Advanced Television

Enhancements for Sky Q

July 21, 2016

Sky Q, Sky’s next generation home entertainment system, is introducing more new features designed to make it even easier for customers to find and watch their favourite TV shows.

After the successful launch of Sky Q in February, Auto Play, an improved Top Picks and a range of other features are set to make Sky Q even more popular among customers.

Sky Q’s features include the ability to record even more favourite shows at once, pause in one room and carry on in another and take recordings with them.

The fresh updates make TV viewing even simpler, adding the flexibility to watch episode after episode of box sets such as Game of Thrones and Billions. A new Top Picks and Sports Homepage includes even more recommendations from On Demand and for the first time live and future broadcasts are designed to make it easier for customers to discover their next favourite series to fuel a box set binge or catch the latest action from a packed summer of sport.

Brand new features include:

  • Auto Download Next Episode: Sit back and enjoy episode after episode of box sets. When customers start watching an episode from a series they have downloaded, if the next episode is available it will automatically start to download, so it’s ready when customers want it.
  • Auto Play: Watch one episode after another effortlessly. Now when customers get to the end of an episode, the next one will automatically start to play after 30 seconds. Press Select to watch immediately or Dismiss to exit.
  • Top Picks: Introduces even more recommendations to the current On Demand offering, so with the best of live, future and Online Video now added, customers will find it even simpler to choose the next gripping drama, box set marathon or live sport to enjoy.

“Sky Q is the next generation of TV viewing and the new features are about making it even easier for customers to find and watch episode after episode of their favourite TV series, the latest live sport, or the best of the web,” explained Luke Bradley-Jones, Brand Director of TV & Content Products. “So whether you’re watching Ray Donovan, The Tunnel, or the start of the Premier League season, we know customers are going to love the new updates. These developments are just the start of the exciting plans we have for Sky Q this year.”

Other features introduced as part of this update are:

  • Series Record: When watching a recording of a show, if the next episode isn’t on until later that week customers can use the Mini Guide to set a recording for the whole series.
  • Sports Featured: The new Sports Homepage makes it easier for Sky Sports customers to find the best of live and On Demand sports this summer.
  • Get to a specific place in a recording or download more easily by skipping forwards or backwards. Press pause and then swipe on the touch pad to move minute by minute, or swipe-and-hold to move to a specific time in the programme customers are watching.
  • With PIN Protection for Online Video clips, customers will be prompted for a PIN throughout the day to watch 18+ rated content with the Family Friendly setting on.

The new features come ahead of a range of content joining Sky this summer, including new series of Nashville, Ballers and Mount Pleasant, movie premieres Minions and Everest, as well as the 2016 Ryder Cup.

The first software release to Sky Q will also see a number of software updates, improving in-home connectivity and other bug fixes.

Later in the year Sky Q will introduce a powerful voice search capability, a smartphone app and lots of other exciting features, making the next generation home entertainment system even better.

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