Going full on streaming

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

You can freely stream non-BBC stuff where available (4OD etc..) BBC player requires a license fee to be paid though.

Some (a few) BBC dramas are on Netflix.

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

AFAIK none of those channels offers a streaming service.

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

no additional fees on Netflix - just chose your subscription level based on mobile devices, SD, or HD etc..

Amazon does offer additional channels via third party providers that you can pay extra to watch.

Also Amazon video (separate to Amazon prime streaming service) has newer releases of movies you can rent etc..

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?
Click to expand...

if a smart TV has Netflix app built in then you can watch Netflix...

likewise ditto to prime, iplayer etc.. (though remember you need a license for iplayer so might as well make use of Freeview/freesat too if you do buy one)

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

no, firestick is piece of hardware from amazon that allows a non smart TV to watch amazon prime, Netflix is a streaming service available on multiple devices.

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

That depends on what you're comparing it with... if you only have an SD subscription to Netflix then you'll only get SD content... etc..

Anything else ive missed about switching away from virgin media?
Click to expand...

Sports etc..? Though amazon has some.
 
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?
 
danlightbulb said:
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?
Click to expand...

Either/both... your TV probably has the ability to play amazon prime without the need for a firestick... as per the answer already given above, the fire stick is more for non-smart TVs that can't already play it. I mean unless the OS in your TV is really annoying/slow etc.. you probs don't need an external device like a stick or games console etc... to watch netflix/amazon.

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?
Click to expand...

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.

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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
Click to expand...

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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
danlightbulb said:
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.
Click to expand...

There is a whole thread dedicated to home automation stuff here btw... might be worth a browse:

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/are-you-doing-anything-with-hue.18713963/

Some of the stuff you're asking is quite wide ranging and some you could find out the answer to yourself - like what is the difference between Netflix and an amazon fire stick.

You'd perhaps get more detailed/useful answers if you did split up the topic somewhat - for example if you've got a more specific hardware question then a thread in the relevant forum could give you more detail on that than the general questions here. :)
 
@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.
 
danlightbulb said:
yeah i just dont know what these offer really. it would be good to get access to a library of better quality uhd films if im buying a big uhd tv.
Click to expand...

netflix uhd version is £12.99 a month iirc.

amazon prime is £80 per year. so £7 a month or thereabouts.

tv license is £160 a year or thereabouts.

freesat or freeview is okay but ideally you need a recorder to record stuff when you are out or busy. so need to spend money on that too.

I'm currently paying like £150 a month but i have 350MB with VM. TV licence, sky q full package with bt sport in HD added on, cinema, sports, UHD etc, with sky. then prime as well.

As soon as celtic get knocked out of europe I'm going to bin it all and just have 350MB, netflix, prime.

no tv license, no aerial, no freesat, no freeview.

i will then just get a VPN to get other stuff like celtic tv to watch all the games.
 
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.
 
danlightbulb said:
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.
Click to expand...
Take a look at Roku's devices. They support every major streaming service and are easy to use (I've set them up for older relatives and not had to provide any tech support beyond telling them to occasionally restart it).

There is no subscription service that covers all or even most of the popular content. It is fractured between Netflix, Now TV (Sky's offering and HD only) and Amazon Prime. Disney+ is launching next month and will hive off even more content. If more UHD/HDR content is a must, buy an Apple TV 4K and pick up cheap films in the sales.

And don't worry about future proofing with these type of devices. They're essentially disposable - affordable and replaced every year or two by improved versions.
 
I just have Vodafone fibre broadband and netflix. I did have amazon prime.

Bought a new LG TV. Buy a smart tv then you dont need an amazon tv stick. Amazon tv stick is better than roku i think.

If you think this is confusing. Wait until you want surround sound.
 
Recently did just what the op is referring to.

A Roku box is better than the OS on a TV, apps normally run faster with better hardware and you can get "all the apps" unlike TV's which are bound by licensing agreements meaning 2 "SMART TV's" can have access to different apps.
 
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.

Personally, I still would cut the cord, but I guess just not for a money saving point of view. There's so much good content on Netflix these days, I think most people could happily be kept busy most evenings with quality TV.

danlightbulb said:
Netflix premium subscription (£12.99 /month) or do I need firestick 4k?
Click to expand...

You understand, Netflix is a service and a Firestick is hardware that runs services?

Fairly sure the answer is no said:
Though with Google chromecast
Click to expand...

I would expect a new TV can be cast to, if not I would definitely recommend a Chromecast. Most apps on your phone (like iPlayer) can cast to TV's these days.

danlightbulb said:
If my NAS is connected to my broadband router in a different room, can I stream over wifi to the TV with it?
Click to expand...

Does your NAS support DLNA? I think that's the important bit. I have a file server which I run Serviio (and Plex) from to watch content stored on it. Combine that with Showsrss.info and... I'm not sure what else I'm allowed to say... but new shows just appear for me all the time.
 
im still rocking an old panasonic plasma ,got a now tv stick for under 15 quid including 3 months sky ,but theres always an offer ,im paying £2.60 a month for sky cinema ,but the apps are so useful for catchup ,uktv play has loads of boxsets red bull tv ect ect .have freesat hd built in to tv also ,even though its a dinosaur

Edit spelling due to eyesight!!
IMG-20200216-082426.jpg
 
Last edited:
danlightbulb said:
..but only £33 if you have it with a phone line and also £33 a month to have broadband+phone+basic tv!
Click to expand...

If you pay £33 per month to Virgin for that then just add a Netflix subscription and you're golden. The Netflix app can run through your VM box but to be honest I think you'll be hard pushed to find a new TV that doesn't have a Netflix app. My £340 LG 4k TV even has a Netflix button on the remote.

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?
 
I have a Roku stick plugged into the TV and subscribe to Amazon Prime and Netflix. I wouldn't be without them. I also occasionally subscribe to NowTV for recent films and box sets. NowTV also streams some of the Sky channels because it's owned by Sky.

Then I just install various apps on the Roku for other channels such as iplayer, ITV, C4 etc.

There is also an app called TVPlayer which streams all the major channels. Unfortunately it had a lot of them removed a few montha ago so I don't use it anymore. But it may be worth a look to see if its improved again.
 
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.
Click to expand...

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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom