NEWS: 4K HDR Now TV box released with Netflix support

*streams content from them at 720p 3mb/s*

Shame they aren't providing any improvement for their main service. Chances are if you have a 4k TV to watch the netflix app they've added.. it'd have the app built in.
 
Comical really. Does nobody at Sky see the absurdity of releasing a 4K box, only to have it run your competitors content at 4K, but not your own?

Now TV feels like it's stuck in a timewarp. It's a relic, tech from the pre-Netflix era still somehow up and running on an old Windows XP PC somewhere.
 
Yeah, they said 1080p streams at the end of the year. We'll, we're about to come into the last 3 months of the year. Surely they must have a date by now?
 
Yeah, they said 1080p streams at the end of the year. We'll, we're about to come into the last 3 months of the year. Surely they must have a date by now?

Even if that happens, and I bet it won't, what are the chances that it'll still be in 2.0 channel stereo only?
 
Trying to find out anything meaningful about the new box on the NowTV website is pointless. I want to find out if it has an ethernet port, for example. As for stated capability, well my guess is that this is the box that will support Sky's promised HD resolution upgrade.

Clem
 
Even if that happens, and I bet it won't, what are the chances that it'll still be in 2.0 channel stereo only?
Yeah, my feeling too. Sky only ever talked about a PQ upgrade, not audio. Odd then, that they must know that Netflix offers 5.1 audio by default on most of its offerings, so why pitch your obviously poorer service against what is still a competitor on the same platform?

Clem
 
Even if that happens, and I bet it won't, what are the chances that it'll still be in 2.0 channel stereo only?

Good point, still, 1080p or at least an attempt at 1080p is better than nothing.
 
You're all AV enthusiasts, so you'll pick up on the shortfalls. Fact remains though that, according to the ONS

"There are now more UK subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon and NOW TV than to ‘traditional’ pay TV services"

TV streaming services overtake pay TV for first time

Students will more likely sign up to streaming services than get a dish installed, or even a Virgin or BT cable fitted. It's all about convenience and no long term contract. And with decent subscription figures, why should Now TV worry too much about improving PQ for no extra charge?
 
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Well, the box does at least have an ethernet port. As for the increased PQ, watching something that I know has multichannel audio (Fortitude, for example) but I'm stuck watching it in stereo is still a big turn-off for me. That said, for many people that don't use a/v setups it's a non-issue. I want 1080p AND 5.1 audio.

Clem
 
You're all AV enthusiasts, so you'll pick up on the shortfalls. Fact remains though that, according to the ONS

"There are now more UK subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon and NOW TV than to ‘traditional’ pay TV services"

TV streaming services overtake pay TV for first time

Students will more likely sign up to streaming services that get a dish installed, or even a Virgin or BT cable fitted. It's all about convenience and no long term contract. And with decent subscription figures, why should Now TV worry too much about improving PQ for no extra charge?
Wasn't there some noise about the increased PQ being a chargeable option, a bit like Netflix having both SD and HD pricing? In any event, as I mentioned previously, why pitch your service against something that offers better quality on the same box? That doesn't make any sense to me, but then Sky always treats its customers with contempt and they still pay through the nose ...

Clem
 
I would have been slightly interested if they left the freeview tuner included
 
Netflix is now available on normal UK Now TV boxes, (Popped up in the App store today) and yes the boxes are powered by Roku but with less features. (However they are also significantly cheaper with many deals bundling in subscriptions to Now TV passes)

As far as I am aware HD is still on the cards for later in the year. (Things have a habit of just popping up unannounced on Now TV boxes rather than specifying a date)

Bill

Update

There is a description of the 4K box on Trusted Reviews with the price at £45.99

Bill
 
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Now TV devices are ROKU devices, Now TV's owner bought into ROKU. Not sure if is just less ability hardware or just different software. ROKU software has always been difficult to mess with, not sure if that has changed, but don't expect any magic software hacks coming from the community.
 
Do you think sky and Netflix have done a deal where Netflix manage the back end of Sky’s impending online version. Just something that popped in there.

