Jordan O'BrienSky Q will officially go on sale on February 9, with installations set to take place by the end of the month, the UK’s largest satellite broadcaster has revealed.
Sky has remained quiet regarding launch details of Sky Q since its announcement back in November 2015, but now it’s telling customers just how much they can expect to pay to get the company’s latest set-top box.
While the company has yet to break down exact costs for each box, it says that set-up costs for Sky Q will start at £99. Customers can expect to pay even more for the Sky Q Silver, which will be the company’s flagship set-top box.
Monthly costs are also set to rise. Sky+ customers can expect to pay an extra £12 a month on top of their existing packages, while new customers will have to pay at least £42 a month to get started. As with many Sky packages however, pricing is likely to be up for negotiation.
Despite the extra price involved with Sky Q, the satellite broadcaster is offering more bang for buck with this set-top box when compared to its previous offerings. Customers will receive servicing and mechanical fault repairs at no extra costs and will also have access to a dedicated premium service centre based in the UK.
Sky will also be providing full professional installation as part of the set-up cost of Sky Q. This is being done to ensure customers get the full tour of the new interface and the new features afforded by Sky Q.
Stephen van Rooyen, chief marketing, sales and digital officer, Sky, notes: “We’ve had a fantastic reaction to Sky Q. So I’m delighted to reveal the news that people will be able to get Sky Q for our lowest ever set-up cost for a new premium product.
“We wanted to completely re-imagine TV, making it flexible and seamless across the screens in our lives. With Sky Q and Fluid Viewing that’s exactly what we’ve done – giving people the best TV tech on the market today, at a really accessible price. We think people will love it.”
The Sky Q Silver box features 12 TV tuners and 2TB of storage facilitating the ability to watch five different programmes on five screens, whilst simultaneously recording four other shows.
The normal Sky Q box will come equipped with many of the same features as the Sky Q Silver, although there will be 1TB worth of storage and only three programmes can be recorded at once while one other is watched live.
Both boxes come with two F-connectors, two USB 2.0, an HDMI in and HDMI out, an optical audio port and an Ethernet RJ45 port. They also support dual-band Wi-Fi as well as Dolby Digital audio.
There are also two new remotes; one which existing Sky users will be familiar with and a touchpad remote similar to that of Apple’s latest TV set-top box. The latter ditches the classic Sky buttons for going forward, back, left and right, as well as the select button, in favour of a simple, stylish touchpad.
While hardware wise there will be big changes, Sky is hoping the ‘Fluid Viewing’ will be Sky Q’s flagship feature.
Fluid Viewing gives users the flexibility to pause a show in one room and pick up the action right where they left it on another TV or tablet in your home. It also introduces the number one requested feature from customers – the ability to take recordings with you wherever you go.
Sky Q will launch with two brand new bundles. The Sky Q Bundle will cost £42 a month and gives customers the benefits of Fluid Viewing, together with a range of entertainment content from Sky – including:
• Over 50 HD channels and 300+ Sky Box Sets as standard, accessed via completely new TV guide and home page
• Record three shows and watch a fourth live
• Pause on one room and pick up the action on a tablet around the home
• Stream TV around the home via the Sky Q App, and take recordings on the road
• Download shows to a tablet to watch offline
• All new Sky Q touch Bluetooth remote
• Browse Facebook photos and stream music wirelessly over the TV’s sound system with Bluetooth or Apple’s AirPlay
• Brand new interactive sidebar apps for catching up with the latest from Sky News and Sky Sports without interrupting the big screen experience
• Brand new online video section – with videos fully on demand from YouTube and Vevo, plus a curated service which showcases a wide range of the best of the web– including videos from GQ, Vogue, WIRED, Red Bull Media House and Funny Or Die.
The Sky Q Silver Bundle will cost £54 and gives customers everything from the Sky Q Bundle, plus:
• The ultimate Fluid Viewing experience, on multiple TV screens around your home – letting customers watch on two additional Sky Q Minis and the option to stream TV to two tablets all at the same time
• Record and watch even more: record 4 shows while watching a 5th live
• The top of the range 2TB Sky Q Silver box, which is Ultra HD ready in advance of Sky launching the UK’s most comprehensive Ultra High Definition service later in 2016
On top of these prices, those wanting Sky Movies will have to pay an additional £17, while Sky Sports will be £25.50 extra a month. Want both? That will be £34.50 extra.
All customers who already have Sky Broadband or who purchase Sky Broadband when buying Sky Q will also receive the new Sky Q Hub that turns Sky Q boxes into Wi-Fi hotspots, giving a supercharged Sky Broadband experience with the strongest and best coverage throughout the home.
Sky Q installations will be phased with Sky Broadband customers receiving the product first, before very soon opening up to those with other broadband providers.
After launch, Sky Q will be updated frequently with new features, including a powerful new voice search capability. In addition, the Fluid Viewing experience will come to even more screens with a new App for smartphones to follow.