A little while ago I stopped my BT TV subscription - didn’t watch enough of the BT programmes to make it worthwhile. As a result I returned the box, a decision I am regretting as recording Freeview programmes is now a problem (I’ve tried both Human and Manhatten PVR boxes, both failed in short time and had to be returned).
So I’m thinking of buying a " BT Youview+ Set Top Box with Twin HD Freeview and 7 Day Catch Up TV, No Subscription " - which I’m assured will show/record the “free” TV channels e.g. BBC and ITV , obviously not the BT ones.
However, I’m now confused about where this box gets it’s TV channels from - I assumed “freeview” but given the name “Youview+” I started to wonder - as apparently Youview is likely to be dropped March 24.
So if anyone is familiar with BT TV boxes, could they explain whether the (expected) demise of Youview will mean that a BT box will stop showing and recording the normal BBC ITV etc channels.
Have you given any thought to Amazon Prime? Yes, I know that many see them as ”The Great Satan”, but it’s a modest cost per year, and you can get a Firestick TV for pocket money.
We have a fully functioning freeview HD recorder; you can program it via the built in freeview guide, just select the programme and press a button and it will record it when it’s on. If the programme is a series, it will automatically record all of them. It was a reasonably expensive Panasonic.
BUT
We never use it. there’s just no point. Everything is on iplayer / itvx / c4 catch up services. The only advantage of recording is so you can skip adverts on the non BBC channels.
So assuming your tv doesn’t have these apps built in, just buy an amazon fire stick.
We had a Humax Freeview that blew up after many years of good service. Its replacement a Humax Aura just never worked properly and was returned. We now have a Manhattan one, once again Freeview.
It works well and we use it to record programmes with adverts and then skip through them. Use iplayer for BBC stuff.
Personally, I wouldn’t bother with Youview. It’s part of our Sony TV and it’s a pain to use compared to Freeview.
I would love to get rid of the Manhatten box, but when streaming from ITV, Channel 4 etc you get loads of ads and can’t progress the programme beyond them, so the box stays.
Most TV’s these days have USB sockets and some of these allow recording from the TV itself to a USB Stick or USB attached SSD/HDD, just wondering if that might be an option?
I find it all disconcerting. Or perhaps it’s just that it’s simple now and I need to adapt. Our 14 year old Panasonic plasma set has freeview and freesat built in and it has a VCR and DVD connected to it, but if I ever get to watch it, invariably it’s via the Apple box and Amazon/Netflix/Disney and the main broadcasters on-line services. We never record anything - so often you can find what you want somewhere.
We turn the plasma off properly when not in use. It still gives a great picture.
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