Sky TV is offering millions of Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers a free update with five all-new features. The new additions to EntertainmentOS, the software that powers both of these devices, will download automatically in the background — so there's no need to dig into the settings to trigger an update.
Unfortunately, those with the older Sky Q set-top box nestled under their telly will miss out on the excitement. Launched five years before the arrival of Sky Glass, Q is the final product from Sky TV that still relies on a satellite dish.
It's powered by a completely different operating system too, which explains the long wait for apps to launch on Sky Q after appearing on Glass and Stream — with the record standing at seven years!
If you're watching on Sky Glass or Sky Stream, these are the headline features in EntertainmentOS 1.2:
We've got more details on all of these new additions below. With the arrival of the latest EntertainmentOS update, Sky confirmed to GB News that it had delivered over 500 software updates to Sky Glass viewers since the all-in-one Smart TV launched in late 2021. There were 300 alone last year.
Sky Stream has received slightly fewer since it works with your existing telly and doesn't have all of the hardware features found on Glass.
With EntertainmentOS 1.2 installed, Sky Glass and Sky Stream will begin to offer personalised recommendations around a specific genre. The feature is limited to Sky Cinema for now, with plans to expand into other content in the future. Sky will make intelligent suggestions by analysing your viewing history as well as films you've added to Playlist to watch at a later date.
Sky will make suggestions of films in carousels with labels like "Biographical Movies For You" or "Historical Dramas For You". The company says it's tuned the system to throw in a few "wild card" recommendations that should keep things interesting by pushing you a little outside of your comfort zone.
Sky Glass and Sky Stream will make intelligent suggestions from 30 different genres based on your viewing history and titles you've added to Playlist
GB NEWS
At launch, Sky Cinema will be able to recommend films within 30 different genres, which should cover the most popular movies as well as niche content you didn't realise anyone else liked. The feature will be rolled out to TV shows "soon," Sky tells us.
The latest software update from Sky TV brings details on the Cast and Crew to every series and movie available to watch. Coupled with high-resolution photographs of the team behind the production, you'll be able to click through to discover everything they’ve ever been in and bring up new suggestions for you to watch.
We've seen similar functionality built into Prime Video for some time, which shows a list of the cast who appear in each individual scene every time you press pause. While this new addition to EntertainmentOS isn't quite as advanced as that, it's still great to see cast and crew details given such prominence on Sky Glass and Stream.
Sky has let viewers 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 browse through the key talent involved in a project before pressing the play button.
On the topic of Sky Q, EntertainmenOS 1.2 plays catch up with this eight-year-old box by introducing the ability to rewind with a voice command. While that was always possible with Sky Q, viewers with Sky Stream and Sky Glass could only use their voice to skip forward.
With the latest update, Sky has introduced more playback controls. You can now fast-forward and rewind using only your voice, so you can skip to the good bits or re-wind and enjoy all the best quips in Succession, or jaw-dropping stunts in Mission Impossible. Sky Stream viewers will need to hold the microphone button on the remote, while Sky Glass owners can use hands-free voice commands by starting the request with "Hey, Sky..."
Music streaming apps have been available on Sky Glass and Sky Stream for some time, but the latest software update removes a few clicks to find what you're looking for. With EntertainmenOS 1.2 installed, you'll be able to search for a specific artist within the app using a single voice command — so you can ask for "Harry Styles on Amazon Music" to navigate immediately to the singers' profile. This works with Amazon Music and ROXI.
With the latest update to EntertainmentOS 1.2, Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers can customise the appearance of their profile within the Playlist menu with a character from a popular children's show
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Sky introduced profiles in the Playlist feature, which stores a list of on-demand shows, documentaries, and films that you're looking to watch at a later date, at the beginning of last year.
However, with the latest refresh to EntertainmentOS, viewers can customise their profile pictures with characters from their favourite show.
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Sky is only offering avatars from children's shows at the moment, with headshots of popular actors and sports stars coming in a future update to EntertainmentOS later this year. For now, kids will be able to choose from colourful avatars from Paw Patrol, Scooby Doo, Peppa Pig, SpongeBob, Trolls and Pip & Posy.
Following in the footsteps of streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video, this new customisation lets Sky Glass and Sky Stream viewers add a touch of personality to their profiles.
