Exciting news for Freeview 'Light'/'Lite' viewers ...

[phil_hg_uk]

I can, but I would prefer to watch on my TV rather than a small tablet or laptop screen. neither device has a suitable output for my TV.

Also - I don't like being forced to endure advertising. I used to record Eurosport from analogue satellite and skip the ad breaks, but now I have to watch that online and have not found a way to record it to watch when and how I want.

What I really hated about ITV Player when I last used it was the way it kept buffering at peak times. Sometimes, it packed up altogether and I had to start again, and had to watch the same bloody ads over and over again just to get back to where I'd been before - aaaaaaaargh!

I can't see terrestrial broadcast TV surviving more than another decade or so. It would be much easier to deliver TV via the internet for most people, and by satellite for most of the rest. There would be just a few people to worry about, who did not have fast enough broadband, and who also didn't have line of sight to the satellite.

Since I got rid of sky in Jan I watch most of my TV via one of the catch up players or Netflix or NowTV using my Xbox 360.

 

[ColinJ]

Since I got rid of sky in Jan I watch most of my TV via one of the catch up players or Netflix or NowTV using my Xbox 360.

What I want now is:

• A good choice of basic channels
• A PVR-capability allowing me to record at least 2 channels at once while watching a recording, and to be able to skip ads
• No obvious buffering

Also nice:

• HD for when my TV eventually gets replaced
• Pause and rewind live TV

I think Freesat HD might be the best bet, though I got a YouView offer from TalkTalk today and that looks interesting. I am with TalkTalk now so it might not cost much to upgrade. I don't think that YouView is fully featured yet, however.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

What I want now is:

• A good choice of basic channels
• A PVR-capability allowing me to record at least 2 channels at once while watching a recording, and to be able to skip ads
• No obvious buffering

Also nice:

• HD for when my TV eventually gets replaced
• Pause and rewind live TV

I think Freesat HD might be the best bet, though I got a YouView offer from TalkTalk today and that looks interesting. I am with TalkTalk now so it might not cost much to upgrade. I don't think that YouView is fully featured yet, however.

Why do you want YouView isn't it just tv over broadband ?

I don't bother recording anything I don't see the point, it is all one catch up players anyway so why bother. Just watch it when you want to.

 

[ColinJ]

Why do you want YouView isn't it just tv over broadband ?

I don't bother recording anything I don't see the point, it is all one catch up players anyway so why bother. Just watch it when you want to.

I didn't say that I wanted YouView, just that I was reading about it and it might be worth looking at when a decision has to be made.

I know Freesat HD is pretty good because that is what my sister uses.

The point of recording is to be able to skip ads. I can't stand having my brain rotted by them, they spoil the flow of programmes, and they waste 25-30% of my viewing time, given that there is often 15-20 minutes of ads and trailers per hour of viewing.

Oh, and I also can't stand "This is what we just showed you, this is what is coming after the break, now the break. Welcome back. This is what we showed you before the break. This is what we are about to show you, and stick with us to the end because this is what we will be showing you later ..." I know that is about capturing viewers who are channel-hopping, and then hanging onto them. The cynic in me also thinks that they save having to come up with another 5-10 minutes of actual content per show! I want to be able to skip all that too. I reckon I could get a typical programme in a 1 hour timeslot down to about 45-50 minutes on the BBC and 35-40 minutes on a commercial channel.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I didn't say that I wanted YouView, just that I was reading about it and it might be worth looking at when a decision has to be made.

I know Freesat HD is pretty good because that is what my sister uses.

The point of recording is to be able to skip ads. I can't stand having my brain rotted by them, they spoil the flow of programmes, and they waste 25-30% of my viewing time, given that there is often 15-20 minutes of ads and trailers per hour of viewing.

Oh, and I also can't stand "This is what we just showed you, this is what is coming after the break, now the break. Welcome back. This is what we showed you before the break. This is what we are about to show you, and stick with us to the end because this is what we will be showing you later ..." I know that is about capturing viewers who are channel-hopping, and then hanging onto them. The cynic in me also thinks that they save having to come up with another 5-10 minutes of actual content per show! I want to be able to skip all that too. I reckon I could get a typical programme in a 1 hour timeslot down to about 45-50 minutes on the BBC and 35-40 minutes on a commercial channel.

Since I got rid of sky I now watch approx between 3 - 5 tv programs per week, I may also watch some films on either Netflix or NowTV but not many I have to say I feel much better for it.

 

[ColinJ]

Since I got rid of sky I now watch approx between 3 - 5 tv programs per week, I may also watch some films on either Netflix or NowTV but not many I have to say I feel much better for it.

TBH - I prefer watching DVDs because they give the best quality that I am going to get, they don't have logos all over the picture and there are no ads.

