Now TV to offer Full HD

Now TV has confirmed it will be upgrading its streams to full HD later this year. As part of wider infrastructure changes within Sky that  will enabling viewers to access the full Sky TV service without a satellite dish, Now TV will offer users the option to access Full HD streams from later this year.

Currently, Now TV subscribers are offered streams with a maximum 720p quality, dependent on the user’s broadband speed.

In addition to live streams, the upgrade to Full HD also applies to catch-up and on-demand content from Sky on Now TV. The move will allow Now TV subscribers to watch Sky Sports and Sky Cinema with the same picture quality as Sky satellite users, although the Now TV has not confirmed if the upgrade in quality will be available across all devices that support Now TV – until now, there have been variations in maximum streaming quality across devices. The provider hasn’t confirmed whether additional charges for full HD will be levied on subscribers, merely announcing that subscribers will have “the option” of streaming in Full HD.

The announcement follows Sky’s latest financial report, which confirmed it is moving to a single over-the-top (OTT) platform for delivering online content, which includes a new Pan-European streaming stick and the rollout of Sky via IP, beginning with Austria, and later other countries where Sky operates in.