Owners of Sky Glass and Sky Stream can expect some big updates over the coming month. For the first time, programme recommendations will come with Rotten Tomato ratings, you’ll be able to Fast Forward and Rewind using a voice command, and there will be new, smarter personalised genre rails to better explore streamed content.
Gamers are also promised a huge improvement in input lag; a reduction in the time delay experienced on live sports is also promised.
These and other improvements were unveiled by Sky at its Osterley, London broadcast campus, and The Luxe Review was invited along for an early look at the new feature roster.
Gamers can look forward to a huge improvement in input lag, and a reduction in the time delay experienced on live sports is also promised…
Entertainment OS may power Sky Glass and Sky Stream, but it’s actually a global platform. It can be found on the new Hubbl TV brand in Australia, a variation of Sky Glass recently launched at an event at Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Xumo stream box in the US.
Since Sky Glass was launched in 2021, and Sky Stream in 2022, Sky has delivered over 500 updates and improvements to their underlying Entertainment OS platform.
90 per cent of new Sky customers take Sky Glass and Sky Stream, says Sky. Indeed, the 55-inch Sky Glass was the top selling TV in the UK in 2023.
The most obvious change delivered by Entertainment OS 1.2 are its personalised movie and TV genre rails. These provide tailored suggestions based on your known viewing preferences.
If you have a penchant for biographical documentaries, then your personalised rail will feature more related content from across the Sky Glass/Stream universe.
Movie recommendations are available to try now, with TV shows to follow. Also new is a Cast and Crew rail, which throws a searchable spotlight on the actors and directors from a show you’re watching.
This isn’t all down to AI. Sky actually employs an editorial team working on the suggestions, a human touch which it believes better helps viewers navigate the wealth of content available. Sky actually populates these new recommendation rails with ‘wild cards’, left field suggestions to encourage and stimulate viewers to try something new.
The Show Pages offers deeper navigation into specific movies, be it cast and crew. It’s here that Rotten Tomatoes ratings have been integrated. Like Sky, Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Comcast.
Voice control on Sky Glass is also getting an upgrade. You can now fast forward and rewind with a voice command, for a specified time.
Sky says it handles 25 million voice utterances every week in the UK. It’s clearly popular.
Voice search can also be used to scour Amazon Music or ROXi services.
The Playlist (cloud recording) feature is getting a make-over, with character avatars for each viewer. The initial choice are kids characters, including Paw Patrol, Scooby Doo, Peppa Pig, SpongeBob, Trolls and Pip & Posy, but the choice will widen.
Later this year, you’ll be able to choose sports personalities and actors as your avatar too.
Further expanding Playlist functionality, subscibers will be able to add actors, making it easier to find the shows and movies they’re in, as part of its Entertainment OS 1.3 drop in May. Up next will be Sports, with football fans able to Playlist their favourite teams.
Sky Live, the optional Sky camera system, is getting some new games too. Look out for Basketball Knockout and Tennis Smash: Racketville, both of which are a heap of fun. It’s also adding a two-player mode to Starri, the popular music rhythm game.
Also part of Entertainment OS 1.3, Sky Glass is finally getting an Auto Game Mode, with Auto Low Latency (ALLM). This has been something of an Achilles heel for the system since launch. Now gamers can plug in their consoles, and have the Sky Glass display trigger a low latency mode.
Sky suggests that the improvement in input lag is around 70 per cent, which would make action games and first person shooters far more playable on Sky Glass. Engineers say that the breakthrough has been made by improvements to the software stack. The difference when playing is tangible, it says.
Similarly, one of the most niggling irritations about any broadband delivered sports content is the time delay on the channel. Sky is addressing this, by reducing latency on Sky Glass and Stream by 22 seconds. This reduced latency is only available on the Sky Sports Main Event channel at first, but we’re told that it will roll out to its other live sports channels in the near future.
Finally, there’s good news on the accessibility front, with news that all Ultra HD On Demand content will have the option for subtitles by the end of the summer. Until now, this has only been available on HD streams. There are also plans to add Audio Description to On Demand.
London’s Camden finds itself the star of a new music docu-series on Disney+. Featuring anecdotes and commentary from a host of stars, including Chris Martin, Little Simz, Nile Rodgers, Boy George, and Yungblud, the show has been executive produced by Dua Lipa. In each episode, musicians reveal how their lives and careers were changed forever…
It seems UK viewers can’t get enough of Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed teddy bear. Ted, the spin-off TV show from the two hit movies, about a cussing cuddly toy brought magically to life, has given the broadcaster its biggest ever US comedy hit. The seven-episode prequel series, which debuted on Sky Max earlier this year, has…
Netflix, the global streaming giant, has unveiled an exciting array of upcoming TV shows at its Next on Netflix UK event in London. Anne Mensah, the streamer’s VP of UK Content, introduced a diverse range of titles coming from UK production houses, ranging from compelling dramas and documentaries, to the return of a cult TV…
The Luxe Review 
Owners of Sky Glass and Sky Stream can expect some big updates over the coming month. For the first time, programme recommendations will come with Rotten Tomato ratings, you’ll be able to Fast Forward and Rewind using a voice command, and there will be new, smarter personalised genre rails to better explore streamed content.
