Sky's Glass TV is still something I proudly show off to guests and family who come round to our house, I can’t help it. And without sounding like a complete show-off, Glass has just simply changed our viewing experiences for the better.
Sky launched the innovative new streaming TV in October 2021, and it marked a first-of-its-kind due to its complete reliance on a broadband connection. Users don’t need a satellite dish or TV box to use it, just a strong internet speed, and of course need to be a Sky TV customer.
Available in three sizes and five different colours, Sky Glass brings together live Freeview and Sky channels, like Sky Showcase, Sky History and Sky Atlantic, as well as live sports fixtures and blockbusters on Sky Cinema, with on-demand boxsets from HBO, and streaming services including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ in a single package.
READ MORE: Sky lowering 43-inch streaming TV to just £11 this Black Friday
But what else can Sky Glass do and how does it stand out from a normal TV? Well, below I’ve compiled a list of five clever tricks that I think makes Glass stand out from the rest, despite the obvious not needing a TV dish and box.
Before we begin, if you’re thinking of buying a Sky Glass you will need to have a Sky TV package, check out their latest Black Friday deals here. You will also need to make sure your broadband connection has a minimum speed of 10Mbps, which many broadband providers can now actually deliver for a reasonable price too.
Voice activation
Sky Glass has hands-free voice control, and you talk to it by saying “Hello Sky” to find what to watch. It's similar to Google or Amazon smart displays. So for example you can say “Hello Sky…turn on BBC One, or play The Watcher on Netflix”.
The voice control not only works for Sky TV channels but you can also command Glass to open up apps, resume a programme, mute the volume, or turn the volume up or down or even pause live television.
When I first began using it I found it very temperamental, which you can read about in my review here but it’s slowly got better because I think it now recognises my voice more.
You can either say "Hello Sky" direct to the TV when entering the room or press and hold the voice button on your Sky remote, and speak clearly into the microphone below the Sky logo, and release the button when you've finished speaking.
Glance Motion technology
Sky has also developed a system called Glance Motion Technology, which automatically wakes the screen when it detects a presence in the room. This is featured heavily on Sky Glass.
It's good if I want to flop down on the couch after a long day and scroll through the recommendations or I can’t decide what to watch. But it can be an energy-drainer if you forget to turn the setting off.
For example, I've found the TV turning on, or powering up this technology at night time as my dog sleeps downstairs, so it must detect when she is moving around the room. If there’s no movement detected for one hour, Glass will automatically go into standby mode but that's a bit too long for me so I've switched this feature off in settings via start-up and standby . It's handy to put back on in the day but I would definitely switch this off at night time, especially if you're a light sleeper.
Night mode sound
A clever feature which I quite like on Sky Glass is called Night Mode. You can find it by saying ‘Hello Sky…Night Mode’ or by pressing the three dots on your remote and scrolling across to Night Mode on the screen.
When you turn this on it will reduce the volume and extreme sounds. This allows you to watch a film with good quality sound, without disturbing the neighbours.
Night Mode also automatically boosts dialogue, especially if characters are whispering or the action on-screen is very quiet, and drops the bass and sound when people start shouting, car engines are screaming, and the action film kicks into another gear. Perfect for parents who don't want to wake up the kids too.
Different viewing modes
As well as Night Mode, there’s also various viewing modes which can be selected depending on what it is you are watching. Whether it be sport, entertainment, music, or a movie, Sky Glass will change the colours on the screen and the sound to cater to that genre.
Auto mode will automatically pick the setting for you depending on what you choose to watch. Viewing modes include:
- Auto
- Sports
- Movies
- Music
- Entertainment
- Vivid
- Custom.
For the best experience, Sky recommends you keep this set to ‘auto’, but other viewing modes are available and I enjoy the ‘Movie’ setting the most as I find it enhances the sound quality perfectly. My partner likes the Sports mode as it sharpens the colours making them more vivid.
Ad skipping
With Sky Glass you can skip the adverts too which has been a complete game changer in our house! Users can only do this though if they have the Sky Ultimate TV subscription which includes the Ad Skipping Ad on pack.
For an extra £5, you’ll be able to fast forward through adverts when using Live Pause, Restart, Playlist or Sky On Demand. You can also fast forward adverts from within ITV Hub, STV Player and All4.
The Ad Skipping Add On doesn't mean that you won't see any adverts. It allows the ability to fast forward through the ads using the relevant remote control buttons and on screen menu for what you're watching. The Ad Skipping Add On doesn't include other apps, like YouTube or Spotify.
When watching Sky programmes, you'll be able to fast forward up to x30 speed, or you can use voice control to skip a number of minutes simply by saying “Hello Sky, skip x minutes” near your Sky Glass TV or by using the Voice button on your Sky remote.
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