It really is awful. I called Sky and listed the below problems:
- Fforward function is terrible and varies hugely between channels. Forwarding programmes on Sky channels is a nightmare- you just can't tell where you're up to in the process. charging £5 a month for something that doesn't work is a joke.
-Watching UHD/HDR films/programmes on Prime and Apple+ through the Sky Stream puck is far inferior regarding picture quality compared to watching these directly through the platform apps-charging £6 a month for something that doesn't work is a joke. Worth noting that you don't pay extra for this with Prime or Apple+. Netflix does charge extra which is odd as they are affiliated with Sky Sky Stream. So the partners have come together but charge extra individually for this!
-Dolby Atmos- Sky Stream online literature states that a film/programme synopsis tells us if it is Dolby Atmos. This isn't the case. There is no way of knowing if it is Dolby Atmos until you hit play and wait for your TV to tell you. Also, from what I can tell, there are very few films/programmes in this format. Charging £6 a month (UHD/Dolby Atmos package) for something that doesn't work is a joke. Worth noting that you don't pay extra for Dolby Atmos with Prime or Apple+. Netflix does charge extra for their equivalent (spatial audio) which again is odd as they are affiliated with Sky Stream. So the partners have come together but charge extra individually for this!
-Aggregation- if you voice search, Sky Stream, it apparently aggregates all platforms through which you can watch what you have searched for . This is a blatant lie. Try searching for Jaws (the first film) for example. It will only come up with Sky Cinema as an option but it's available for free on Prime Video and Netflix. A couple of weeks ago, you could rent all of the Harry Potter films on Sky Store but they were available on Prime as part of your subscription. Voice searching for Harry Potter on Sky Stream only brought up the Sky Store option! Very naughty! It's now also available on Netflix and Sky Cinema but the search will only bring up the Sky Cinema option. You could go into the other apps individually and search but isn't Sky Stream's main selling point that you avoid having to do this by carrying out only one search?
Playlist- if you voice search a film/programme, it appears as a tile which you can then add to your playlist. True, but not if your film/programme only appears on Netflix. In this case, you are taken directly to Netflix and the film/programme starts. You can't add it to the playlist at this point. You would think that it would automatically appear on Sky Stream's continue watching rail and that you could add it to playlist from there but it doesn't - not until the next day anyway. Considering Sky Stream is in partnership with Netflix, this is a big flaw.
Programme information- if you're watching something from playlist or in any way that is not live TV, and you press the appropriate button on the remote to see how far along you are, the film/programme title should also appear. Sadly, more often than not it will give you the title and channel of a random programme currently airing on live TV. E.g. I was watching Succession, pressed the upward part of the central ring on the remote to see how far along I was and it said I was watching Coronation Street on ITV 1
The Sky operator's response to all of the above was that my internet was probably too slow (once she'd ascertained that I don't have Sky broadband) and that too many devices are probably running at the same time. My speed averages at 73 mbps with Sky Stream and iPad running concurrently and I live alone (no sarcastic comments please, I very rarely complain about stuff, I promise!). She then said that having add-ons such as ad skipping and UHD/Dolby Atmos will affect Sky Stream's functionality and quality of output. So her response to the above complaints was to blame my internet and me for taking advantage of the paid-for add-ons. All very strange as the Sky Stream online literature recommends minimum speeds of 25 mbps as of May 2023 and doesn't warn that the paid-for add-ons will detrimentally affect quality.
On the plus side, I have been allowed to cancel within my 18 month contract without incurring any charges.