I just watched The Killing on DVD from HB library. 20 episodes for £3 and it was only that much because I didn't want to watch it over 1 week and paid for a 2nd week.

There are some decent documentaries on TV. I never watch cookery programmes, 'reality' TV, celeb this/that/the other.

I just had a look at NetFlix ... They certainly don't make it easy for you to see what you can watch! There are small lists in the various categories but they must have 100 times that number of titles. I am not going to sign up for even a free trial just to find out if I want to sign up for it! I'd want to be able to search their entire catalogue to see whether the kind of programmes that I like are available in big enough numbers.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

TBH - I prefer watching DVDs because they give the best quality that I am going to get, they don't have logos all over the picture and there are no ads.

I just watched The Killing on DVD from HB library. 20 episodes for £3 and it was only that much because I didn't want to watch it over 1 week and paid for a 2nd week.

There are some decent documentaries on TV. I never watch cookery programmes, 'reality' TV, celeb this/that/the other.

I just had a look at NetFlix ... They certainly don't make it easy for you to see what you can watch! There are small lists in the various categories but they must have 100 times that number of titles. I am not going to sign up for even a free trial just to find out if I want to sign up for it! I'd want to be able to search their entire catalogue to see whether the kind of programmes that I like are available in big enough numbers.

Netflix is ace I have watched countless tv series ad free back to back and there are some great documentaries and films, for £6 per month you cant go wrong.

 

[ColinJ]

Netflix is ace I have watched countless tv series ad free back to back and there are some great documentaries and films, for £6 per month you cant go wrong.

I get the impression that they have quite a big selection, but not a huge, comprehensive one. So, if I want to find particular, obscure content, I could be out of luck. If I just want to find something interesting to watch, I could be okay. I've seen quite a few people agreeing with that assessment.

If I'm wrong, then why don't they simply provide a 'search our catalogue' feature?

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I get the impression that they have quite a big selection, but not a huge, comprehensive one. So, if I want to find particular, obscure content, I could be out of luck. If I just want to find something interesting to watch, I could be okay. I've seen quite a few people agreeing with that assessment.

If I'm wrong, then why don't they simply provide a 'search our catalogue' feature?

No idea, just sign up for a free month and have a look it is easy enough to cancel if you decide you dont want it.

 

[classic33]

Offcumdens like me, introduced the locals to the joys of modern technology. We got rid of our last carrier pigeons last week.

I have a very special microwave type box thing which does more than just reheat things - it also has a fan oven thing and a grill type thing so I can do proper cooking in it a.k.a. do decent baked spuds!

As for the swirly clothes-washing thing ... I have one of those but the fiendishly engineered just-out-of-warranty self-destruct process just kicked in and nobbled it so I am back to hand-washing my cycling kit in the kitchen sink!

There's a bloke just outside of 'epptonstall that still has carrier pigeons, so they're still being used in the area.
Hand washing in the sink, next you'll be taking them down to the river to was them!!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I was not aware they had even heard of the invention of Television in Hebden Bridge yet, next it will silly talk of a microwave type box that re-heats things, and a swirly thing you put clothes in and it washes them.

Is that not called a river which comes to their front door once a month so they don't have to leave the house to wash their clothes?

 

[ColinJ]

There's a bloke just outside of 'epptonstall that still has carrier pigeons, so they're still being used in the area.
Hand washing in the sink, next you'll be taking them down to the river to was them!!

What I will probably do is to take the back off the washing machine and see if I can spot anything obvious mechanically wrong with it, which I could potentially fix.

As for the pigeons ... it is cat central round here, so I wouldn't give a pigeon much of a chance, unless it delivers its payload on a low-level fly-past.

 

[classic33]

What I will probably do is to take the back off the washing machine and see if I can spot anything obvious mechanically wrong with it, which I could potentially fix.

As for the pigeons ... it is cat central round here, so I wouldn't give a pigeon much of a chance, unless it delivers its payload on a low-level fly-past.

Pigeon Loft!

 

[ColinJ]

My sister told me that our dad used to keep racing pigeons as a boy. His own, that is, not ones that he'd borrowed and forgotten to send back! I didn't find out until last summer, and he died 10 years ago.

 

[marinyork]

I just had a look at NetFlix ... They certainly don't make it easy for you to see what you can watch! There are small lists in the various categories but they must have 100 times that number of titles. I am not going to sign up for even a free trial just to find out if I want to sign up for it! I'd want to be able to search their entire catalogue to see whether the kind of programmes that I like are available in big enough numbers.

The nearest to what you want that I am aware of I guess would be http://netflixukvsusa.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/alphabetical-list-k-5-pm-sat-oct-26-2013.html and there's another list following the rest of the alphabet.