Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Thought i would start a thread about the functionality or lack thereof of Sky's new flagship service Q

Likes

I like the look ,it looks modern and smooth more graphic than the text ridden Sky+.

I like the functionality of the mini box when compared to the old multiroom box.

I like not having a cable for each box going through the walls

I like not having to connect an Ethernet cable to receive on demand .

Picture quality is fantastic even on a mid range panasonic tv like mine

I like the new router ,it seems much faster and as yet have no problems with connectivity considering everything is now wifi (tv,sky Q connections, NAS ,phones ,2 laptops and 2 computers)

I like the sideways scrolling of the menu ,very fast and smooth

Dislikes

The new menu layout is inefficient it is full of unnecessary actions to get to different parts of the menu ,example ,it now takes 4 button pushes/swipes to get to categories in the tv guide

The Q silver box can fry eggs it gets that hot

As a premium product there is a lot missing that we had with the old Sky+ ,things like reminders,favourites and many, many more functions

There is no stop button on the remote ,if you let the recording go to the end on it's own it does not stop it pauses which means that the Q box thinks you are still watching it and won't let you delete it .The only solution i have found is to rewind a little ,use the 'dismiss' button to exit the recording and then delete (more unnecessary button pushes)

Why didn't Sky make the remotes with rechargeable batteries all this extra button pushing and swiping is going to tear through batteries.


'TV guide' button has been removed and replaced with a 'home' button,the first page in the menu is some obscure listing called 'top picks' ,this consists of stuff sky want you to watch not the stuff i want to watch ,the actual tv guide is buried 3 pages away from the home screen

There are no on screen hints .The Sky+ menu would tell what coloured button to press for +/- 24hrs ,favourites etc ,now you have to watch a help video to find out how to do stuff that was intuitive in sky+

Why does the Sky button on the remote go to recordings and not the tv guide or even better given that it is supposed to be a premium product why not make it user configurable so i can choose what the button does .

Conclusion

Overall i like it and it has huge potential to be awesome, but it is needing a lot more work to make it the flagship product Sky are selling it as .I understand that Sky+ did not start out as it is now it took quite a few years to get to where it is now but quite honestly that should have been the starting point for Q ,instead quite a lot of the functionality has been removed and as it stands it is a backward step .

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Like anything new things will change over time , Sky can see which areas are being used and requested the most going forward expect changes.

My use differs from yours as I rarely use the TV guide these days.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Just a thought for the mods ,is it worth having another sub forum for Sky Q

---------- Post added at 15:07 ---------- Previous post was at 15:00 ----------

What seems evident is that the whole menu system is geared towards on demand content ,it seems to take priority over all other functions ,for example ,as soon as you press home the first thing in the list going down (which is the natural way of looking at menus) is box sets then Cinema followed by Sky Store ,the actual TV guide is buried way up and almost invisible right at the top of the screen above catch Up TV

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I see you mentioned reminders, remember when TiVo came out and there were no reminders where as V+ had them. VM eventually had them added for people that still missed them.

I guess Sky think people don't need them as anything can be recorded with ease now.

I would have thought the Sky button did the same as it used to and go to the main menu. Having a recordings button on TiVo is one thing I would have thought Sky Q would have had?

Is it fast and more responsive than TiVo though? Thats the biggy

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Home button brings up home page with all the options

Sky button takes you directly to your recordings

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

This is where i think Sky missed a trick ,they could have had the Sky button go anywhere the user wishes because as you said earlier different people have different priorities in their viewing habits .Some may like to go straight to the TV guide others may wish to go straight to on demand .

Of course you have to know it is a button first ,because of the design it looks just like the Sky logo ,2 days before i realised :D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Bad news. I had Philips DVD recorder (DVDR75) that was like that. Died very quickly with expensive laser failure. Heat is the worst enemy of sophisticated electronics.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I never had Tivo but many on the Sky forums reckon it's blisteringly fast in comparison .

Have to say i never use reminders but it seems a strange thing to leave out given it's so easy to include

---------- Post added at 17:58 ---------- Previous post was at 17:55 ----------

Cook a joint of beef when watching UHD content :( i think in the interest of H&S it needs looking at .The heat seems concentrated on the left side

---------- Post added at 18:05 ---------- Previous post was at 17:58 ----------

Oh and another thing can someone please tell me what the point of 'My Q ' is ,i thought it may be for suggestions or favourites but you don't get those with Q ,all it appears to do is keep half watched recordings that you forgot to delete

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Mile faster and more responsive.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Can you make the epg talk / large print?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

There is audio description for some programs if that's what you mean

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

No, but I have updated the title of this one.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

For example my tv reads out loud what's on now/next and subtitles. When the info / subtitles are on screen.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I don't think it goes that far, as far as i know it's just an additional commentary on the action in the program

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Well cheers anyway :tu:

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

in addition the touch remote will be getting voice control later this year

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

There may be other new stuff sooner ;)

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

ooh do tell

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

You'll not have long to wait

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

There should be a law against what you are doing ;).

