Sky Group Ltd.’s premium satellite and TV-on-demand service Sky Q is expanding its library of High Dynamic Range content with the addition of more than 40 new films that will be available to watch just in time for Christmas.
It’s a big update for Sky Q, as the service trails behind rivals such as Netflix in the HDR content stakes, having only announced support for this type of content in June.
Up until now Sky Q’s HDR support has been fairly limited, with just a selection of documentaries and TV shows available in the superior viewing format, along with content from Netflix and Disney+. But Sky said this week that it’s now extending that support with popular TV shows such as Chernobyl and Gangs of London also getting the HDR treatment in addition to the new films.
With the new content coming available over the Christmas holidays, Sky has assumed a family-friendly focus with offerings such as the Back to the Future trilogy, the entire Harry Potter series and DoLittle among the new titles now available in HDR. Also on the list is Bad Boys for Life and Le Mans ‘66.
The titles will be available as part of the Sky Cinema package rather than on the pay-as-you-go Sky Store, the company said.
Sky is also making it easier to identify HDR content with a new “HDR” label that appears next to each title, in place of the existing UHD tag.
Of course it’s worth mentioning that there’s still no mention of HDR sports coverage, which is something that Sky has long since promised. Sky said Premier League football in HDR will be made available in 2021, but it has yet to give an exact date for when this will happen. It’s also promising coverage of the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in HDR, too.
In addition to the HDR updates, Sky is adding more features for Sky Q box users such as the ability to watch on-demand content, recordings and integrated apps when the satellite signal goes. There are some tweaks to the user interface and voice search capabilities too, with the aim being to bring more personlised content recommendations to users.
