have had the same reading reviews. Lip sync is awful, requiring constant resets to get it somewhere near right.  Random picture and sound freezes, again only curable by restarts.  

The technical support was almost as bad as the product.  After trying everything we'd already tried ourselves, we were told it was pretty much our problem now we'd paid for the TV in full unless we wanted to buy another.

Moving away from Sky has really been an eye opener, both cost and quality of service.

Moderator note: subject of thread updated to better reflect the conversation

Moderator note: post moved to the main sky glass board

[BenJoBanjo]

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@Paul+James+G wrote:

Just left Sky after more than 20 years, specifically because of Sky Glass and the lack of support that came with it.

Really can't say how disappointed we are.

The TV itself is fine.  We know this now we're running EE TV through it without any problems.  

Sky Glass itself glitches like mad for us, and it appears many have had the same reading reviews. Lip sync is awful, requiring constant resets to get it somewhere near right.  Random picture and sound freezes, again only curable by restarts.  

The technical support was almost as bad as the product.  After trying everything we'd already tried ourselves, we were told it was pretty much our problem now we'd paid for the TV in full unless we wanted to buy another.

Moving away from Sky has really been an eye opener, both cost and quality of service.

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I have to agree with you on this. The sound sync issue was the final straw for us and we've left Sky after nearly 20 years. The gen2 TV was sent back after 3 days and our old gen1 has just been sold for £50 via our local neighbourhood online forum. 

I get why Sky still appeals to many people but it's been incredibly refreshing to try something new and realise that there are many other options out there now. Sky's attitude towards its service and its products seems to have gone downhill significantly in recent years. Any of the few issues I had with Sky+ or Sky Q were dealt with quickly and efficiently, but every communication I have had with Sky regarding issues with their streaming products was met with an air of disdain or with attempts to place the blame on me or my broadband connection. They took little or no ownership of the problems. Troubleshooting over the phone varied from very occasional pretty good to utterly woeful, bored sounding script reading, followed by random disconnection of the call. Frustration doesn't come close.  

I do think Sky need to remind themselves of their own long standing marketing line - "believe in better" and actually "make it better" because right now I'm getting much better from elsewhere, including Sky programmes in 4K with HDR and Atmos from the really excellent Now Tv app on my new OLED TV, which, by the way, are always in sync too! 

[Chasloyal]

Tis why I came to the conclusion to we will stick with Q for the duration, I want to record my content and have it there locally rather than being at the mercy of the cloud.

In the ideal world Sky will have sorted out the numerous issues with Stream I keep reading about by the time Q becomes obsolete but if they don't?

Well I suppose I'll end up going elsewhere which would be a terrible shame as I can boast having been with Sky almost from Day One.

Joined Sky back in the analogue days for England's tour of the West Indies, in late 89 or early 90. I can time it that accurately because still being just under 18 at the time I had to get my folks to sign up for me 🫢

Then Sky Digital in the mid to late 90's during my first marriage then continuously with Sky post divorce,  which is 21 years now according to the My Sky app.

In those 21 years I've gone through regular Sky Digital, Sky+, a couple of different Sky+ HD boxes including the OG black+silver phat boy which I pre-ordered at 300 quid to guarantee installation in time for the 2006 World Cup and Sky Q since we moved up here to our current abode in March 2017.

Thus I most definitely wouldn't want to leave Sky but the more I read comments like the two above the more I feel that day is coming 😕 

[Carnoch04]

@Chasloyal "In the ideal world Sky will have sorted out the numerous issues with Stream I keep reading about by the time Q becomes obsolete but if they don't?"

I would suggest a look at the Sky Q board will also show you lots of problems. That's the nature of these boards. I have had Stream since day one with only one remote problem that was fixed quickly. I have had Gen 2 Glass for a couple of weeks now and I haven't had any of the problems mentioned on here either. 

[Chasloyal]

@Carnoch04 without wanting to come across as proper muggy with you here but all I can is: if you haven't noticed the dramatic deterioration in the standard of customer support/service over the last 5 or 6 years and you don't deem having no local recording facility as problems therein lies the problem.

As for specific technical issues, yep I am well aware of various Sky Q problems like I was of Sky+ HD's shortcomings before it, especially that pig ugly OG black+silver phat thing and the various generations of Sky hardware before them.

We're definitely on our second, perhaps even third, box in under 8 years now so I'm hardly dancing around like Fred Astaire serenading Sky Q for being the most perfect satellite receiver/PVR set up box known to man.

As for looking to get me to nibble on that Sky Glass 2.0 bait you've cast in my direction 🤔 nah you're alright thanks.

[Carnoch04]

There are definitely drawbacks for some with the non-recording thing. Live sport appears to be the main gripe but I never record live sport so I don't have that problem. Everything else I have wanted to view on catch-up I have been able to do so. In fact, live sport and news are the only things I watch as they happen. Everything else I watch on catch-up without any problems. I have had Sky since it was a single channel and I think Stream/Glass is the best version yet. Sky Q may be better but the communal dish on my building doesn't work for Q so I haven't had that option. 

