SKY’S newest TV gadget is finally here with some much-needed upgrades.
Sky Glass Gen 2 builds on the previous model released in 2021 with some key improvements.
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But delve into forums online, and many satellite loyalists refuse to budge from Sky Q, what was once the company’s bread and butter.
Bosses have assured Sky Q owners that the popular box will “be with us for a while” but it’s clear that internet-based streaming is the main focus now.
For those unaware, Sky Glass replaces the need for a dish by beaming channels into homes via broadband.
And there’s no set-top box – it’s all packed into the Sky Glass TV itself, so fewer wires.
But is Sky Glass Gen 2 enough to lure people across?
I’ve been using the first Sky Glass for several years now.
This week I upgraded to Sky Glass Gen 2 to find out if it’s all worth it.
UNBOXING
The new Sky Glass is available in three sizes:
And there are three colour options:
- Arctic Silver
- Volcanic Grey
- Atlantic Blue
I’m testing the 65-inch version of the Volcanic Grey model.
Now, anyone who has had the first version of the 65-inch Sky Glass will know this is one heavy hunk of metal.
You absolutely will need two people to get it out and set the TV up.
Sky has managed to reduce the weight (30.3kg down from 35kg), but it’s still pretty challenging to lift.
From what I recall compared to the first Sky Glass, the box packaging has been made a lot easier to unpack with simple pull tabs.
There are also handy gaps on the back of the TV to improve your grip when lifting it up.
EASY SET-UP
Another pain I recall from the first Sky Glass was setting it up.
I’ve opted for a stand – though you can put it on your wall with a bracket too.
Last time, the stand required screws which were fiddly and annoying.
For the Sky Glass Gen 2, there are no screws at all.
Just slide two pins into the metal plate, then drop the TV panel onto them in holes along the bottom.
It’s incredibly easy – all in all the unboxing and set-up took us less than five minutes.
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DEJA-VU?
When you first see the Sky Glass Gen 2 you’ll be forgiven for thinking you might be having deja-vu.
It looks identical to the first Sky Glass – the only real design change is that the TV colour you choose now matches the mesh on the soundbar along the bottom.
The size of the Sky Glass hasn’t changed either, remaining very chunky and thick, which I had hoped might be addressed.
The same wonderfully easy user interface continues to get better and better – not to mention Sky’s unmatched content
This is due to the integrated sound system, which has actually been upgraded to include more speakers, as I explain later.
However, Sky is planning to release a new Sky Glass Air model later this year without the soundbar, allowing the TV to be a lot slimmer – and cheaper.
BETTER DISPLAY AND BETTER SOUND
Once you’ve got the Sky Glass plugged in, it should take you about five more minutes to set-up.
Remember, you’ll need a minimum broadband speed of 25 Mbps to get a good enough service.
And you don’t have to be a Sky Broadband customer to use Sky Glass – unlike rival streamed TV devices from Virgin Media and EE that require their own broadband.
I have 70 Mbps broadband from NOW – which is also owned by Sky – and it’s never been a problem.
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It’s also important to point out that watching streamed TV over the internet has a slight delay compared to satellite, aerial or cable. Sky’s managed to bring the gap down to nine seconds on its main Sky Sports channel now – which benefits all Sky Glass models and Sky Stream.
This week, I watched the new series of The White Lotus, as well as The Invisible Man on Sky Cinema.
The White Lotus looked truly stunning with all the beautiful shots of Thailand on an improved UHD Quantum Dot, VA LCD display, which do make it a lot brighter than the last Sky Glass.
Similarly, The Invisible Man has lots of chilling dark scenes and the black tones look a lot deeper.
A note for PS5 and Xbox Series X owners, Sky Glass Gen 2 is still stuck with a 60Hz refresh rate, less than the 120Hz desired by most power gamers – however, I wasn’t able to test gaming myself.
The other key improvement is to the sound system, which now has seven speakers instead of six previously.
This delivers a much punchier audio experience, especially with movies, allowing vocals to shine and the base to boom.
SAME SYSTEM
The other thing that is the same is the interface system, now known as Sky OS (previously called Entertainment OS).
It looks and runs exactly the same as the last Sky Glass.
And for those unfamiliar with it I think it’s the cleanest, smoothest TV user interface around, linking together all the possible streaming services in the best way possible.
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There are lots of rails showcasing new programmes, content you can resume watching and more.
However, one highly popular feature on Sky Q will undoubtedly deter satellite loyalists from converting to Sky Glass anytime soon.
And that’s the recording functions.
Sky Q allows you to record to a box, meaning you can watch at any time, even when there’s an outage – albeit with a storage limit.
Make no mistake – while Sky has assured that it is still committed to Sky Q, streaming is very much the future and will get the lion’s share of new features in the years to come
Sky Glass does everything via the cloud via its Playlist feature.
This works by Sky essentially saving thousands of streams for you to watch back or providing a link to the relevant streaming service (eg taking you to BBC iPlayer if you’ve added an episode of EastEnders to your playlist).
While most content is offered, there are some missing and without any explanation for the viewer.
For example, I spotted a movie on ITV4 that I wanted to watch at a later time and a recording/stream wasn’t made available after I hit the Playlist button – it simply showed me that I could buy or rent it from Sky Store.
That said, I do like the Playlist feature. I’ve used it to list all the movies I’ve been meaning to watch, old and new, so I can find them all in one place and be taken directly to the app hosting each title.
If a particular movie changes from being on one streaming app to another, it’s automatically updated. I wish there was some sort of notification to let me know when a movie not previously available is added to a streaming service.
PRICE
Sky Glass Gen 2 has the same prices as the previous model, starting from £14 per month.
The product is available to pay monthly (interest free) across 24 months, 48 months or you can buy it outright.
Either way, you’re looking at £699 for the 43-inch, £949 for 55-inch and £1199 for the 65-inch.
And don’t forget, that’s without a TV package for channels, you’ll need to select one of those, starting from £15 per month for the cheapest option, Sky Essential TV on a 24 month contract.
You get to keep the Sky Glass TV but if you leave Sky you’ll lose much of the features.
SKY GLASS GEN 2 REVIEW: FINAL WORD
By Jamie Harris, Assistant Technology and Science Editor at The Sun
Sky Glass Gen 2 successfully improves from the previous model in three key areas: visuals, audio and set-up (I can’t tell you enough how much easier it is to assemble that stand plate).
The same wonderfully easy user interface continues to get better and better – not to mention Sky’s unmatched content.
But it’s really not necessary or enough for users of the first Sky Glass to upgrade to this new model.
Instead, this is very much aimed at those new to Sky Glass.
I can’t see many Sky Q subscribers being swayed due to the recording storage differences, among other things.
Make no mistake – while Sky has assured that it is still committed to Sky Q, streaming is very much the future and will get the lion’s share of new features in the years to come.
Rating: 4/5
