Sky is rolling out new features with its Entertainment OS 1.1 update to Sky Glass TVs and the Sky Stream streaming device.
The update doesn’t bring any major new features or functionality to the platform, with most of what’s coming having already been described by Sky when Sky Stream first launched in October. Back then it promised the introduction of personalised playlists, which will become available with the update, along with a quick-start “Play” command, a Cast & Crew rail, and the ability to listen using Bluetooth headphones.
The personalised playlists should be handy for households that want to separate the wealth of content offered by Sky’s platforms into more manageable chunks. Users can now create five unique playlists, so there’s an option for one each per family member, or for users to create lists of specific genres, or however else they want to do it.
As for the new “Play” voice command, this lets users simply call out the name of a show, then when it appears, just command it to start playing. It will start from the relevant point too, so if someone has already watched the first episode of The Last of Us and they call out “Play The Last of Us”, it will start showing the third episode, or the exact point they left off. For new shows it will of course, start from the very beginning. Also, if there is more than one result - for instance Sky has several Harry Potter titles - it will instead show up the various options on a search results page.
The Cast & Crew rail meanwhile allows users to check out the cast of a particular show, and then explore to see if a specific cast member has any other titles available to watch on Sky’s platform. So it’s a handy way to find additional content from your favourite actors and actresses.
Finally, Sky Glass and Sky Stream now support Bluetooth headphones, which can be used at the same time as the TV’s own speakers. This may be useful if someone in the home is hard of hearing, or if there’s only one person who’s really focused on the TV in a busy living room. They can simply put on a headset and avoid distractions elsewhere in the room.
Sky said the updates will roll out all customers by Feb. 4, so they should already be available by the time you read this story.