Any hoo i'm about to order another mini box for the bedroom because despite the changes from Sky+ it is an excellent platform and knocks spots of Virgin .Also i am really tempted to sign up for Sky Movies, ditch Now TV and suck up the price difference just to get the UHD picture quality which is outstanding

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

just taken Sky cinema at half price for 6 months £9.00

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I got a similar deal on Sky Sports and Cinema recently.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I get my Q on the 16th. Just looking though and the Sky channel numbers and grouping seem even worse than VMs.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

If I'm honest I don't watch much live tv these days with the exception of Sport and I know those channel numbers and go direct , I also tend to only watch HD/UHD these days so I generally just browse through the HD section.

I use search more often than not these days when scheduling recordings plus top picks and new series is pretty helpful.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I know what you mean and to make things worse there isn't any favourites anymore ,plenty of people asking on the community forum ,it seems to be a big mis so it may be added at the next update .The only blessing is that there is a separate listing for HD and UHD

---------- Post added at 20:42 ---------- Previous post was at 20:39 ----------

I love the way the films have all been put on demand so much better than a fixed epg and the picture quality justifies the extra cost over Now tv

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

All I can say is that if there are things you'd like to see feed it back on the Sky Community forum , the posts are actively monitored by the development team obviously this is still no guarantee they'll change things but the more who ask the greater the chance.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Am I right in saying that the HD variants of 1-5 are all over the place too?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Yep ,it does help having a separate listing for HD though ,as long as you remember it's there ......which i don't :)

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

That's down to regulation at the moment nothing to do with Sky.

102 is BBC 2 HD
105 is C5 HD

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

For me, channel ordering is a significant issue and one I've always been critical of on cable as well as Sky. I am very cautious about cancelling VM to go to Sky for this very reason.

I am surprised more people don't complain about this issue because what's the point of having loads of channels if you can't find them?

On Freeview, I've always ordered the channels exactly as I want them and on what channel numbers I want. I wish there was more flexibility to do the same on the pay platforms too.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

According to you this won't be a problem for too long as people move away from pay linear channels.:D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I remember old NTL software used to allow you to move channels about. I wish Sky Q would add the option.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Agreed but it will never happen as the Sky EPG is heavily regulated.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

What about saving the channels as favourites, would that not make it easier? :)

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

You can on Sky+HD however Sky Q doesn't currently have the favourites option.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Well whilst you're busy stressing out about channel numbers I've had SkyQ installed and enjoyed some UHD Movies on demand and looking forward to UHD football this weekend.

I watch the channels, not the channel numbers.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

what's your verdict on the quality

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Like most content variable , The Blacklist looks good in UHD as does the football.

I'm very impressed with how quick the UHD On Demand content becomes available almost instantly on my Sky Fibre connection.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Does anyone have images of the inteface, does it still list your recordings, and their status, particularly "Viewed" ?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Interesting to note that all the UHD content in films has been remastered so presumably there is some catching up to with the film/program makers.

---------- Post added at 19:15 ---------- Previous post was at 19:08 ----------

I've just had a quick look at my recordings some watched some still to watch and no there is no way to see what has been viewed or part viewed .My biggest gripe with Q is that i feel the interface needs a complete redesign ,far too many unnecessary button pressings to get into certain parts of the menu there is no back button .User friendly it is not


I would consider Sky Q as a work in progress

---------- Post added at 19:42 ---------- Previous post was at 19:15 ----------

Correction ,had to search this solution on the Sky forum

When you have not watched a recording there will be a small white dot on the tile, when you have watched then there will be a thin blue line showing how much of the recording you have watched.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Hmm, thats really naff then. Looks like we will be staying off Q for the moment.

My family's biggest gripe with Tivo was this lack of being able to tell at a glance if you have viewed something, its one of the reasons we switched back to sky.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Yeah i had to really search the forum to find out what that white dot was and as far as i can see it only shows in the A-Z recording listing .What's wrong with simply saying viewed/part viewed.Definately a work in progress with potential imo and i would be pretty peed off if i was paying the full premium price .

