Sky Q is the best TV service in the UK today, with Sky TV delivering a brilliant mixture of top-rate hardware, an expansive content library and best-in-class ease of use.
There is a reason why in our Sky Q review we said that Sky TV delivers "a supreme viewing experience" and that it is the "greatest entertainment system going today". Sky Q got a maximum score of 5 stars, naturally.
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Well, thanks to a brand new update that rolls out from today (roll out will be complete by August 12th, 2020), Sky Q and the whole Sky TV experience is about to get even better.
That's because a host of smart new features are delivered by this massive summer Sky TV update, and here we break them down and explain what they do, so you'll be ready to use them when they land.
Sky TV update on Sky Q: Expanded view
A new expanded view UI is being introduced in the Sky Q update, which makes more room for discovery and TV inspiration. The static, left-hand-side-mounted menu bar is now being replaced with a dynamic one that can collapse entirely (see above pic), freeing up a third more space on screen to visually browse content.
As a result it is now even easier to see the content you are browsing, which can included TV, film, online videos, podcasts, music and games.
Sky TV update on Sky Q: Show centre
Another new Sky TV addition on Sky Q is that each show now has its own 'show centre'. Show centres are go-to destinations where users can find every available episode as well as any related content such as recordings, broadcast schedules and on-demand links.
In addition, there is also a new smart button that has been designed to make getting to an episode of a shower quicker and easier than ever before. It works like this – if you're halfway through a show episode the smart button will say, for example, 'continue ep. 3', meanwhile if you have just finished an episode, it will recommend the next instead.
This contextual button will switch between continue, delete, watch from the start, play, or next episode commands depending on what is most useful.
Sky TV update on Sky Q: Sports centres
This new feature in the Sky Q update will definitely please sports fans, with 'sports centres' now grouping together and displaying all the latest games, news, fixtures, podcasts, documentaries and tables in an easy to use, heavily visual way.
It's easy to get stuck in to as well, simply say "football" into the Sky Q voice remote and you are immediately taken to a sports centre that draws together live and on demand football content from channels and apps including Sky Sports, Sky Sports App, BT Sport, terrestrial channels, YouTube and Spotify.
What's best about sport centre is that everything on right now is displayed on one screen, meaning that there is no need to drop in and out of apps or scroll. Sports centres extend to a whole range of sports as well, including football, cricket, F1, golf, boxing, tennis and more.
Sky TV update to Sky Q: Voice discovery
The new Sky TV update to Sky Q also upgrades the system's voice discovery functionality, making it more intuitive. Now users can ask content selections based on themes, genres, actors and more in combination. So, for example, you can ask the Sky Q system "thrillers with Nicole Kidman" and the appropriate selection of content will then be displayed.
Shortly entertainment themes are coming as well meaning you can ask for "new shows", "Halloween" or "Christmas" to be presented with Sky's full offering.
Sky TV update to Sky Q: HDR content
Finally, following Sky Q getting its first HDR content earlier in 2020, the amount of content the platform delivers has just expanded considerably. This is because Disney+ is now available in HDR through Sky Q and, also, over the next few months Sky Nature shows, Sky originals and Sky Cinema movies will also be watchable in HDR, too.
HDR live sport is also been scheduled to arrive in 2021, so sports fans can look forward to even more immersive content in the new year.
Speaking on the announcement of the new Sky Q update, Fraser Stirling, Group Chief Product Officer for Sky said that:
“We’ve redesigned Sky Q to make it even smarter, simpler and better at aggregating all of the TV and app content you love into one place. A new-look UI, improved voice search and more intuitive navigation make everything easier to find without having to search around, so you can get to the next episode of Succession, a brilliant football podcast, or choose from the most popular British dramas easily.
“And we’re not stopping there, the tech team behind Sky Q and Sky Go are working hard on loads of new updates that we’ll be rolling out every few months, so you can expect your Sky TV experience to keep getting better.”
For even more inforamtion about Sky Q and this latest update please visit Sky's official website.
