Catch Up TV

[Madmag]

Hi all. Please could someone help me with a really "numpty" question. This is about my home TV not the one in the Motorhome. Before we went away. on what was to be a winter away but unfortunately has been cut short because of family ill health, I cancelled my Sky subscription. I realised it was costing a lot of money when only i was watching it, not my husband. I used it mainly as a Catch Up for several programmes on mainly BBC & Channel 4&5 as I didn't often watch them live. I also watched some football & some golf but other than that my viewing time was limited. Having returned early I realise how much I miss having the ability to Catch Up on the TV. I know I can use iPad but its not the same. In the last Prime day I bought an Amazon Firestick for 1/2 price with a view to using that in the van. My idiot question, which I think I should know the answer to. Can I use the fire stick on my house TV for catch up and still use Tv normally for live TV? I know firestick will use wifi which is OK as have unlimited at home. TV had HDMI port but is quite old. Thanks

 

[The Wino]

No problem you just need to change the input on the tv between wherever you get live tv from and the firestick. If your tv has 2 hdmi ports you could also get a freesat box if your terrestrial tv signal isn't that great. I think you can get freesat from your sky box too although as I've always been too tight to pay for sky I don't really know!!

 

[xsparks]

Humax freesat box will do all you probably want. Check it out on line.

 

[mid4did]

Most tv,s rhese days have catchup tv built in using the home button on the remote.
But using an older one simply plug the firestick into an hdmi port.set up using your amazon account and download the free apps bbc iplayer itv hub etc.under your apps and channels.
All catchup will use data but as you have unlimited ,no problem.

 

[tonka]

The firestick will work fine and make your TV into "smart". Giving you the catch up you want.

Another alternative is a "now TV" stick. Pretty cheap and gives the catch up. Added bonus is that it also offers Netflix in case you ever want that. PLUS you can opt in and out for sky sports and cinema. You can subscribe when you want and only 1 month to cancel via the website, no faffing about on a phone trying to cancel and someone trying to talk you out of it ?

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[Addie]

Using an Amazon Firestick you can watch both 'live' TV and 'catchup' TV.

I don't have a TV aerial or satellite dish on my property, so any TV that is watched is via the internet. You can download TV Player for free onto the Firestick to give you the ability to flick between channels without having to launch each channel's respective app (iPlayer for BBC, ITV Hub for ITV etc).

If you had a Sky box, this would have been plugged into an 'input' in your TV, just like your Firestick would be so it would just be a case of selecting the right 'input'.

Your old Sky box should still receive some free to air channels for Live TV, but if it doesn't then you could purchase a simple 'Freesat' box or a 'Humax' box as already suggested to give you the ability to record from Live TV - but with the Firestick this shouldn't really be necessary.

If you have a terrestrial TV aerial plugged into the TV, then you could also use this to watch Freeview live.

If you get used to the Firestick, you can take it with you in your motorhome too - but that is a topic for another post perhaps.

 

[Madmag]

Looks like some really useful replies. I will have to have a fiddle round the back of the TV and see what I can sort out. Thanks for all the replies so far.

 

[Satandpcguy]

I think you can get freesat from your sky box too

You get Freesat on Freesat boxes. You cannot get Freesat on Sky boxes. Freesat runs a different EPG to Sky, so the two are not compatible.

But a Sky box, even without a Sky card gets more free to air channels than Freeast.

Where as on a Sky box you need to subscribe to activate the recording functions to work, I have no idea if you can still use the "free" catch up service liek Iplayer or not without a Sky TV sub.

A Humax Freesat box, for however long they will be available, since they no longer make them, allows you to access Iplayer, ITV Hub, Demand 5, UKTVPlay for free...(not All4 which is NOT on Freesat".
A Firestick, Now TV box, and most other android "things" should have access to most uk catch up services....but note that not all catch up services offer live tv on all devices...

 

[Burgo]

A lot of tvs nowadays allow you to record onto a USB stick or an external drive off their built in epg.

 

[Madmag]

Thank you all so much. I am now sat watching some catch up on my TV. Have set up the firestick for the minute. May investigate others as suggested in the next few days.

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[mitzimad]

we get free stuff through a sky box with no card as we had to let our sky account go

 

[Mel]

Freesat is OK
But I believe will stop with channel 4 from Febuary

 

[Satandpcguy]

Freesat is OK
But I believe will stop with channel 4 from Febuary

Eh?
Where have you heard that?
As C4 is a PSB it has to be available on all platforms.
C4 HD (and All4) have not been on Freesat for a year or so now...but have not heard anything about C4 being removed from Freesat in February....

 

[Mel]

Eh?
Where have you heard that?
As C4 is a PSB it has to be available on all platforms.
C4 HD (and All4) have not been on Freesat for a year or so now...but have not heard anything about C4 being removed from Freesat in February....

Sorry seems to be C4 HD
C 4 SD stays
Its on the Freesat website

 

[xsparks]

There is a cheap freesat box called a Manhattan. I have one I use in the motorhome. It cost about £50 and works well on 12v. It does not support IPlayer etc and does not record. Humax aren't the only Freesat box's available, there are others. For more info Tonka is the man to speak to as this was his thing in a former life.

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[Satandpcguy]

Personally, although cheaper, would steer clear of the Manhattans...had too many problems with them suddenly not working...on both their old versions and now their new versions. Mainly power supply unit issues...

Humax have stopped making Freesat boxes, their contract ended, and a new manufacturer has been contracted to make the next gen Freesat boxes...so stocks of Humax Freesat boxes like the 1100s will now be very limited...so currently, no one is making Freesat recording boxes, and onmy Manhatten making "non" recording boxes..