Sky Q vs Sky Stream vs Virgin TV360 Q&A (channels, usability and functions)

[Pogit]

Hi All

like the title suggests I'm looking for comparisons of the three services.  after looking at my billing my deals are starting to drop off £2 rise in April another £1 in July then the big ones in Aug.

So I'm looking early at my options staying with Q migrating to stream or going with Virgin my existing broadband home and mobile provider.

Sky CS vs VMO2 Customer service 
compared with VMO2 customer services Sky is by far the better option VMO2 is ok but only when you get through to UK retentions even if you only want simple questions answered. Sky's accessible team is excellent VM has no such dept.

Sky Q 
pros
 -both Sat and Streaming so best redundancy in the event of tech issues
-accessibility features finally getting better
-Apps okay but could be better
-Multiscreen fee covers all addition boxes and boosts sky go allowance
cons

-no reminders

-no auto change channels

-no 4k mini boxes

-no option to use stream pucks

-no smart tv app, for sports in the garden (or airplay etc)

-**bleep** charges for boxes that you dont own (activation and p&p £50 per box)

Sky Stream
pros
-4k multiscreen

-better apps

-91 trial period (sky learned form the Q balls up) to revert to Q

cons

-no sat redundancy (though I believe Ariel is an option on the main box?)

-equipment no longer belongs to you from this year (applies to new equipment purchases)

-extra box charges for (**bleep** connection delivery and activation charge)

-not all channels are available

VM360

pros

-I would save £27pm and get extra channels such as sports & movies included
-UHD channel (yeah ok not much, but the delivery method is superior for now stream challenges this)
-VMO2 merger type thing brings better deals and future features.
-4k additional boxes (£35 on off plus monthly fee)
-VM anywhere 

cons

-customer service is abysmal
-previous very negative experience with landline migration 
- additional box charges £35 on off plus a monthly fee

-hard to watch sky sport on additional temp devices eg big tv in the garden due to app restrictions

So can anyone give any helpful advice not covered above, Sky recently asked for accessible users to help which is very positive.  Sky isn't currently able to comment on SkyQs future though the team today was very clear it will be around for some time so the 2028/35 sat questions dont appear to be a thing any helpful hints of what may be in the pipework, i was disappointed now moved away from sky it seemed like a good way forward joint streaming and sat service under one account but they split it before it got there probably because of rights and or shared ownership.

will sky q get 4k additional boxes, will stream have sat inclusion ok I want the best of both worlds but why wouldn't I, that's why i have been a Sky and Virgin customer for over 2 decades rather than a cheaper one-point option because if I'm paying for something I want the best services not at a price I'm happy to pay for not the cheapest if i wanted that i would be solely freesat or freely as it will soon be.

sorry for the quality of this post its being done on a temp device with limited accessible features.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Pogit wrote:

Sky Stream
pros
-4k multiscreen

-better apps

-91 trial period (sky learned form the Q balls up) to revert to Q

cons

-no sat redundancy (though I believe Ariel is an option on the main box?)

Officially no: the DTTV socket in a puck isn't intended to work in the UK, though it does in the Glass television when network/internet isn't available.  There is no 'main' Stream puck: they are all the same individual standalone device.

-equipment no longer belongs to you from this year (applies to new equipment purchases)

Since February 23rd 2023

-extra box charges for (**bleep** connection delivery and activation charge)

-not all channels are available

https://www.sky.com/help/articles/tv-channel-list-sky-glass#not-available 

Sky isn't currently able to comment on SkyQs future though the team today was very clear it will be around for some time so the 2028/35 sat questions dont appear to be a thing

It's very much a thing: realistically frontline support staff will have zero visibility of strategic decision making until it's public.  If new satellites are not launched to replace the existing Astra 28.2E cluster then Sky (and Freesat) satellite dishes will have nothing to point at by the end of this decade.

any helpful hints of what may be in the pipework,

https://www.ses.com/press-release/sky-uk-renews-capacity-ses-latest-multi-year-deal 

i was disappointed now moved away from sky it seemed like a good way forward joint streaming and sat service under one account but they split it before it got there probably because of rights and or shared ownership.

