Latest news with #GlassTV
Daily Mirror
30-06-2025
- Daily Mirror
BBC iPlayer rivals Sky TV with a vital free upgrade - check your settings now
The BBC is finally offering a boost that Sky customers have enjoyed for a while. Millions of UK homes continue to switch over to streaming content online rather than using traditional methods such as a TV aerial or satellite dish. Recent stats from Sky show that its Glass TV and Stream Box (which are both powered by broadband) make up the majority of new sales, and there's now the recent arrival of Freely as well, which offers live TV via the internet. With endless hours of content to watch, along with its ease of use and simple DIY installation, it's no surprise that the streaming revolution shows no signs of slowing. However, if you've ever tried to watch live sport, you'll know there is one very annoying issue. Services such as BBC iPlayer have a delay which can be up to 30-40 seconds. That's no issues when watching a quiz show or a movie, but it's a nightmare when tuning into football, rugby or tennis action. When something major happens during a match, those texts arriving from friends and family, or the roar from the neighbours can ruin things when your TV is so far behind. It's something Sky has already begun fixing with a new update to its streaming devices, now cutting the latency down to just a few seconds. Now, in a bid to match its rival, the BBC has confirmed that it is working on something very similar. "The delay on iPlayer has reduced significantly in recent times but is still around 40 seconds," the BBC explained. "Many streaming services today have similar delays. On our broadcast services the end to end delay is just 8-10 seconds - a significant difference. "For some content, viewers may not notice, but for live sport and for live events with a social media following, delays can detract from the viewing experience. "We are aiming to address these delays whilst maintaining a high quality of experience through our work on 'low latency streaming'." This change is currently in development with the BBC saying that it is offering iPlayer users the chance to test it out before an official release. Homes with 3rd and 2nd generation Amazon Fire TV Sticks, along with owners of Samsung's CU8000 and CU8500 TVs can head to their settings and switch on the iPlayer Beta experience. This test version will then show streams with less lag. The BBC says that the initial trial will run on BBC Two between 9am and 5pm for viewers who have enabled 'iPlayer beta' in settings and have set their location to England or Scotland. "This trial is to help us understand how well low latency streaming can cope with the real world performance of our viewers' internet connections. We are starting small but hope to expand the trial as we gain confidence in its performance," the BBC added.
The Verge
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Verge
launch of the Glass Gen 2 back in February
Sky's cheaper Glass TV is here. The Air was first teased alongside the , and it'll go on sale in the UK from June 10th. Starting from £6/month it's less than half price the Gen 2, but the 4K HDR screen isn't as bright, and you don't get seven-speaker Dolby Atmos audio. That might make it the better buy for anyone who already has a soundbar though.
Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
End of your aerial? New Freeview rival could soon offer a better way to watch TV
Freeview could soon be under pressure from a new rival that doesn't need an aerial. It's hard to argue that Freeview still rules the roost when it comes to watching TV without paying a monthly fee. This totally free platform features over 100 channels, which are all available via a standard aerial on your roof. Millions of homes across the UK now rely on Freeview for their nightly fix of entertainment but its days could well be numbered. More of us are now moving away from traditional methods of watching content and switching over to streaming instead. Sky recently confirmed that its Stream box and Glass TV - which receive live shows, sports and movies via an internet connection - are now its biggest sellers and now there's another way to tune into the telly. Freely, which is actually owned by the same team as Freeview, first launched last year and is slowly improving with more manufacturers including it in their screens and new features being added on a regular basis. It even recently received a boost which now offers a backwards TV guide which lets you find things to watch that have been previously aired. It's a smart system that's clearly getting a lot of investment, and now there could be an even bigger reason to consider ditching Freeview and that aerial that wobbles around on your chimney. It's recently been revealed that a Freely may soon start making a dedicated set-top box. For those not in the know, the only way to currently access this streaming service is to buy a brand new television with it pre-installed. Another issue is that some manufactures - such as LG and Samsung - haven't yet joined the Freely revolution and don't offer any screens with it installed. If a standalone set-top box arrived, it would fix these problems and make it seem far more enticing. Explaining more about the future, BBC 's Tim Davie recently said: "At the BBC we have been working hard to build digital platforms and content to meet changing audience needs, enriching our offer and welcoming the possibilities of a post broadcast world. "We think now is the time to confirm an IP switchover in the 2030s, setting out the conditions and providing certainty to ensure success. "The BBC can play a key role in innovating to ensure that the new world is inclusive and accessible. "To help, we want to double down on Freely as a universal free service to deliver live TV over broadband. And we are considering a streaming media device with Freely capabilities built in, with a radically simplified user interface specifically designed to help those yet to benefit from IP services." TiVo also recently hinted that they could also bring a Freely-powered set-top box to the UK in the future. This update would be a direct rival for Sky Stream, which also turns old TVS into fully smart content hubs. We don't have full details just yet, but watch this space.
