After first teasing it two years ago, Sky has finally launched Sky Live - a camera that sits on top of a Sky Glass TV to add video calling, motion gaming, full body tracked workouts, and watch parties for friends and families.
It is exclusive to Sky Glass, even attaching to the top of the set using a magnet system built into the TV that has had no other purpose until now. However, in the future, you might not even have to do that - a possible Sky Glass replacement could have the camera built into the frame.
Sky Glass 2 (as we're calling it) is likely a way off yet, with Sky claiming that the current model is the best-selling TV in the UK in all three of its screen sizes - 43-, 55- and 65-inches. The pay monthly purchase plan and all-in-one nature has certainly been successful in helping it compete with the best televisions out there.
But, as well as a broadcaster and satellite TV service, Sky has become a tech firm in recent times - hence Sky Live - and is always looking to improve and enhance the experience.
We met up with Fraser Stirling, Sky's global chief product officer, during the Sky Live launch to chat about the camera and asked him whether there's a possibility the technology could also be used in a Sky Glass 2 in future: "Technically, loads of things are possible," he replied.
"There's quite a few reasons why it's an add-on device at the moment. But you can see that it might as well not be, right?
"In terms of the experience in the UI and how it installs, with the magnets, the [lack of] cables, the power, the activation - all that stuff is there to make it feel like one thing. So, going forward there's lots of different directions it can go.".
This is partly because, even though Sky Live features full body motion tracking, it does so without the need for LiDAR or laser mapping of you and your surroundings. It captures you using a 2D 12-megapixel camera and the software does the rest. And so, while it is an optional extra for now, there's no real reason the same tech couldn't sit inside the TV itself.
Will there be different Sky Live colours?
In the meantime, Sky Live will be available as an optional extra and in just the one colour - black. That being said, coloured versions to match Sky Glass variants could also come along down the line: "What we wanted to do is focus on this one for now, and then we'll take it from there," Stirling explained.
"Like you see with Glass, we've got all these different colours. And, like the new versions of Glass as they come down the line, you'll see a similar approach to that.
"We'll be able to make a certain amount of different versions in the future. We expect to do that across all our products."
Sky Live is available now. It is for Sky Glass customers only as it directly connects to that TV (in the different sizes) and costs £290 if you want to buy one outright, or £6 per month for 48-months, or £12 per month on a 24-month price plan.
Both the pay-monthly plans come with 0% interest.