I hope so as Netflix seems to run very well.
 
Even if that happens, and I bet it won't, what are the chances that it'll still be in 2.0 channel stereo only?
2CH be fine for me I just run all my movies and tv shows through my stereo amp, sounds great nice and clear
 
With Roku being quoted elsewhere on internet as saying, they are not bring the new USA devices to UK, makes sense now. Their $40 no voice control 4K streamer would under cut Now TV , yet have the NowTV channel, Netflix, Amazon, Rakuten, extra sports channels, Sky etc available and more.

UK Roku 4K streaming stick £55.00 Sainsbury's - Please enable cookies or JavaScript

If it meets your needs
 
As others have said to still have poor quality 720p with a low bitrate when so many are using larger TVs it just looks awful. Fingers crossed they stop worrying about the bottom line and go for better audio and picture and we are all likely to subscribe in our droves I suspect.

Hey ho.
 
I have toyed with the idea of importing a US Roku box. Swapping the PSU seems to be the biggest challenge, and the only app., from what I can make-out that won't install, is the BBC's iPlayer. I just hope that Sky does the decent thing and ups the PQ and sorts-out the sound quality. My plastic is at the ready Sky, if you read these forums ...

Clem
 
You're all AV enthusiasts, so you'll pick up on the shortfalls. Fact remains though that, according to the ONS

"There are now more UK subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon and NOW TV than to ‘traditional’ pay TV services"

TV streaming services overtake pay TV for first time

Students will more likely sign up to streaming services than get a dish installed, or even a Virgin or BT cable fitted. It's all about convenience and no long term contract. And with decent subscription figures, why should Now TV worry too much about improving PQ for no extra charge?

But if you look at the market share of NOW TV amongst those three, it's lagging way behind.

I have Amazon and Netflix but I won't be reactivating my NOW TV sub. At £10 per month, 720p is unacceptable.

Whilst unlikely given the continued prevalence of DVD, a lot of people may share my stance on the attractiveness of the service.
 
I have a few friends who use Now TV, none of them have ever moaned about picture quality. For most people out there, it's a non issue they are probably not even aware of. They use it to watch tv, it's cheap, it works, that's that.

That's really all I'm trying to say; most viewers don't care about things that enthusiasts do. It's why some Sky viewers don't have HD, everything they watch is in SD. We might not like something but if the majority don't care, the provider has no incentive to change things.
 
But they will be looking for ways to improve their market share. For the attracting the AV focussed user, more effort into delivering the latest films at a high quality would do the trick.

For the rest, it's overpriced vs. the competition. Netflix, for example, starts at £5.99.
 
Although NOW TVs market share seems low, consumers can still gain access to near enough the same content via conventional broadcast Sky. I wonder if Sky is content with NOW TVs market share when including combined revenue via broadcast and streaming?

Personally, I think that Sky's programming (particularly its own content) is dreadful and I only dip in and out of Now TV, when I want to watch something specific (i.e. GoT, Westworld et al). I agree that the audio/visual quality of Now TV isn't great but on the plus side, they offer more discounts / bargains than their competitors. Quite often (if you shop around), their entertainment pass can be had for around £2 or £3 per month equivalent. They had an offer not that long ago for movies at £4 a month equivalent.

Regarding this box; I would've been interested if it was a "full-fat" Roku box. I ended up with an NVIDIA shield, as I needed support for Amazon, HD audio and an ethernet port.
 
I have a few friends who use Now TV, none of them have ever moaned about picture quality. For most people out there, it's a non issue they are probably not even aware of. They use it to watch tv, it's cheap, it works, that's that.

That's really all I'm trying to say; most viewers don't care about things that enthusiasts do. It's why some Sky viewers don't have HD, everything they watch is in SD. We might not like something but if the majority don't care, the provider has no incentive to change things.

DVDs outsell BDs and UHD BDs by a massive margin, but if Netflix and Amazon can serve home cinema fans with high end PQ/AQ, then Sky can as well. There's no excuse for only catering for the lowest common denominator.
 

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