Freeview via Broadband through TV

6100253

Bit of a long shot. So I have BT/EE TV. I use the service because I don't have an aerial, get heavy discounts on BB with BT and aside from lacking Disney+ works well for me. The aerial point specifically is the seller - running it through my fibre connection proves much easier for me.

I have a family member that is now looking for TV and they're keen on just moving down to Freeview from Virgin... problem is they don't have an aerial and don't particularly want to spend to get one installed.

I've already checked and know they cannot use the EE PVRs through an Internet connection without paying EE or BT for broadband and a TV sub, but it made me wonder and hope - is there any TV PVR (similar to YouView ideally but not essential) out there that can receive and stream live Freeview through Internet connection as opposed to an aerial as standard without requiring a switch of BB service?

Seems like surely that will be the future as opposed to aerials being lumped onto the side of a house?

Does this service exist all my searches come up blank.

Tiexen

In a groundbreaking move that promises to redefine the way British viewers consume television, the UK’s leading broadcasters have announced a new free TV service called Freely.

This service aims to deliver live TV over broadband, merging the traditional TV experience with the modern streaming era. 

In other words, it will be the streaming replacement of Freeview and Freesat, although those aren’t going anywhere – for now (see more details below).

Set to launch in 2024, Freely is being developed by Everyone TV (formerly known as Digital UK), an organisation jointly owned by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 – which is currently responsible for operating both Freeview and Freesat.

6100253

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. It seems like the obvious next step I absolutely love being able to do it without a dish/aerial up and my fibre is more than capable of handling it, I just hope when it does arrive it integrates a strong selection of free and pay subscription apps to fully deliver one UI for everything you could want.

6100253

Just reading up on it it seems as though it would be a standalone app to stream live TV which works as well, just hoping it becomes available through Chromecast/Firesticks.

HaroldWhistler

6100253 said:

Bit of a long shot. So I have BT/EE TV. I use the service because I don't have an aerial, get heavy discounts on BB with BT and aside from lacking Disney+ works well for me. The aerial point specifically is the seller - running it through my fibre connection proves much easier for me.

I have a family member that is now looking for TV and they're keen on just moving down to Freeview from Virgin... problem is they don't have an aerial and don't particularly want to spend to get one installed.

I've already checked and know they cannot use the EE PVRs through an Internet connection without paying EE or BT for broadband and a TV sub, but it made me wonder and hope - is there any TV PVR (similar to YouView ideally but not essential) out there that can receive and stream live Freeview through Internet connection as opposed to an aerial as standard without requiring a switch of BB service?

Seems like surely that will be the future as opposed to aerials being lumped onto the side of a house?

Does this service exist all my searches come up blank.

As someone mentioned, from what I understand the "Freely" service is going to be coming in late 2024 which will be a Freeview service with a Freeview/Youview style EPG guide along with the whole set of free channels streaming via the internet instead of received via an Aerial. Thus far reports suggest it will be in certain TVs from Hisense and possibly some sort of Freely branded Smart box. There haven't been any definitive reports from Freely on releasing an App for other Smart TVs or other Vendor's streaming boxes/devices yet. One would have thought that other TV manufacturers will eventually also have an Internet based TV tuner offering Freely as well as Freeview at some point.

You are spot on that BT/EE TV requires a broadband subscription alongside their TV service (which comes via the Internet) and the TV service also has a Basic charge. Similarly Sky Stream's basic package also has a monthly charge.

You can technically get most of the Freeview channels on an Amazon Firestick or Roku via the respective channel apps. 

If your family member would like a solution now that gets you an EPG guide experience close to Freeview via the Internet, then may I recommend the following:

1. An Apple TV 4K. It's really fast to respond to commands on a remote. That's a one off cost. (Note though with the Apple TV, an HDMI cable is not included).
2. You can use the apps for the respective channel apps just like a Firestick or Roku etc. (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, 4, My 5, UKTVPlay, discovery etc)
3. You can also use the "TV Launcher" app which is a one off cost (at time of writing is around £4.99). There is no monthly fee.

The TV Launcher app basically gives you a "TV Guide" showing the TV schedule just like on Freeview. It can also be used to launch the programme you select. So for instance if you select a Live programme from BBC One in the TV guide, it will open up iPlayer and once you hit enter again, it opens up the BBC One Live feed automatically. Similarly for ITV 2 or Channel 4 etc, it will open up the relevant app and channel immediately. For Channel 5 though, or 5USA etc, it opens up My5 (similarly for channels like Dave, or Yesterday it opens up the UKTV Play app and channel selection page) and generally you need one more click to get to the specific channel you need, but it helpfully opens up the relevant App. And if you hit the Back button you get back to the TV Launcher Guide. 

It does mean you have to press and select the specific TV Launcher app from the Home Screen rather than having a Guide button on the remote, but it might be helpful for them. Alternatively, although the Siri voice assistant can lack accuracy on Apple's phones and tablets, to be fair to them, several Youtubers have shown it working wonders on the Apple TV box. For instance, someone showed holding the side voice button on the Apple remote and saying "Open TV Launcher" would open your TV Guide. Or indeed, if you are on the Home Screen or in Youtube or anywhere, saying "BBC Two Live" would open up the BBC Two Live feed immediately without any further actions required.  

It's not quite "Freely", but it's something. Ideally I hope that Freely actually gets to become a dedicated button on all the Smart devices from Apple, Amazon, Roku etc similar to how some of them added a Netflix or Prime button so it's a one touch option to get to a Guide. 


Hope that helps.