Sky's Now service finally gets 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos… as long as you’re willing to pay a load more for it

(Image credit: Now TV)

I've always admired Now's commitment to making retro shows and movies feel more realistic by streaming them in really low resolution: the 720p and stereo sound quality of the standard Entertainment package really makes it feel like you're watching Yellowjackets in the same year it was set, 1996. While Now (formerly Now TV) does offer Full HD streaming at 1080p with Dolby 5.1 surround, you have to pay quite a bit more for it: £6 per month. So it's not a huge surprise to discover that Now has decided to add a 4K HDR with Dolby Atmos option, and charge even more.

Now TV has launched a new version of Boost called Ultra Boost, and it's £9 per month on top of the standard £9.99 per month for its basic package, making it more expensive than Netflix's 4K tier, and almost double the price of Disney Plus, which includes 4K in its non-ad price. Which possibly explains why comments are turned off on the YouTube promo clip.

So what do you get for quite a lot of your money?

Now TV Ultra Boost vs Now TV Boost: what's the difference?

Like Boost, Ultra Boost removes the ads from on-demand streaming but not live channels. But there are three key differences between the £6 per month and the £9 per month upgrades. The Boost package gives you Dolby Digital 5.1 audio whereas Ultra Boost ups that to Dolby Atmos; Boost is 1080p without HDR while Ultra Boost is 4K Ultra HD with HDR; and Boost gives you two simultaneous streams while Ultra Boost ups that to three.

It's important to note that the audio and video qualities are "up to": not all the shows and movies streaming on Now was created with those formats in mind, as with most of the best streaming services. The HDR here requires a TV that supports HLG, HDR10 or HDR10+, and HDMI with support for HDCP 2.2 – that should cover basically any modern TV.

Here's Now's comparison chart showing standard, Boost and Ultra Boost's key features.

Now TV Ultra Boost comparison — (Image credit: Now TV)

Now has always been pretty expensive if you want a decent experience – something we noted in our original Now TV review six years ago. However, you can cut the cost a bit if you're patient: we track Now TV deals that can often reduce the cost of membership. For example there's currently a deal offering £3 per month off the cost of the entertainment package, so that would defray the extra cost of upgrading from Boost to Ultra Boost for the six months the deal is valid for.

Of course, if you want to really show off what one of the best 4K TVs can do with Now's HBO shows and exclusive movies, you won't have much of a choice but to upgrade, really…

Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.