Sky’s first branded wi-fi TV sets will go on sale on 18th October, as it makes its first move to a dish-less service in the UK.
Its new Sky Glass 4K UHD TV sets will give viewers full access to all of Sky’s TV channels, on-demand players and apps solely via an internet connection.
Sky Glass will be available in three sizes, five colours and can be purchased outright or in monthly instalments. Each TV will replicate the Sky Q experience, including voice control, without the need for any additional box. The TVs will become available in Sky’s other European markets (e.g. Germany, Italy) next year. A version of Sky Glass will also launch in Australia, in partnership with Foxtel.
But this does mean that for the first time ever, a purchase of a TV will restrict users to a particular pay TV platform – the TV will not work fully if the subscription is ended. An in-built terrestrial TV back-up will kick in when online connectivity is lost, ensuring ongoing access to the main UK TV services.
A minimum broadband speed of 10Mbps is required for the TV to work.
Dana Strong, Group Chief Executive, Sky said:
“Sky Glass is the streaming TV with Sky inside, providing the total integration of hardware, software and content. Built on over 30 years of understanding what our customers want, this is a TV that only Sky could make. We believe this is the smartest TV available, and that customers will love it.”
SKY GLASS: SPECS
Sizes
43 inch (small), 55 inch (medium), 65 inch (large)
Pricing
Monthly instalments: The small TV (43 inch) is available from £13 per month. Users will have to then add the cost of a Sky TV subscription, starting at £26 for Sky Ultimate TV. For the first time, HD is included as standard.
The 55 inch TV will cost £4 a month. Add £8 for the 65 inch model.
Pay upfront: £644 (small); £826 (medium); £1,018 (large) + monthly Sky subscription.
Sky Ultra HDR + Dolby Atmos: £5 a month
Colours
Ocean blue, Ceramic white, Racing green, Dusky pink, or Anthracite black.
Warranty
It comes with a full two-year warranty and a free delivery service that includes unboxing and packaging removal.
Multi-room
For those that enjoy watching Sky in multiple rooms in your house, the Whole Home pack puts Sky Glass inside any TV using the Sky Stream Puck for £10 a month.
Other features
VIDEO / DISPLAY
Display Type
– 4K Ultra HD Quantum Dot
HDR
– HDR 10
– Dolby Vision®
– HLG
Resolution
3840×2160
Viewing Angle: 178 degrees
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
AUDIO
Speaker Configuration
– 3x Outwards Firing
– 2x Upwards Firing
– 1x Subwoofer
Sound output
-Up to 215W
Audio format
– Dolby Atmos®
– Dolby Digital
– Stereo 2.1
Sound Features
– Bass boost
– Night mode
– Enhance speech quality
– Custom sound settings
CONNECTIVITY
– 3x HDMI 2.1 eARC (HDMI 2) and CEC supported
– USB C x1 (for power only – up to 15w)
– WiFi 6 (802.11ax)
– DTT DVB-T/T2 x1 (for back up only)
– Ethernet 10/100 Mbps
– Bluetooth: 5.0 LE and Classic
ACCESSIBILITY
High Contrast / Subtitles / Audio Description / Highlighting in TV Guide / Voice Control / Motion Detection
Delivery
Free delivery within 3-5 days. Paid delivery for 2 day delivery.
Sky will unbox the TV and take away the packaging. But if you want to wall-mount the TV, you will need to arrange for a professional service provider to do this for you.