Options for replacing Sky Q (Apple TV and Now TV)

[ABCD12345678]

Hello all. I've been toying with cancelling Sky Q for a few years and my contract is up for renewal soon and it's going up to just over £40 a month. I don't have any movies or sports just Sky Signature, Sky HD, Sky Go Extra and Netflix. I'm looking at maybe getting an Apple TV 4K box and Now TV. I'm aware I'll be at the mercy of my WiFi connection and lose the ability to record stuff. Has anyone done something similar and any other tips or advice, I guess my main issue will be the terrestrial channels. My only reluctance is I like the Sky Q ease of use in terms of the planner, series link etc but I feel I'm paying a lot for that ease of use.

[Anonymous]

Yes I moved to Apple TV for a bit. It's got some good points but in the end I came back to Sky (Stream) which I'm far happier with. 

The Apple hardware and software is great, but a few downsides:-

- Now added a strange watermark that was very visible on live sport and dark scenes

- BBC has no subtitles and missing a lot of features from other platforms

- ITV and Channel 4, among other apps, have no pause on live TV

- picture quality on streaming isn't as good as Sky

For me the Sky experience was just better overall. It would probably be cheaper using Apple TV but I value the simplicity.

[ABCD12345678]

@Anonymous  Thank you. Yes I did look at Sky Stream too, did you have Sky Q before moving to Sky Stream? If so any issues with it, I assume the issues you listed with the terrestrial channels aren't an issue on Stream? I know you can't record on Stream either but I guess the menu layout is like Sky Q and more convenient. 

[Anonymous]

Yes I've had Sky Q in the past. I really enjoy Stream and find it to be reliable for me, and others I know who use it say the same. 

The one bugbear I have at the moment is audio can sometimes drift out of sync, which is resolved by pausing and unpausing the content. That bug has been ongoing for a while but Sky are working on it. It doesn't bother me much because the solution is so simple when it does happen occasionally. 

In my experience the live TV experience is pretty much identical to Q except for better quality image not affected by weather. 

And you can actually record on Stream for some content. It will always favour on-demand content if it's available but it will record channels/shows that have given Sky the right to also with a "cloud record" feature. It happens automatically when you add a show to your playlist. This is great for sports, for example.  It has limitations, mostly for content licensing purposes and channels with their own apps tend not to let Sky do it. 

[ABCD12345678]

@Anonymous  Cheers, I will have another look at Stream. I quite like that it can be a rolling monthly contract albeit for a few quid more a month. I guess it comes down to what I can haggle on Sky Q as Stream is about £30 a month with Netflix so not massively different. 

[Anonymous]

Yeah. Do your own research too, make sure your net is good enough etc. and if you can check it out at a Sky Store or a friends I recommend doing that. It's a spiritual successor to Sky Q, not a direct replacement so it does things differently and has its own quirks and ways. 

[ABCD12345678]

@Anonymous cheers, my broadband is really fast so hopefully not issues there, good idea to check it out in action, not sure I know anyone with it

[WhyMeSky]

Thinking exactly the same. 20+ years Sky customer, out of contract and been offered a new 18 month deal - same package as you have described but with Multiroom. New deal....£15 less than paying now!! Customer service is poor - especially when trying to fix issues. When I spoke to an agent about ongoing signal issues and my bill I was asked if I wanted to switch to Sky Glass (no thanks!). BT have some decent offers on (although may be for new customers and limited granted) but for a better package than mine. Apple TV is the only other option I feel or pay the very basic Sky package, rely on catchup streaming services and then subscribe to Now TV when I want to catch sport.....

[ABCD12345678]

@WhyMeSky yes I'm thinking of doing it, been reading up on Stream and lots of people not happy with it for various reasons. I know I've not tried it but from what I've read up on Apple TV it seems a cheaper and more flexible option. I'm not holding my breath on getting a good deal as that seems to be a thing of the past these days. I can remember getting 50 or 60% discounts years ago. The last time I haggled I was offered a few discounts on things but I still ended up paying a few quid more overall than the previous contract I had. In reality I'm paying for the convienience of the TV planner and record feature but in reality I mainly watch Netflix or stuff off the terrestrial channels with the odd bit of Sky stuff thrown in. £40+ a month is a lot and I reckon I can easily half that.

[Chalk+Serpent]

I completely left Sky TV last April after over 20 years with them. We had Q and honestly none of us in the house regret the decision to leave. No more yearly price increases, having to negotiate new contracts (which are now 2 years long as well). I loved the Q box and the convenience of recording as well. We changed the lnb on the satellite dish so we can watch Freesat channels though the TV, and have an Apple TV box for all apps so watch anything on catchup via these. The Apple TV box is over WiFi as well and is fantastic. I know a few people who had  Stream but said it isn't as good as an Apple TV box with Now. We've got so used to this that we hardly watch anything live on the TV anymore. 

[ABCD12345678]

@Chalk+Serpent Nice! How do you change the LNB, is that something you can do yourself? 

[Chalk+Serpent]

I got a local independent satellite engineer to do it but some people can do it themselves. I'm no good at that sort of thing. 

[Chalk+Serpent]

Also @ABCD12345678 I forgot to say, if you go to Sky Stream you don't get all the channels that are on Q. Only the ones that can stream are there, so all Sky ones, ITV, Ch4, BBC etc. Nothing like Talking Pictures TV. 

[ABCD12345678]

@Chalk+Serpent @What did they charge roughly if you don't mind me asking ?

[Chalk+Serpent]

It was £110, it included the price of the lnb and tuning in the TV etc. Cheaper than a freesat box that works on the Sky lnb, the Apple TV box was an open box one from an eBay seller so cheaper than new but still had a years warranty. For us it has been worth doing. Saved us a lot with Sky and we can subscribe to streaming services when needed, cancel them when nothing for us to watch. No more being tied in on long contracts.