Hi all,

I am looking for a new TV. Freeview Play launched in October 2015 ie is quite new and (unlike the old Freeview) offers built in catch up - but aren't Smart TV's doing this already? So how is Freeview Play different to / better than a Smart TV?

Thanks...

I have a smart TV with Freeview Play, so it's not a case of one or the other.

Freeview Play is just another way if implementing internet connected catch-up TV. My Panasonic TV has both Freeview Play built in to the EGP Guide, and some of the individual apps such as iPlayer.

You need to do a bit more research so you understand the options.

Freeview Play is simply Freeview with extra goodies; those goodies being the catch up TV delivered by the internet. All they have done is package it in a way that's convenient and relevant to the Freeview channel offering, and that's why it offers just BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4 and Demand5.

Smart TV features offer a broader range of services but often they're tethered to the TV manufacturer's idea of what Smart TV should be. You'll probably find Netflix, Amazon Prime and Youtube along with a bunch of apps and services that feel more like filler content than anything relevant or useful. If you've been used to doing catch-up via a laptop or tablet then a Smart TV can feel like a backwards step because the interface is clunky and you can't go off reservation to add your own apps. You're also relying on the TV manufacturer to support those apps for the life of the TV; but as we have found, that isn't happening. Fortunately Smart features are now integral to all but the most basic TVs so there's no price premium (or choice even) of 'with' or 'without'.

If you don't need to change the TV other than for this idea of adding Smart features then there's plenty of choice of plug-in boxes which will Smartify your existing telly either to the same level or beyond. The Now TV boxes are advertised on TV and their service range is pretty simple to understand. Basic catch-up TV is £6.99 per month. You can add Sky movies catch-up service for an extra tenner a month.

Amazon Fire TV and Google Chromecast are popular too.

Apple users have Apple TV as an option. This used to be heavily focused on a lot of US-only accessible content but that's changed. They integrated Now TV in to their product. The rest centers heavily on pay-to-view content from Apple Movies. However, these boxes do provide Apples screen mirroring facility 'Airplay' so what's on your phone can be seen on your TV. This works for things such as Sky's On Demand service for example.

Less well publicised and teetering on the dark side are the range of Android TV boxes. These provide access to vanilla services such as BBC iPlayer but also provide a platform for adding lots of other apps to access a 'broader variety of services' if you get my drift. If you have your own video/music/movies library stored on PC or network drive then you should have a look at an app called Kodi. It's a media player but so much more besides.

IMO there's no single solution that ticks every box. The chances are that if your needs are quite basic then a Smart TV with Freeview Play might cover everything you want for now. I think there's still some upheaval due because the BBC are struggling to find a model that works for their digital content now that the Government have put the thumbscrews on them financially. They're handcuffed to the license fee in a time when linear TV is seen as less relevant to the younger generations. They can't fund online streaming via advertising so it wouldn't surprise me to see iPlayer become chargeable if consumed in a household without a TV license.

Another point about Smart TVs is they may not support all the catch up services. iPlayer and Demand5 seem fairly common but less so are the ITV and Channel 4 equivalents.

A tablet ticks just about every box.

In the context of this conversation about Smart TVs and streaming boxes, just how many of those devices have a fully-featured and user-configurable tablet built in, eh?

Where does the "built in" requirement come into it? A tablet does most everything an add on streaming box can do and more and they are not built in either.

I said that no single device ticks all the boxes. I stand by that because there's isn't a Smart TV or streaming box that offers every single available service under one roof... unless of course you know different.

Just as importantly, any solution has to be usable on a daily basis. Think about the practicality of remote control from the layman's point of view. If the tablet is connected to a TV with a HDMI cable and the user is sat on the sofa, just how quick do you think they'll get fed up of walking over to the tablet to change streams. Yes, there are tablets with wireless, Bluetooth and USB, so it's possible to rig up a wireless keyboard of some description, but that starts to become a bloody-minded solution just to prove a point.

What's left then is screen mirroring which either relies on the TV supporting it, and that's by no means universal, or adding a device such as a streamer which does support it at which point it takes two boxes (the streamer + tablet) to perform the function and it's no longer a single box solution.

