Sky Stream freezing and buffering

[Sandman1600]

We have an issue where live TV just pauses, breaks up, buffers and sometimes just stops. 

This seems to happen for a few weeks with no way of resolving it (aside from repeatedly rebooting the puck which helps a little) and then it starts working fine again for a few months. 

Every time I contact Sky they gaslight me and make out that we've got it setup wrong or we have too many items on our network.  All of which is utter rubbish. 

Every other streaming service (Netflix, Prime, Apple, Paramount, Disney..!) works fine apart from Sky Stream. 

I can't believe I'm paying money out for this level of service. 

[Padam_Padam]

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@Sandman1600 wrote:

We have an issue where live TV just pauses, breaks up, buffers and sometimes just stops. 

This seems to happen for a few weeks with no way of resolving it (aside from repeatedly rebooting the puck which helps a little) and then it starts working fine again for a few months. 

Every time I contact Sky they gaslight me and make out that we've got it setup wrong or we have too many items on our network.  All of which is utter rubbish. 

Every other streaming service (Netflix, Prime, Apple, Paramount, Disney..!) works fine apart from Sky Stream. 

I can't believe I'm paying money out for this level of service. 

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Sky Stream is very sensitive to broadband speed fluctuations. The issues you describe are symptoms of this happening. What speed is being received by your puck? To find out open the Netflix app, go to the get help menu and run a network check.  

[Sandman1600]

Thanks for the reply. 

The speed reported by Netflix changes each time I do a check but it's an average of 29.56. 

We're in a slow speed area so the max we get is about 36 I think. 

We tried unplugging or turning off WiFi for 90% of our connected items and the problem didn't go away so I really don't buy the sky explanation about bandwidth. 

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Sandman1600 wrote:

Thanks for the reply. 

The speed reported by Netflix changes each time I do a check but it's an average of 29.56. 

We're in a slow speed area so the max we get is about 36 I think. 

We tried unplugging or turning off WiFi for 90% of our connected items and the problem didn't go away so I really don't buy the sky explanation about bandwidth. 

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That 30 Mbps is pretty borderline, especially if you are trying to stream UHD content or have others in the household also using the internet at the same time.

Its possible you may get closer to the 36 Mbps if you connect it up via an ethernet cable, and disable the Wifi in the settings. This may just the download speed up enough to prevent these issues. 

[Sandman1600]

Thanks. We're on Ethernet now so we can't improve on those speeds. 

As I said, we've done tests where we've unplugged everything or taken everything off the network and the problems have persisted. 

Plus it works fine for maybe 9 or 10 months of the year and then we get a period like this where it's pretty much unwatchable. 

If Sky can't offer faster broadband in this area, should they even be selling Sky Stream..?

It's literally the only service we have an issue with. 

[Nigelb1972]

@Sandman1600 Sky Stream will work with any ISP and isn't locked to using Sky unlike some providers who lock their TV products to their broadband ones. If Sky can't offer faster speeds in your area, that'd be down to the Openreach network being in need of upgrading and Sky aren't responsible for that.

There are other fibre providers that could offer better connection speeds so that could be worthwhile looking into when your broadband contract is up.

[Sandman1600]

Thanks. That's something I'm definitely looking into for the future. 

I'm just frustrated that we've bought a "package" from Sky that isn't always fit for purpose. 

[Sandman1600]

Thanks. That's something I'm definitely looking into for the future. 

I'm just frustrated that we've bought a "package" from Sky that isn't always fit for purpose. 

[Nigelb1972]

@Sandman1600 it's the broadband speeds letting you down mate. We started using Stream on a 100mbps connection and it was faultless. The minimum speeds Sky recommend are skirting very close to edge of what is usable for Stream. I'd say double their recommendation for a positive experience

[Sandman1600]

Thanks. I totally get that but when Sky are selling us the broadband and the tv as a package, they should work together. Or at least come with a huge caveat that they might not work together. 

What's annoying is that I can watch a lot of the channels on their individual apps using Apple TV without an issue. I can watch UHD on Netflix without any problems.  So why Sky Stream can't let me watch BBC news without pausing or a fragmented picture is a bit baffling.  

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Sandman1600 wrote:

Thanks. I totally get that but when Sky are selling us the broadband and the tv as a package, they should work together. Or at least come with a huge caveat that they might not work together. 

What's annoying is that I can watch a lot of the channels on their individual apps using Apple TV without an issue. I can watch UHD on Netflix without any problems.  So why Sky Stream can't let me watch BBC news without pausing or a fragmented picture is a bit baffling.  

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It's due to how the systems work differently. When accessing anything via Sky, nothing is locally stored so you are actually making a connection to Skys servers. For example when opening the Netflix app it's running the app from a Sky server rather than the Netflix app being installed and run locally as like when you access it from other streaming services or from your Smart TV for instance.

Thats typically the reason you need a strong and stable internet connection for the sky streaming platform for it to run smoothly.

[Sandman1600]

Thanks for the explanation. 

Again though, if Sky can't offer a package that works reliably because of the demands on the puck, they shouldn't be offering it. 

[lettice]

When I ordered Sky Stream, they did a check on my broadband speed during my order call.
Being with Sky Broadband Ultrafast + (500Mbps) they knew I did.
But also did a check that showed via my Mysky account that I was getting those speeds to my router, they mentioned this.

As far as I know, it is a requirement on ordering that they check you have the minimum speed.

In your case you are very brordeline with that.

I have just updated my Stream journey here with some test I have been running;
My good journey to Sky Stream from Sky Q | Sky Community

Basically the tests show this;
HD = Watching any live TV, On demand or cloud recordings - 6-7 Mbps per puck.
UHD = Watching any live TV, On demand or cloud recordings - 11-12Mbps per puck.

So it seems with Sky recommended, is not far off the mark in the Sky help page link below;
Recommended minimum broadband speed of 25Mbps. Or 30Mbps if you add an extra Sky Stream puck or to watch in UHD.

Sky Stream FAQs | Sky Help | Sky.com

[Sandman1600]

Thanks for the reply. We don't watch UHD on Sky Stream and we only have one puck so we're not exactly stressing the system. 

When we moved into the house there was no broadband contract and Virgin media didn't operate in the area so we went to Sky for TV and Broadband. We'd previously been with Sky since 1990 so thought it was a safe bet. 

We were advised of the requirements for Stream and were told that the fastest they could offer in our area would be sufficient so we signed up and thought nothing else of it. 

Sky Stream was serviceable for the first 10 months and then we started to have issues. This coincided with our TV puck being replaced for other reasons but Sky are adamant that's just a coincidence.

We've added nothing new to our setup. Nothing has changed. 

So for Sky to try to blame us for the sudden failings in their service is frustrating. 

[lettice]

@Sandman1600 

Just reread this thread.

As you say, you are using ethernet, probably a good idea with your speed.

But, if you have not done already within  the Puck settings, turn wifi OFF under Network.

Plus, make sure Network standby mode is ON and Overnight power saving is OFF.

Once you have done that, power off the puck, by switching off the socket or removing the plug from the socket, leave off fornabout 30 seconds.

Power back on.

That should make sure the settings are set, going forward.