Best Sky Replacement?

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Lias

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#142867 27-Mar-2014 09:31

I'm looking at some sort of streaming replacement for sky for a household.

The problem is I don't really know where to begin, there seems to be such a huge number of streaming services and viewing devices to chose from.Existing HTPC? Dedicated device like a roku or WDTV? What if any streaming services offer content like sky does grouped by interest rather than just "lots of mainstream popular tv shows" which seems to what Netflix/Hulu are. Is there anything like "Sky" but streamed and cheaper or is piracy pretty much the only way to replicate it?

Can GZ's collective wisdom point me in the right direction?

Needs to be simple and easy to by kids and non technical people
Content currently consumed primarily consists almost entirely of kids & teens channels (Kidzone/Disney Jr/Nick Jr/Nickelodean /Cartoon Network/Disney/MTV), and Crime & Investigation and Food TV by the adults

Thanks GZ :-)

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#1013704 27-Mar-2014 10:14

My Sky replacement is Netflix, Hulu+, BBC iPlayer and Freeview HD (plus large home media library). I watch them on my htpc in the lounge and on Rokus in the bedrooms. You can also use a smart TV and others too. I prefer the interface of the websites personally but I believe there are some restrictions on HD & 5.1 using the websites over a dedicated device. Never really been a problem for me though (and isn't an issue at all on BBC) as quality seems fine. Both Netflix, Hulu & BBC all group shows into genres and subgenres which are easy to navigate and find. If you are a Food TV nut for example, then it is easy to find and browse such shows on any of them and Netflix & Hulu will then suggest more similar shows and remember what you watch, etc. You will need a service such as Unotelly or Unblock US to watch them here but that costs NZ $5/mo. Netflix & Hulu+ are both NZ $10/mo (BBC is free). There are many other services too, some free, some not, but the ones I mentioned are far and above more than I (or most people) will ever need. I'll never pay Sky another cent. The only thing I miss from them is sport in HD. If you know someone with a Sky Sport sub you can use their iSky login to watch stuff in SD or just rock round to their place with a six pack to watch in HD :)

EDIT: All of those channels.genres you mentioned specifically are well covered ;)

dclegg

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#1013707 27-Mar-2014 10:16

I'll let other Geekzoners chime in with their experiences with other streaming services and hardware, but NetFlix/Apple TV works well for us. We've been using it since late last year, and love it. It would seem to fit the bill for what you're after. It has a very Wife and Kid friendly interface, and I'd rate its content compatibility with what you currently watch to be quite high.

hagrid

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#1013737 27-Mar-2014 10:41

Try Torrenting all your stuff :)

reven

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#1013755 27-Mar-2014 11:13

netflix for most of my streaming. great for kids lots and lots of kids programs.

vudu/uv codes for movies (ill rent from vudu, but only buy UV movies from vudu as they're not tied to vudu and work on flixster and other services, so if vudu go out of business i still have movies i purchased). vudu get movies often sooner than a BR/dvd release (sometimes before cinemas).

plex for local stuff, the client/server setup is nice and fits in with multiple tvs around the house.

nextpvr for recording tv.

clients I use are samsung smart tv/bluray player. and google tvs (vizio costar and a netgear neo)

also use ps4 for vudu/netflix sometimes, but that cant do plex.

vexxxboy

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#1013757 27-Mar-2014 11:25

if you love Live Sport then there is no Alternative. it's the only thing i watch on Sky.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

TwoSeven

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#1013867 27-Mar-2014 13:46

dclegg: I'll let other Geekzoners chime in with their experiences with other streaming services and hardware, but NetFlix/Apple TV works well for us. We've been using it since late last year, and love it. It would seem to fit the bill for what you're after. It has a very Wife and Kid friendly interface, and I'd rate its content compatibility with what you currently watch to be quite high.

I think as pointed out in another thread - I don't think Netflix is on the Apple TV any longer - I think it vanished for me in the last update. Although I never look at that part of the screen so it could still be there.

I must admit, I do use my Apple TV for watching pay per view movies. I just wish they would put an SSD in it so I could put ITunes on it.

