Going full on streaming

danlightbulb

danlightbulb

danlightbulb

Soldato
Joined
14 Jul 2005
Posts
9,114
Location
Birmingham
Hi all.

I am thinking of ditching virgin media. Its costing over £50 a month for the basic package now. I can get standalone broadband for £20 a month plus a streaming service like netflix for £9 a month.

Im unsure of the following things though:

1. what happens to normal terrestrial channels (bbc1, bbc2 etc). do you stream these instead of having an aerial?

2. can you get channels like ukgold, dave, discovery etc, or do you lose these?

3. is the complete film library free on netflix when you subscribe? does any stuff cost extra?

4. what hardware do you need? if a smart tv has the netflix app built in, is this sufficient or do you need an extra firestick type device?

5. is firestick, fire tv, and netflix the same thing?

6. what resolution content do you get compared to virgin tv?

Anything else ive missed about switching away from virgin media?

Thanks.
 
I was concerned that by using freeview with a large UHD tv, it would look poor. So was thinking it would be better to stream those channels instead.

Also i didnt want to subscribe to multiple services or I wouldnt be saving much. Is it possible to just pick one service out of now tv, netflix and prime, and get everything i would need?
 
All i watch is bbc, gold, quest, dave, and my collections of downloaded movies and tv series.

If im buying a 55"/65" tv (current 32") then it needs to be worth it. I dont think my current virgin use gives me much in that regard.
 
cheesyboy said:
Take a free Netflix trial and check it out. Or browse here:

https://www.justwatch.com/uk/provider/netflix
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Is 'just watch' another one? All the different services available and different apps are so confusing. Its probably why I've stuck with Virgin for so long.


Just seeing what broadband only options are available. Virgin really annoys me, its £42/mnth for 100 Mbs broadband only, but only £33 if you have it with a phone line and also £33 a month to have broadband+phone+basic tv! I know I could just not put a phone in but for some reason it really frustrates me that I'm forced to have the bloody landline fitted.

Compared to about £20 per month for something like Vodafone superfast 2 (63 Mbs) over landline.
 
Thanks all. Still a little confused though tbh. Just not sure what I 'need' if I buy a new 4k TV and ditch Virgin.

I've read that freeview/SD content will look crap on a big 4k tv?

And I don't want to buy 4k blu-rays at £30 a pop, so where will I get 4k movies from? Netflix premium subscription (£12.99 /month) or do I need firestick 4k?

I might get a 4k games console when the next gen comes out. Or I could connect my gaming pc, which hardly gets used, to the new TV. Which is best? Or could I screencast my pc to the new TV over wifi?

And as per my other thread, I'm unsure how to network all this up with my NAS drive/content. If my NAS is connected to my broadband router in a different room, can I stream over wifi to the TV with it?

How would all of this new stuff integrate (or not) with something like google home or alexa?
 
dowie said:
Best for what? What are you trying to achieve there? Yes you could connect your PC and watch any movies/content you have stored on it. But as far as watching netflix/amazon.. just watch them on the TV.
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At the moment I don't use my gaming pc to anywhere near its full potential. Its got a decent spec, so I'm thinking maybe Id get more use from it if I connected it directly to the new tv. I read about things like media servers. I just don't know what I don't know, if you see what I mean. What am I missing out on?

dowie said:
you might be better off posting the hardware questions in the other forum - you'll can some detailed answers there (as well as recommendation for specific TVs to look for given your budget etc..) but essentially yes you can.
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I just think all these questions are kinda linked? I could try and split them up across multiple parts of the forum but then end up drifting off topic because of linked issues. Like for example google home. If I get google home, I will want to try and control heating, lights as well as tech. It seems awkward at best, to try and split these topics up when at the moment I have nothing at all.
 
@dowie thanks I'll give that a read. Ive been reading lots of articles etc, and I'm an intelligent guy but this topic has me somewhat stumped to be honest. Despite reading the articles i'm struggling to understand the differences between these devices and where to get the content from without subscribing to multiple services. And its hard to find good quality articles on how to connect all your tech together in the most efficient and futureproofed way.
 
