What is Sky Glass? | All your Sky Glass questions answered

Tuesday 20 September 2022 by James Pickard  Guides

This streaming TV from Sky looks set to be a game-changer in the smart TV market, with all your Sky services being fully integrated into one device for the living room. With more and more Sky customers, both new and old, showing huge interest in Sky's smart TV offering, here’s everything you need to know.

What is Sky Glass?

Sky Glass is a new smart TV from Sky that offers all the features you might already use on your smart TV, but with the unique addition of having Sky built into the TV itself. This eliminates any need for a Sky box or satellite dish, meaning you can enjoy all the same Sky live and on-demand content alongside any streaming services you use, all in one device. 

So that means no more Sky box cluttering up your TV unit, and you can finally have that satellite dish taken down from the outside of your house. 

How does Sky Glass work?

Sky Glass works by offering a TV experience that users have come to expect in recent years, including 4K, Ultra HD definition, HDR calibration and online interface that you can stream your content on. The Sky Glass TV will be all you need - just plug it in to your mains with the power lead and connect to your WiFi and you'll be able to start watching the Sky content you pay for right away.

Users will be able to choose from three different sizes: 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch, meaning you’ll be able to use Sky Glass no matter how much space you have to play with. 

For those with devices such as games consoles, you’ll be able to connect them via HDMI as usual, with Sky Glass able to launch them via the display or voice activation, meaning you don’t have to keep remembering which port you have it plugged into.

Purchasing Sky Glass means you’ll be able to roll your existing Sky subscription into your Sky Glass deal and get them in one monthly payment, offering a huge variety of content all on one device.

What is the price of Sky Glass?

Sky has ensured that the price point of Sky Glass is accessible for all walks of life. While the TV prices are competitive on their own, Sky also allows customers to get the TV as part of their monthly deal, just like you would with your phone. The three different sizes are priced as follows:

• 43-inch: £699 or £14 a month*
• 55-inch: £899 or £19 a month
• 65-inch: £1149 or £24 a month

This price is for the Sky Glass TV only, and will be added to your Sky deal along with your subscription. You’ll also be able to upgrade when a newer model comes out, again just like you do with your phone subscription.

*Subject to status and individual circumstance. Representative example: Total payment for 43" Sky Glass - £699; Upfront payment - £10
Total credit - £699; Length of agreement - 48 months; Interest rate fixed - 0%; APR representative - 0%
Additional subscriptions are charged separately to the Sky Glass credit agreement.

How is Sky Glass installed? 

All Sky Glass models are delivered with fully recyclable packaging and installed for you, with wall-mounting also available. All you have to do is pair it with your broadband and you can get watching. The installers will even take the packaging away for you, and because no satellite is required, you’ll be up and running in no time. 

Can you record on Sky Glass?

You cannot record as you usually would on the Sky Glass TV. Instead, you can add your favourite programme, movie or match to your Playlist. When you want to watch your Playlist content, you will essentially be streaming them from various On Demand or catch-up services. For example, if you want to watch an episode of Gogglebox you’ve missed, you’ll essentially be streaming whichever episode you choose from All 4. 

Not only does this mean you’ll never have to worry about accidentally deleting your recordings, but you’ll never have to worry about running out of storage either. If you're worried about adverts ruining the experience, free ad-skip is available with a lot of the current Sky Glass deals.

What channels are on Sky Glass?

With Sky Glass, you don’t need a box of any kind - all your Sky content is streamed straight from within the TV itself. So the channels you have on Sky Glass are completely dependent on your current Sky subscription. You’ll be able to watch all the channels you pay for directly from the television - so if you pay for Sky Ultimate TV, Sky Cinema and Sky Sports, all of the channels included in those packages will be available for you on Sky Glass. 

Let’s give you an example. If you were to add the 43” TV for £11 a month onto your pre-existing Sky Ultimate TV subscription, you’ll be able to carry on watching all the Sky content you pay for on your brand-new Sky Glass TV. 

Can I use Sky Multiscreen with Sky Glass? 

The Sky Stream Puck replaces the Sky Mini Box at the same cost if you were to purchase Sky Glass TV. The Sky Stream Puck works as an extension of the Sky Glass TV’s functionality, and is able to be plugged into other televisions within your home to enable you to access all your Sky content elsewhere. 

