looking for internet ways to watch tvnz/tv3/freeeview on dedicated TV connected devices

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NightStalker

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#237556 7-Jun-2018 17:10

I've got some relatives who recently bought a new house. For whatever reasons they do not want to install an indoor/outdoor aerial or a dish, and only want to explore options for viewing TV over the internet(fibre).

Having a look around the apple tv (with tvnz/3now apps) seems likely to be the best option. Vodafone's offering might work for them but I doubt they will move ISP/mobile services. I'm also aware of the kodi/freeview solution but that will be a bit complicated for them.

Some of the Dish TV products advertise on-demand but does this include live streams. I'm also unsure if not having an aerial connected will complicate their operation.
Any info about the Dish TV or other devices/solutions would be much appreciated.

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#2031793 8-Jun-2018 00:44

If they already have a freeview tv and are in UHF freeview range for the sake of saving whole lot of hassles . All they have to do is go to a shop and pay $30 or so for an indoor antenna.

Then try it out, if results are poor.. then think of other options.

cshwone

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#2031798 8-Jun-2018 06:05

Raspberry Pi with Kodi is actually really straightforward once configured. My wife is no technical wiz but can use that set up with no issues.

tdgeek

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#2031812 8-Jun-2018 07:05

ATV4 is a nice option, TVNZ, Three, Lightbox, Netflix

However, getting an installer to install a UHF aerial, and buy a Panny Freeview recorder which I think these days also has Freeview Plus (TVNZ and Three OD?) is the best solution, especially for recording. They dont need to worry or do anything, the installer guy will take care of that. Then sit back and enjoy

NightStalker

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#2031823 8-Jun-2018 07:15

Apsattv:

If they already have a freeview tv and are in UHF freeview range for the sake of saving whole lot of hassles . All they have to do is go to a shop and pay $30 or so for an indoor antenna.

Then try it out, if results are poor.. then think of other options.

due to house design/tv location an indoor aerial wont work. I keep pushing to just install a proper external aerial but they don't want to so I'm stuck with looking at other options.

antoniosk

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#2031865 8-Jun-2018 08:32

tdgeek:

ATV4 is a nice option, TVNZ, Three, Lightbox, Netflix

However, getting an installer to install a UHF aerial, and buy a Panny Freeview recorder which I think these days also has Freeview Plus (TVNZ and Three OD?) is the best solution, especially for recording. They dont need to worry or do anything, the installer guy will take care of that. Then sit back and enjoy

This.

But channel surfing is non-existent on ATV4 - thats what the 'TV' app from Apple is meant to achieve but its not yet in NZ - and they will end up app switching A LOT, which just isn't fun.

Vodafone's TV box is promising but it's exceptions are disappointing, and I have seen nothing about updates, performance etc. Is anyone even using it that's on GKZ?

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tdgeek

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#2031868 8-Jun-2018 08:40

antoniosk:

tdgeek:

ATV4 is a nice option, TVNZ, Three, Lightbox, Netflix

However, getting an installer to install a UHF aerial, and buy a Panny Freeview recorder which I think these days also has Freeview Plus (TVNZ and Three OD?) is the best solution, especially for recording. They dont need to worry or do anything, the installer guy will take care of that. Then sit back and enjoy

This.

But channel surfing is non-existent on ATV4 - thats what the 'TV' app from Apple is meant to achieve but its not yet in NZ - and they will end up app switching A LOT, which just isn't fun.

Vodafone's TV box is promising but it's exceptions are disappointing, and I have seen nothing about updates, performance etc. Is anyone even using it that's on GKZ?

Yes, this. OD is great for bingeing, but the channel surfing of traditional TV is so much more fluid. Its a bit like my iPads. Great devices, but if I want to reply to GZ, I get up and go to a laptop, too much hassle otherwise

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sbiddle

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#2031870 8-Jun-2018 08:53

If they're not willing to invest in an aerial they're going to need to invest in hardware to do this... Which will likely cost more than an aerial.

I'd recommend NextPVR using the m3u8 streams from all the big NZ broadcasters. You can run client PCs to hook up to TVs as well as stream directly to the Android and iPad apps.

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#2031887 8-Jun-2018 09:04

My vote goes to an Android box. Personally I have had a lot of frustration trying to use different Android set-ups in the way I want, but what I now have would be pretty good for what you are describing. Kodi is not actually too difficult to set up, and once installed is very straightforward to use. I have created one installation that is fairly idiot-proof. It is only used for Internet TV and nothing else so I removed all the media stuff to simplify it. The home menu just shows TV, Add-ons and Favourites. Add-ons are normally ignored. TV has the M3U streams provided by @Apsattv, which is as close to a channel-hopping experience as you can get. It has the main NZ Freeview channels (except Prime and Maori), as well as the Aussie ones and a few others.

