The no-cost upgrade is available for customers who have a Sky+HD set top box connected to broadband service. While the on demand service will allow users to catch up on episodes of current programs that they missed, it will also offer a wide variety of catalog programs. Older shows available to download from the library using the on demand service include The Inbetweeners, Shameless, Spaced, Father Ted, The IT Crowd, and This is England’88.

Sky says that Channel 4 is also the first terrestrial network to offer its programs on Sky Go. Sky Go is the Internet and mobile TV service offered from Sky. Starting on Monday Sky Go users are able to enjoy Channel 4 and More4 their laptop, smartphone, or tablet. Sky says content from E4 and Film4 will be available in the future.

Content from Channel 4 for Sky customers that subscribe to Sky Go Extra will also be available to download for watching off-line. The ability to download the shows means that users can watch them off-line when no Internet connection is available or on the go without being subject to data charges. Film4 HD will also be coming to the Skyline up in September.

[via Sky]

From March 1, 2013, the gadget will be known as the Livescribe WiFi Smartpen, dropping the contentious “Sky” name altogether. The name change will only take effect in the European Union; elsewhere, the smartpen will continue to be branded as “Sky”, such as in the US.

The decision, although a welcome clear-out of the litigation, is likely to have a significant impact on Livescribe’s financial performance with the smartpen. BSkyB has allowed the company to sell off existing stock already in the market in the EU, branded Sky, but the company has also been forced to recall “a quantity of stock” bearing the trademark.

“While Livescribe does not offer any goods or services similar to those of Sky and had no intention of infringing Sky’s rights,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, “Livescribe is pleased to reach a settlement with British Sky Broadcasting.” Back at the launch of the smartpen in the UK last year, Livescribe told SlashGear that they didn’t expect the similarities in branding to cause an issue because the products on offer differed so considerably.

Unlike the usual two phones, tablets, or other hardware that Sky Go’s free tier supports, Sky Go Extra increases that to four. However, that’s only registrations; only two devices can be actually used to watch content over 3G/4G/WiFi simultaneously.

Channels available include Sky Movies, Sky Atlantic, Sky 1, Sky Arts, Nickelodeon, Disney, and others, while Sky’s exclusive deal to offer the full James Bond collection means they’re also available to app users. A 64GB iPad, Sky suggests, has enough space for 400 30-minute TV shows and more than 80 movies.

Each download lasts on the mobile device for up to 30 days; if subscribers subscribe to the Sky Movies pack, they can access any of the films available through that, too. However, once you start watching a film, it’s available for 48hrs, while the network says “most other” content “can be watched for up to 7 days and once viewing commences is available for 48 hours.”

Sky Go is available for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and 26 different Android devices. Sky has also added support for the HTC One X+, the Motorola RAZRi and the Samsung Galaxy Tab2 7.0 today.

“Legal counsel for British Sky Broadcasting (“BSB”) has written to Livescribe alleging that we are infringing the trademark rights of BSB. We are currently taking legal advice from our counsel in the UK” Livescribe said in a statement on the situation. ”While Livescribe does not offer any goods or services similar to those of BSB, out of an abundance of caution we have instructed our distributors and resellers in the UK to stop selling the Livescribe Sky Wi-Fi smartpens in the interim while we investigate the matter.:

Dixons has removed the smartpen listing, and Livescribe’s own “buy now” option – which links to Amazon’s store – has no mention of the Sky model any more. Currently, UK buyers can only get the older, cheaper Echo model, which lacks wireless connectivity.

Interestingly, prior to launch, Livescribe told SlashGear that it had no concerns of legal confusion with broadcaster Sky in the UK because the products on offer differ so considerably. That confidence was apparently misguided, given BSkyB’s eagerness to jump to litigation.

[via TNW and via Engadget]

Sky is billing the new functionality as a great way to handle the upcoming holiday season and crowding around the TV: users will be able to search through the available titles on their iPhone or iPad, leaving the TV itself free to be watched by somebody else. Unfortunately, the app won’t work outside of the house, so there’s no easy way to check whether Sky has the digital version of the film you’re checking out in DVD format at the store. [Update: Sky tells us that the app will work outside the home network for browsing the catalog, but you won't be able to download the shows/movies until you're home again]

Thanks to an update earlier in 2012, Sky TV On Demand now includes content from BBC iPlayer, iTV Player, and Demand 5; 40D content will be added in the spring of 2013. Obviously there’s also shows from Sky’s own network too, for a total of around 6,000 hours the company claims.

You’ll obviously need a Sky subscription and the Sky+HD PVR in order to use the service, and there’s no sign as yet of an update to Sky’s Android app. You can find the updated iOS app here [iTunes link].

In fact, NOW TV gets its movies around six months after they finish showing in cinemas, Sky says, and while that’s still a while to wait, it’s quicker than rival services like Netflix and Amazon’s LOVEFiLM Instant. Among the titles available in the coming weeks are the full eight-strong Harry Potter films, along with Contagion and Jack and Jill.

Over the “next few months” meanwhile, Sky plans to add Sky Sports for football, cricket, tennis, golf, F1, rugby, and other sporting content. Beyond that, the plan is to introduce content culled from Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living.

The Roku LT and Roku 2 XS both support NOW TV; they’re priced at £49.99 and £99.99 respectively in the UK. A 30-day NOW TV trial is available for new subscribers to the service, after which it will be £8.99 per month for three months, and £14.99 per month thereafter.