The Sky Stream Puck is a small device measuring 108mm by 108mm with a height of 18mm, so it’ll be able to fit nicely in whichever room you’d like to extend your Sky content to. Up to six Sky Stream Pucks can be paired with one Sky Glass TV, and offer the same 4K viewing experience as Sky Glass - a big downfall of the Sky Mini Box which didn’t offer 4K. 

If you didn’t want to replace your TV in your living room with Sky Glass, you could always have it elsewhere, such as in your bedroom, and then use the Sky Stream Puck with Multiscreen as a far-less invasive option to stream your Sky content from. 

What do I need to have Sky Glass? 

All you need to get Sky Glass is a Sky Subscription, whether it be an existing one or a new one you sign up to. Either way, adding Sky Glass to your subscription remains the same, adding a monthly cost which is dependent on the size you go for. The only other thing you’ll need is an internet connection! Sky recommends 10Mbps for HD viewing and 25Mbps for UHD viewing. 

What extra features does Sky Glass have?

When you own Sky Glass, you’ll have access to a number of state-of-the-art features that make browsing and watching your entertainment easier than ever. With the voice activation, you’ll be able to turn on the TV by simply saying “Hello Sky.” Want to find a show? Just say “Find Breaking Bad”. Want a few rounds of Warzone on the Xbox? Just say “Find Xbox”. It’s that simple.

With all your content in one place, it makes sense that Sky Glass offers unique recommendations for individual users, no matter how many people use the TV. Users will get recommendations depending on time and day, so you might be offered a new drama on Thursday evening or a new kids cartoon on Saturday morning.

You’ll also be able to pause and restart live TV in the same way as you would with a Sky box, all neatly integrated into the system and controllable via the smart remote. Adding shows and movies to your watchlist is as easy as pressing a button, and works across different services, so you can queue something from Amazon Prime, into Sky, into Netflix if you want.

If you’re an audiophile, Sky Glass is the TV for you. With Dolby Atmos included within the TV, there’s no need to buy an expensive sound bar to get quality audio when watching your favourite shows.

Is there anything else cool with Sky Glass? 

Now you mention it, yes there is. Sky Glass is home to something called Glance Motion Technology, which will wake the screen when it detects motion in the room. 

So if you slump down in front of the TV and haven’t remembered to pick up the remote, Sky Glass will automatically turn on. Couple motion detection with voice activation, why even bother with a remote anyway? 

What do the reviews say about Sky Glass? 

As far as the ease of installing Sky goes, Sky Glass ticks all the boxes. The thought of having to undergo the whole installation process of a Sky satellite has the potential to really put off would-be customers, but with the release of Sky Glass, all those worries can dissipate into thin air. 

With the thought of no satellite dish, Sky customers can join worry-free now, with minimal clutter also coming with the TV itself, as customers rave about not having to display or hide a Sky box within their living rooms. With such simplicity and overall inclusivity within the product itself, it’s such a great choice for so many people out there, and at just £11 a month bolted onto an existing Sky subscription, it’s super affordable, too. 

However, the one downside that is frequently brought up among those who have taken the time to review Sky Glass, is how the recording feature has essentially disappeared - a simplistic element of Sky that was probably removed due to a reliance on built-in storage that just wasn’t feasible adding into the TV. Sky instead has moved to a dependence on streaming platforms, which is okay, but nothing can really beat being able to store your favourite programmes and fast forward through the adverts! 

What are the technical specifications of Sky Glass?

Find all the technical information about Sky Glass below, taken from Sky’s website itself: 

Display
Resolution: 3840x2160
Display type: UHD Quantum Dot
HDR: Dolby Vision®, HDR 10,HLG
Audio
Sound: Dolby 3.1.2 output
3.1.2 Configuration: 3x outwards-firing, 1x central subwoofer, 2x upwards-firing
Audio format: Dolby Atmos
Sound output: Up to 215W
Connectivity
Internet connection: WiFi/Ethernet
HD broadband speed required: 10Mbps
UHD Broadband speed required: 25Mbps
Cables required: One power cable (included) 
Smart TV Features
Channels: Over 150    
Apps: 21
Voice control: Far-field voice detection