[Chasloyal]

@Carnoch04 well I still watch everything I recorded on the day we won the ODI world cup. Not just the actual match but all the reports from regular news channels and Sky Sports News. Same with the T20 world cup victory too because that's as good as it will ever get.

Then of course I still get immense pleasure from watching the faces of them'uns at the end of their nought-nought draw at Tannadice which mathematically confirmed the ten-in-a-row dream was over.

Also still got Reporting Scotland recordings from earlier in that Covid season when the forces of darkness broke lockdown rules to protest outside Sharkhead. The self-proclaimed best supporters in the world lobbing Buckfast bottles, crowd control railings and inflatable big fish at Police Scotland whilst demanding the dismissal of Lennon are golden times stored in my Q box that I like to revisit every now 'n' again when I'm feeling extra miserable.

There's absolutely nothing happening in sport during the present which can put a smile on my face is there! Yesterday summed up the current plight of English white ball Cricket and as for football?

Well I stopped getting any pleasure from watching top flight football both north and south of the border weeks ago now. You couldn't get two more horrible clubs on processions to win their respective leagues!

English second tier just as bad because who wants to see Leeds doing well eh?

One has to go down to the third tier and hope Wrexham's recent implosion carries on for even the slightest **bleep** of light at the end of the tunnel. I've hated them for coming on 40 years so all this recent money from Hollywood has caused me much despair. I hope and pray they don't even make the play-offs, the Hollywood mob get bored so pull out and they then go back down to their rightful place in non-league within a couple of years 🙏

Hence I'll stick to my recordings of past better days on the sports front.

[Chasloyal]

Why would you bleep out c h I n k of light?

[Mark39]

It's an automated filter which takes no account of context. In light of that you can probably work out why it was 'bleeped.'

[Carnoch04]

@Chasloyal I'm glad you have your recordings to keep you happy. I am happy with how my team are doing now so I don't have to rely on past glories! 

[Chasloyal]

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@Mark39 wrote:

It's an automated filter which takes no account of context. In light of that you can probably work out why it was 'bleeped.'

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Well yes but no because the reason the automated filter seems to have gone all word police is for the word the nobody says in that way any more anyway. 

I wouldn't even entertain discussions on the notion of it's a slur or not because that opens another can of worms best avoided.

So let's say it is a slur then the reality is that anyone who still uses that term nowadays says the word that comes before wink instead of c h i n k anyway.

It's pretty ridiculous that I can nigh on guarantee if I were to write that word which starts with t and ends with y  the automated filter would not bleep it out yet that is the contemporary way of saying it.

And just for the record, that's exactly why I won't write the full word because I guarantee you someone in here would hit the report post button instantly.

[Chasloyal]

@Carnoch04 well I support a club who has not won a single trophy in 140 years so it's not like I ever expected to see us lift a trophy when I signed up during childhood(when it was still only  95 years without having won a single thing)

When it comes to north of the border, it was my Eastern European father who educated me on the fact there can only ever be the famous Glasgow Rangers for many many reasons that are best not brought up in here.

[Chloe-W22]

Hi all,

There's some conversation happening in this thread that's not beneficial or relevant for the original poster's query. Please can we keep conversations on topic to avoid breaking Community Rules. 

Thanks,

[Gincap]

Sky in it's day was a revelation bringing to viewers a new way of watching TV with a small but rapidly growing choice of something different to the terrestrials of the day. 

You can't knock Sky for the development of new and innovative products over the years with Q perhaps one of their finer moments "eventually".

Sky Glass despite it's issues discussed at length on these forums has allowed customers to buy into a new way of watching TV, quality aside and attempts to match it alongside an OLED and the price it is the perfect solution for many but will never satisfy the purists. 

Sky stream again gives viewers a choice albeit that the box is perhaps too low a spec and would benefit from an upgrade. 

People often say I've been a customer for 20+ years but no longer I'm off and yes I'm one of those people, I was a Sky customer from the white dish days. Why did we stay loyal so long? Mainly because there was no real alternative yes Virgin and EE or BT were around but Sky were the market leaders. 

Viewing is rapidly changing it's now all about streaming, Sky, Virgin, EE are no longer needed you can far cheaper and with better kit do it yourself very easily. Almost all content available on Sky can be viewed via apps very easily and slick if you invest in the right streaming kit. 

So Sky Glass, yes it has it's market and is the perfect solution for some just as Freeview is sufficient for many and don't even consider Sky. The answer is personal choice we all want something different if not everyone would drive a Ford Fiesta. 

I would say take a look around as a one time die hard Sky loyalist I've found much cheaper and far more intuitive ways of watching TV and despite the ongoing calls I receive with offers to return to the fold my eyes have been opened. 

[Chasloyal]

@Gincap yep we had one of those horrible chunky and clunky Amstrad Fidelty things 🫢 after a few years of being exposed to the elements the white powder coating on them would start to flake off!