Oh and the wifi connection between the main box and mini boxes is very very flaky ,i've had to have sky put a booster in so my mini box can stay connected works fine now but quite strange how Sky have forward planned the booster availability

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I'm pretty sure powerline will officially be supported soon as the Sky Q hub has just had a firmware update and the powerline option is now back.

I have my mini connected via wifi so far it's been OK although it does seem some have varying connectivity issues , in my opinion powerline should have been a working option from launch. Wifi as Sky's chosen method must be a complete nightmare for their installers in larger homes.

It's no wonder they didn't bother making a UHD Sky Q Mini from launch.:D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Yep i have no idea why the powerline connection wasn't an option from day one ,after all the adapters are built into the hub,silver box and mini boxes ,also the Sky booster 2 ,sometimes the wonderful world of sky makes weird decisions

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Is there a plus 24 hour option for the to guide? Because if there is I can't find it. On Sky+HD I just pressed yellow for +24 and I think blue for -24.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I am sure you use fast forward and rewind button for going back and forward in guide. Play takes you back to current time.

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Yep that old chestnut about linear channels seems to appear with regularity on this forum.:D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

You do

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Wait, I just realised what you said here. :sleep:

Please tell me this isnt another of those intefaces for five year olds. :(

I want a list, not a bunch of kiddie building blocks.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Like you said previously, you're not getting SkyQ. So you won't have any "kiddie building blocks". Personally I'm loving SkyQ.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I have a few minor issues with it but I certainly wouldn't go back to Sky+HD.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I didnt ask if you were loving it. :dozey:
I'll assume from your pointless little dig that it does use those blocks.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

You can actually have your recordings in a list although only by selecting A-Z.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Assume away, you don't have SkyQ you're not getting SkyQ, so I don't see why you're so concerned.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I dont give a toss what you see or dont see. Do you actually have anything useful to post on the subject ... probably not.

---------- Post added at 21:00 ---------- Previous post was at 20:43 ----------

Ah, of course, now I've dug a little deeper, it makes sense - I should have guessed.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

The interface was designed by a 3yr old ,it is shocking the amount of moves you have to do to get anywhere in the menu.Hopefully a redesign will be included in an update after some user feedback

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

The touch remote seems to get me exactly where I want with the least little effort , plenty hate the touch remote however I much prefer it. I agree if you use the traditional remote moving about could be considered a pain.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I use the touch as well ,i simply haven't got the patience for the standard one plus after a few little drinkies the touch remote is just funny :D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Currently watching and very much impressed with the ManU v ManC game in ULTRA HIGH DEFINTION- love it

LIKE! ---

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

I am impressed with the picture quality as well so much so i just a bought a soundbar so now i have cinematic sound to go with the cinematic picture .....AWSOME :D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

In Scotland:
101 is BBC1 HD
102 is BBC2 Scotland SD - BBC2 HD UK is 115.
103 is STV HD
104 is CH4 SD - HD is 227.
105 is CH5 HD.


In terms of niggles. I like to download things in SD due to slow BB but use HD if recording off TV which I have set in the preferences but this means that all the recordings suggested off-air are SD too. Now you can just go to other showings to choose HD but it is annoying as you forget sometimes.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

SD you say? What is this SD you speak of?
I remember in the old days I would watch 1080 HD, but now I watch Ultra High DEFINTION Sports, Ultra high definition Movies, and Ultra high definition boxsets on SkyQ.;)

HD yes, UHD yes, SD I'm sorry what is this SD????????

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

That poor picture quality you get still on some channels.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

The Chelsea v Swansea game was excellent UHD quality today.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Good for you...

And of course you're wonderful new SkyQ box will do HDR too..... whoops.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

HDR live TV standards hadn't been ratified at launch I'm not even sure they have now , however Sky say they are confident the specs will be completed in a way that will work with its chips.
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/tvs-e...l-be-on-demand

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Well tomorrow is my Sky Q install day :)

got the Sky Fibre in last wednesday and so far its been a stay 39Mbps download and 9.9Mbps upload. Great WiFi as well. Can get it in places my Superhub 2ac won't reach.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

What is the maximum your property can receive Stephen?

We are lucky in that we can also get full speed on the upto 76mb service also however I choose the standard unlimited fibre as we really don't need the faster speeds. In the Sky Q hub page do you now have the powerline option ?

There is an update very soon to the Sky Q system ;)

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Nope my firmware still hasn't updated yet.

I can get the full speed as well. Quiet area and can see fibre cab from window.

Going to see how the 38 goes and may upgrade as it's only 5 quid extra.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Well that's My Sky Q installed. Engineer never arrived till 5pm, but all working now.