I'd need to keep tv licence because I watch bbc quite often, but not too bothered about recording stuff because I use catch up services.

At the moment its looking like vodafone superfast 2 at £23 per month plus either netflix level 2 (£8.99) or level 3 (£12.99) depending on whether I think its worth getting a good HDR tv or not.

The avforums recommended tv for £500 is the Hisense brand (either 55" or 65" - both are £500) but if going HDR the minimum recommended steps up to £1200. That's quite a jump.
 
AndyCr15 said:
Tbh, if you're only paying £50 a month, I'm not sure switching to streaming to save money is a big difference? £50 isn't a lot surely? I used to pay £120 a month when I cut the cord. PS is paying £150 a month, again, it's worth cutting the cord. For £50 a month, if you then get Netflix and Amazon, you're not all that much better off a month and you still have a 'limited' amount? If you got all the services that are soon to be out, you'd be paying more.
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String said:
No way I would ditch Virgin Fibre for some Vodafone pish, especially when you're only saving about a fiver a month. I think you may be brainstorming a problem that doesn't exist?
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Currently pay £54 for 100 Mbps broadband, tv and phone.

Switching to landline broadband 63 Mbps would cost about £23, + £9 for netflix standard = £32.

A saving of £22 isnt huge i know but still worth it given i hardly use virgin tv now. And id still have freeview.

If i stick with virgin fibre its £33 + £9 so £42.
 
TheVoice said:
What TV are you actually getting? People are recommending various devices but chances are if it's an LG or Samsung you'll have all the same apps on the TV anyway and they'll work fine and be plenty responsive.

Certain channels are HD on Freeview (i.e. the main terrestrial ones) but the likes of Dave, E4, Film 4 etc aren't.
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For TV I am following the thread on avforums, and considering the Hisense H55B7500UK (£379) or H55U7BUK (£499), or for a bit more money the Samsung QE55Q70R (£799).

I think 55" will be big enough, but not buying until I'm in new house and can measure the area properly. Its possible I'll stretch to 65". My viewing distance will be about 2.5 to 3m.

I did consider OLED but its a lot of money, and I would rather spend the difference on a soundbar, nice tv cabinet and google home unit.

The avforums thread says that the minimum I'd need for good HDR would be the Samsung at £799, and if I go for the budget Hisense models there would be no point getting the premium netflix subscription.
 
I don't intend to give up TV licence anyway, that's not on the table at present. Maybe if streaming turns out to be all I need, then I might consider it.

Can I throw soundbars into the mix here please? (everything I need to know about this whole topic is connected really - literally speaking as well!).

I was considering the yamaha YAS 207 soundbar and subwoofer unit at £249. It seems difficult to get anything cheaper. Feels kind of expensive for a few small speakers when Im potentially picking up the TV for only £379 if I go for the most budget model in my list.

Anyway, how do I know if it will be compatible with using a google home device? I'd like to tell a google home device to play some music through the soundbar when the tv is not switched on. What do I need to ensure I buy so that this works?

Its really confusing how all this stuff interconnects, or doesn't. Say for example I had some music on my NAS I wanted to play through my soundbar. Can I tell a google device to do that?
 
Psycho Sonny said:
That's because decent TV is required for hdr.

It's well worth buying a decent TV because of the quality of the picture.

I'd recommend getting an OLED.

Hisense is cheap for a reason. The picture quality is poor on them. Plus £500 is nothing for a TV.

I try and spend around double that. Plus or minus £200 either way depending on the deals available.

A decent TV will stand the test of time. Cheap tvs are quickly shown up in terms of quality over a short period of time.
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The avforums thread/guide says 90% of people will be fine with the budget Hisense models.

An oled would be lovely but £1300 is a hell of a lot of cash plus then the sound system on top, its running close to £2k. I cant afford that much.

Coming from a 10 year old 32" lcd and tv only sound, i should see a pretty big step up even if i go budget tv and budget 5.1 system?
 
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