I use Apple TV with an iPad mini, far more reliable than my Sony smart TV that sometimes refuses to load BBC iPlayer. It also gets All4 ITV hub etc and anything else on the net. I'm not sure what the talk of a wireless keyboard is all about as you just use the tablet with its free apps. Some TVs can do mirroring from tablets or phones without the need for Apple TV or similar devices. If a new version of an app comes out, manufactures may not bother with an update as happened to some people when iPlayer changed, this is seldom a problem with tablets, laptops or phones.

Most TVs seem to be "smart" these days at least as far as iPlayer and other basic services are concerned.

Not quite all that is left. I can stream from my tablet to my main TV with the tablet sitting on my lap.

I've already covered this. Not every Smart TV or streaming box supports mirroring/casting/streaming in that way. Just because you can do this with your TV doesn't mean that every owner of a Smart TV can do the same. So as I said and still maintain, there's no single device that covers all the bases. I'm not sure which bit of the part in bold you're having trouble understanding.

How many modern TV sets are there which do not have an HDMI socket?

That's not the point.

The 4k U Streaming box ticks all boxes because you can download apps to it like an Apple IPad
and you can add Kodi from www.kodi.tv to get the latest Movies
Also you can use your Smart Mobile Phone or Tablet as the Remote Control

http://www.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_236172.html

This is the smartest Streaming box I have seen

But the downside is that you need to get a Freeview Play TV/box in order to get the latest Freeview product

Why not? An HDMI socket on the TV is all it needs to successfully use a tablet from the comfort of your armchair.

So come on then; detail exactly how you're going to connect a tablet and control it when a person is sat in their armchair and the TV is on the other side of the room.

With many smart TV's screencasting is built in and it's built in in Windows 10. For those that aren't a cheap usb dongle connected to the TV will give you screen casting. All that is required is both devices are connected to the same network. I can screencast from my Samsung smart phone, Nexus 7 tablet and a Windows 10 laptop. In my case the destination device can be a blu-ray player, a Amazon Fire TV box or my TV itself all of which can be displayed on the TV. A direct HDMI cable to the MHL front input on my AV receiver also works.

I'm not arguing that any of that isn't possible, grahamlthompson. In fact if you scroll back to my first reply then I cover a lot of those bases already.

My point, and it's one that gomezz seems to be struggling to comprehend, is that there isn't one device that ticks all the boxes. i.e. it's not possible to buy just a Smart TV or just one single media streamer that on its own gives access to every conceivable streaming service/facility/application/doodah and whatsamajig so that a prospective owner never has to say "Oh darn, I can't watch or play that bit of content". Yes, with combinations of multiple devices then if not all then certainly the vast majority of what's available may well be accessible. But that's just it; it requires multiple devices rather than just one.

gomezz offered up an Android tablet as a solution. As an Android streamer box user myself I advocate them to my customers regularly, but I also know there are certain situations where other products offer a better solution for that customer's needs. At the time of writing this reply I haven't yet read gomezz's solution for connecting a tablet to a TV and being able to control it from the other side of the room. If it's truly a solution that ticks all the boxes then it has to be controlled with a simple handset similar in design to a TV or media player handset. I suspect he may offer up the idea of running a full size or mini wireless keyboard with track pad, or using a smart phone. They're viable for a man-cave type install but not for an average non-techie household where they're used to using conventional remotes. Similarly, the idea of having the tablet on the sofa or chair and a trailing cable running across the living room is a complete non-starter from a day-to-day practical point of view.

Let me be clear; I'd dearly love to have a solution that encompasses everything, and is ready to use out of the box, with a customer-friendly remote, and absolutely no ongoing tech support required to keep it working. It would make my job a hell of a lot easier. But unless someone can point to a device right now that does all that then I still maintain my position that it doesn't yet exist. Now really, how hard can that be to understand?

One solution

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/hdmi-male-...able-10m-n79cr

I have mine running round the edge of the room under the carpet. Plus (if using tablet rather than laptop)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wired-up-HDM.../dp/B00104UO88

I also have a Chromecast but not got round to trying it out yet.

This might work for you, but if you suggested those to my customers (or a large chunk of the non-tech public) they'd either laugh in your face or show you the door.... or probably both.

But meet the requirements as originally stated.

Not really, no. I don't have any more time to spend going round in circles with you on this. It works for you; great. But it's not a practical solution that can be universally applied. As such then it definitely leaves some boxes unticked.