YouView and catch up TV

[mobilyuk]

Hi

Do you have to have YouView enabled to access the catch-up apps such as C4, ITV and 5?

Thanks

[Educated_Pork]

I'm able to use All4 without YouView (which I refuse to install, as it removes the ability to record Freeview TV).. I use the All4 app on my iPhone/iPad and then cast it to the TV..

Seems to work ok.

Dean

[royabrown]

The All4 and itv Hub apps on the TV are only available if you have YouView enabled.

The Channel 5 app is available even if you haven’t, as is the BBC iPlayer.

As above, when using the Freeview interface, you can cast these apps from a mobile device to the TV, quite possibly using the built-in virtual Chromecast these sets provide, though other methods are available.

If you don’t want to cast, then I commend the new Roku Express streaming stick, available this coming week for £30, or its £80 UHD counterpart, though the cheapest non-casting option to get these two players is the Sky NowTV box for £15.

You don’t have to subscribe to NowTV if you don’t want to, though either of these options is a way to add NowTV, the only major service these TVs omit, if you would like to subscribe to it.

[gorses]

Seriously??

Can someone explain how the ITV & 4 catchup apps are in any way linked to the use of YouView. Is this a Sony restriction? I'm so annoyed, I do not have an aerial as there is little reception here. All my TV in received through a FreeSat box. I bought this TV specificly to get catch-up.

Is there really no way to get these apps working without an aerial??

[gorses]

ITV hub and All4 are both available in the play store.

Is it possible to download these versions and use them instead?

[royabrown]

The apps are provided by YouView.

There is no Sony device anywhere on which you can get the ITV Hub and
All4 except for the YouView interface on the Sony Android TVs.

Blame Sony if you like for not doing a deal to license these
independently, but don't blame YouView for them only being available
inside YouView, and treat it as a bonus that they are.

Any you get these apps working on your TV, without an aerial, by
following the advice I give in the posting above. This will cost you
£15, and an HDMI port.

Or, if you can get any TV reception at all, then as long as you can get
ITV and Channel 4 tuned the once, you can dispense with an aerial after
that.

But the apps need to see their respective channels tuned at least the
once, so they know which region you are in, and can target adverts at
you accordingly;
even trying to run YouView, without an aerial, will not activate these
two players if they can't find their TV channels have been tuned (even
if they are not active because you pulled the aerial afterwards).

Or, depending on how long you have had the set and how you were advised
when you bought it, you might be able to take it back to the store and
replace it with a make and model, like Samsung, LG, Panasonic or
Philips, or indeed practically anybody else, that does have all the
major catchup players.

The £15 Now TV box will be your path of least resistance, though.

To the subsequent poster; you may find these apps in the Google Play
Store, but you will likely not find them in the Google TV Play Store
where the subset of Google Play Store apps that can use the Leanback
launcher exist.

Or even if you do, they are going to be the YouView versions, and will
need YouView and a terrestrially tuned TV.

As above, I commend you the £15 NowTV box as an add-on to your TV (no
need to subscribe to NowTV, so that £15 is all you need to spend),
rather than spending hours trying and failing to sideload these two
other players.

[gorses]

royabrown,

Thanks for your detailed response. I will try a portable aerial to see if I can get a signal to enable the apps. Hopefully there will be no continuing warning messages after I remove it.

It's unbelievable that in 2017 Sony do not have all of the major channel catchups.

[onesmallstep1966]

My Humax Feesat receiver has its own built-in BBC/ITVC4/C5 catch up apps.  Have you checked to see if yours has them too?

[gorses]

Unfortunatly not, it's quite an old Humax model.

[heath7]

I have you view enabled but neither ITV hub, 4 or My5 work. Either by using the options shown when 'Home' is pressed nor when selecting a past program using the EPG.

Model KD49xG9005

Software PKG6.6050.0229EUA

Have had the TV for a couple of weeks and although the picture is great I wouldn't have bought it had I known I couldn't use watch again.

The iplayer works perfectly.

Has anyone any ideas??