How do we record and view free-to-air TV shows these days?

[blybo]

On 04/05/2023 at 2:24 PM, davewantsmoore said:

It's been nearly 8 years since I threw the antenna in the bin.... and I think this is the best approach for "what to do about FTA".   

I'm sort of in the same boat but want the FTA for watching some stuff like The Front Bar which 7plus only lists after its a few days old which spoils the "current" nature of the content. I also wonder what we would do if the internet ever had a major fault at our new semi rural home, might take some time to be repaired.

 

If you are into AFL,  7 will not let Kayo broadcast stuff like the Grand Final entertainment, and won't put it on 7plus, so it's back to FTA. We recently were watching the Anzac Day eve footy on Kayo and the pre match Anzac Tribute was partially missed and went diving to find a FTA aerial in the new place but signal was too week to broadcast.

[bob_m_54]

43 minutes ago, davewantsmoore said:

Fetch TV supports "CRID" that is encoded in the DVB stream.

https://www.freetv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/OP-72-Implementation-of-Content-Reference-IDs-by-Australian-Broadcasters-Issue-1-December-2014.pdf

 

This is how the fetch box knows (or is supposed to know, people do complain about the functionality some) if a program is running on time.

 

 

There's a couple of reasons...

 

When Fetch launched, CRID had not yet launched... and so the EPG data in the stream (which any compliant DVB client can read) didn't identify shows well enough to be able to understand what was a replay, or what was part of a series/season, or what genre a movie was, etc. etc.    Also the data was not very high quality generally.   Fetch (and Tivo) made their name on providing high(er) quality data for a beter user experience.  [EDIT: and like you point out, still do today]

 

Also back then, there were legal cases pending to try and prevent third parties from making use of the embedded EPG data.... and so it wassn't necessarily clear if Fetch could rely on it in the ways they wanted to.   The networks lost those cases.

 

Sure.  I think you may have misunderstoof my point.

 

Anything which can display a DVB stream can also read the embedded data.  Fetch can read the embedded data.   Fetch doesn't use most of the data (only the CRID data to be sure about replays and overtime, etc.) ......  Fetch COULD still WORK with out an internet connection (it would need to drop back to the embedded data) if they wanted it to (and they obviously do a better job with their data).

 

The point is that it might seem like a really bad UX ... ie. "you mean my internet as to be working for my free to air TV to work now ??!?" .... but fetch don't care, cos they don't want anyone buying their box to "use it offline".   Their business model is selling you internet streamed channels and content.  (which is why the mandatory credit card to activate.... if you don't have a CC and don't have internet , then you are a "bad customer").

Thanks for that in depth description Dave, and I will concede that Fetch may use CRIDs to adjust start end times etc, but if there is no internet connection, the EPG will not update past what is already loaded in memory. It won't drop back to using CRIDs for content availability, all you'll get in the EPG is "Unavailable" for time slots beyond stored data.

 

I don't know what happens once you reach the time of the last EPG information, but I expect that you get a Locked box error. Thinking back, our Fetch boxes got that error after  about 2 days, so maybe when the EPG tries to refresh, and can't after a certain time, that's when the Locked Box error is triggered.

 

And yes, it could work without internet connection, and actually does for a short while (a few days), but as you say, that's isn't their business model.

[Ars Paart]

There's also IceBox which I think is fairly new. Or you can buy their USB tuners and add them to your own PC or equivalent. 

[betty boop]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:05 PM, Snoopy8 said:

There is one logical choice.

https://store.fetchtv.com.au/products/fetch-mighty-g4

 

And you can get it in all the big retailers.  If my eighty year old neighbour can operate 2 Fetch boxes, anyone here should be able to!  

All we use ..and yeah my 80 year old dad has no issue with it either …

Edited May 16, 2023 by betty boop

[betty boop]

On 6/5/2023 at 2:01 PM, blybo said:

I'm sort of in the same boat but want the FTA for watching some stuff like The Front Bar which 7plus only lists after its a few days old which spoils the "current" nature of the content. I also wonder what we would do if the internet ever had a major fault at our new semi rural home, might take some time to be repaired.

 

If you are into AFL,  7 will not let Kayo broadcast stuff like the Grand Final entertainment, and won't put it on 7plus, so it's back to FTA. We recently were watching the Anzac Day eve footy on Kayo and the pre match Anzac Tribute was partially missed and went diving to find a FTA aerial in the new place but signal was too week to broadcast.

Our Optus router has 4G back up … so we never as such ever  loose internet

 

if having problem with fta aerial, likes of Jim’s antenna will sort it

[Nada]

Whets the quality of TV streaming over broadband internet compared to free to air broadcast for Australian channels?