Sky Stream – Sky TV Without a Sky Dish

Sky Stream review introduction

Sky Stream is a new streaming service that offers a vast library of the latest movies, TV shows, and original content without the need for a Sky satellite dish. With Sky Stream, viewers can enjoy their favourite TV content on any device, at any time, with the highest quality video and audio. The service also features advanced search and recommendation tools, making it easy to find the perfect content for any mood or occasion.

One of the unique features of Sky Stream is its integration with other streaming services. You can access content from other platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, all in one place with just one subscription via the tiny new Sky Stream Puck device – this effectively is an alternative to the Sky Q box that you may be familiar with already.

Sky Stream offers a variety of membership options, including a free version with limited content and ad-supported, a basic package with full access to the library, and a premium package with additional perks such as early access to new releases and exclusive content.

Let’s get into more detail…

What is Sky Stream?

Sky Stream is a small Internet connected box called the Sky Stream puck that you plug into your TV via an HDMI connection to Stream the latest in entertainment from Sky TV.

You can connect the Sky puck to your home broadband through a wireless or wired connect to give you the best speeds possible.
The puck outputs in 4K HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio so you are getting state of the art picture and audio.

Sky Stream puck specifications

The Sky Stream puck offers the latest in Sky channels as well as many of the most popular streaming apps available in the UK. These include –

• Amazon Prime Video
• Netflix
• Apple TV+
• Disney+
• BBC iPlayer
• ITV Hub
• YouTube

In terms of the Sky puck itself, its size dimensions measure 10.8 x 10.8 x 1.8cm which offers a great deal of flexibility for placement.

A number of other Sky puck specifications include –

• 4K HDR support
• 3840 x 2160 at 50 frames per second
• Dolby Atmos ready
• HDMI 2.1
• Ethernet
• Wi-Fi 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6)
• Voice remote
• One-year warranty
• Anthracite Black

The Sky Stream puck was originally developed in order to allow Sky Glass customers to extend their Sky Glass package into a multiroom option by allowing the purchase of a puck for every room a customer wanted to watch TV.

Now Sky have modified the puck so that Sky Glass is not needed. You can simply subscribe to Sky Stream which will involve using the single puck to deliver your content. If you wanted to extend to other rooms, simply buy another puck for every room you want to watch TV.

For the latest Sky Stream puck pricing click here

What are the sign-up options for Sky Stream?

There are two main ways that you can sign up for Sky Stream.

1. 31 day rolling term
2. 18-month minimum term

Technically there is no difference between whether you opt for the short or longer contract options other than price. You will find that the ongoing monthly subscription will be cheaper if you take the longer subscription and the cost of the Sky Stream puck will also work out cheaper when you consider setup and ownership of the device.

Check out the latest Sky Stream deals

What channels are available with Sky Stream?

When you sign up for Sky Stream your package will include a base 120 channels. These include familiar Sky channels such as –

• Sky Atlantic

• Sky Max

• Sky Witness

• Sky Showcase

• Sky Documentaries

• Sky Sports Mix  

• Eurosport

• Comedy Central

Along with your typical Freeview channels among others.

You can also upgrade your Sky Stream package to include premium channels such as Sky Sports, Sky Cinema and BT Sport should you wish to.

If you have ever subscribed to Sky TV or Sky Glass in the past, it will feel very familiar to sign up for Sky Stream.

What are the advantages of Sky Stream?

Inevitably most people will compare Sky Stream against Sky Q. They are both similar services but there are notable differences.
A number of the advantages that Sky Stream has over Sky Q include –

Sky Stream offers more flexibility than Sky Q with the option of a rolling 31-day contract.

It is easy to setup Sky Stream to deliver content over Wi-Fi to any TV.

There is no longer the need to have a large dish installed on the exterior of your home.

The Sky Stream puck is a very small box which makes positioning much easier than the larger Sky Q box.

The Sky Stream services is built around the Sky Glass user interface so it is slick and familiar to a wide number of Sky users.

The puck delivers streamed content in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos sound.

Each Sky puck comes with a hand remove controller.

It is easy to extend your use of Sky Stream across your house. If you have another TV in another room, simply buy another puck and connect it to your TV.

You are able to pause live TV on Sky Stream (although recordings are not possible).

Sky Stream has voice control capability.

Next day delivery is available if the order is placed before 9pm Monday through Friday and by 3pm on a Sunday.

What are the disadvantages of Sky Stream?

The main disadvantage with Sky Stream is the fact that the Sky puck does not contain a hard drive which means it is not possible to record shows. This however, keeps the cost of the puck very low and by definition it is a “streaming” option so this should not represent a problem to many. A way around this is by utilising the “Playlist” option offered to Sky Stream customers which entails adding programming to a playlist in the cloud which allows for curated content to be played later.

There is an option to include “ad-skipping” as part of the package but this costs extra (small monthly fee) so arguably this has been placed in the negatives category.

Due to Sky Stream being a streaming service it means if a program is removed from the respective channel or app, it means it will no longer be available to watch as opposed to if you had been able to record the TV show or movie via the Sky Q recording facility for instance.

There is a setup fee for Sky Stream.

Can I switch from Sky Q to Sky Stream?

Now that you’ve read about the benefits of Sky Stream you may want to take the plunge. If you’re an existing Sky TV customer that is already paying for a subscription on Sky Q or Sky + there should be no problem in moving to Sky Stream.

If this is of interest, simply contact Sky and they will take you through the steps involved in migrating from one Sky service to another.

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