Some things are just made to be watched on a big screen. So, when it comes to Sky Go, there are times you want to ditch that laptop, tablet or smartphone and kick back in front of a TV. Here’s how to stream Sky Go on your TV.
Sky Go has been around for some time now and it’s gone through several iterations, including some confusing crossovers with the Sky Q app. The app’s main function is letting you watch your Sky package over the internet – a super useful feature when you’re away from home or just not in the same room as your Sky box.
We also got a letter from Sky with a 'welcome to Sky go extra' which we haven't asked for and we don't want to be charged for it. We got the letter yesterday (16th June) but the date on the letter is 3 June and the cooling off period is 14 days so could a rep from Sky contact us ASAP. With Sky Go Extra, you can enjoy Sky TV in ways that are otherwise unavailable with the standard Sky Go app. These include being able to download content to watch offline, and register up to four.
Related: Read our full Sky Q review
While being able to watch Sky on your Android or iOS device – from a Samsung Galaxy phone to an iPad – will be a marvel for some, sometimes it just isn’t good enough. The heart-pounding action scenes of Game of Thrones or Gangs of London on even the largest mobile device just won’t do.
We’ve put together this handy guide to show you just how to watch Sky Go on a TV.
Related: What do you think is best streaming service? Vote now
How do I stream Sky Go to my TV?
Kicking things off on a bit of a downer, the simple answer is you can’t. Never fear, you can get Sky Go on a TV using a good ol’ cable.
Unfortunately, Sky is yet to add any kind of casting function to the Sky Go app – as you can do with other streaming services like Netflix or Amazon – and this means there’s no way to shift the app’s mobile content from your phone or tablet to a TV. A lack of a Sky Go app on smart TVs doesn’t help the situation either.
Instead, you’ll need to grab your laptop and download Sky Go if you haven’t already. The next step is to check what connections your laptop has and, fingers crossed, it has an HDMI port and you’ve got a handy HDMI cable lying around.
Other solutions include a VGA/DVI connection on some older machines or a more flexible Thunderbolt port, but HDMI is the simplest way of going about things. Here’s exactly how to do it:
- Open the Sky Go app on your laptop
- Find what you want to watch and go fullscreen
- Attach the HDMI cable to your laptop
- Plug the other end into a free HDMI port on the back of the TV
- Make sure you are on the correct HDMI input on the TV and you are all set
Having issues with your Sky Go television app? You’re not the only one! Many Sky Go users are reporting the problem that their app is not working properly. Some users see an error tells them what happened, but for many their program just stop working.
This is very frustrating! You can’t watch your programs because of these issues. But don’t worry. It can be fixed…
Have I Got Sky Go Extra Strength
Fixes to try
The following are a few methods that have helped many Sky Go users. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
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Method 1: Close the Cisco VideoGuard Monitor process
Your Sky Go app may stop working because there’re issues with the Cisco VideoGuard Monitor process running in the background. You should try closing the process and see if this helps you fix your issue.
a) If you are on Windows:
- Press the Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys on your keyboard at the same time to open Task Manager.
- Right click the CiscoVideoGuardMonitor process and click End task/End Process.
b)If you’re using a Mac computer:
- On your desktop, click Go, then click Utilities.
- Double click Activity Monitor.
- Click CiscoVideoGuardMonitor, then click the quit button.
Now check to see if your Sky Go app is working properly. Hopefully it is. But if not, you may need to try other fixes listed below.
Method 2: Temporarily disable your firewall
It is also possible that your Sky Go issue results from your firewall itself. To see if that’s the problem for you, temporarily disable your firewall and check if the problem persists. (Consult the documentation of your security software for instructions on disabling it.)
If this resolves your problem, contact the vendor of your security software and ask them for advice, or install a different security solution.
*IMPORTANT: Be extra careful about what sites you visit, what emails you open and what files you download when your antivirus or firewall is disabled.
Method 3: Completely reinstall your Sky Go app
When the fixes about can’t help you fix your Sky Go issue, you should reinstall this app to see if this works for you. To reinstall the app, you should uninstall the program and delete the remaining folders as well. Here’s how you can do it.
Have I Got Sky Go Extra
a) If you’re using Windows
- Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard at the same time. Then type “control” and press Enter to open Control Panel.
- Under View by, click Large icons.
- Click Programs and Features.
- Right click Cisco VideoGuard Player and click Uninstall. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall this program.
- Right click Sky Go and click Uninstall. Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall this program.
- Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard at the same time. Then type “appdata” and press Enter to open the AppData folder.
- Go to Local > Cisco and delete the VideoGuard folder.
- Go back to the AppData folder. Then go to LocalLow > Cisco and delete the VideoGuard folder.
- Go back to the AppData folder. Then go to Roaming and delete the Sky and Sky Go folders.
- Download the Sky Go app from the official Sky website. Then open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.
b) If you’re on Mac
- On your desktop, click Go and click Applications.
Remove the Sky Go app.
- Go back to your desktop, then click Go and click Go to Folder.
- Type “~/library” and click Go.
- Go to Cisco, then remove the VideoGuardPlayer folder.
- Download the Sky Go app from the official Sky website. Then open the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the app.
Hopefully, one of these fixes works for you! If you have any questions, leave us a comment below.
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