This is everything you need to know
Sky has announced a new Glass TV in the form of Sky Glass Gen 2, though it has also revealed that there will be another Sky Glass model arriving before the end of the year called Sky Glass Air. The latter will be a slimmer and cheaper version of Sky Glass, while the Gen 2 model improves the display and sound quality of the original model from 2021, but retains the same design.
Sky Glass Gen 2 features a brighter 4K Quantum Dot display, along with advanced HDR and precision contrast enhancement technology designed to make blacks blacker and whites whiter. There’s a wider viewing angle too, and Sky has said the Gen 2 model also offers a more accurate display than the original Sky Glass.
Sound quality has also been improved on the Sky Glass Gen 2, with a seven-speaker Dolby Atmos sound system built-in, said to offer richer bass and improved vocal clarity. Like the original Sky Glass, the Gen 2 model will offer some software enhancements for sound too, with Night Mode for dampening loud sounds at night time and Speech Enhancement to help make dialogue clearer.
We mentioned the design remaining the same as the original Sky Glass, though the Gen 2 model does have a redesigned stand, which shaves 5kg off its weight, and there are some built-in sections on either side to make it easier to handle too. Otherwise, this is still the same TV featuring Sky built-in, with the idea being a one-stop solution where you don’t need any extra streaming boxes or sound systems.
The Sky Glass Gen 2 comes in three size options of 43-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches, like the original Sky Glass, but the colours have changed. The original came in five colour options, while Sky Glass Gen 2 comes in three, comprising Volcanic Grey, Arctic Silver, and Atlantic Blue. The remotes are colour matched to the TV, as they were before, but the speaker fascia is also colour-matched so there are a couple of subtle changes in the Gen 2 model.
When it comes to the interface, Sky Glass Gen 2 runs on the same as Sky Glass and Sky Stream, but this has had a name change from Entertainment OS to Sky OS. We have a Sky Glass and Sky Stream tips and tricks feature worth reading for a run down of some of the things Sky Glass can do, but the main take away is that voice control is the easiest way to find what you might be looking for.
There’s a Playlist feature that allows you to add shows you want to watch however, and Playlists can be personalised too so you can have separate ones for different people in your house, while the Continue Watching rail pulls in everything you’ve started watching, including on Netflix and Prime.
Sky Glass Gen 2 knows what you are watching and will automatically optimise the picture and sound accordingly, and it has updated picture modes including Entertainment, Movies, Music, Auto, Vivid, Extra Vivid and Sport that you can select if you want to. When asked if these modes would come to the original Sky Glass, we weren’t told no, but there wasn’t a definitive yes either. It was more of a wait and see.
Based on what we have seen of the Sky Glass Gen 2 so far, the display panel looks brighter and it sounds great but we will need to review it properly before we make our final judgement.
For now, Sky Glass Gen 2 will be available from 12 February, starting at £14 a month. You will also need a Sky subscription, with the new Essential TV pack starting from £15 a month.
