Jump to content
We've just launched our new store! Unique tees, mugs, bags, and more. 10% discount with code OPEN10

  • Sign Up!

    Join our friendly community of music lovers and be part of the fun 😎

YouView, and alternatives

Guest eFestivals

By Guest eFestivals
in Discussions

 Share

Recommended Posts

eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted

So YouView has finally launched, and on the surface it's what I've been waiting for.

(for those who don't know, it's a Freeview HD set-top box, with integrated iPlayer, ITVPlayer, 4Player, and a few other streaming services. Oh, and also a bit like Sky+, where you can pause & record whats on TV ... I think that's it, but i've not looked too deeply).

But things have moved on in other ways since the idea first came about - for instance, with internet TVs that (I'm presuming) can access all of the same streaming services, and more as well.

So does anyone have experience of a YouView box? Is it any good?

Would getting an internet TV be a better way to go instead? If so, what extras does an internet TV need hooked up to it (such as a computer, perhaps?) to be able to do much the same as the YouView box. I know almost nothing about internet TVs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Paul ™ Experienced

Paul ™

Posted
Posted (edited)

Had heard of this but to be honest hadn't looked into it in any detail.

I just have though, and it looks pretty decent for what would be an initial outlay of the box (unless getting it via your BB provider free), but yeah looks very similar to what a Smart TV would do.

I've not got a Smart TV (but do have a 3D Bluray Player which has the internet connected Samsung SmartHub which is very similar) but to be honest I don't use it as we have the Virgin TiVo now and this does pretty much the same thing with streaming services, YouTube etc.

I'd say YouView would be good if you don't plan to buy a new TV in the next couple years, but if you do then perhaps a Smart TV would do the job for you but then you wouldn't have the 500GB recording capacity either. A Smart TV would just require either a wireless connection to your router (some are built in on the more expensive TVs) or an ethernet connection to your router (this is what we have to the BR player).

Guess it just depends what you have currently got and what you are planning to purchase in the next couple of years.

Edited by Paul ™
Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted (edited)

Guess it just depends what you have currently got and what you are planning to purchase in the next couple of years.

I've got two cheap-ish but decent-ish TVs bought about 5 years ago - before Freeview had HD, and before the internet TVs came out. I bought at a bad time. :lol:

I've since bought a cheap Freeview HD box for one of them, but I tend to only use the HD for footie - for most other stuff the difference in meaningful quality is so negligible that I don't bother with it (and, I'm not sure if this is the case with all boxes, but it won't do BBC text on the BBC HD channels).

The TVs both have adapters at the back to take a PC display input, but I've never actually bothered to connect a PC to them. They don't have an ethernet adaptor of any kind.

I'm not bothered about getting YouTube on my TV (and there's actually reasons why I don't want it), but iPlayer/ITVPlayer/4PLayer would be occasionally useful. I guess I'd occasionally use the recording feature of YouView, but I've lived quite happily without recording stuff for well over 15 years.

The YouView boxes are currently about £250 I think, but if an internet TV/smart TV cost more and was more adaptable for what I might use it for then I'd be happy to spend quite a bit more - but what extra could it do for me? I don't actually know.

Edited by eFestivals
Link to comment
Share on other sites
kaosmark2 Mentor

kaosmark2

Posted
Posted

So YouView has finally launched, and on the surface it's what I've been waiting for.

(for those who don't know, it's a Freeview HD set-top box, with integrated iPlayer, ITVPlayer, 4Player, and a few other streaming services. Oh, and also a bit like Sky+, where you can pause & record whats on TV ... I think that's it, but i've not looked too deeply).

But things have moved on in other ways since the idea first came about - for instance, with internet TVs that (I'm presuming) can access all of the same streaming services, and more as well.

So does anyone have experience of a YouView box? Is it any good?

Would getting an internet TV be a better way to go instead? If so, what extras does an internet TV need hooked up to it (such as a computer, perhaps?) to be able to do much the same as the YouView box. I know almost nothing about internet TVs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted (edited)

Youtube, and not a lot else. There's a few App type things you can get and use, but not many.

A Youview box sounds like it has a lot more functionality.

Thanks. :)

I guess a YouView box is the way to go (tho I'll wait a bit for the prices to drop), and I can hook-up a PC to the TV if I ever want to do anything 'net which isn't in the box.

Edited by eFestivals
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TalkShow Bob Apprentice

TalkShow Bob

Posted
Posted

If its iPlayer et all thought your TV your after you could buy a consol - will be cheaper than £250 and do the job. If you get a PS3 you get blueray to boot.

Depending on how bigger TV your after I saw smart TVs of quite a good size for £400 in Curries the other day so sure you can get an OK small one for not much more than £250.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted

I think a YouView box would definately suit your needs more, and if you want their is also the option to purchase additional content such as movies etc too.

yeah, I saw it had a Sky Movies on-demand subscription. I guess that's what Sky screwed out of the YouView consortium in return for Sky dropping the legal action which was stopping the whole project going ahead.

But as I've watched only 2 films in the last 15+ years, I don't think it's something I'll be taking up. :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted

If its iPlayer et all thought your TV your after you could buy a consol - will be cheaper than £250 and do the job. If you get a PS3 you get blueray to boot.

I've got an xbox hooked up, but that won't do iPlayer (or didn't last time I looked a few months back, anyway).

I'm not sure that any of the consoles do iPlayer, do they?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted

I'm surprised internet tv isn't bigger really.. 10-15 years ago I'd have thought it would much more common by now, but it seems regular tv is marching on.

it's the difference between something which is quality filtered and something which isn't.

It's why record companies will always have a place. Their demise has been greatly exaggerated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eFestivals Mentor

eFestivals

Posted
Posted

I dont know surly the quality filtering with regards to music will be done, as is more and more now, by layman reviewer votings stuff up and down.

nah - it's too general. If the people voting don't have the same tastes as you, the vote reflects nothing meaningful to you.

The mass penetration of TV is able to create and sustain themed 'brands' - so you know that Jools Holland will have quality music, and T4 On The Beach will be full of shite.

It's possible that eventually the internet will be able group itself in a similar way, but as things stand the reality of music licencing has all the music at brands that are far too generalised (iTunes, etc - trying to be everything to everyone), and which don't have the likes of Jools or the T4 producers in the background doing some filtering before it reaches you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Spindles Experienced

Spindles

Posted
Posted

Would you be as well served by buying a hdmi out video card and a hard drive and just hooking a pc up to the telly and using that? (my own weapon of choice, I don't have a TV license or watch live broadcast, but all the major channels actually have links so you can watch live if you want to, there's plenty of windows software of linux distros that do set top box style functions out there)

Most of my tv is torrented or occasionally streamed as the programmes I enjoy are mostly US tv series or footie which you'd need a sky/virgin subscription to watch.

Our viewing habits are definitely changing, almost everyone I know now shares my love of downloading series, whereas a couple of years ago people looked at me like I was mental when I mentioned using a PC for viewing entertainment (I guess they picture people sat at a desk or with a laptop, rather than lounging on a sofa)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...