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Beatrix Gerke

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Aug 2, 2024, 7:39:49 AM8/2/24

to gannmarringpsych

Thinking about ditching sky now one kids off at uni and the others always working. Paying a fortune currently for the full whack plus multi room, but only watch occasional films, the odd series which we generally record and catch when we can, Eurosport for cycling (me) and Neighbours (not me).

I use freesat and netflix and dont want for anything else. I dont watch a lot of tv anyway so freesat is more just for background noise/stuff to watch if I cba with netflix/news. For a fiver netflix is brilliant.

Try Google Chromecast, dongle fits in the HDMI socket, synchs with your wireless connection and is controlled by your laptop/tablet (not kindle, Amazon probably bringing their own version out) or smartphone.

the EPG does not populate with information. all i get is "no event information". it will only appear once i view a channel. but im not flickering through 800 channels just to get the information to load

I too have got rid of my Skybox and using the sat dish and connection direct into my Sony Bravia. The way I use the TV guide now is to have an internet connection and select 'Guide' on remote, press 'Options', then scroll up to 'Launch Guide and Search'. Once this is selected a full program guide is displayed, it will give you all details of each program, cast/crew, related programmes and videos, option to record etc. This is powered through Gracenote and makes it a fully interactive EPG.

What you are experiencing is completely normal and cannot be resolved. None of Sony's TVs are Freesat, only Freeview. The names "Freeview" and "Freesat" are given because they are the brandings for the EPG. Sony provides that satellite connection on the TV in the UK mainly because on the EU continent. As there is no Freesat EPG, the channels are not in a logical order with no EPG. You will get a "Now" and "Next" though when you individually click on that channel.

This of the Sattellite connection as an added bonus (as a backup), but other than that, you have to either connect an aerial to DTT services or connect your skybox to the TV as you can still use the skybox for freesat TV (you just cannot record or access recordings + PayTV services)

Freesat is the branding behind the satellite EPG. This TV and all of Sony's TVs are not Freesat - They are Freeview. Therefore there is no proper EPG for satellite connections. The EPG is for Freeview only.

You will only need the internet and the "Freeview" aerial cable for the IPTV Channels in the 225 range on Freeview. Connecting the internet to the TV, will allow you to have iPlayer, and YouTube and various other applications - which does expland on what the TV offers.

seriously tho. how hard is it for sony to add a feature to the firmware to query the (now and next) listing on every channel? instead of me flicking through to get it to populate. or a way for the tv to get the listings via internet...

I have had a little dig around and the only manufacturer that offers Freeview and Freesat built into the TV are from Panasonic. If you believe you have been miss-sold, I would strongly advise you speaking to the retailer you purchased it from. After all, you are the one that needs to be happy with the product.

I used Purevpn for Netflix in the US and UK, though I very rarely use Netflix these days due to the lack of good content. You can use the same VPN software or, more useful a smart DNS like SmartDNS Proxy for iPlayer/Demand5 and etc. You can also plug the DNS addresses into your Freesat boxes.

I think you are mistaken. Netflix France is a stand-alone web streaming service for a monthly subscription and you do not need a set-top box from an ISP, although it may be some offer/will offer it as part of their package, nor do you need a VPN.

If you have tablet you can download the Netflix app, or view on a PC. I have an iPad and Chromecast, so I can Chromecast Netflix to my TV.

My Internet bandwidth is 1Mega and I have had no problems with streaming, although I find the Netflix app occasionally temperamental.

I use Tunnelbear - they have a number of subscription options that cover desktops / laptops and mobile devices. I have been very pleased with the service over the last year and I believe it is very competitively priced.

I live in France and watch movies on Netflix.com [from the US ], and get onto their site with Hola Unblocker which is free. It is very easy once in Hola to change country from US to UK, then you can access BBC iplayer.

I've been using Netflix since it went live here a couple of months or so ago. It doesn't have the same level of content as the English version but more is added weekly as it is being dubbed/subtitled. We also watch iPlayer etc using the Hola extension on Chrome which is free and usually reliable.

Difference between a proxy and a VPN:

_between_proxy_and_vpn.shtml

Note the proxy only works with your web browser. With a VPN you can use the iPlayer application and download the programmes to your PC (and thus no buffering or pixelation issues and you can do it all in HD !)

Hola is a form of proxy service. Your requests via your browser are routed through their servers which disguises your IP and therefore the destination site does not know you are not in the UK or the US or wherever. Free yes, but I find anything that goes via a browser has buffering problems most times and lagging.

Winnie, I have 2 kids (5 and 10) and XBMC has plenty of cartoon channels and kids Tv for them. For you there is also plenty of back boxsets of almost every tv show, including Downton and those you mention to watch free at your leisure.

Best of all, you don't need any special equipment/boxes/receivers and it is FREE!! you have to know your way around a pc and be reasonably au fait with techie stuff until you get used to navigating your way around but I cannot fault it.

(btw - I do not get any commission for promoting XBMC :-) - I just think it is fantastic,) You can even get a Skygo app to use with a Sky go account (costs 15 a month from the UK and then you do need a VPN which you can get for 3.99 or less if you pay annually) but then you can use SKY as you would at home. The possibilities are endless!

We've been on netflix since it appeared in France, and are happy with it although do find the content rather limited (compared to US version, but that is understandable). We have the basic two device set-up so the kids can watch something while I watch another (good for keeping amused while doing cooking and dishes!)

I like netflix for the series - got to watch all the seasons except the last of Downton Abbey in one flurry, then hit Breaking bad, then Modern family, etc. The kids selection is rather poor for the moment, but we still find stuff (if the kids agree, not easy with a 4 1/2 yr girl and an almost 8 yr boy no matter what the service).