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

RumRat

Not sure that 'Freely' is an improvement on anything,  As far as apps go it is as it's always been .... Android and Apple come to mind...
Looks like they are concentrating on placing it on budget TV's to start with (Vestel models etc).  It's not free, as you have to pay for Broadband, so if they intend to get rid of the aerial there will be some people disadvantaged anyway.
There are a limited number of channels on it, so probably better off sticking with Freeview/Freeview Play for the next few years at least.

PHK

Andrea15 said:

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.

Have you turned off Samsung Motion plus which is one of the worst Soap Opera Effects. 

Samsung has a sort of closed ecosystem which includes their own Free streaming service. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the channels most people would want to watch. 

just_the_dab

Freely surely is the future of TV in the UK, especially as satellites & transmitters start to be decommissioned.

Not everybody wants to watch all their TV using apps/players, preferring to use channels, at least some of the time.

The biggest advantages of Freely is that the internet TV channels are all in HD, and you can use a Freely TV anywhere in the home without needing an aerial or satellite connection. 

At the moment, the only way to get it is by buying a Freely compatible TV. The Freely app on a Firestick will not provide the Freely service to a non-Freely TV.

You must install the Freely app before Freely will work on a compatible TV (that's the case for a Panasonic W80, anyway).

RumRat

You can only view it on a Freely enabled TV, Few around at the moment but existing TV's can't get it.

J_B

just_the_dab said:

Freely surely is the future of TV in the UK, especially as satellites & transmitters start to be decommissioned.
But we are living in the present!

The biggest advantages of Freely is that the internet TV channels are all in HD, and you can use a Freely TV anywhere in the home without needing an aerial or satellite connection. 
Advantage?

At the moment, the only way to get it is by buying a Freely compatible TV. The Freely app on a Firestick will not provide the Freely service to a non-Freely TV.
Brilliant - bin my perfectly good TV just so I can do this? Maybe not!

You must install the Freely app before Freely will work on a compatible TV (that's the case for a Panasonic W80, anyway).

Comments added in bold

Andrea15

@J_B, for me the advantage is clear, exactly for the reasons mentioned, but as you say, at this moment in time it is a totally useless app. Someone must have made a lot of money by creating it and must still be making a lot of money by pushing certain TV models, I cannot think of another explanation as to why it is accessible only to a few thousand people nationwide. 

bob2302

Andrea15 said:

@J_B, for me the advantage is clear, exactly for the reasons mentioned, but as you say, at this moment in time it is a totally useless app. Someone must have made a lot of money by creating it and must still be making a lot of money by pushing certain TV models,

 It's no use to you. The rest only make any sense if you are assuming that that applies to everyone else.

I have a special interest: I still watch some broadcast TV, but my aerial is failing and I don't want to pay anyone to replace it at this late stage, or go down the Rod Hull route. Even when it was in good condition I've never had a full set of FreeView channels, Freely could infill some them. It also integrates the IP channels into the programme guide.

I don't think the freedom from sockets can be dismissed. Older houses weren't built with a full set of them, and sometimes they aren't well sited. I can't go beyond a 32" TV in the current location. I don't particularly want to, but I image others might.

Andrea15

@bob2302, are you replying to me?

Dr_Z

This is something I’ve wanted (Live, terrestrial TV via streaming, with a simply EPG) and it’s been so frustrating,  Amazon Fire TV should do this, but doesn’t in the UK for some reason (unless you only want Channel 5)
 

I even swallowed the cost and tried Sky Stream … which was pretty good to be fair, but I didn’t want to keep paying. 

I’ve now settled on a decent solution, but it involves having an Apple TV, Paying for an App, and then spending a decent while setting it all up (it links to the official apps to pull the streams) 

once set up, it’s pretty damned nice! Quick, snappy, and easy. 

Occasionally, you’ll end up on the iPlayer homepage, but for the most part, it takes you directly to the correct stream with one button press. 

Like I said, it takes some tinkering to get it perfect, but when you do, it’s wonderful. 

The app is TV Launcher, and it was about £5 when I bought it. 

https://youtu.be/HJolnGYRoMo?si=zdHZAxsqIll0BcND

this isn’t Piracy or anything, keep in mind when he is using subscription channels, it will only pull them from the official apps IF you have the correct subscription. 

ButterCheese

Buy Freely compatible TV.  Or buy Android box.  Cheap ones can be had for 30 or 40 quid. The Rolls Royce of boxes is an NVIDEA shield but at nearly £200 it's probably overkill for what you want.

This is the same principle as when freeview first came out.  If you didn't want to buy the latest enabled TV, you had to buy a set-top box, until all TVs were freeview enabled and you were ready to shell out for a new TV.  Same sort of thing here