Sky announced a slew of changes to its Q service back in September with customers receiving a new on-screen look, improved voice search and easier ways to find the TV they enjoy binging on. Not resting of its laurels, Sky is now back with another bunch of updates aimed at improving its award-winning Sky Q service even further and the best part is it’s totally free.
The new features are rolling out to customers over the coming weeks and include a new menu bar which shows your favourite channels with a guide o what’s on now and next.
Sky says they have introduced this extra panel to the homepage to help TV viewers get to the content they watch the most without needing to launch the main TV guide. Another addition that’s sure to go down well with parents is improved controls that allow certain apps to be blocked with a pin code needed to access them.
When you set a PIN for an app such as YouTube, you’ll be asked for it every time you open that app up which will stop anything being viewed that might be inappropriate for younger eyes. Sky has also improved its ratings for content which means adults can easily check to see what themes are included before you settle down to watch a movie with the family.
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The ratings include Educational Value, Positive Message, Drink, Drugs and Smoking, Language and Sex with each getting a score based on how graphic they are.
If you’re starting to use the voice remote more frequently the Sky is adding more features, These include fining personalised recommendations with “What should I watch” which will show you TV and movies suited to you, say “Show me great TV” to see the best of Sky and Netflix, or “Made for Laughter lovers” for comedy fans.
Finally, there’s good news if you have a 4K HDR-ready Sky Q box and HDR television as over 40 films and shows are launching in this format over the coming weeks.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) launched on Sky earlier this year but until now content has been limited so this is an important update from the satellite TV firm and there’s more to come with some sporting events getting the HDR treatment in the coming months.
So that’s all the updates coming to your Sky Q box but there are also some changes to the Sky Go app.
These include video shorts showing the latest trending sport news, interviews and action across Football, F1, Golf, Cricket and Boxing.
Plus there’s now access to Sky’s red button channels so you can watch even more Master’s Golf, EFL and Nations League matches on Sky Go
Speaking about the update, Fraser Stirling, Group Chief Product Officer, Sky, said: “We’re continuing to add new features to Sky Q and Sky Go, with updates almost every week, so your Sky TV experiences keep getting even better. You can watch more TV and movies in stunning HDR picture quality, get personal with voice search, enjoy more sporting action anywhere with Sky Go, and find more of what you love with our simple homepage, easy.”
Sky says these new features will begin rolling out from 18th November and be available to all Sky Q customers by mid-December.
