Now TV or Google Chromecast

[paul@skegby.org.]

I just want to gauge opinion on the two.

I have a good STD LCD TV which i would like to turn into a smart TV, Really I only want the catch-up TV apps like, BBC I-Player, ITV Player, 4 OD and Demand 5.

I must say I do not want an ongoing subscription, So does anyone have a preference or suggestion ?

Which is the better ?

 

[telstarbox]

I have a Chromecast and for BBC iPlayer it works very well, except that our internet is too slow!

 

[starrymarkb]

I'd say a full priced Roku (IIRC they cost about £50). The Now TV box is a Roku locked to Now TV but requires a subscription (which is why it's only £9.99)

The other option would be a Youview PVR which some ISPs bundle with their packages

 

[jon0844]

I got a Now TV box as it was just £10. Sky did attempt to get me to activate it once, but then gave up.

Does it have all the catch up TV services? I didn't think it did. And do you need a sub? Obviously it does rather little without one, mind.

You can hack it to have the normal Roku software though, but I am not sure how easy it is to do - then you can have everything on it. However, it's probably morally wrong given how much the box has been subsidised.

I have one Chromecast and am now considering more. It's somewhat different to a set top box, and your phone/tablet becomes the remote. In many ways that's better, but there aren't that many apps that support it. iPlayer and Netflix are, plus YouTube, but I don't think the ITV/Ch4/5 ones are supported.. nor the Sky Go or Now TV apps.

Now that Chromecast is officially on sale in the UK, I would expect that to change though.

 

[BlueFox]

The NowTV box doesn't need a subscription unless you want the premium Sky channels. Last time I checked it didn't have all the catch up services yet though. For a tenner I can't fault it.

 

[carriageline]

The NowTV box can also be unlocked to become a full roku box, dodgy though of course


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Emyr]

The NowTV box can also be unlocked to become a full roku box, dodgy though of course

Only as dodgy as using garages other than your local Main Dealer for your car servicing needs...

 

[jon0844]

Only as dodgy as using garages other than your local Main Dealer for your car servicing needs...

That's not the same. You're legally entitled to get a car serviced anywhere you want, without any impact on warranty etc. Any main dealer suggesting otherwise is totally wrong, although I suspect many will still try and offer a lower price for a car that wasn't serviced by a main dealer (legal or not). And to keep on topic, the EU also decided that car makers couldn't encrypt engine management data to keep independent mechanics 'out'.

Hacking your Now TV box may well be in breach of the T&Cs, and there's also the morality of it. Sure, many people dislike Sky, and many people won't lose sleep over it, so I am sure plenty of people will still do it - but Sky is subsidising the box on the understanding it will be used with its services.

 

[BlueFox]

The NowTV box can also be unlocked to become a full roku box, dodgy though of course

I've never found a way to do that. Have you got a link?

 

[radamfi]

Does it have all the catch up TV services? I didn't think it did.

Now TV has BBC iPlayer, Demand 5 and 4oD, but not ITV Player.

I'm not impressed by the iPlayer app on it. I also have a Sony Blu-Ray player with iPlayer which is much better as it looks like this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/bigscreen/

The version on Now TV is different and I don't like it because there are huge black top and bottom bars obscuring the picture at the start of playback and if resumed after being paused.

 

[Kite159]

Another vote for a Roku box, my is sadly underused since getting a smart telly a few months ago, sitting between the blu-ray player and freesat box looking all sad and unloved.

 

[jon0844]

My LG Smart TV lets me try out a new look iPlayer, which is a lot better - but runs quite slow given it's very much more graphical. My TV is a 2013 model, so God help anyone with a smart TV that's older than that!.

I wonder if the other iPlayer apps will be upgraded in due course?

 

[Jonny]

I've never found a way to do that. Have you got a link?

I think that would go down rather badly with some other forum members so I will hold back from posting one but, as in many things, google is your friend .

 

[BlueFox]

I think that would go down rather badly with some other forum members so I will hold back from posting one but, as in many things, google is your friend .

I'd already Googled it. The only thing I could find is a hack to install Plex, which I'd already done. If that's what you're thinking of it's not the same thing as turning it into a Roku box.