The top 29 ways to improve your TV experience with Sky Q

The only issue with having a lot of equipment is All of the various remotes that come with it However, if you have a recent television, chances are it will support HDMI CEC. This enables your Sky Q box to communicate with your television and control its power and volume.

Simply go to Settings > Setup > Audio visual and toggle HDMI control to "On." Your Sky Q remote will now control the volume of your TV, and long-pressing the power button will turn the TV on and off.

If you've invested in a 4K television, you'll want to make sure you're watching as much of it as possible. Fortunately, Sky's UHD library is expanding by the day, and if you're watching one of the broadcaster's own shows, it should be available in 4K and, in time, HDR.

To ensure you get the full UHD experience, go to Settings > Setup > Preferences > On demand default download format and select UHD. If the format you prefer isn't available for the show you're watching, the next best format will be downloaded instead.

Because of Sky Q's recording capabilities, the box must always consume some power in order to Series Link your favorite shows. You can save energy by putting the box to sleep at night or whenever you're not using it. Simply go to Settings > Setup > Preferences > Standby mode and enable Eco mode to start saving money on your electricity bill.

One of the best parts about having Sky is being able to watch TV on the go. You only need the Sky Go app (Android/iOS, free) to watch live and on-demand TV from anywhere you have a wireless or data connection.

The app is constantly being updated, so you now have faster access to things you were previously watching, as well as the ability to sort by specific channels and either watch stuff right on your phone or trigger downloads to your box. However, you are still unable to select the Ultra HD version.

There's also an iOS widget and access to red button features while watching on the app, which is especially useful for EFL fans who want to watch their team's midweek games on the go rather than sitting in front of the TV.

You do not need to subscribe to Sky's Ultimate On Demand package to watch Netflix or Disney on your TV. If you already have an account, you can log in and use the app just like you would on any other streaming box or smart TV.

Disney and Netflix are now fully integrated into the Sky Q interface, so shows from both will appear alongside Sky shows in search results and recommendations, even if you aren't a subscriber.

Sky's On Demand catalog is fantastic, but some TV shows are only available for a limited time. To avoid missing out, record shows to your Sky Q hard drive, where they will remain until you delete them, with no expiry date concerns.

Simply select your show from the schedule and press the red "R" button on your remote. This will create a series link, which means Sky Q will record the entire series for you to watch whenever you want.

There's no need to crowd around your phone anymore to watch the latest 'cats do the funniest things' compilation. By pressing the Home button on your remote and going to Online Video > Apps > YouTube, you can stream directly from YouTube to your Sky Q box.

Log in with your YouTube account, or if your mobile/tablet is connected to the same network, your Sky Q box should appear as a casting option within the YouTube app.

If you're anything like us, you'll be constantly bombarded with recommendations for shows you must watch. Fortunately, a recent Sky Q update increased the number of channels the box can record from five to six.

Go to Settings > Setup > Preferences > Maximum number of recordings and increase it. However, enabling six channels disables the live preview feature in the mini guide and prevents you from using split-screen mode on Sky Sports. But at the very least, you'll never miss another recommendation again.

Sky Q may be your TV savior, but it also makes throwing a house party a lot easier: with its built-in AirPlay function, you can easily unleash the music trapped in your iPhone and get the whole house in on the action.

Simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then left, and select "Sky Q" from the list of audio devices on your iOS device. Android users can use Bluetooth to connect their devices for the same functionality.

This is one to avoid if you find it difficult to stop watching your favorite shows on a regular basis, but Sky Q can ensure that the next episode is always queued up and ready to go.

Go to Settings > Setup > Preferences and enable the "Auto download next episode" and "Auto play" options. Unfortunately, getting to bed at a reasonable hour is entirely up to you.

With Series Link, it's easy for your recordings to become out of control, resulting in 78 unwanted episodes of Impractical Jokers clogging up your box. Deleting them one by one may be more amusing than watching the show, but it's still a pain in the box set. Fortunately, there is a simpler way. If you go to Recordings > Manage > Disk Space, you'll see everything organized by show, allowing you to delete entire series with a single remote click.

While Sky has a lot of kid-friendly content, there's also a lot of stuff on the service that will give them nightmares or make them ask awkward questions. If you have children with sensitive eyes, go to Settings > Parental and control what can be accessed with a PIN code. Then download the Sky Kids app to your phone or tablet to keep them entertained while you watch Game of Thrones.

If you want to make the entire box sprogproof, you can activate Kids Safe Mode via the Kids menu using your PIN. This will limit anything that isn't rated U and also prevent them from tampering with any settings. Best of all, even if the box is turned off or unplugged, it will remain on until you enter the PIN again. Tarquin Junior, you'll have to work harder than that.

Missed the start of the match/race/game There's no need to rush home from the store on a Saturday afternoon to catch it, because Sky allows you to start watching from the beginning during selected sports coverage.

Simply navigate to the relevant program, and Sky Q will notify you if you can restart the broadcast from the beginning. To avoid spoilers, avoid Twitter.

Sky Q's voice search isn't as intelligent as Alexa's, but if you say "Tom Hanks movies with five star ratings," the box will automatically present Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and Philadelphia.

Personalised recommendations have also been included, so you can now ask "What should I watch?" ", "Show me great TV," or "Made for laughter lovers" will bring up the best content that matches your preferences.

Hold the mic button on the right side of the Sky Q Touch Remote to activate it, then start talking.

Signing up for Sky's broadband and multiroom packages can be costly, but you will benefit from improved wireless coverage throughout your home if you do.

That's because Sky Q boxes can also function as Wi-Fi hotspots, so if you have a Sky Q Silver box in the living room and a Sky Q mini box in a bedroom, you can blanket your home in full-strength, dependable Wi-Fi. Simply configure your boxes as usual, and Sky Q will handle the rest.

