Has anyone taken the plunge with this? I noticed they are now offering it to those without Sky Broadband and am very tempted.
Yep. Took the plunge as soon as it came out and was installed in first week of rollout. Currently two boxes and will have a third one added once man cave is created later this year.
The user interface is superb and snap to use. Sound quality is superb which feeds nicely into surround system. Now have 4K telly so looking forward to the UHD content when it launches later in the year.
I am having it installed next week. Our house needs more tuners as we are invariably recording two channels when we want to watch a third but the ability to multiform without cables does it for me. It works through Powerline internet connections in other rooms so should be reliable although I am a bit concerned by Jimmy's experience. The bit about "boosting your wifi signal" in other rooms was interesting to me but apparently that only works if you have Sky Broadband. I am working on the basis that this was a sales ploy to flog Sky Broadband to those really desperate to get Q first because you can install Powerline internet boosters yourself around the house fairly cheaply and very easily. I am wondering if Jimmy doesn't have Sky broadband and they haven't provided them for him as a result? If so, there's a bit of a chink in Sky Q's plan if it relies upon a strong Wifi signal from your non-Sky (BT) internet provider? I am guessing that under threat of anyone cancelling a mini-box because of poor signal, they would send you Powerline devices themselves to ensure you keep the extra service?
The other change of course, is that you rent the boxes now instead of buy them. This was always a bit of a con because Sky would always send you a replacement if your box packed up, assuming you were a good Customer, rather than let you cancel your subscription because your box was faulty and you didn't want to pay for other. All those Sky Box Insurance sellers are a complete joke and waste of time.
@Cardinal Sin I do have Sky Broadband. I was about to switch to BT as the cost is the same, only I wanted BT Sports (I really dislike BT and work for Sky but I really want the Champs League).
But now I've got it, I'm seeing not real practical benefit, in my house at least, of having the wifi boost thing. I'm not even convinced it's working properly. I mean, I'm in the bedroom as I type this with a mini box six feet away and the silver box ten feet below me, and I've got 2of3 bars on my wi-if signal.
The dodgy box downstairs - at one point that stopped working every time I watched a video on my phone! I do accept though that these are teething issues, as I know first hand they rushed this a bit.
@JiMMy 85 I think I already know the answer to this but I'll ask the expert anyway
As a full premium package HD, multiroom, you name it I've got it Sky customer as far as TV goes I'm on BT infinity though and won't be switching that over. What does this mean for me? I read it last night I might save a couple of quid but I'm not 100% I'll save if I'm not with sky for the broadband. What's the black and white answer mate?
I completely understand if I won't save as Sky don't give stuff away and understandably they want to keep their share of the fixed line broadband and tv market but like I say, thought it best I ask the master
Jimmy - that's a bit worrying if you are struggling on Sky Broadband - have they given you Powerline adaptors? If so, the TV at least should be working on Ethernet not Wireless. Ironically, I work for BT , but Sky is still the leading TV product by some way - I am not interested in the Champions League
I ordered it last week so, its a couple of weeks away for me. As an old customer of over 10 years they gave me an extra £100 off. So I had another mini box.
I finally got it last Friday. Not going well to be honest.
It all started with an issue with the communal dish. Once I explained I don't live in a flat and it's a communal dish serving numerous detached houses Sky told me to go via an outsourcing company for the install. They arrived last week, did the work and warned me the signal might not be the strongest. I took a chance and now have 7 channels. 1,2,3,4,5, Sky sports news and some random Discovery shite that seems to only show "Women who murdered".
Apparently the issue is with the fibre cabling between my house and the dish....so now I am waiting for a man to come round tomorrow and run some tests.
I do have the Catch Up services so can download most things we want to watch BUT my main box has crashed 4 times in 6 days and required a reset.
And there are quite a few bugs that they need to iron out quickly.
So, if you lose your internet connection, does that mean no Sky ?
Nope.
You only require an Internet connection for on-demand, streamed services. Live TV is still through the dish. The mini-boxes connect over wifi to the nearest wifi source - either the sky broadband hub, the main box or another mini-box. They also act as wifi repeaters. Eventually the boxes will be able to connect via a power line Ethernet connection over the home mains ring. Not sure when that will be live/enabled but should make the connection somewhat easier if wifi coverage around the house is variable.
