Sky Glass with no sky package

[Falconerflying]

Can anyone advise me what will my Sky Glass do without a Sky package. Will it still be wifi connected will I still be able to use its streaming ability for other than sky channels. Will I still be able to install apps and will it still be smarter than a smart TV. It is such a commitment and if we have to cancel sky package due to finance what are we left with smart tv wise ???? Its so difficult to find the answer.

[SKY1992bf]

@Falconerflying  The link below explains what you get 

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-glass-without-a-subscription

and no you won't be able to add additional apps other than those pre loaded by sky

[BRW1983]

The TV will still work on the apps as far as I'm aware, just no live TV channels, but I'm not sure if you have to have a TV package with the Sky Glass for Sky to actually provide you with the TV

Saying that my Brother-in-law has had trouble paying his sky bill for months now and still has his Glass TV, so I have no idea

[oj01 · Accepted solution]

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@Falconerflying wrote:

Can anyone advise me what will my Sky Glass do without a Sky package. Will it still be wifi connected will I still be able to use its streaming ability for other than sky channels. Will I still be able to install apps and will it still be smarter than a smart TV. It is such a commitment and if we have to cancel sky package due to finance what are we left with smart tv wise ???? Its so difficult to find the answer.

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It certainly won't be smarter than a smart TV as it never has been. 

[Exiled-in-HH]

Connect it to a DTT aerial for broadcast channels, that will  require disconnecting the Sky Glass TV from the internet.

Attached a streaming device to one of HDMI ports for access to greater range of Streaming  Services 😉

[Jporch316]

You will still need a sky account to operate the tv just not the subscription element .....

[TimmyBGood]

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@Falconerflying wrote:

Will I still be able to install apps and will it still be smarter than a smart TV. 

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Users cannot install apps even with a subscription: Sky decides what's available.

'Smarter than a smart TV' presumably refers to the back-end services provided by subscribing to the wider Sky platform (such as Voice Search) so no, it won't be.

[Bose0410]

Hi,

I have the 65" Sky Glass and have recently left sky. So here is what happens....

Live TV FTA channels are taken off you, voice control are taken off you, TV Guide are taken off you and all apps you used to use are reset and no longer appear in order of most used. 

Essentially you are left with a monitor with no way to watch live TV.  

At the point of sale if I were told the TV would be useless without sky I would have stuck with Sky Q. 

I now have a £1500 monitor with a decent soundbar built in! 

[TimmyBGood]

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@Bose0410 wrote:

Essentially you are left with a monitor with no way to watch live TV.  

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Unless you connect an aerial feed to the socket provided and scan for the (digital terrestrial) television broadcast in your location from a relatively local transmitter.

You know, like all TVs used to do...

[Bose0410]

Which is great if you don't want to also use apps as you have to have WiFi turned off, the moment you switch it on "normal tv" is removed until you disconnect Wi-Fi again!? 

Would it not make sense to send an update to enable DTV as well as Wi-Fi? lol 

[TimmyBGood]

@Bose0410 

Yes, that's a distinct downside.  In the three years since Glass was released it's never been explained: best guess is Sky just don't want 'free' DTTV in the subscription interface.

[Bose0410]

Very true, I knew there was an input for DTV but it's blanked off on my Glass but obviously after removing the blanking plate it's there to use but, you're right in what you say, they probably don't like that option being used.

At the same time, it would have been ideal for them to mention what happens when you give Sky up or maybe just lease the Glass out meaning they take it back when you're done, yes you would have to buy a new TV but at least you wouldn't have spent over £1k on this one.

Im sure that in the future as more and more people leave sky for whatever reason they may make changes to the way the TV functions after. (I hope).

[BRW1983]

Sky should allow us to watch channels that are FtA (Free to Air) even without a subscription, but I guess that would require a separate app in the apps bar on the Home screen or some special wizardry on the TV Guide that could cause more issues than it worth, but I'm not exactly sure how Sky would work around that if I'm honest

[Bose0410]

Totally agree, also - as I've discovered, the Home Screen stays the same so whatever was advertised when you cancel sky stays on the screen and won't change or update or disappear....

[Mister_Dalek]

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@BRW1983 wrote:

Sky should allow us to watch channels that are FtA (Free to Air) even without a subscription, but I guess that would require a separate app in the apps bar on the Home screen or some special wizardry on the TV Guide that could cause more issues than it worth, but I'm not exactly sure how Sky would work around that if I'm honest

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For that to happen they'd probably need to come to some sort of agreement with Freely, the streaming replacement for Freeview. 

At present Freely is the only way of obtaining free live streams of (some) FTA channels via a combined EPG, rather than via individual streaming apps (iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, etc.)