Business Mayor
19-05-2025
- Business Mayor
Sky issues important message to TV customers and says 'please' follow new advice
Thousands of Sky users had a bad end to last week with the popular TV platform suffering from a major outage. The issues, which affected Sky Q devices, left many unable to view their favourite shows, with homes facing blank screens and error messages. Sky says it quickly fixed the bug, but it seems some users have still been suffering from the gremlins days after the initial problem took place. Sky had already released a statement saying, 'The issue was quickly resolved, and service has been restored,' along with urging users to unplug the Sky box from the mains. Now, in a bid to get everyone back online, Sky has also sent out a text message alert explaining what to do if your television still isn't working properly. 'We're extremely sorry if you experienced issues with your Sky Q services recently,' Sky explained in the message. 'These issues have been fixed. If you're still having trouble, please switch off your box at the mains for 30 seconds, then back on. For mini box issues, also reboot the main box.' Hopefully, a full reset should get things back on track and if your Sky Q is still playing it's worth giving it a go before calling Sky's support team. As Sky has confirmed, simply switch the Q box off at the mains, wait at least 30 seconds and then plug it back in again. That should get your picture restored. It's still unclear what caused the Sky Q technical fault, but it appears users of Sky Glass and Sky Stream were unaffected. These products use the internet to beam content to screens and don't require a dish stuck to the chimney. The firm evem recently upgraded it Glass TV with it now offering a better screen and improved features. Read our Sky Glass 2 review here. Read More Can technology clean up the shrimp farming business? Sky clearly sees its streaming gadgets as the future, but the firm remains committed to its Sky Q products and continues to update them with new features. READ SOURCE
Business Mayor
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Another smart new Sky TV rival is coming to the UK and it's totally free to watch
Sky might have just upgraded its broadband-powered Glass TV but it's rivals aren't standing still either. French telly manufacturer Thomson has just unveiled a swathe of new screens at an event in Vienna, and it's been confirmed that some of these latest models are destined for the UK. The new televisions coming our way will all have access to Freely, which—like Sky Glass—lets users watch live and on-demand content via an internet connection. That means there's no need for a dish or aerial to be stuck to the chimney with content streamed to the big screen instead. Freely also offers the ability to pause live shows, see recommendations for things to watch and there's full access to main and mini TV guide. Freely can't quite match the might of Sky's huge catalogue of content, but, unlike the premium provider, it is completely free to watch. Along with coming pre-loaded with Freely, there's another bonus of these upcoming Thomson tellies as they will be powered by TiVo. This platform is already included on some other screens from firms such as Panasonic and Bush, plus it has long powered older V6 set-top boxes from Virgin Media. Now it's being added to this latest swathe of goggleboxes and it promises to make finding things to watch a whole lot easier. Along with offering a visually rich user experience, TiVo holds a vast amount of metadata, which helps it track down content via simple keywords. All users have to do is speak into the remote to narrow down the on-screen results. It even lets users add more search terms to reduce the number of things appearing on the screen. For example, a user can say, 'films with Tom Cruise', but then add phrases such as 'from the 90s' and 'only comedies' and TiVo will do the rest. 'We make it easy for people to find, watch and enjoy what they love, on their terms,' TiVo explained. 'We serve up the best movies, shows, sports and videos from across live TV, on demand, streaming services and countless apps. With TiVo, there's less searching, more watching in one integrated experience from any screen.' The TiVo operating system even lets you dig into the settings and turn off certain streaming platforms. That means if you don't subscribe to Disney+, for example, you won't see content recommendations from the app appear on the display. Unlike Google TV and Amazon's Fire OS, TiVo is also proud to boast that it is totally independent, so it doesn't push its users to specific apps or content. There's no exact launch date for the new Thomson tellies, but they are expected to arrive in the UK in the autumn with sizes from 24 to 64-inches available. If these screens weren't enough to worry Sky, TiVo has also hinted that it could also bring a Freely-powered set-top box to the UK in the future. Right now, those wanting to access this service need a compatible TV to tune in, but it's hoped that a new streaming box would bring Freely to older screens as well. Some manufacturers such as LG and Samsung also haven't adopted Freely yet so a box would also fix that issue as well. Read More Can you trust your ears? AI voice scams rattle US This update would be a direct rival for Sky Stream, which also turns old TVS into fully smart content hubs. We don't have full details just yet, but watch this space. READ SOURCE
