Sky Stream hard drive for Sky Q phase out?

[1964+Shot]

I think if Sky released a second version of Sky Stream with a hard drive it could enable Sky Q to be phased out as Sky would still be able to eliminate the cost of the dish engineers and the hire of the Astra satellite.

However, a Sky Stream recording functionality would enable them to do this without upsetting and losing customers who like recording programmes as they happen in their original quality broadcast quality and being immediately available for playback. So like Sky Q but the signal comes from the internet rather than the Astra satellite.

I am guessing this is techically feasible but not sure whether this coud be in Skys plans?

[Padam_Padam]

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@1964+Shot wrote:

I think if Sky released a second version of Sky Stream with a hard drive it could enable Sky Q to be phased out as Sky would still be able to eliminate the cost of the dish engineers and the hire of the Astra satellite.

However, a Sky Stream recording functionality would enable them to do this without upsetting and losing customers who like recording programmes as they happen in their original quality broadcast quality and being immediately available for playback. So like Sky Q but the signal comes from the internet rather than the Astra satellite.

I am guessing this is techically feasible but not sure whether this coud be in Skys plans?

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It's not in Sky's plans. 

Streaming on demand is the future. Broadcasters then have control of their content rather than consumers having copies on hard drives.

Hard drives cost money. Stream pucks can be mass-manufactured much more cheaply without them, therefore keeping Sky's profit margins healthier. 

[TimmyBGood]

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@1964+Shot wrote:

I am guessing this is techically feasible but not sure whether this coud be in Skys plans?

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There's a potential additional legal issue: recording to hard drive is specifically permitted as a limited exception to copyright for broadcast material to enable time-shifted viewing, but Stream isn't 'broadcast'.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/exceptions-to-copyright 

[Fothergill1]

I was a prolific recorder when I had Sky Q but since I moved to the Streaming platform I have not missed the recording function aty all.  With Stream I can basically watch what I want when I want which I find more convenient than recording.

[Nigelb1972]

@Fothergill1 same here. We were on BT TV and wondered how we'd get on with the Playlist function rather than actual recording and it works brilliantly 99% of the time. The odd blip we've had has been with ITVX and 4On Demand... Other than that, it works like a charm. Love being able to start watching a recording downstairs and carry on upstairs and not running out of available tuners 👍🏻

[Exiled-in-HH]

Continue watching on any device anywhere is an important feature of any streaming service🤔

[Anonymous]

The legal issue can be overcome. The BT streaming box has a recording facility. Deals can be done with broadcast partners. 

[Padam_Padam]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The legal issue can be overcome. The BT streaming box has a recording facility. Deals can be done with broadcast partners. 

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Interestingly enough, the EE TV Pro box (formerly the BT TV Pro box) which has a hard drive and a Freeview HD tuner, also has an IP mode so can receive a selection of Freeview channels via broadband. These streams can be recorded to the hard drive for later playback. 

The various TV packages on offer with EE TV include NOW channels. These streams can also be recorded to the internal hard drive. It's kind of wild to think that Sky allow a competitor's hardware to record their streams, but don't allow it on any of their own kit.

I doubt Sky will ever return to having physical hard drives. They're more likely to possibly start offering a cloud DVR service (for additional cost obvs) like the SlingTV, DirectTV, YouTubeTV, PlayOn, etc services which are readily available in the USA. 

They'd need to do deals with individual free-to-air channels to allow their content to be cloud recorded and that's the tricky part.... 

[Anonymous]

Sky could have a hardrive within their streaming device, they've decided not to. Don't forget the sky stream puck wasn't designed by Sky. The puck is a straight copy of a product from Xfinity X1 which happens to be another Comcast company. 

[Padam_Padam]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Sky could have a hardrive within their streaming device, they've decided not to. Don't forget the sky stream puck wasn't designed by Sky. The puck is a straight copy of a product from Xfinity X1 which happens to be another Comcast company. 

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It was always designed as a 'global streaming TV device' not a recording device - see the original press release for the XiOne box from September 2021 here:

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-introduces-xione-a-new-4k-wifi-6-global-streaming-tv-device 

The exact same hardware is inside the Sky Stream puck and now also the Xumo Stream Box in the USA and the Hubbl box in Australia.

Comcast are making sure this thing goes worldwide. 

[Exiled-in-HH]

Doesn't the Xumo box allow cloud recorrding?

Wasn't the intention at launch that the Stream platform would support full cloud recording?

It appears many broadcasters have not given permission for cloud recording to happen?

[Padam_Padam]

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@Exiled-in-HH wrote:

Doesn't the Xumo box allow cloud recorrding?

Wasn't the intention at launch that the Stream platform would support full cloud recording?

It appears many broadcasters have not given permission for cloud recording to happen?

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If you have a Xumo box as part of a Spectrum TV subscription, then you can add access to a full cloud DVR service, but it's only accessible via the Spectrum TV app on the box, and only applies to the channels available as part of that Spectrum subscription. It's not a feature of the Entertainment OS, it's a feature of the TV service provider's own app, accessed via the Xumo Stream box. 

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Exiled-in-HH wrote:

Doesn't the Xumo box allow cloud recorrding?

Wasn't the intention at launch that the Stream platform would support full cloud recording?

It appears many broadcasters have not given permission for cloud recording to happen?

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One thing to point out is that more shows do now seem to be getting cloud recorded. I've certainly noticed in the last few weeks more shows being provided that way (particularly on ITV channels) rather than them just being a link to the show on ITV X once its available. However the thing that is missing is that it would be good if on the Program page for the show, or the TV guide it will indicate if a show can be cloud recorded or not.

[Exiled-in-HH]

So there never was and never will be .... any likelihood of local storage🤔

[Padam_Padam]

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@Exiled-in-HH wrote:

So there never was and never will be .... any likelihood of local storage🤔

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I would think it highly unlikely. Hard drive based PVRs are not really a thing in the US any more, and as Sky are owned by Comcast and seem to like this idea of being global, they're more likely to keep everything cloud based.