Vodafone TV retirement plan: September 2022

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#2830267 11-Dec-2021 07:19

mattwnz:

sbiddle:

For those only using the box for watching Freeview there are plenty of replacement options - both off the shelf and DIY. With virtually every Freeview channel available as a HLS stream it's a 10 min job to turn an old PC or Android box into something for watching and/or recording live TV.

Are there any recommended websites showing how to do this for NZ freeview channels and best devices to use. eg with a android box

There are a multitude of different ways. If you really need to be asking that question the simplest approach is to use the unlocked Freeview app from Dish TV and sideload this to an Android box

Then there is the other approach of installing one of a massive range of IPTV/PVR apps. I use NextPVR which is developed in NZ because that's also a full PVR.

If you just want a simple setup on An Android TV box you can look at thing such as Kodi, TVIRL or TIvimate. On Matt Huisman's page he hosts m3u8 files for NZ channels and EPG that make this process super straight forward.

For those who want to go beyond that you can very easily add all the Australian FTA channels (except for Ten) if you use a smart DNS proxy.

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MikeB4

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#2830271 11-Dec-2021 07:39

@sbiddle the average person doesn't want to mess around blu tacking a very sub par concoction to watch TV. Dish TV offerings are a retail version of a Blu tacked very sub par offering.

With the exit of VF the only reliable offering is Sky with their current boxes. I worry about their soon to be released box and hope it won't be a buggy mess.
If one adds a Skybox to a smart TV and load Skygo to their mobile devices it gives a very good useable service.

rogercruse

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#2830278 11-Dec-2021 08:18

MikeB4: @sbiddle the average person doesn't want to mess around blu tacking a very sub par concoction to watch TV...

And the average person's wife wants a solution she can use.

We have a 2nd TV in the bedroom that has an Amazon TV remote & unit and a Dish TV remote & unit. My wife rarly uses this setup unless I preset it for her.

Going back to Sky for the main TV or even both TV boxes would be our preferrred option as long as we don't need a dish on the roof.

sbiddle

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#2830279 11-Dec-2021 08:24

rogercruse:

MikeB4: @sbiddle the average person doesn't want to mess around blu tacking a very sub par concoction to watch TV...

And the average person's wife wants a solution she can use.

We have a 2nd TV in the bedroom that has an Amazon TV remote & unit and a Dish TV remote & unit. My wife rarly uses this setup unless I preset it for her.

Going back to Sky for the main TV or even both TV boxes would be our preferrred option as long as we don't need a dish on the roof.

Each to their own I guess but apart from the lack of On Demand content I consider NextPVR to offer a superior end user experience compared to VTV. It just works, and that's all you can want or expect from such a solution.

Of course if something goes wrong with the hardware then it's a whole different ballgame, but to suggest a DIY solution is no match for VTV is IMHO not the case, and is the sort of thinking I'd expect from somebody who hasn't actually played with any of these solutions and thinks it will be complex or not reliable.

For anybody who has an Android TV based TV and doesn't have an aerial or SVB-S STB the integration of IPTV channels into the TV means the experience and how you use the TV is identical to watching OTA channels. Even on many other TV brands such as LG you can very easily add IP channels into the default menu so it's just like watching regular OTA.

MikeB4

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#2830284 11-Dec-2021 08:31

sbiddle:

Each to their own I guess but apart from the lack of On Demand content I consider NextPVR to offer a superior end user experience compared to VTV. It just works, and that's all you can want or expect from such a solution.

Of course if something goes wrong with the hardware then it's a whole different ballgame, but to suggest a DIY solution is no match for VTV is IMHO not the case, and is the sort of thinking I'd expect from somebody who hasn't actually played with any of these solutions and thinks it will be complex or not reliable.

For anybody who has an Android TV based TV and doesn't have an aerial or SVB-S STB the integration of IPTV channels into the TV means the experience and how you use the TV is identical to watching OTA channels. Even on many other TV brands such as LG you can very easily add IP channels into the default menu so it's just like watching regular OTA.

You missed my first few words "the average person doesn't want to mess around" They want to sit down after dinner and watch some TV after a busy day. I have tried all the build your own options and they are a pain in the butt. Its great got the hobbyist but I simply can't be bothered messing just to watch the odd TV programme or Movie.

