Sky TV is rolling out the latest update to its Sky Glass TVs and Sky Stream set-top boxes across the UK now, bringing dramatic improvements to those with a games console and a Sky Sports subscription. There are also minor tweaks throughout the software, known as EntertainmentOS, to help you find your next favourite boxset or blockbuster from the Sky TV catalogue, as well as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and other streamers.
EntertainmentOS 1.3 adds Rotten Tomatoes scores to the listings for films, documentaries, and seasons of TV shows, so you'll be able to judge the audience and critics' reactions before hitting the "Play" button.
For the first time, you'll be able to follow a specific actor or director — with their latest output dropping into your Playlist automatically. Elsewhere, EntertainmentOS 1.3 adds more subtitles and voice commands too.
Crucially, EntertainmentOS software is only used inside Sky Glass TVs and the diddy Sky Stream set-top box — but is not found on older Sky Q or Sky+ boxes. The latter will lose access to Sky TV channels in the coming months, so we're unlikely to see any of these features make the jump to those boxes.
Sky Q is still sold in the Sky Store, which suggests it'll continue to be supported for years to come. The fact that a different operating system powers these boxes means it could take a while before some of the features available in EntertainmentOS make the jump to Sky Q — after all, it took 7 years for Channel 4's on-demand app to make the transition to this generation of Sky TV hardware.
EntertainmentOS 1.3 is rolling out to Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers across the UK now.
The software update will be downloaded and installed automatically, so there's no need to take action. Sky TV has already rolled out an impressive 500 updates to Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers since the launch some two years ago, with last month bringing personalised rofiles for younger viewers, a voice command to rewind playback, and improvements when listening on Amazon Music and VOXI.
If you own Sky Glass or Sky Stream, these are the headline features coming in EntertainmentOS 1.3 —
First up, EntertainmentOS 1.3 addresses feedback from Sky Glass owners who use the all-in-one Smart TV to play consoles like Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PlayStation 5. A new Auto Game Mode will be enabled automatically whenever you switch to an HDMI 2.1 connection with a games console.
Sky tells GB News that it has reduced latency by 70% by combing through its software stack for efficiencies. No other picture settings will be adjusted when Auto Game Mode kicks in.
It's worth noting that Sky Glass does not support a native 120Hz refresh rate, one of the headline features of the latest generation of Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
While gamers will likely see an improvement with Auto Game Mode, those who want the ultimate experience might want to invest in a pricier telly with a high refresh-rate panel.
Sky introduced details on the Cast and Crew for TV shows, films, and documentaries with the previous version of EntertainmentOS — allowing you to view a carousel of high-resolution photographs of the team behind a programme before you start watching.
Once you're following a specific star, director or writer, you'll find a dedicated carousel for people in the Playlist menu. Selecting any of these people will scour the Sky TV catalogue, live television channels, and streaming service libraries to find the latest shows, documentaries, and movies with your favourite people
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With the arrival of EntertainmentOS 1.3, you'll be able to follow individuals by pressing the + button on your remote when you've highlighted an individual from the Cast and Crew carousel.
When a person has been added, you'll be able to find new episodes of TV shows, documentaries, and movies they've been involved with in a new People You Follow carousel inside the Playlist menu.
As new episodes air or new content becomes available in on-demand catalogues, these will all be automatically added to the Playlist section.
Sky has allowed viewers to search across its catalogue for shows or films from specific actors or directors since the launch of Sky Q back in 2016, but this latest update means you'll be able to keep track of key talent in an entirely new way.
As with everything in EntertainmentOS, Playlist will scan across every streaming service that you're signed into — so if your favourite actor stars in an exclusive show on Netflix or Disney+, that will be added to Playlist as well as terrestrial television, BBC iPlayer, ITVX and other catch-up services, as well as programmes from Sky TV's own catalogue of content.
Sky has teased that a future update to EntertainmentOS will allow football fans will be able to use the same system to follow their teams to enjoy the latest matches from one place.
Voice commands, which are accessed by holding down the microphone button on the remote control or by using the hands-free wake word "Hey, Sky..." on Sky Glass, are incredibly popular. Sky TV tells GB News that 25 million voice utterances are used across its devices in the UK every week.
With the latest tweak to EntertainmentOS, Sky added the ability to rewind playback with a voice command. EntertainmentOS 1.3 allows you to use your voice to add movies and shows to your Playlist for the first time. When viewing a TV show or movie listing on Glass or Stream, just say “Hello Sky, add to playlist” and the title will be added to Playlist to watch at a later date.
Sky TV has added Rotten Tomatoes to the listings for movies and TV shows across EntertainmentOS 1.3.
Both the Tomatometer and Audience Scores will be displayed on a redesigned listing, which also uses the official typeface and logos of shows and films where available. Until now, Sky TV has relied on its own font — used throughout EntertainmentOS — for the name of the programme.
With the arrival of EntertainmenOS 1.3, Sky will now display the title of the film in the same style as you'd find on the posters, new Rotten Tomatoes scores at a glance, and new icons so there's less text on-screen
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EntertainmentOS 1.3 will also bring a welcome boost to those who watch with subtitles. From today, all new Ultra HD content added to the Sky TV catalogue will have subtitles. Existing Ultra HD on-demand content, including documentaries from Sky Nature and the latest blockbuster films on Sky Cinema, will have subtitles by the end of the summer, Sky TV says.
Subtitles are already available for these titles in HD, which is included at no extra cost with Sky Glass and Sky Stream, while Ultra HD commands a monthly fee of £6.
Coming soon, Sky will introduce Audio Description, a popular feature available across linear television channels, across all video on-demand content.
Finally, EntertainmentOS 1.3 will bring a monumental upgrade for sports fans. Sky Sports Main Event viewers will soon be able to watch the channel in Low Latency, reducing the time between the action on the pitch and watching on your Sky Glass or Stream. Latency has been reduced by 22 seconds, which means you'll be able to watch your favourite sports faster than many other streaming services.
Sky TV told GB News that the delay between the action in the stadium and the broadcast in your home will now be almost indistinguishable between Sky Stream and Sky Glass, which stream content over the internet, and traditional satellite-powered boxes like Sky+ HD and Sky Q.
Sky TV went back to basics and looks for improvements in every part of the pipeline — from its own cameras in football grounds across the UK, to the broadcast technology, to the software that powers Sky Stream and Sky Glass.
Sky Sports Main Event will now be broadcast with a huge reduction in the broadcast delay — bringing streaming back in line with what viewers experienced with traditional satellite viewing
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The upgrade will only be available to Sky Sports Main Event viewers in the coming weeks. Sky hopes to bring its lower latency broadcasts to other Sky Sports channels later this year.
Unfortunately, since this is a proprietary technology developed by Sky TV to work with its systems, there won't be any improvement to the delay when watching live sports coverage on the BBC, ITV, or TNT Sports.
As such, you'll need to switch off notifications from apps or group chats when watching on any of these services as they'll continue to suffer from the industry-standard streaming delay of roughly 30 seconds.
To check the version of EntertainmentOS you're currently running on Sky Glass or Sky Stream, press the Home button on your Sky TV remote control, scroll down to the bottom of the menu and select Settings > System Management > System Info to find the EntertainmentOS version and build version.
When EntertainmentOS 1.3 begins to roll out across the UK this month (May 2024) your Sky Glass TV or Sky Stream should update automatically to the latest software version overnight.
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