My kids rely on the Sky Go + service, currently I can have 4 devices hooked up. Can you still have Sky Go with the new Q service?
I don't know if I'm in a cross over period between old Sky cancelling and Q coming into effect, but my Sky Go still works...Not sure if it will continue too. However, there is a Sky Q app which is essentially the same as Sky Go with the added bonus of being able to download stuff from your planner on to your device and watching it on the move. Same number of registered devices as Sky Go I believe and I'm fairly certain there is no limit on devices you can use in the home beyond what the box is capable of streaming.
My kids rely on the Sky Go + service, currently I can have 4 devices hooked up. Can you still have Sky Go with the new Q service?
I don't know if I'm in a cross over period between old Sky cancelling and Q coming into effect, but my Sky Go still works...Not sure if it will continue too. However, there is a Sky Q app which is essentially the same as Sky Go with the added bonus of being able to download stuff from your planner on to your device and watching it on the move. Same number of registered devices as Sky Go I believe and I'm fairly certain there is no limit on devices you can use in the home beyond what the box is capable of streaming.
I think I was told two tablets or smart phones. I didn't take much notice of that bit but I'm sure I was told something like that and you could download to them and watch anywhere in the world.
@JiMMy 85 I think I already know the answer to this but I'll ask the expert anyway
As a full premium package HD, multiroom, you name it I've got it Sky customer as far as TV goes I'm on BT infinity though and won't be switching that over. What does this mean for me? I read it last night I might save a couple of quid but I'm not 100% I'll save if I'm not with sky for the broadband. What's the black and white answer mate?
I completely understand if I won't save as Sky don't give stuff away and understandably they want to keep their share of the fixed line broadband and tv market but like I say, thought it best I ask the master
I had real trouble understanding this at first but as far as I can tell, you won't have the bonus of the mini boxes providing extra wi-fi coverage, and overall it will cost you more per month (I don't know how they do that calculation, it seems like alchemy, but that's the upshot). I only pay a very small amount for it, but the inconsistency of the wi-fi is making me consider going back to BT (despite having about the worst possible customer experience two years ago).
Jimmy - that's a bit worrying if you are struggling on Sky Broadband - have they given you Powerline adaptors? If so, the TV at least should be working on Ethernet not Wireless. Ironically, I work for BT , but Sky is still the leading TV product by some way - I am not interested in the Champions League
They haven't given me any extras to fix it yet. Hopefully installer #3 will give me something that boosts the signal. The strange thing is that everything works except the Video picture itself. I can see the planner and menus etc. but can't watch anything. Even the installer hadn't seen that before. A new HD cable seemed to help but I suspect that was coincidence.
Had this for 2 weeks now and when it is working it is excellent. Had a few "buggy" type issues. First two days the TV planner vanished around 11.45pm and didn't reappear till the morning. Have had to reboot the mini-box a couple of times as it has lost connection and have also had to reboot the main box once as I was getting a "no satellite" signal message. Not issues I've had with the old HD setup. 6.5/10 so far.
Had this for 2 weeks now and when it is working it is excellent. Had a few "buggy" type issues. First two days the TV planner vanished around 11.45pm and didn't reappear till the morning. Have had to reboot the mini-box a couple of times as it has lost connection and have also had to reboot the main box once as I was getting a "no satellite" signal message. Not issues I've had with the old HD setup. 6.5/10 so far.
We had a few bugs at the start but that's sorted itself out now. Still afew niggles and I don't agree with their wifi boosting claims because mine is worse on the top floor than it was on the old router.
Still hate the fact you can't see if you have viewed a program Still hate the fact that you can't start it at a set point in the program - you have to fast forward it to the point you want. Still don't think the remote is ever going to get as easy to use as the old one. And don't get me started on that touchpad!
