freely (or similar app) for terrestrial channels. How to get it?

Andrea15

I didn't know such thing existed, but when a couple of months ago I bought a (now returned) HiSense TV I discovered that indeed there is a convenient app where you can watch terrestrial channels as if you had an aerial and used freeview (or whatever it is called these days).
However, when I got my Samsung, the TV I now have, I discovered that such app is only available on few select TVs. I have phoned Samsung tech support and they told me they don't do it at all. They only do an American version.
My question is, is there a way to get this blasted app? It is not on Fire Stick and I don't believe it is on Chromecast either.
Yes, I know that you can use iPlayer or ITVX and so on, but for my not so tech savvy relation it would be easier to get some version of Freeview.

jshm2

There are many (even legal) such apps. The problem is that most TV models do not have the rights to install them via their app store. Sure you can sideload onto most Android sets, but if you mess it up, then it voids your warranty. 

To be fair, it's usually faster and cheaper to just get an Android box for the TV, and load away, without TV restrictions. As for Samsung TV's they use Tizen - not Android, so you need to "unlock" TV first before you can install any .tpk files onto it. 

Freely and Freeview app both offer similar content. 
 

Andrea15

So, at this moment in time there are no legal ways to do it. It must me a matter of rights, but I don't really understand what that might be.

Rodders53

Buy a suitable TV with Freely built in is the only way, currently.
https://www.freely.co.uk/products/televisions

More brands will join as they are encouraged to by Everyone TV who own the Freeview, Freesat and Freely branding as the UK transitions from Broadcast to internet protocol TV.

Samsung do not even 'do' Freeview certification nowadays, so probably not them in the near future (if ever)?.

Andrea15

I didn't know any of that... That kind of info is not really advertised anywhere, is it.bwhen ai was looking at TV I never knew there where such differences.
Anyway, I hated my Hisense because of the unbearable "soap opera" effect.
This is a real bummer in any case. 

Ayr_Rage

Andrea15 said:

I didn't know any of that... That kind of info is not really advertised anywhere, is it.bwhen ai was looking at TV I never knew there where such differences.
Anyway, I hated my Hisense because of the unbearable "soap opera" effect.
This is a real bummer in any case. 

What is "soap opera effect" ?

400ixl

Buy Samsung and put up with their proprietary eco system. Buy something which adopts an open ecosystem and you can get far more choice.

Unfortunately that is the way it has been for a long while.

As mentioned getting an Android box and connecting that to the TV is probably the easiest way other than returning the TV and buying something decent.

Andrea15

Ayr_Rage said:

Andrea15 said:

I didn't know any of that... That kind of info is not really advertised anywhere, is it.bwhen ai was looking at TV I never knew there where such differences.
Anyway, I hated my Hisense because of the unbearable "soap opera" effect.
This is a real bummer in any case. 

What is "soap opera effect" ?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_opera_effect#:~:text=The soap opera effect (SOE,therefore undesirable for viewing films.

I didn't know what it was until I saw it

Andrea15

400ixl said:

Buy Samsung and put up with their proprietary eco system. Buy something which adopts an open ecosystem and you can get far more choice.

Unfortunately that is the way it has been for a long while.

As mentioned getting an Android box and connecting that to the TV is probably the easiest way other than returning the TV and buying something decent.

Quite. I wonder how one can actually make an informed choice. As I said, I didn't know any of that...

Rodders53

Hisense could probably have been adjusted to minimise that soap opera effect.  Lots of unwanted settings are ON by default on most of the brands.
Cinema or FilmMaker modes tend to be a better starting point.

NB any Android box won't do Freely as such.  Apps developed by third parties may attempt to do something similar, but likely the main PSB catchup services (BBC, ITV, C4, C5) will not permit the 'hooks' to work in the same way as Freely-approved devices will work; as they have a commercial interest in the new Freely ecosystem.

Andrea15

Yes, I know, but it never crossed my mind that different TVs have access to different apps. I just thought that technology had improved.
How naïve 🤷‍♂️