Streaming TV

Anything that doesn't fit elsewhere - doesn't have to be AD related.
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akirk
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby akirk » Thu Oct 22, 2015 8:58 pm

With the humax I have for freesat each encoder has the ability to handle 2 channels if they are picked up on the same satellite band, so in theory you can watch / record up to 4 channels... If on different bands then only 2
Alasdair

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:09 pm

Ah, I don't have a satellite dish, though...
Nick

Revian
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby Revian » Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:10 pm

NowTV... As above for all the catch up channels. I don't get drop out virtually ever. BBand speed is around 17mb download.....
Ian

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akirk
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby akirk » Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:32 pm

Oh, I have a whole range, Netflix / Amazon prime / freesat / etc...
Often watch things while working...

Alasdair

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Thu Oct 22, 2015 9:45 pm

OTOH I cannot imagine ever paying for a movies channel, so Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. are complete non-starters.

My download speed is around 17 tonight, too.
Nick

IcedKiwi
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby IcedKiwi » Fri Oct 23, 2015 7:01 am

I managed to get my Youview recorder for free. When I took out BT fibre they were offering free BT TV for a year with a Youview box, then after a year I cancelled and still got to keep the box.

Not sure whether anyone is still offering something similar but they now also do cheaper versions of the box without hard drives that they may send instead if you go for the basic TV package.

Playtent
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Re: Back to the Future day today!

Postby Playtent » Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:21 pm

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:OTOH I cannot imagine ever paying for a movies channel, so Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc. are complete non-starters.

My download speed is around 17 tonight, too.


Amazon Fire tv stick is £35 if not on offer when I got one for £10! Same functions as an Apple TV and you can load all the usual stuff like BBC I player, air player etc.

We're in the US for the month and I stuck it in my case to bring along. Kids were watching a movie last night.
Last edited by Playtent on Fri Oct 23, 2015 3:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Streaming TV

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Fri Oct 23, 2015 12:57 pm

I'm getting so confused now. I'm assuming these are more internet-based options?
Nick

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akirk
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Re: Streaming TV

Postby akirk » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:11 pm

yes, tv comes down to three options:

- aerial based
you need some form of set-top box, or newer TVs will have it integrated, this is probably something like Youview, but other options exist

- satellite dish based
two main options:
Sky - very comprehensive, very expensive - uses a sky box to record / choose channels
Freesat - uses the same dish as sky (I cancelled sky, kept the dish and use freesat) - lots of 3rd party boxes, from cheap with no recording to expensive with recording, I use HUMAX as my main box, but have cheap alternatives elsewhere in the house to just show tv and not record

- internet based (streaming)
the show comes over broadband, so it is on the network, there is a vast and increasing range of options, I have in my house alone:
- Amazon Fire TV stick
- Apple TV
- DVD player with apps built in
- 2 different TVs with apps built in
- iphone with apps loaded
- 3 ipads with apps loaded
- and if I can find it I think there is an Android tablet floating around somewhere!
these all do basically the same thing which is split into four:
- broadband as the transport mechanism
- device with software to run it
- sending organisation to send it
- screen to watch it
in some cases integrated (e.g. ipad has app and screen - as do some TVs), in some cases separated, so Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV stick are hardware devices with the software on them - you connect to your broadband, and to the TV - they pick up the streaming content from the supplier (e.g. netflix or Amazon Prime Video) and then push it to the TV
Other boxes such as nowTV mentioned above are just different ways of packaging the same stuff - some devices don't have access to all the services, e.g. Apple TV doesn't seem to pick up Amazon Prime Video, but does show netflix - my TVs show both and iplayer / etc.

Alasdair

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Streaming TV

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Fri Oct 23, 2015 1:28 pm

You forgot cable :) (in my case, Virgin Media)

Which is what I have and it makes it all very simple, but as you mentioned with Sky, expensive, hence kind of starting to look at other options. We have a small TV which is Freeview and I have it connected to an aerial because it's not internet enabled. That's almost good enough except I have Sky Sports now and am loath to part with it (despite the stupid cost) now that I've got used to it.

I have no ambition to enter a willy-waving contest about how many different devices I have that can receive TV; as I said before, I am mainly interested in terrestrial TV and have no interest whatsoever in movie providers such as Amazon Prime or Netflix (and no, I don't want to watch the entire collection of Friends, or any other such cr@p either, so I'm lumping that in with "movies"). Neither do I want another expensive subscription that I won't use.

I have broadband, but it comes with the cable and would therefore need careful thought as to how to replace it since I'm not sure the BT line to the house even works any more. I only have CAT5 upstairs in the room where the cable modem is, so getting it to the TV in the lounge would have to rely on wireless with the attendant issues mentioned by others. I don't even have an aerial connection downstairs any more since the aerial fell off the roof some years ago and I removed the cables just recently.

So there's a fair bit of infrastructure that'd need renewing and while the VM bill is fairly eye-watering (about a grand a year, roughly) I'd have to think about what the capital cost (and hassle) of changing over would be. It does seem silly to continue paying for something that (apart from the broadband) we don't make all that much use of, though.

So advice (at a level slightly above the complete novice (remember I am an IT professional)) is all welcome. I'm just not very savvy about all these new gadgets since we've had cable for over 10 years - coming up to 15, and I haven't had any need to keep up to date. Coming to it cold now is a bit bewildering, as you can imagine.
Nick


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