Had this for 2 weeks now and when it is working it is excellent. Had a few "buggy" type issues. First two days the TV planner vanished around 11.45pm and didn't reappear till the morning. Have had to reboot the mini-box a couple of times as it has lost connection and have also had to reboot the main box once as I was getting a "no satellite" signal message. Not issues I've had with the old HD setup. 6.5/10 so far.
We had a few bugs at the start but that's sorted itself out now. Still afew niggles and I don't agree with their wifi boosting claims because mine is worse on the top floor than it was on the old router.
Still hate the fact you can't see if you have viewed a program Still hate the fact that you can't start it at a set point in the program - you have to fast forward it to the point you want. Still don't think the remote is ever going to get as easy to use as the old one. And don't get me started on that touchpad!
I'm gradually getting used to the Bluetooth remote.
Took the batteries out of the main remote cos it kept doing stuff on its own.
There will be plenty of software updates to improve the interface (I can't believe we can't join a show that's being recorded and press rewind without going to the planner).
My downstairs box only works 50% of the time. It would appear me sitting near it causes it to fail the connection.
The extended wi-fi thing is still pathetic, given that it's supposed to be a massive improvement and it's actually the opposite in my house.
Had this for 2 weeks now and when it is working it is excellent. Had a few "buggy" type issues. First two days the TV planner vanished around 11.45pm and didn't reappear till the morning. Have had to reboot the mini-box a couple of times as it has lost connection and have also had to reboot the main box once as I was getting a "no satellite" signal message. Not issues I've had with the old HD setup. 6.5/10 so far.
Still hate the fact you can't see if you have viewed a program - There are coloured bars under the thumbnail of the show that tell you how far in you got, depending on which part of the menu you are in.
Also, in case you haven't noticed
- you can skip through the TV guide by hitting fast forward/ rewind
- You can turn your TV off by holding the power button down on the remote.
- If you bring up the timeline in a recording, you can skip in 20% chunks by hitting left or right. Just don't accidentally join the live show if it's still recording, cos then you can't rewind without going back through the menus.
I think I'll give it another 6 months, wait for a January sale or something similar on it and wait for the bugs etc to get sorted out a bit more before I jump in
Had this for 2 weeks now and when it is working it is excellent. Had a few "buggy" type issues. First two days the TV planner vanished around 11.45pm and didn't reappear till the morning. Have had to reboot the mini-box a couple of times as it has lost connection and have also had to reboot the main box once as I was getting a "no satellite" signal message. Not issues I've had with the old HD setup. 6.5/10 so far.
We had a few bugs at the start but that's sorted itself out now. Still afew niggles and I don't agree with their wifi boosting claims because mine is worse on the top floor than it was on the old router.
Still hate the fact you can't see if you have viewed a program Still hate the fact that you can't start it at a set point in the program - you have to fast forward it to the point you want. Still don't think the remote is ever going to get as easy to use as the old one. And don't get me started on that touchpad!
Agree with all 4 of your points. I cant believe Sky will not address these sometime soon. And that bloody useless touchpad, its cheap and nasty crap. I've got a Logitech hub remote which I have programmed to work all the AV stuff, the iPad/iPod app works a little better than Skys supplied remote.
So, thought I'd bump this. Still 6/10 for me. Silver Box in the living room works very well and I'm very happy, but have daily issues with the two mini boxes upstairs.
They rolled out a software update about a week ago and that fixed issues with the TV guide vanishing, however I am now getting constant signal drop outs and bluescreens with an error telling me there is a connection issue. I know the main box has to be connected to your router and then the mini boxes connect via wifi. Up until the software update I'd never seen the issue before so not buying the Sky claim that it must be a poor wifi connection.
Have tested the wifi speed in both bedrooms and it is fine.
Anyone else seen this issue and if yes how did you resolve it?
I needed a special signal booster in the end, but I tend to have problems if the XBox is on at the same time (which was a bugger as I had Sky running though the XB). Ultimately other items can interfere.
Comments
Mainly looking forward to UHD hopefully in the summer....but extra tuners will be very useful.
There was a loyalty reduction of £100 if you've been with them for more than 10 years.
The user interface is superb and snap to use. Sound quality is superb which feeds nicely into surround system.
Now have 4K telly so looking forward to the UHD content when it launches later in the year.
