Now TV Smart Stick
Sky content on a stick, without the subscription
The Now TV Smart Stick has one simple purpose: to provide you with access to Sky TV content without an ongoing monthly subscription. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of its more advanced rivals, such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast but, by undercutting their price, the Now TV Smart Stick has carved its own niche in the market.
Approximately the size of a USB stick with an HDMI connection at one end, the Smart Stick should fit discreetly into the back of any television. It’s powered by a micro-usb connection, with a spacesaving L-shaped cable in the box.
That it bears a resemblance to the Roku Streaming Stick is no coincidence. The Now TV Smart Stick is built by Roku using the same hardware, but with a few tweaks to prioritise Sky content. The remote looks similar too, with the main change being four buttons that direct you to different parts of the Now TV interface, including the TV Guide and the Sky Store. One nice feature is the volume control on the remote, which means you don’t have to switch to your TV’S own zapper to adjust the volume.
There’s also a button in the middle for voice search, which allows you to browse for content by actor, director or genre. It is limited in usefulness by showing catch-up content only from Sky – and not including live programmes either.
Good user experience
The Now TV Smart Stick provides a good user experience. It’s not quite as responsive as the Amazon Fire TV Stick or even Now TV’S own Smart Box when it comes to menu navigation, but you aren’t left waiting long for content.
To use the Smart Stick, even for the free catch-up apps, you need a Now TV subscription. Unlike a Netflix or Amazon Prime subscription, which gives you a range of content for a set price, Now TV is split into four genres: Entertainment, Cinema, Kids, and Sports, with prices ranging from £4 per month for the Kids pass to £34 per month for a Sports pass.
The Now TV Smart Stick provides a more streamlined experience than any other device with dedicated, downloadable apps. Instead of using the app store to download services, this stick uses the postcode linked to your Now TV account to automatically download the apps you need, including BBC iplayer, ITV Hub, All 4, Demand 5, and Youtube.
Netflix has recently been added to the app selection, but many other common apps are still missing, including Amazon Prime Video. The number of apps available is around 50 – by comparison, a Roku device has over 4000, including the likes of Spotify and Tidal (both of which are absent here).
While third-party apps such as Netflix and BBC iplayer are able to stream at 1080p via the Smart Stick, Sky content is limited to 720p unless you pay an extra £3 per month for Now TV Boost. Without it, your television will be doing more work to upscale the content to a Full HD or 4K picture, and it won’t be as sophisticated as those found on 1080p native streams.
Beyond expectations
Nevertheless, playing Inside No.9 – To Have And To Hold (at 1080p) through the iplayer app provides a detailed picture beyond what we expect from hardware in this price range.
There’s a good rendition of the wisps of hair on Steve Pemberton’s head and the sweat that drips from his brow as the story reaches its tense climax. The Now TV Smart Stick handles the domestic, brightly lit kitchen scenes as well as it does the red-tinted darkness of the basement darkroom too.
We switch to a stream of Atlanta on Sky Atlantic (720p) and the difference in resolution is noticeable, with a rather soft and flat image overall. It’s still watchable, however, and something you’re unlikely to be bothered by given the price of the device.
We have no major complaints when it comes to sound, either. Like the latest Now TV Smart Box, the Smart Stick supports DTS and Dolby Digital Plus up to 7.1, and the performance is admirable. Bass, treble and midrange are all relatively balanced, and the dynamic change between loud and quiet sounds – tested by playing a range of music on Youtube – is pronounced enough.
Most of the reasons you’d want to buy a Now TV Smart Stick revolve around the price. This is the cheapest way to give an old television streaming service smarts, if you don’t mind signing up for a trial Now TV subscription.
Essentially, the purpose of the Now TV Smart Stick is to give you inexpensive subscription-free access to Sky content. While there are certainly improvements to be made, we can’t deny the streaming stick achieves its mission.