Sky Glass Gen 2 - speeds needed

[Spitfirecomms]

Hello Sky gurus,  

My broadband speeds are typically 17-18, and 19 (almost 20) with an ethernet cable. 

We have never had a problem watching Netflix or Prime Video in HD.  Do you think on that basis it's worth giving Glass Gen 2 a go, despite Sky saying 25mbps is the minimum recommended speed for HD? 

Btw,  there are just two of us in the house, and only run two TVs max at any one time.  

Thanks in advance, and regards Peter 

[BenJoBanjo]

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@Spitfirecomms wrote:

Hello Sky gurus,  

My broadband speeds are typically 17-18, and 19 (almost 20) with an ethernet cable. 

We have never had a problem watching Netflix or Prime Video in HD.  Do you think on that basis it's worth giving Glass Gen 2 a go, despite Sky saying 25mbps is the minimum recommended speed for HD? 

Btw,  there are just two of us in the house, and only run two TVs max at any one time.  

Thanks in advance, and regards Peter 

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I would advise against it. Sky Glass is notoriously bandwidth hungry and "almost 20" Mbps is simply not going to give you a reliable service. 

Sky's streaming service differs from most others due to the fact that SkyOS, the operating system embedded in Sky Glass, is almost entirely server based. All the apps, playlists, etc are stored on the server, not on the Glass device itself, so it requires a constant fast and stable connection to the server to function. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Spitfirecomms wrote:

Do you think on that basis it's worth giving Glass Gen 2 a go

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No: you'd be paying too much for hardware which would almost certainly not perform adequately.

If you really want Sky subscription content, perhaps consider a mainstream brand smart television which can host the NowTV app.

[GD1 · Accepted solution]

@Spitfirecomms  From the Sky Help pages:  Sky Glass FAQs | Sky Help | Sky.com | Sky Help | Sky.com

Minimum recommended broadband speeds apply and might change depending on your package. We’ll recommend these before you place your order.

You may need faster speeds to get the best experience. Especially when watching in UHD or streaming on more devices at the same time with the Whole Home pack. For more info, see Broadband speeds explained. We also recommend a fibre broadband connection.

If you’re with another provider, you'll need to check your broadband speeds with them.

Recommended minimum broadband speed of 25Mbps. Or 30Mbps if you add an extra Sky Stream puck or to watch in UHD.

As indicated by @TimmyBGood you would not get a good experiance with Glass/Stream as your Broadband speed is insufficient.

[Spitfirecomms]

This is valuable info and I really appreciate your help. The Glass idea was prompted by my Q contract expiring any day - and it will now cost the same as Glass V2 to keep on.  It's frustrating Sky appear to be penailising people with poor Wi-Fi, despite in my case having been a customer for 20 something years.  My thanks again, Peter   

[Spitfirecomms]

Many thanks - sounds like it could be an expensive and frustrating mistake! Peter  

[Spitfirecomms]

Thanks for that - I've never really looked at Now. Much appreciated. 

[Hunter2660]

I added Stream when I was with BT, (max download 17mbps), while I was waiting for fttp to be installed by a local company. Even with an ethernet connection the picture was glitchy at best. Now with fttp (250mbps download) the picture is rock solid. If you can't improve your internet I'd definately look at now. If you can afford it treat yourself to an Apple TV box and add the TV Launcher app. That will give you a similar type of Stream service.

[Spitfirecomms]

Thank you for this - great info and I will def check it out. Cheers.  

[lettice]

@Spitfirecomms 

Just to be certain, are you sure you cannot get any kind of Fibre connection with Sky, bringing a much faster speed.

Go to your MySky app or MySky account online, click on Broadband and scroll down the page for the 'Check your upgrade options' and see if it shows an upgrade path to Fibre.

You can also check via the Ofcom broadband checker, by entering your postcode and house number;

https://checker.ofcom.org.uk/en-gb/broadband-coverage

As well as the various speeds shown for the likes of Sky and EE etc using Openreach that may show you a possible fibre upgrade, look also at the list of networks shown lower done on that page for all the broadband suppliers, like Virgin and altnet providers in your area providing fibre broadband connections. 

That, when they show has links to their sites.

[Spitfirecomms]

Thanks - will check it out and see if anything's changed.