Tatou

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#2830292 11-Dec-2021 08:53

Whilst I can probably put something together the main TV watcher in the house just wants to be able to pick up the remote, select either Netflix or the Midsummer Murders or TV1 and watch it. VFTV made that happen and contrary to initial concerns the inability to record some streams has not been a problem at all.

If Sky solution does not require a dish it will seem the way to go. In fact I dismantled an extensive Sky dish and co-axial network the previous owner of my house had installed when we got the upgraded Vodafone TV thinking we were set for the foreseeable future. It appears I was too optimistic.

sbiddle

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#2830296 11-Dec-2021 09:01

MikeB4:
sbiddle:

Each to their own I guess but apart from the lack of On Demand content I consider NextPVR to offer a superior end user experience compared to VTV. It just works, and that's all you can want or expect from such a solution.

Of course if something goes wrong with the hardware then it's a whole different ballgame, but to suggest a DIY solution is no match for VTV is IMHO not the case, and is the sort of thinking I'd expect from somebody who hasn't actually played with any of these solutions and thinks it will be complex or not reliable.

For anybody who has an Android TV based TV and doesn't have an aerial or SVB-S STB the integration of IPTV channels into the TV means the experience and how you use the TV is identical to watching OTA channels. Even on many other TV brands such as LG you can very easily add IP channels into the default menu so it's just like watching regular OTA.

You missed my first few words "the average person doesn't want to mess around" They want to sit down after dinner and watch some TV after a busy day. I have tried all the build your own options and they are a pain in the butt. Its great got the hobbyist but I simply can't be bothered messing just to watch the odd TV programme or Movie.

And that's *exactly* what many of these solutions offer for FTA offerings.

Have an Android TV based device it takes one app download and around 2 mins of configuration (about 4 steps and 1 URL as an example with TVirl) to have something that is as simple to use and as reliable as any TV or a VTV box.

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#2830297 11-Dec-2021 09:26

sbiddle:
MikeB4:

You missed my first few words "the average person doesn't want to mess around" They want to sit down after dinner and watch some TV after a busy day. I have tried all the build your own options and they are a pain in the butt. Its great got the hobbyist but I simply can't be bothered messing just to watch the odd TV programme or Movie.

And that's *exactly* what many of these solutions offer for FTA offerings.

Have an Android TV based device it takes one app download and around 2 mins of configuration (about 4 steps and 1 URL as an example with TVirl) to have something that is as simple to use and as reliable as any TV or a VTV box.

I agree with @MikeB4. There's no way the average person go buy an Android TV box, setup the thing, sideload an app, configure some streams from a third party site and get things working without just throwing everything in the trashcan five minutes into the ordeal. It may work for you, me or someone else in this forum but not for millions of people out there.

The Vodafone TV is just that. Practically plug and use. Watch programs from a menu. Use common streaming apps.

The Dash TV offerings are almost there but they have flaws. Overheating for example. No easy catchup.

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ukoda

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#2830298 11-Dec-2021 09:27

Tatou:

If Sky solution does not require a dish it will seem the way to go. In fact I dismantled an extensive Sky dish and co-axial network the previous owner of my house had installed when we got the upgraded Vodafone TV thinking we were set for the foreseeable future. It appears I was too optimistic.

I made the same mistake. I had been working on getting a SAT2IP solution working but since the VTV box did the same job reliably I stop working on the satellite solution. Unfortunately there is no easy going back to that option as I removed satellite dish to make room for a large solar panel array that covers almost the whole north facing roof.

sbiddle

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#2830373 11-Dec-2021 13:06

freitasm:

sbiddle:
MikeB4:

You missed my first few words "the average person doesn't want to mess around" They want to sit down after dinner and watch some TV after a busy day. I have tried all the build your own options and they are a pain in the butt. Its great got the hobbyist but I simply can't be bothered messing just to watch the odd TV programme or Movie.

And that's *exactly* what many of these solutions offer for FTA offerings.

Have an Android TV based device it takes one app download and around 2 mins of configuration (about 4 steps and 1 URL as an example with TVirl) to have something that is as simple to use and as reliable as any TV or a VTV box.

I agree with @MikeB4. There's no way the average person go buy an Android TV box, setup the thing, sideload an app, configure some streams from a third party site and get things working without just throwing everything in the trashcan five minutes into the ordeal. It may work for you, me or someone else in this forum but not for millions of people out there.

