When Sky launched Sky Glass towards the end of 2021, critics asked why there isn’t a way of enjoying Sky TV over broadband on a smart Television in UK. We finally have a device of this kind in Sky Stream, a simple web device that is connected to your existing setup. Furthermore, it mainly suits our expectations.
Buy a small Sky stream Puck for a set-up price of £39.95. Once the puck is delivered, all you need to do is plug it in, connect it to the TV using its HDMI cable, then connect that to your internet to access Sky Sports outside the UK. The best part is that you can take that device while you’re traveling outside UK to enjoy all the sports events.
Read On and learn all about the amazing Sky Stream Puck, the finest TV device to stream Sky Sports on your television set.
Sky Stream Puck
Sky Stream is essentially two traits in a device – the Sky Stream puck as well as a comprehensive web application. Although the device has been available for a while, the service is novel and features a distinct pricing and subscription mechanism.
This is due to the puck being an exact copy of the multiroom monitoring device which Sky Glass subscribers are presented with. Realistically speaking, it needs Glass to operate within this scenario, but first, it requires a Sky login to be established for Glass. The Sky Stream puck now can separately run on a label (or existing) Sky ID and be customized if needed.
It is a compact gadget, approximately the size of an older Roku set-top console or perhaps an Amazon Fire TV. The voice control which is included is much bigger.
Only a USB port, an HDMI port, and an Ethernet connection are the sole connections, making the connection setup simple. Furthermore, a digital TV antenna connection is present, although it is not employed in any way and has not been powered on.
There is a Wi-Fi 6 on board that has an amazing internet speed, stable digital connector to the routers, thus using the cable internet connection is not necessary (however we do encourage it).
The CPU within the puck, that Sky has not yet disclosed, is very efficient since it functions quickly and effectively. Additionally, the gadget does have the ability to manage 4K HDR (Dolby Vision) visual output with Dolby Atmos sound projection.
Usage concept
Setting up the Sky Stream puck is simple. Plug in the power cable, the bundled HDMI lead, on your TV set or soundbar. Now, you’re prepared to go. This only takes a couple of minutes, and it will take you to an on-screen guide.
Regarding wire internet access, you can however employ the Ethernet connection; alternatively, you can build up a device to access wirelessly. It’s significant to make the point that Sky offers a minimum 10Mbps download bandwidth with HD content (the service’s standard) or 30Mbps with 4K HD & Dolby Atmos. Furthermore, bear in mind the latter is exclusively offered as a premium add-on (with Dolby Atmos, and the UHD package costs £6/month).
Sky Basic TV, the registration package which combines alongside Sky Stream, provides over 30,000 on-demand and live shows, making it more than enough to get began. Most of the elements of common computer linear TV are also included, along with a subscription to Sky’s entertainment like Sky Showcase and Sky Atlantic. You can add additional screens, high definition or 4K playback, or a sizable number of other Sky bundle.
This includes BT Sport, Sky Cinema, Sky Sports, and Sky Sports Kids. Of course, each one will cost an extra, in addition to any external third-party streaming apps; among applications that are available for installation are Prime Video, Paramount+, Apple TV+, Discovery+, and Disney+.
After you have a subscription to a few, the content would be incorporated into the overall user interface (UI). You can also browse such apps directly into an applications rail which is situated further below the webpage. Several applications are available too, namely Peloton, Spotify, and YouTube.
There are various irregularities with included applications & Channel 5’s My 5 is suspiciously missing. Although Apple TV+ enables both, it won’t allow users to browse material bought via Apple’s online store (only the TV+ series and movies), Disney+ appears to include Dolby Vision and not Dolby Atmos. You can forgive a few exclusions since they load & play quickly and smoothly, which would be superior to Sky Q in my perspective.
Voice Command
Over the years, Sky has significantly improved its speech recognition technology throughout its platforms, and Sky Stream certainly gets the benefit.
Voice searching and command work extremely well throughout the remote controller. The box usually responds if you only hit the button & ask for a program, actor, or activity. It will find applications, programs, and snippets from a wide range of websites, like YouTube videos or streaming choices.
There will be even more in the future, including one direction like “Play Brassic” immediately going to a program instead of displaying the page with its separate content. They’ll be part of the next software updates. Whenever it comes to voice commands, it’s difficult to attribute Sky’s vision, and the simplicity of operation is much applauded.
Sound and Picture Quality
The Sky Stream puck’s AV functionality is its last, but perhaps most significant, characteristic, and we must admit that we are quite satisfied.
Likewise, Glass Sky opted to only serve HD editions on live Television channels, causing you to skip a few of your preferences, particularly if you like commercial channels. Also, there are no +1 stations as everything is currently accessible on request, while Sky lets you hop upon a station during a live telecast and re-join from the start.
However, the visual appearance is always excellent owing to the deletion of standard definition across the line (even Netflix Basic currently opens at 720p).
The image and sound quality are great throughout, but it works best with a Dolby Atmos speaker, 4K HDR TV, or Sky’s UHD add-on. Live F1 events and Ultra HD sports broadcasts are both outstanding on Sky Sports.
Like any native smart TV counterpart, Netflix, Amazon Prime videos, or other platforms or app content is presented in a similar style.
Only one glitch is, after a televised football match transitioned to advertisements & returned to the station, the AV device was unable to receive a Dolby signal immediately.
Conclusion
Sky Stream might not be the all-dancing, all-singing platform Sky Q is, this does take a little longer to take hold on. Nevertheless, there are plenty of other advantages.
Outstanding quality and particularly user-friendly & slick user interface. The Queue feature does have a small training time, however, once you work it out, it’s very easy to use.
It makes perfect sense for those who want exposure to Sky Sports or Sky’s other subscription programming in 4K but are unable to install a tv antenna or do not wish to do so.
So overall, I give the Sky Stream device a thumbs up. It’s a compelling alternative to Sky Q if you desire Sky Sports in 4K and you have a TV that you do not wish to upgrade with Sky Glass.
