Comcast has announced a small streaming box in the US that could be a sign of what's to come during Sky's "magical" event in October.

The Comcast XiOne wireless streaming box is rolling out in the States to Xfinity Flex customers. The same hardware is also used for the Sky Q IP box in Germany and Italy. It stands to reason, especially given the timing of its US release, that it'll form the heart of Sky UK's big satellite-free Sky Q service too.

Sky is owned by Comcast, with the US giant outbidding Disney for the British broadcaster and tech firm back in 2018. Technology developed by Sky and other Comcast brands can therefore be shared between the group.

"When Sky joined the Comcast family, we brought together our engineers to share insights, roadmaps, talent, and technology to support our global customers. The launch of our new XiOne device is a direct result of these efforts and underscores how our collaborative development approach can bring new and innovative streaming products to markets faster and more efficiently,” said Comcast's president of technology, Charlie Herrin.

The XiOne box supports Wi-Fi 6, 4K UHD, HDR, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. It also includes voice search. Basically, all the attributes needed to present a Sky Q experience over the internet rather than satellite dish.

The Xfinity Flex TV streaming service comes free for all Xfinity Internet subscribers in the US.