Gamers are also promised a huge improvement in input lag; a reduction in the time delay experienced on live sports is also promised.
These and other improvements were unveiled by Sky at its Osterley, London broadcast campus, and The Luxe Review was invited along for an early look at the new feature roster.
Entertainment OS may power Sky Glass and Sky Stream, but it’s actually a global platform. It can be found on the new Hubbl TV brand in Australia, a variation of Sky Glass recently launched at an event at Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Xumo stream box in the US.
Since Sky Glass was launched in 2021, and Sky Stream in 2022, Sky has delivered over 500 updates and improvements to their underlying Entertainment OS platform.
90 per cent of new Sky customers take Sky Glass and Sky Stream, says Sky. Indeed, the 55-inch Sky Glass was the top selling TV in the UK in 2023.
The most obvious change delivered by Entertainment OS 1.2 are its personalised movie and TV genre rails. These provide tailored suggestions based on your known viewing preferences.
If you have a penchant for biographical documentaries, then your personalised rail will feature more related content from across the Sky Glass/Stream universe.
Movie recommendations are available to try now, with TV shows to follow. Also new is a Cast and Crew rail, which throws a searchable spotlight on the actors and directors from a show you’re watching.
This isn’t all down to AI. Sky actually employs an editorial team working on the suggestions, a human touch which it believes better helps viewers navigate the wealth of content available. Sky actually populates these new recommendation rails with ‘wild cards’, left field suggestions to encourage and stimulate viewers to try something new.
The Show Pages offers deeper navigation into specific movies, be it cast and crew. It’s here that Rotten Tomatoes ratings have been integrated. Like Sky, Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Comcast.
Voice control on Sky Glass is also getting an upgrade. You can now fast forward and rewind with a voice command, for a specified time.
Sky says it handles 25 million voice utterances every week in the UK. It’s clearly popular.
Voice search can also be used to scour Amazon Music or ROXi services.
The Playlist (cloud recording) feature is getting a make-over, with character avatars for each viewer. The initial choice are kids characters, including Paw Patrol, Scooby Doo, Peppa Pig, SpongeBob, Trolls and Pip & Posy, but the choice will widen.
Later this year, you’ll be able to choose sports personalities and actors as your avatar too.
Further expanding Playlist functionality, subscibers will be able to add actors, making it easier to find the shows and movies they’re in, as part of its Entertainment OS 1.3 drop in May. Up next will be Sports, with football fans able to Playlist their favourite teams.
Sky Live, the optional Sky camera system, is getting some new games too. Look out for Basketball Knockout and Tennis Smash: Racketville, both of which are a heap of fun. It’s also adding a two-player mode to Starri, the popular music rhythm game.
Also part of Entertainment OS 1.3, Sky Glass is finally getting an Auto Game Mode, with Auto Low Latency (ALLM). This has been something of an Achilles heel for the system since launch. Now gamers can plug in their consoles, and have the Sky Glass display trigger a low latency mode.
Sky suggests that the improvement in input lag is around 70 per cent, which would make action games and first person shooters far more playable on Sky Glass. Engineers say that the breakthrough has been made by improvements to the software stack. The difference when playing is tangible, it says.
Similarly, one of the most niggling irritations about any broadband delivered sports content is the time delay on the channel. Sky is addressing this, by reducing latency on Sky Glass and Stream by 22 seconds. This reduced latency is only available on the Sky Sports Main Event channel at first, but we’re told that it will roll out to its other live sports channels in the near future.
Finally, there’s good news on the accessibility front, with news that all Ultra HD On Demand content will have the option for subtitles by the end of the summer. Until now, this has only been available on HD streams. There are also plans to add Audio Description to On Demand.
Camden Town on TV: Star studded music documentary series Camden is coming to Disney+
London’s Camden finds itself the star of a new music docu-series on Disney+. Featuring anecdotes and commentary from a host of stars, including Chris Martin, Little Simz, Nile Rodgers, Boy George, and Yungblud, the show has been executive produced by Dua Lipa. In each episode, musicians reveal how their lives and careers were changed forever…
Seth MacFarlane’s Ted scores big for Sky: Crude cuddly bear in huge comedy hit shock
It seems UK viewers can’t get enough of Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed teddy bear. Ted, the spin-off TV show from the two hit movies, about a cussing cuddly toy brought magically to life, has given the broadcaster its biggest ever US comedy hit. The seven-episode prequel series, which debuted on Sky Max earlier this year, has…
Netflix reveals ambitious UK slate, including the return of a Black Mirror favourite
Netflix, the global streaming giant, has unveiled an exciting array of upcoming TV shows at its Next on Netflix UK event in London. Anne Mensah, the streamer’s VP of UK Content, introduced a diverse range of titles coming from UK production houses, ranging from compelling dramas and documentaries, to the return of a cult TV…
Share this: