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NOW has launched a long-awaited new add-on that unlocks 4K Ultra HD resolution with HDR and Dolby Atmos. Dubbed Ultra Boost, this optional extra costs £9 per month — or an extra £108 over the course of a year.
It builds on the Boost add-on, launched over a decade ago, that improves picture quality up to 1080p HD and adds support for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Subscribing to Boost allows two people to watch using the same login, while Ultra Boost increases that to three people.
NOW says you'll need a minimum internet speed of 12Mbps on every device to watch with the increased quality included with the Boost add-on, or 30Mbps per device for Ultra Boost.
The different perks included in the NOW Boost and Ultra Boost add-on packages, which cost £6 and £9 per month, respectively
SKY TV PRESS OFFICE
Subscribers to NOW, formerly NOW TV, have demanded the introduction of Ultra Boost for years. For comparison, Netflix introduced its 4K Ultra HD streaming quality tier back in April 2014 — meaning that it's taken over 10 years for the Sky-owned streamer to catch up to its biggest rival.
Prime Video and Apple TV+ both offer 4K Ultra HD picture quality at no extra charge, as long as your broadband is fast enough to support it.
Even when comparing NOW to other options from Sky TV, it's taken an inordinate amount of time to bring 4K Ultra streaming to this contract-free service. Sky started to offer 4K Ultra HD streaming with its Sky Q set-top box, which made its debut in early 2016, and is widely tipped to be retired in the coming years.
NOW viewers who want to stream the latest season of House of the Dragon will need to pay for an Entertainment Membership, which costs £9.99 for a one-month rolling contract, but drops down to £6.99 if you commit to a six-month contract. To watch in 4K Ultra HD, you'll need to spend an extra £9 each month.
To watch in Full HD, you'll need to spend an extra £6 a month for the standard Boost add-on. Without any of the optional packages, you'll need to settle for streaming in 720p and stereo sound quality.
Sky Stream — the latest set-top box from the UK broadcaster — offers access to the same selection of television channels, on-demand boxsets, and live sports with a one-month rolling contract. As such, this box offers a similar experience to a NOW subscription.
Unlike NOW, Sky Stream includes 1080p HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound at no extra cost, something that isn't the case for Sky Q viewers. If you want to upgrade to 4K Ultra HD and Dolby Atmos, you'll need to spend an extra £6 per month — saving you £36 each year.
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With one of the best Sky Stream deals, you can watch exclusive HBO shows like House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Euphoria, and Succession as well as original productions from Sky like the award-winning Chernobyl for just £23 per month. That includes a Netflix subscription worth £4.99 too.
For comparison, unlocking the same channels in HD quality via NOW will cost you around £15.99 per month. While it's true Sky Stream viewers enjoy the resolution bump to 1080p at no extra fee, it doesn't mean packages with this set-top box are always the cheapest options to binge-watch a new boxset.