£50 for the box and an extra £11 a month
The other change of course, is that you rent the boxes now instead of buy them. This was always a bit of a con because Sky would always send you a replacement if your box packed up, assuming you were a good Customer, rather than let you cancel your subscription because your box was faulty and you didn't want to pay for other. All those Sky Box Insurance sellers are a complete joke and waste of time.
I think that they can be hard wired together if wireless connectivity is iffy.
But now I've got it, I'm seeing not real practical benefit, in my house at least, of having the wifi boost thing. I'm not even convinced it's working properly. I mean, I'm in the bedroom as I type this with a mini box six feet away and the silver box ten feet below me, and I've got 2of3 bars on my wi-if signal.
The dodgy box downstairs - at one point that stopped working every time I watched a video on my phone! I do accept though that these are teething issues, as I know first hand they rushed this a bit.
As a full premium package HD, multiroom, you name it I've got it Sky customer as far as TV goes I'm on BT infinity though and won't be switching that over. What does this mean for me? I read it last night I might save a couple of quid but I'm not 100% I'll save if I'm not with sky for the broadband. What's the black and white answer mate?
I completely understand if I won't save as Sky don't give stuff away and understandably they want to keep their share of the fixed line broadband and tv market but like I say, thought it best I ask the master
As an old customer of over 10 years they gave me an extra £100 off. So I had another mini box.
It all started with an issue with the communal dish. Once I explained I don't live in a flat and it's a communal dish serving numerous detached houses Sky told me to go via an outsourcing company for the install. They arrived last week, did the work and warned me the signal might not be the strongest. I took a chance and now have 7 channels. 1,2,3,4,5, Sky sports news and some random Discovery shite that seems to only show "Women who murdered".
Apparently the issue is with the fibre cabling between my house and the dish....so now I am waiting for a man to come round tomorrow and run some tests.
I do have the Catch Up services so can download most things we want to watch BUT my main box has crashed 4 times in 6 days and required a reset.
And there are quite a few bugs that they need to iron out quickly.
You only require an Internet connection for on-demand, streamed services. Live TV is still through the dish.
The mini-boxes connect over wifi to the nearest wifi source - either the sky broadband hub, the main box or another mini-box. They also act as wifi repeaters.
Eventually the boxes will be able to connect via a power line Ethernet connection over the home mains ring. Not sure when that will be live/enabled but should make the connection somewhat easier if wifi coverage around the house is variable.
Ultimately you can have 4 miniboxes in your house but it is currently limited to 2
Still hate the fact you can't see if you have viewed a program
Still hate the fact that you can't start it at a set point in the program - you have to fast forward it to the point you want.
Still don't think the remote is ever going to get as easy to use as the old one.
And don't get me started on that touchpad!
No reminders is big pain in the arse as well.
There will be plenty of software updates to improve the interface (I can't believe we can't join a show that's being recorded and press rewind without going to the planner).
My downstairs box only works 50% of the time. It would appear me sitting near it causes it to fail the connection.
The extended wi-fi thing is still pathetic, given that it's supposed to be a massive improvement and it's actually the opposite in my house. Also, in case you haven't noticed
- you can skip through the TV guide by hitting fast forward/ rewind
- You can turn your TV off by holding the power button down on the remote.
- If you bring up the timeline in a recording, you can skip in 20% chunks by hitting left or right. Just don't accidentally join the live show if it's still recording, cos then you can't rewind without going back through the menus.
And that bloody useless touchpad, its cheap and nasty crap. I've got a Logitech hub remote which I have programmed to work all the AV stuff, the iPad/iPod app works a little better than Skys supplied remote.
They rolled out a software update about a week ago and that fixed issues with the TV guide vanishing, however I am now getting constant signal drop outs and bluescreens with an error telling me there is a connection issue. I know the main box has to be connected to your router and then the mini boxes connect via wifi. Up until the software update I'd never seen the issue before so not buying the Sky claim that it must be a poor wifi connection.
Have tested the wifi speed in both bedrooms and it is fine.
Anyone else seen this issue and if yes how did you resolve it?