There is a great Kodi add-on called Simple Favorites. This lets you easily create any number of folders and sub-folders and put any shortcuts you like in them. I use this for a simplified navigation interface for selected add-ons. I have folders for movies, news, arts, and other things. I only include add-ons with single-click, trouble-free selections. Simple Favorites also works with non-Kodi Android shortcuts so I have some apps in it as well. You do need a proxy or VPN for a lot of things, and I use DNS4ME. But even without a proxy, some overseas sites will still work.

Generic Kodi boxes are cheap, but generally work reasonably well. Name brands will be better and will cost more. Android is not a perfect answer for what you want, but I think it probably comes closest to meeting the requirements you specify.

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NightStalker

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#2032028 8-Jun-2018 11:57

cshwone: Raspberry Pi with Kodi is actually really straightforward once configured. My wife is no technical wiz but can use that set up with no issues.

I use the kodi option myself but for them its an issue of when something goes wrong with the diy hardware/software setup. They are 2.5 hours away so I cant just pop round to fix it. I did consider a Shield TV but that's getting into Apple TV price territory.

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#2032032 8-Jun-2018 12:03

I'd say if they are not tech savvy, and not willing to put in an aerial/dish, then their only choice is an AppleTV.

Not ideal for changing channels, but it will do everything, and it 'just works'.

Geek way would be as above - media server getting the streams, and client boxes to watch them at every TV.

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#2032099 8-Jun-2018 12:51

NightStalker:

cshwone: Raspberry Pi with Kodi is actually really straightforward once configured. My wife is no technical wiz but can use that set up with no issues.

I use the kodi option myself but for them its an issue of when something goes wrong with the diy hardware/software setup. They are 2.5 hours away so I cant just pop round to fix it. I did consider a Shield TV but that's getting into Apple TV price territory.

2.5 hours away and need something reliable?

They dont have much tech ability?

If they were my relatives I would be telling them not to be such a PITA and just get an aerial.

Sorry - Not helpfull I know.

My vote is for 1) Aerial 2) Raspberry Pi running OSMC with the KODI TV addons for streaming here

The nice thing about OSMC (A variant of KODI media centre) is that it supports HDMI-CEC - which means the TV remote should probably work the PI.

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NightStalker

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#2032100 8-Jun-2018 12:52

oddly enough they seem OK with having different apps as it was them that brought up the Apple idea.

if someone on GZ has a Apple TV 4 or Apple TV 4k can they please confirm they can get live steams via the TVNZ app and the TV3 app. I was recently in a Harvey Norman store and the salesperson was certain there were no live streams. The TVNZ site says IOS devices have live streams but Apple TV is a different section with no mention of live streams.

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#2032103 8-Jun-2018 13:09

NightStalker:

oddly enough they seem OK with having different apps as it was them that brought up the Apple idea.

if someone on GZ has a Apple TV 4 or Apple TV 4k can they please confirm they can get live steams via the TVNZ app and the TV3 app. I was recently in a Harvey Norman store and the salesperson was certain there were no live streams. The TVNZ site says IOS devices have live streams but Apple TV is a different section with no mention of live streams.

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rugrat

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#2032127 8-Jun-2018 13:42

With streaming they won’t be able to get Prime, just TVNZ channels and media works ones.

Ariel would give a higher quality picture then streaming, and DD5.1, but otherwise Apple TV would probably be easier soloution, plus there’s some oversea’s channels that can be downloaded to it as well, like aljazeera.

antoniosk

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#2032128 8-Jun-2018 13:45

NightStalker:

oddly enough they seem OK with having different apps as it was them that brought up the Apple idea.

if someone on GZ has a Apple TV 4 or Apple TV 4k can they please confirm they can get live steams via the TVNZ app and the TV3 app. I was recently in a Harvey Norman store and the salesperson was certain there were no live streams. The TVNZ site says IOS devices have live streams but Apple TV is a different section with no mention of live streams.

I have an ATV4, and I also worked at one of NZ's media companies for a while. The situation is 'complicated' to say the least, specifically around media rights. Both TVNZ and Mediaworks have spent a LOT of energy in human manpower getting global rights signed that let them broadcast content over an IP network - the "Internet" - but I don't know if they have 100% coverage yet. Freeview and Sky do have rights for transmission over their respective terrestrial and satellite networks.

The result is some content may not get broadcast over internet, and you wont know what until the moment you know its not working. I'm thinking sports mainly.

What technology can do, and what commercial contracts allow... are very far apart.

Most of the tv I don't have an issue with content from TVNZOnDemand or ThreeNow, but I dont use it very much at all and cant speak for everything.

If they are hell-bent - then let them get one and see how it works out. If possible, you could rig up an iwidget to hdmi connection for a few days and let them experience it partly before committing.

You've done research with a community that has offered opinion, but it's a decision for them to make.

________

Antoniosk

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