So far I love it, so fast through menu's and downloading movies from Sky On Demand.

Going to take a bit of getting used to the new remote though.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

A lot of people have moaned about the home button landing you on Top Picks rather than the guide that's why I like the touch remote a swipe either way and your exactly where you want anyway.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

How have you got your Q mini connected ?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Currently WiFi and had no issues with it, although have enabled powerline in the settings as well.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Mines connected using wifi and since the last update it's been rock solid.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Sky Q Q003 software update now available

The update needs to be installed for both your main Q box and your Q Minis.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

should update automatically shouldn't it ?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Yes when the switch is set , however if you go to Settings > System Info > Highlight Software Version > Setup > Software Download you can update now.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Cheers dude i'll have a look later.I noticed on the Sky community forum that people where apoplectic because the planned update hadn't been released exactly on the date rumored ,should keep them quiet for bit:D

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

\so what is in this new update then?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Some are clearly for connectivity issues.

In the installer menu now there's a change

5GHz Wi-Fi channel width

By default it's set to 80 MHz / ch.36 but changeable

Another change when connecting your music with Bluetooth or Airplay your devices now show up as Sky Q Mini XXXX or Sky Q 2TB Box XXXX.

Sky Store now has a small range of TV boxsets to purchase.

There's a few more but not sure if they've been announced yet.

The Sky Q app should be available for mobiles before the end of this month.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

There's also a split screen in the sports red button with live on one side and highlights on the other.Also the same restart option for sporting events as in the movies and a prompt to switch to UHD when needed( should have just made that an auto feature )

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

My Q hub still hasn't updated to the latest firmware.

Wish it would hurry up.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Info on update

http://helpforum.sky.com/t5/Communit...Q/ba-p/2522600

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Sky Q App now available for mobiles.

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Link

https://corporate.sky.com/media-cent...erever-they-go

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Just glad I can now remote record without needing the Sky+ app

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Finally bitten the bullet and ordered Sky Q. They couldn't verify whether my block of flats had had it's dish upgraded, but they were able to proceed with the order.

Can install until mid-January, but could well be disappointed when the engineer tries to install. We shall see ;-)

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Seems to have been an update overnight .....Q003.001.45.00L......no idea what has been updated but my touch remote is much less sensitive ,i always felt it was too sensitive and know from the Sky community that many have complained about it .

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Fixes for this release Q003.001.45.00L (4lvm0pw) include;
- Addresses an issue affecting 1TB Sky Q boxes where no sound could be heard when connected to certain models of Samsung TV.
- Addresses an issue where the box may crash under certain situations when watching Online Videos.
- Resolves an issue when pairing a Sky Q Touch remote with a Q box where an on screen message would be displayed advising that pairing had been unsuccessful despite the pairing having completed successfully.
- Resolves an issue where a green screen is displayed when the Q box starts up.
- Resolves an issue where a Q box would switch in to standby randomly.
- Addresses certain situations which would cause a Sky Q Mini box to reboot.
- The Sky logo displayed in the bottom left of the Sky Q Guide had been updated to the new corporate style.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

The Sky Q app for Android also has an update available today.

Bug fixes and stability improvement.

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Sky Q featuring on Watchdog tonight. http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/...s-BBC-Watchdog

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I wondered why Sky kept tweeting about how it had once again received the fewest complaints in the latest Ofcom report.:D

Must admit though bar a few early teething issues mines been rock solid especially of late.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Never had any issues at all with mine in my holiday place. Also have V6 now at home and that works fine as well.

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This thread's gone silent for over 6 months. How are people getting along with their Sky Qs now? Any recent updates that have made it better?

What's the picture quality like for football and movies in UHD? Is it all operated through the red button or separate channels?

What's connectivity like between the main box and the mini?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Mine has been working great recently.

there was an update to enable 6 recordings at once.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Does it have text menus yet, or still all those bloated images ?

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Text is so outraged lol.

I love the pictures makes it easier to see stuff. Well there are still some parts of the menus that have text until the shows and programmes

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Its perfectly easy to see stuff in a list, and see a lot more of it as well.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

There have been quite a few updates since launch

6 recordable tuners with the ability to watch another live is the latest. Voice search has also been added.

The picture quality for UHD football is excellent it is available through either the red button on the HD channel or via the Sports menu.

I had a few minor issues with connectivity when I first got Sky Q however it's been excellent of late especially since the latest update.

Re: Sky Q ....likes and dislikes
 

Thanks Muppetman.

Do you know what the video output resolutions are for the box? Are they individually set or does it automatically force the output based on the content?