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trig42

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#1013914 27-Mar-2014 15:04

TwoSeven:
dclegg: I'll let other Geekzoners chime in with their experiences with other streaming services and hardware, but NetFlix/Apple TV works well for us. We've been using it since late last year, and love it. It would seem to fit the bill for what you're after. It has a very Wife and Kid friendly interface, and I'd rate its content compatibility with what you currently watch to be quite high.

I think as pointed out in another thread - I don't think Netflix is on the Apple TV any longer - I think it vanished for me in the last update. Although I never look at that part of the screen so it could still be there.

I must admit, I do use my Apple TV for watching pay per view movies. I just wish they would put an SSD in it so I could put ITunes on it.

My Apple TV updated on Sunday - no problem with Netflix.
The only thing I could see that the update had done was allow you to move tiles around on the home screen (like you can on an iOS device) - except you cannot move the top row around.

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Yabanize

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#1014012 27-Mar-2014 17:08

vexxxboy: if you love Live Sport then there is no Alternative. it's the only thing i watch on Sky.

Well.. Legal alternatives that is haha

I do wish there was some other way to watch them like pay per view or just subscribe to sport and nothing else and be able to watch on sky go

jarledb

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#1014040 27-Mar-2014 17:48

trig42:
The only thing I could see that the update had done was allow you to move tiles around on the home screen (like you can on an iOS device) - except you cannot move the top row around.

Thats been possible for a while now. The new thing on the latest update is that you can actually remove "tiles" from the home screen. Hold down select for a while until they jiggle and then press play/pause button and you will be able to remove a tile from the home screen. Pretty cool ;)

As for streaming: I am using Hulu+ and Netflix (US mostly) on my AppleTV, and Plex, 3Now and TVNZondemand on my smart-tv.

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Lias

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#1014048 27-Mar-2014 18:10

vexxxboy: if you love Live Sport then there is no Alternative. it's the only thing i watch on Sky.

Sport is not even on the radar in this case :-)

Thanks for your tips folks, looks like I will have to reassess NetFlix :-)

compost

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#1014199 27-Mar-2014 21:53

Yabanize:
vexxxboy: if you love Live Sport then there is no Alternative. it's the only thing i watch on Sky.

Well.. Legal alternatives that is haha

I do wish there was some other way to watch them like pay per view or just subscribe to sport and nothing else and be able to watch on sky go

Sky are currently throwing us a few bones to keep the regulators off, but as soon as there's a genuine threat to their business, EPL and Sommet content will be vacuumed up again in the blink of a contract renegotiation. Going cold turkey is the best long term option, damn hard in the short term but ultimately satisfying to be able to say you told the pusher where to go

A time-poor geek is hardly a geek at all

Jas777

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#1014305 28-Mar-2014 08:09

Asmodeus,

I take it that it is no concern of yours that BBC iplayer is funded for UK residents only by UK taxpayers money?

reven

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#1014434 28-Mar-2014 10:40

Jas777: Asmodeus,

I take it that it is no concern of yours that BBC iplayer is funded for UK residents only by UK taxpayers money?

its of absolutely no concern to me. best way to watch dr who in hd, prime is only SD.

trig42

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#1014468 28-Mar-2014 11:08

jarledb:
trig42:
The only thing I could see that the update had done was allow you to move tiles around on the home screen (like you can on an iOS device) - except you cannot move the top row around.

Thats been possible for a while now. The new thing on the latest update is that you can actually remove "tiles" from the home screen. Hold down select for a while until they jiggle and then press play/pause button and you will be able to remove a tile from the home screen. Pretty cool ;)

As for streaming: I am using Hulu+ and Netflix (US mostly) on my AppleTV, and Plex, 3Now and TVNZondemand on my smart-tv.

We are the same, except I stopped the Hulu+, nothing on there I wanted to watch badly enough to put up with the US ads.

Zippity

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#1014515 28-Mar-2014 12:09

@OP

When it comes to HD viewing, I doubt if there is an alternative to SkyTV in New Zealand.

:)

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