If you can't decide between two must-see Premier League matches, Sky Sports now allows Sky Q users to have the best of both worlds by watching a split screen of two live streams at once.

To enable it, simply press the red button while watching a Sky Sports channel to get the option to customize your screen, which includes a live sport option.

You can also choose to view video highlights of a previous match or sporting event while watching another's live stream. At its best, multitasking

Consider the following scenario: you're watching the first half of Monday Night Football but intend to switch over when University Challenge begins. Since Sky removed the reminder function, the only way to avoid missing the first starter question is to alternate between the two channels. Unless you've memorized their numbers, that's a few too many button presses for 2021. Right? #firstworldproblems

Swiping from left to right on the remote's touch pad will bring up the last channel you were watching, saving you some thumb calories. Simply select it to toggle back and forth. You'll never again miss a goal or a cytogenetics question.

It's all too easy to send your favorite yet-to-be-watched show along with them during a mass deletion session. Fortunately, Sky Q has a handy feature that allows you to rescue it from the depths of your hard drive with a few clicks.

Navigate to Sky Q's Recordings section and scroll down to the 'Deleted' section. You'll find all of your recently deleted shows here, which you can then choose to undelete or - if you're short on space - delete forever to free up some much-needed megabytes.

If the personalised recommendations in My Q aren't tickling your fancy, you can head to a movie you've recently enjoyed and let Sky Q do the rest.

Scroll to the right on the individual movie listing and click 'More Info' below the download options. There, you'll find Sky Q's recommendations for similar movies, whether they're sequels to the film in question or other films in the same genre.

Nothing is more aggravating than misplacing the remote at a critical juncture in your boxset marathon. Fortunately, the Sky Q touch remote (the one that comes with the main box only) has 'find me' functionality to assist you in retrieving it from the depths of your sofa.

Simply press the Q button on your Sky Q box, and it will beep for 30 seconds, giving you plenty of time to find it.

We've all been guilty of poor Sky Q storage management, allowing our old recorded shows to consume far too much valuable space. That isn't helped by Sky's automatic series recorder, which is useful but can quickly spiral out of control on shows with a lot of reruns.

If you don't want 49 episodes of Storage Wars to accumulate over a weekend, press the record button twice and Sky Q will only record one episode.

If you have a speaker system that supports Dolby's wall-bouncing Atmos sound technology, Sky Q has some 4K movies and sports that you can watch to make the most of it - but you must first turn it on.

First, ensure that your surround-sound system is connected via HDMI rather than optical cable. Then, in Settings > Setup, locate the Audio Visual menu. Select Dolby Digital Plus from the Digital Audio Output HDMI menu, and you're good to go. When Atmos is available, you'll notice a difference.

Despite the fact that Sky Q supports AirPlay and Bluetooth music playback from your device, you can now bypass the middleman and access Spotify directly from the Sky Q menu.

You don't even have to be a Spotify Premium subscriber to use the new feature - you can use the free, ad-supported service that allows you to shuffle through a number of pre-selected playlists for free.

Premium users can, of course, log in to their account and browse at their leisure, with access to all of your created playlists as well as Spotify's own recommendations.

Want to share all of your #nofilter photos from a recent vacation? Sky Q offers several options for displaying your photos on the big(ger) screen. To begin, press the three-dot button on your remote and select "My Photos."

You can then stream photos from a computer by going to sky.com/myphotos, from your mobile or tablet by using the Sky Q app, or directly from the Sky Q box by logging in to your Facebook account. Just don't bore your friends and family too much with sunsets and selfies.

You've probably never noticed that the Sky logo at the top of your remote is actually a button. Sky deducts a pound from your bill every time you press it.

I'm only joking. Instead of having to navigate to your most recent recordings and downloaded shows from the home screen every time, pressing this button takes you directly to them. That should come in handy if you're one of those Gen Zers who never watches a TV show when it's on.

Sky Q has long had apps for Netflix, Spotify, and the classic game Beehive Bedlam, but if Joe Wicks turned you into a living-room fitness fanatic during lockdown, there's now one for the popular workout app Fiit.

It can be found in the Apps menu and provides over 600 on-demand classes from 35 different trainers. The only people it doesn't cater to are the chronically lazy, whether you're into HIIT, yoga, or combat training.

Soon, you'll be able to sign up for personalized training plans, work out with friends in Fit Clubs, and connect wearable devices to your phone to have your heart-rate stats displayed on the TV screen.

The new Sky Q boxes include a redesigned remote with a voice control button beneath the home button and four-way directional controls. If it has a circular panel divided into five buttons, it also has touch-sensitive capabilities, though they are turned off by default.

To restore them, go to the Settings menu, select Setup, and then Remote Control. Toggle Touch Controls on and you can now quickly fast-forward and rewind by swiping horizontally or vertically. This is useful if you have a large number of recordings to search through.

Nobody likes it when it's windy outside, and your Sky Q box is no exception.

If bad weather disrupts your satellite signal, you may be unable to watch live TV, but you can still rely on Sky Q's broadband-connected services, such as recordings, on-demand videos, or streaming apps, to get you through.

Sky Q has a number of features that make it more accessible to people who are blind or deaf. There's a High Contrast Mode to make the menus easier to read, and the BSL Zone has on-demand content and a British Sign Language interpreter.

Sky has also added Voice Guidance, which can be activated by simply saying "Voice Guidance on" into the remote's microphone. Following that, you will hear spoken descriptions of the menus and which option is currently selected. That should make it easier to find the most recent episode of Line of Duty. Those bent coppers aren't going to catch themselves.

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