Glass/Stream is a Comcast product, and Comcast is at heart a cable television company with no history in satellite broadcasting.

will sky q get 4k additional boxes,

No

will stream have sat inclusion

No

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[Pogit]

@TimmyBGood Thanks for the input, but can I just confirm your stating what is currently well known and with a little of your own oppions and that you have no direct confirmation on what future Sky (or it's replacements) will bring to exiting services in the way of future equipment models or services in the near or distant at future please? 

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@Pogit wrote:

@TimmyBGood Thanks for the input, but can I just confirm your stating what is currently well known and with a little of your own oppions and that you have no direct confirmation on what future Sky (or it's replacements) will bring to exiting services in the way of future equipment models or services in the near or distant at future please? 

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You don't need insider knowledge to know that Sky are transitioning away from satellite and going to streaming.

it was only reported in the news the other week that Sky are planning more redundancies in the upcoming months with a number of those being Sky Q installers/engineers.

Also streaming is where the broadcasters are going. Look at how many channels have either recently shut down satellite and cable broadcasting or have publicly announced plans to do so either removing services completely or moving them to sort some of streaming model.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Pogit wrote:

you have no direct confirmation on what future Sky (or it's replacements) will bring to exiting services in the way of future equipment models or services in the near or distant at future please? 

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If I did, I wouldn't be saying it here. 

That the era of satellite television broadcast, at least to the UK, is drawing to an end and consequently Q is extremely unlikely to be developed any further aren't particularly controversial opinions.

[TimmyBGood]

@Pogit 

https://news.sky.com/story/sky-to-cut-1-000-roles-this-year-amid-shift-from-satellite-services 

[Pogit]

Thanks it obvious all most consumer facing company sat rolls will be reduced,  that's not said the format or delivery via is going extinct though, so much money is being plowed into it will it's future be in resale by one mega body highly likely IMHO.  The benefits of say are clear stil.

Sky any others obviously won't and in some aspects can't comment on a public form on ideas or not launched products.  But they can let customers old and new have an idea of the future so we can both plan and express a desire or even need for a specific part off any future service.  

the midrange picture is so vague atm no consumer has a clue at what's in the short term future let alone mid or long term.  

we need to be brought back into product design because the end user is being completely forgotten in current tech by all companies.  Every single aspect of tech has lost its focus and this the end user! 

[TimmyBGood]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@Pogit wrote:

will sky q get 4k additional boxes,

No

will stream have sat inclusion

No

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UHD Mini boxes would require a new model of main Q box, and cannibalise the market for Glass/Stream.  Given Q is now eight years old, UHD Minis would have happened long before now if they were going to be a thing.

A Stream puck simply has no space for a satellite feed in its current form factor, and adding one would be pointless in the future absence of orbiting broadcast platforms.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Pogit wrote:

Thanks it obvious all most consumer facing company sat rolls will be reduced,  that's not said the format or delivery via is going extinct though, so much money is being plowed into it

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Certainly, but that's almost all either earth observation or internet delivery platforms (plus Russian nukes, moonshots and Jeff B planning his secret base on Mars) rather than for television broadcast.

SES has announced two upcoming launches for the European mainland market at 19.2E, one of which is a data bird, but nothing for the UK at 28.2E

[MarkGoldsmith]

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@TimmyBGood wrote:

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@Pogit wrote:

will sky q get 4k additional boxes,

No

will stream have sat inclusion

No

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UHD Mini boxes would require a new model of main Q box, and cannibalise the market for Glass/Stream.  Given Q is now eight years old, UHD Minis would have happened long before now if they were going to be a thing.

A Stream puck simply has no space for a satellite feed in its current form factor, and adding one would be pointless in the future absence of orbiting broadcast platforms.

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In addition anythine satellite related would require Sky to not be reducing their headcount in this area. If Sky were looking to continue to invest or support satelliete based broadcasting in the medium to long term they certainly wouldn't be making the number of cuts as detailed in the link provided earlier.