The days of needing a hefty satellite dish installed to catch the latest shows are behind us, with Wi-Fi powered boxes a much easier way to stream content.
With the Sky Stream box earning a near perfect 4.5-star rating from us, while the Apple TV 4K achieved a glowing five-star rating, which one should you go for?
Read on to find out who comes out on top in Sky Stream vs Apple TV. We’ve also put together guides on Sky Stream vs Sky Glass and Google TV Streamer vs Apple TV too, to help you decide which will suit your home best.
Pricing and availability
Offers for Sky Stream tend to change throughout the year, with options for fixed or monthly rolling contracts. You can also add on channel packages, from Sky Sports to Cinema, for additional monthly costs too.
At the time of writing, prices start from £15 for a 24-month contract which includes the Sky Essential TV package.
Apple TV 4K is less complicated. It’s available in either a 64GB model without Ethernet or a 128GB model with an Ethernet port, with an RRP of £149/$129 and £169/$149 respectively.
Design
- The two boxes have a similar square shape with rounded corners
- You have to pay extra for the Apple TV to benefit from a Gigabit Ethernet port
- Sky Stream’s remote is backlit, which is a useful touch
Both the Sky Stream and Apple TV 4K have a discreet and space saving design so they won’t detract focus from the TV. Neither requires line-of-sight too, so both can be controlled even if the box is tucked behind the TV set.
The Sky Stream is equipped with a HDMI 2.1 input and a cable, an Ethernet port and an aerial turner, although there isn’t any ability to hook the box directly to a sound system or plug headphones in. There’s also HDMI CEC support which allows you to control the TV or a connected soundbar’s volume via the included Sky Stream remote.
Speaking of remotes, while Apple TV does come with a Siri remote which is ideal for general use, we would have liked to see it sport blacklighting like the Sky Stream’s control. It can also control the volume and power of certain compatible TVs.
Otherwise, we found the remote’s Siri compatibility to be useful, and arguably one of the easiest ways to search for content as it’s quick and accurate. Sky Stream also has voice support that’s available for general search and supports YouTube and Netflix too.
There are actually two versions of the Apple TV box, with the main difference being with the ports. While the basic version has HDMI and power ports, for an additional £20/$20 the higher-end box throws in an Ethernet port too. We’d recommend opting for the higher end model as it also comes with 128GB storage and support for Thread too.
Winner: Sky Stream
Interface and apps
- Although both offer a wide selection of apps, Apple TV takes the edge with the addition of music apps and games via Apple Arcade
- Sky Stream has a coherently laid out interface
- Apple TV benefits those in the Apple eco system with AirPlay and AirPods connection
We’ll begin by stating that both Sky Stream and Apple TV offer an easy to use interface with straightforward navigation. Sky Stream’s interface aggregates Sky’s content alongside those from other platforms such as BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Disney Plus.
There isn’t an option to create individual profiles for Sky Stream and, instead, users can build up to five playlists which act as profiles for different family members. We also found that although the main platforms are accounted for, Sky Stream is missing certain apps such as dedicated sports channels such as WWE or Eurosport, and there’s no Tidal, Deezer or Apple Music support either.
If you’ve used Sky in the past, then you may be used to being able to record and keep shows and movies on your device. Unfortunately, Sky Stream has gotten rid of this tool and instead you can just save or “favourite” shows.
On the other hand, we hailed the Apple TV as being “right up there with the best streamers on the market” with all the big services accounted for, plus music apps and games via Apple Arcade. You can even connect one of our best game controllers to make gaming that bit easier.
The homescreen is easy to navigate through, with icons well sized and easy to spot too. We also were impressed with the suggested content which was in line with what we usually watch. This may sound small, but the likes of Fire TV definitely has a habit of suggesting sponsored content rather than anything in line with our viewing habits.
Naturally as an Apple product, there are many features that benefit those within the Apple ecosystem. There’s AirPlay which lets you send content from an iPhone or iPad, while if connected AirPods are in range then you can easily swap into private listening.
Winner: Apple TV
Performance
- Apple TV supports HDR10+
- Sky Stream and Apple TV both support HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision
- Powering Apple TV is the same A15 Bionic chip found in the iPhone 14, which makes for speedy performance
- The caveat for both boxes is that it depends on how good your TV is to make the most of picture quality
It’s worth noting that to see the best possible picture and sound quality, you’ll likely need to have a decent TV and soundbar setup, regardless of whether you opt for the Sky Stream or Apple TV. Regardless, both boxes support HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, however Apple TV also benefits from HDR10+ which we found did make a difference when paired with compatible TVs.
We tested the Apple TV box across three different TVs, from a budget-friendly and basic model to more premium sets. Across all three, we found the Apple TV still produced a stunning image regardless and even added some extra colour to the cheaper Hisense set too, thanks to its colour calibration tool.
We also found the Sky Stream provided high levels of detail and sharpness with satisfying clarity and strong colours too.
As the Apple TV is powered by Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, which is found in the iPhone 14, the box is impressively speedy when darting between apps and loading content. Although the Sky Stream is also fairly quick, with minimum buffering found and a lack of static images either, we did note in our review that the Sky Glass is slightly quicker.
Remember, much like how you ideally need a solid TV setup to really benefit from the clear picture quality, you need to ensure you have a solid Wi-Fi connection of at least 10MB/s but ideally 25MB/s for 4K content.
Winner: Apple TV
Verdict
Overall, both the Sky Stream and Apple TV offer an excellent TV viewing experience. Not only do the two sport an easy to use interface, but with the majority of streaming platforms accounted for and top picture and sound quality all housed in a neat square box, you’d be hard pressed to find huge faults in either.
However, the Sky Stream may end up being a more expensive option compared to Apple TV, as it requires a monthly fee and you need to factor in additional costs for desired subscriptions.
Plus, if you’re firmly cemented in Apple’s ecosystem, then you’ll appreciate Apple TV’s additional features of AirPlay and the ability to connect your AirPods for private listening.
