Streaming boxes....worth it?

arrallas

Yes, most of these Android boxes use XBMC to access the stations. As mentioned earlier, these must be from illegal sources, in spite of being marketed as being quite legitimate.

paddyrg

Just checking, but wouldn't ask those sports channels you were thinking of getting a fish for be premium/subscription anyway? Like BT sports, skygo, nowtv etc.

gino76ph

Those sports subscriptions are always going to be premium services. And i have been reading up that both BT & Sky are raising their prices end of this year.

I know there have been some "controversy" over those peer-to-peer things but i think it also doesn't help if 1. Such streaming services (NowTV, Sky Go, etc.) currently available are just so expensive or 2. Individual living circumstances (such as renting a flat and not being allowed a dish, etc.) are there.

How about those so-called portable satellite kits that you can buy over at Maplin. Are they any good?

zarf2007

gino76ph wrote: »

Those sports subscriptions are always going to be premium services. And i have been reading up that both BT & Sky are raising their prices end of this year.

I know there have been some "controversy" over those peer-to-peer things but i think it also doesn't help if 1. Such streaming services (NowTV, Sky Go, etc.) currently available are just so expensive or 2. Individual living circumstances (such as renting a flat and not being allowed a dish, etc.) are there.

How about those so-called portable satellite kits that you can buy over at Maplin. Are they any good?

the best thing to do is to buy a box something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-BOXDCCP847DYE-Desktop-PC-Celeron/dp/B00B4O00EM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1408952229&sr=8-2&keywords=intel+celeron+nuc

go with these additional parts here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-PC3-10600-SODIMM-Memory-Module/dp/B0061RO5H0/ref=pd_sim_computers_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NG2B84MJ748R2G9HW28

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-mSATA-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00DHWE3G0/ref=pd_sim_computers_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=039K0BCDPXGTM8G73ARP

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Parts-Cloverleaf-Adapter-Charger/dp/B003ONN64W/ref=pd_bxgy_computers_text_y

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quality-Adapter-Connector-Converter-Digital/dp/B004PZPXDU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408951527&sr=8-1&keywords=hdmi+mini+adapter

then get one of these as a remote:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rii-Wireless-Keyboard-Backlight-Function/dp/B008RRX6QI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1408916346&sr=8-3&keywords=raspberry+pi+keyboard+and+mouse

then go to:

https://www.openelec.tv

and grab the current stable software for this hardware (at the moment this is OpenELEC Stable - Generic x86_64 4.0.7) then download and install that.

this will get you a fully functional media centre which will blow away any android device and will play full 1080p (with future H265 support) and full HD audio without issue....you can stream movies/music/pictures from your pc/mac/nas and then install the iStream module as per this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7a-FRzKE3t4

which allows you to stream much more internet content....

upfront you are talking around £180, but when you take into account the amount you save on sky/BT/virgin or other subscriptions you will make this back in no time...

Timalay

steveE2 wrote: »

Limited Time Offer: Sky Sports Day Pass and Sky Sports Week Pass pricing available for limited time only and until 27 November 2014.

Sports Passes: Each Sky Sports Day Pass costs £6.99. Each Sky Sports Week Pass costs £10.99. Viewing period ends either 24 hours or 7 days after you first watch, depending on pass purchased. Passes must be redeemed within 365 days of purchase. Only one Sky Sports Pass can be added to an account at any time. Only available on YouView to TalkTalk customers. Red button and interactive services are unavailable. Sky Sports Week Pass only currently available to purchase via nowtv.com.

I did say I don't know how long for.

gino76ph

Still too expensive as a service. I think there is this Sky Mobile TV Android app that costs £9.99 per month but the downside is you can only watch it on a mobile device and i don't even know if i can cast them onto my TV. Reviews aren't great either.

dipsomaniac

gino76ph wrote: »

Still too expensive as a service. I think there is this Sky Mobile TV Android app that costs £9.99 per month but the downside is you can only watch it on a mobile device and i don't even know if i can cast them onto my TV. Reviews aren't great either.

sky don't let you cast to tv. unlike btsport

bazzyb

Geodark wrote: »

Sorry, shouldn't laugh but the idea of a pear to pear network cracks me up! :rotfl:

Well, one can stream content on apple or blackberry devices running on the orange network...

worried_jim

Timalay wrote: »

You can watch Sky Sports via NowTV, but it's not cheap mind. It's usually £9.99 for a whole 24 hours watching, but they are offering weekly passes for £10.99 (day pass gone down to £6.99 for now). Don't know how long this will be going on for though.

Good news-

How to turn Sky's £10 Now TV box into a networked media player with Plex.

http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/08/sky-now-tv-plex/

At just £10, Sky's Now TV box is pretty good value for money as is. The idea, of course, is that cash continues to flow in Sky's direction by means of the film, TV and sport subscription packages, but there's nothing to stop you from forking out the hardware fee and using it simply as a window to BBC iPlayer, 4OD and other free services. Understandably, the selection of channels is limited -- Sky would prefer you use the box for its paid content -- but with only a few minutes of tinkering, you can easily turn your Now TV into a robust network media player capable of pulling video and audio from your personal network and several internet sources. You see, Sky's hardware is basically a re-branded Roku LT player with a heavily curated app store, but as long as you have the correct file, you can push apps to a Now TV box that otherwise shouldn't be there. Being able to run software like Plex immediately makes the cheap set-top box an even more compelling proposition, and better yet, side-loading apps couldn't be much easier.

gino76ph

Very interesting Jim. But will forking/modding the NowTV be a guarantee? And it doesn't look like the report indicated if one can watch sports like Bt Sport or Sky Sports into it.