Sky UK Adds New Features to Sky Glass and Sky Stream Firmware
Sky (Sky Broadband) has begun to roll-out a new software update (Entertainment OS v1.2) for the operating system that underpins their broadband-based Sky Glass and Sky Stream pay TV platforms, which adds a variety of new features, such as a “manage all” option for Playlist and enhancements for Netflix.
Overall, the latest update introduces four new headline features to the system firmware, as well as various smaller tweaks and fixes. Firstly, there’s a new ‘manage all’ feature for Playlist, which makes it easier to keep on top of your favourite content in one place. The ‘Restart’ feature is also now available in Show Pages – helping users to avoid spoilers.
Netflix can now also be found in the continue watching rail, making it easier for customers to pick up where they left off with a prior show. Finally, Sky has added a bunch of new voice commands for the forthcoming Women’s Football World Cup (e.g. “Women’s World Cup Fixtures” and “Women’s World Cup opening ceremony“). But overall, there don’t appear to be too many big changes this time around.
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Sky’s Entertainment OS 1.2 Features – Expanded View
Playlist – The new ‘manage all’ feature
➤ You now have even more control of Playlist – with ‘manage all’ – one place to see and manage everything you’ve added. Just scroll to the end of Playlist and select the ‘manage all’ button.
➤ Easily browse everything that’s saved in different Personal Playlists, all in one place, and remove the stuff you don’t want anymore.
➤ Move TV shows and films from one Playlist to another, by pressing + on the remote and select which Personal Playlist you want to move it to.
Avoid spoilers, with the ability to restart from a Show Page
➤ Restart has been a really popular feature, but to find it you’ve had to tune to the TV Guide or the live show or game you want to watch – risking a quick spoiler!
➤ The restart button is now also available from Show Pages, so if you’ve missed the start of a must-watch sports fixture, or that season finale everyone’s talking about, you don’t have to worry about accidentally catching goals or plot twists you’re not ready to see!
➤ To note: if the programme is airing on a BBC channel, you will be taken to the BBC iPlayer app to watch from the beginning.
Continue watching rail now with Netflix
➤ In case you haven’t spotted yet, all the shows and films you’re watching on Netflix can now be found in the continue watching rail. You can easily pick up from where you left off, without having to launch the Netflix app.
BONUS Women’s Football World Cup Voice Commands
➤ To celebrate the start of the World Cup, new voice commands will take you to the heart of the action. Phrases like ‘Lionesses’, ‘It’s Coming Home’ and ‘Women’s World Cup’ are just a few of the new commands to take you to a new destination page full of all the live games, catch-up, highlights and results tables. Full list of commands below.
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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I’d genuinely consider switching to a Stream from an Sky + HD Box if we could get the remaining SD channels ported over
I can’t imagine channels like Arise News and GOD Channel having a big enough audience to have an associated streaming offering.
@Rich that’s fair, those channels are more tune in on occasion. I think Sky should offer a service to handle that, benefits both parties imo
I wish they would sort out the troubles with the subtitles
We moved over from an Apple TV to Sky Stream.
It’s definitely better from a user perspective, gives more of a traditional feel. However the software itself is definitely more unstable, having to reboot occasionally.
Also it doesn’t switch on our TV automatically or switch it off. The other benefit of the Apple TV is that you could use your existing TV remote, controlled over the HDMI link.
having to reboot occasionally
Sounds like a issue i’ve never had to and I’ve had it from the start..
Also it doesn’t switch on our TV automatically or switch it off.
Not off no but our Samsung TV switches on – We use the Sky remote to turn the TV and the Sky on and off – short press for Sky long press for the TV
Well, it’s been awful here. Buggy firmware and Sky forums full of us saying about Please wait for the channel to load, freezing, sound cutting out. Having to reboot often is more the case. This is why Sky been releasing firmware every couple of weeks. I’m about to end the service it’s been so bad, but monitoring the current firmware as it has been better than previous.
Getting your tv to turn on/off automatically is a feature of your tv not the sky box. It’s in the HDMI settings. HDMI-CEC (don’t ask me what it stands for) On Samsung they call it Anynet. Activating that turns your tv on/off when you turn on/off your Sky box.
They should sort out the problem with the sound on Sky streaming. I understand that I am not the only one having problem.There is nothing worse than having to turn the box off and restart it to get the sound back.
I’ve had this update for a week or so and it seems to have introduced a bug where the Ethernet connection won’t reconnect after coming out of standby. You have to restart the box to get it to work.
This product is honestly so frustrating. Sky need to sort out the software bugs and start putting updates through testing before rolling them out.
It’s always been that way with this galss and puck. Sky fix one thing and break many others each month.
Love how an ISP review site manages to reference four “National” providers, three of whom are unavailable in the second city
Which providers and which city?
And so the decline of Sky Q continues as it continues into its phase-out period, sigh.
No new features for years and unlikely to be any more by the looks of it. A DVR provides a much better experience than streaming too, especially when it comes to forward and reverse, among other things.
Amazon Prime is awful at the moment: press back 10 seconds and usually it just sits there spinning for ages until it plays again. Only very occasionally does it play almost instantly. It’s only a HD stream, too. And no, it’s not my internet connection that’s the problem, but their service.
RaptorX I use Amazon Prime on AppleTV and the forward and rewind works flalessly and instantly for me, including the fast option too. So I presume you don’t have an AppleTV so you are paying the price for not having the best apps and TV apps platform.
@GreenLantern22
“so you are paying the price for not having the best apps and TV apps platform.”
You sound like an advert for Apple lol. This issue is nothing to do with your supposed superiority of the Apple platform and all to do with Amazon screwing up.
The fact is that the app is created and maintained by Amazon, so should work properly on any platform.
Sky Glass is weak and buggy survival attempt. I doubt it will survive. The only thing keeping Sky alive is the Premier League and the fact a lot of people get their broadband from them.
Shame it doesn’t add a decent TV as well.
I’ll stick with Now TV. Works perfectly with my Samsung TV and you only have to take the packages you want. Only 1080p I know but looks great. Always an offer when you go to cancel a package.
Anyone have a comparison of Sku Glass/Stream vs Roku–having used both?
(Sky used to partner with Roku under the Now brand)
From articles like this, it feels like Sky now have more features in their software than Roku but at a higher price point/less reliable (comparing like with like–i.e. TCL Roku TV vs Sky Glass, Roku Ultra/Streambar vs Sky Stream).
Although Roku has had some glitches too especially round major version releases, and an annoying habit of not making the full range of hardware available in the UK (e.g. external speakers/subwoofer–which are definitely 110V only and expensive to import, and their top end remote controls)