The Vodafone TV is just that. Practically plug and use. Watch programs from a menu. Use common streaming apps.

The Dash TV offerings are almost there but they have flaws. Overheating for example. No easy catchup.

100% disagree.

Android TV has full support for IPTV channels through the live channels app which is already used for live TV. If you have an Android TV powered TV and don't have an aerial connection and want FTA channels I could talk anybody with no technical knowledge though setting this up in under 10 mins - I know that because I've done precisely that over the phone before. You only need to install a single app from the Play store and enter a single URL to configure everything. Watching live TV and using the EPG is exactly the same as it would be if you had plugged the TV into an aerial so the WAF is identical, and it's as reliable as your internet connection.

An Android TV STB might take slightly longer because not all have the Google Live Channels app installed by default.

Of course for people who want to fiddle the opportunities are endless, but to suggest that an Android TV powered TV (or a reputable Android TV box) does not deliver a simple easy to use solution for viewing FTA channels via streaming is simply not true, and I can only assume both of you only have this view because you've never actually done this.

Of course there is a lot more you can do that requires a lot more knowledge where the opportunities become limitless, and it is disappointing that Freeview don't publish their own Android app to allow streaming but have chosen to partner with Dish TV.

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#2830379 11-Dec-2021 13:27

>it is disappointing that Freeview don't publish their own Android app to allow streaming but have chosen to partner with Dish TV.<

Is that the same App that is on Google Play, because I did a download/install using Samsung TV ... it gives me Three, Choice etc, essentially everything that the Freeview App used to do before/after TVNZ took their toys to another sandpit 😁

WR8FLUX

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#2830465 11-Dec-2021 17:57

Nice 1 Vodafone!!!

Never been a big fan of VTV ever since I bought it 5 month ago!!!

Only reason for buying it was to get rid of all me excessive wiring of different aerial and sky dish cables 😀

Just ordered myself a Formuler Z8 Pro IPTV box to replace my VTV Box and also to ditch Sky with its horrendous pricing!!!

Who needs VTV or Sky when there is IPTV 🤣

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#2830491 11-Dec-2021 18:30

sbiddle:

freitasm:

There's no way the average person go buy an Android TV box, setup the thing, sideload an app, configure some streams from a third party site and get things working without just throwing everything in the trashcan five minutes into the ordeal. It may work for you, me or someone else in this forum but not for millions of people out there.

The Vodafone TV is just that. Practically plug and use. Watch programs from a menu. Use common streaming apps.

The Dash TV offerings are almost there but they have flaws. Overheating for example. No easy catchup.

100% disagree.

Android TV has full support for IPTV channels through the live channels app which is already used for live TV. If you have an Android TV powered TV and don't have an aerial connection and want FTA channels I could talk anybody with no technical knowledge though setting this up in under 10 mins - I know that because I've done precisely that over the phone before. You only need to install a single app from the Play store and enter a single URL to configure everything. Watching live TV and using the EPG is exactly the same as it would be if you had plugged the TV into an aerial so the WAF is identical, and it's as reliable as your internet connection.

An Android TV STB might take slightly longer because not all have the Google Live Channels app installed by default.

Of course for people who want to fiddle the opportunities are endless, but to suggest that an Android TV powered TV (or a reputable Android TV box) does not deliver a simple easy to use solution for viewing FTA channels via streaming is simply not true, and I can only assume both of you only have this view because you've never actually done this.

Of course there is a lot more you can do that requires a lot more knowledge where the opportunities become limitless, and it is disappointing that Freeview don't publish their own Android app to allow streaming but have chosen to partner with Dish TV.

I have done this. I am not talking about myself or technically inclined people. You are not thinking of in-laws that have problems copying a photo from \Pictures into an email. They will not understand half of what you said above.

A box that doesn't work out of the box is not consumer-ready.

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MikeB4

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#2830500 11-Dec-2021 20:08

I am more than capable of building my own. I have built countless PCs, Servers, Media PCs etc etc. When it comes to TV/Movies/Sport I want a turnkey solution. I don't want to mess around.

Apsattv

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#2830512 11-Dec-2021 21:22

What may be handy is a small USB bootable linux flash drive with something pre-installed and directly setup as one "dummyproof" non tech solution?

"freeview ISO" for old pc etc?

Perhaps someone could do as little project? along with some Android TV setup type tutorials

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