Live TV without an aerial point

Weathergirl_76

Good morning. Excuse me in advance for this silly question but I am not tech savvy and wondered if anyone here had the answer. 

I have a TV aerial with one aerial point in the lounge. I need to site the TV the other side of the lounge. I don’t want to run a cable between points and I didn’t want to use a splitter as that would mean making good or making a hole in the plastered board. 

Is there a way to watch live tv (BBC, ITV etc ) without adding an extra point? I would prefer not to use any subscription services (sky or virgin) but obviously will pay out for equipment which will allow this. Is having a smart TV enough? I’ve read about Firestick and Roku being a possibility. I’m only interested in live TV, I don’t need Netflix, sports or any channels that a normal tv will not show. Can anyone point me in the right direction please? I have reliable Wi-Fi at home with plus net. Thank you in advance 

Neil49

We use a Roku stick plugged into our kitchen television as there is no aerial socket in that room and it covers all the main channels (1 to 5) and a lot more. The stick plugs into an hdmi port and is powered by an adjacent usb port so no external power supply is required. You should check your tv has these. 

It works well but the big downside is when it comes to changing channels. Switching from BBC to ITV or 4 is very slow as you have to come out of the BBC iplayer app and then wait for the ITV player app to load up. Even switching between channels within an app is slow and clunky. 

The upside is that you have access to a vast range of older programmes via catchup. Picture quality is also good and some apps (like BBC iplayer) let you freeze and/or wind back live programmes (or play from the start if you miss the beginning)

We find that programmes generally run a couple of minutes later than live on iplayer given that they are routed via the internet but that's not much of an issue. 

Browntoa

Firestick is a possibility but you need to watch itv , BBC , c4 , c5 and the ukplay channels via their respective apps

You won't get everything that you get on Freeview

Some smart TV apps don't allow live TV , I have a LG that allows catch up but no live channels for some reason 

oldernonethewiser

If the TV is Smart then you can watch iPlayer ITV Hub All4 & My5 without any additional equipment.    

Edit - that’s interesting about not all TVs allowing live programmes

[Deleted User]

Hi,

have a google for AV sender.

Weathergirl_76

Thanks for your replies. I will check the TV has USB and HDMI ports. I think Roku is the way to go.  To be honest, I hardly watch TV but need to have a tv in the lounge with basic channels. I moved into this house in sept 2022 and have been using an IPad ever since for everything. My TV is still boxed up until I have a unit fitted. 

It’s a shame they don’t make giant ipads that look like TVs, link to Wi-Fi without any cables and then watch live tv from the apps on the iPad. 

Thanks again for all your help. 

daveyjp

Or an indoor aerial.  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Antenna-Freeview-Channels-Television-13ft-Black/dp/B081T6HQ2L/ref=sr_1_6?

oldernonethewiser

What you are describing is a smart TV. You connect to the Wi-Fi and use apps to watch channels.  I don’t have a TV licence and occasionally watch catch up through the apps on my TV (not BBC though)

[Deleted User]

Hi,

if you have the tv apps on your smart phone you could use screen mirroring to your tv.

Weathergirl_76

daveyjp said:

Or an indoor aerial.  

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Antenna-Freeview-Channels-Television-13ft-Black/dp/B081T6HQ2L/ref=sr_1_6?

Thanks. I looked at these, but the area I am thinking to site the TV is opposite ends of the window. 

Weathergirl_76

oldernonethewiser said:

What you are describing is a smart TV. You connect to the Wi-Fi and use apps to watch channels.  I don’t have a TV licence and occasionally watch catch up through the apps on my TV (not BBC though)

So providing I have a smart TV, I wouldn’t need anything other than Wi-Fi to watch live TV via the apps? I have a TV license so should be able to watch BBC. 

If this is the case then it would solve my problem. Assuming my TV is smart (i think it is but never connected to the Wi-Fi as didn’t need to, I used an aerial)