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could watch television never It will be the same again as millions of people ditch antennas and satellite dishes in favor of broadband television. According to Sky, 90% of new customers now make the decision either the all-in-one Sky Glass TV or Sky Stream Box – both broadcast live television to screens over a Wi-Fi connection.
Rivals like Virgin Media Stream And the recently relaunched EE TV Rely on a good broadband connection to bring linear channels and on-demand streamers to every room in your home.
Last month saw the highly anticipated arrival of Freely – a new platform from the team behind Freeview, built from the ground up to deliver live television over broadband. The release comes just over five months later The name and logo were first teased by Everyone TVthe organization behind Freeview and Freesat, which is supported by the UK’s biggest broadcasters including BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Freely is an all-new platform that promises to bring terrestrial channels and on-demand content to your smart TV over broadband – without an antenna or satellite dish
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As long as you have a TV license, you can watch Freely completely free. However, you will need to update your existing Freeview Play hardware as this is not a simple software update.
Freely is set to replace Freeview and Freesat in the coming years, particularly under Rishi Sunak’s government cannot protect against the impending shutdown of traditional television broadcastsHow does Freely compare to its paid counterparts?
Has Everyone TV managed to recreate the experience of watching TV on Sky Glass and Sky Stream, supported by the tradition of British broadcasters? EntertainmentOS software, at a fraction of the cost? To find out, we looked at the list of features between these two broadband-powered platforms.
Watch a live preview before changing the channel
I always wish you could check if the show on the other side has already started Before Are you changing the channel? Or find out if the commercial break is over before changing the channel?
Sky TV viewers have long had the option of watching a live preview from another channel before deciding to switch sides. This clever function was introduced with the Sky Q-Box at the beginning of February 2016.
The nifty functionality can also be found in the newer Sky Glass and Sky Stream hardware. And for the first time, Freely will bring the same trick to millions of viewers watching free-to-air TV in the UK.
The mini guide provides more information about the show you’re watching, a link to additional episodes of catch-up services, and the ability to start from the beginning
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This feature is loosely called “Mini Guide”.
Whenever you switch between live channels on a Freely-compatible set-top box or smart TV, a pop-up appears at the bottom of the screen with details about what you’re watching, what’s next, etc. using the button start the current program from the beginning.
If multiple episodes of the same show are available on demand via a catch-up service such as iPlayer, ITVX or My5, the Info & Episodes The button in the mini guide allows you to scroll through the back catalog and jump to another episode.
As you scroll through other channels using the directional arrows on your remote, the show’s footage is replaced with a live preview of what’s happening on the other side.
Start a show from the beginning with a single press of a button
Missed the start of your show? Thankfully, the days of waiting for the episode’s end credits are over Before You can watch the on-demand version, which has been out for a long time. With Freely you can restart a program with the push of a button any point during the live broadcast.
When you’re watching a linear TV channel, bring up the mini-guide with a tap on your remote and you’ll see your progress through the program, the scheduled end time and a shortcut Start anew.
The mini-guide includes a shortcut to restart the episode from the beginning, immediately restarting the program and streaming it on a catch-up service
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Tapping this will start streaming the episode from the relevant catch-up service (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4) so you can watch it from the beginning.
This feature has been built into BBC iPlayer for some time, so it makes sense to see this handy feature built into Freely from the start. Sky Stream and Sky Glass viewers will also be used to returning to the beginning if they tune in late to a TV show, film or sports coverage.
A mix of live television and on-demand episodes
One of the biggest problems that all TV platforms are trying to solve is bringing together shows, documentaries and films from a variety of live channels, streaming apps and digital stores into a single menu.
When you watch Freeview Play, you need to know exactly which The streaming service has the TV show you want to watch in its catalog. You then need to navigate through the menu and load the app to start watching.
Freely is designed to eliminate a number of these steps.
Freely provides quick access to previously aired episodes of a show without having to launch a specific app from the main menu
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When you watch an episode of a show on live television, the mini guide contains a Info & episodes Button. This will bring up a carousel of previous episodes and seasons, all available to watch immediately. Clicking on one of these episodes will queue the show on the corresponding streaming service.
You don’t need to know whether the TV show is on BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4 or UKTV Play. All of the administration is free on its end, and you can start watching within seconds.
Sky Stream and Sky Glass are based on a feature called Playlist, which brings together catalogs of all streaming apps supported by EntertainmentOS.
Everything fits together seamlessly – even if the latest series of a particular show is broadcast on BBC iPlayer, but previous episodes are only available for catch-up on Netflix.
You can browse all episodes in a carousel without having to switch between different apps.
Freely has not yet confirmed support for Netflix, Prime Video or Disney+, so the number of options available is not yet confirmed Info & episodes The menu won’t be quite the same as Sky Glass and Sky Stream, but it’s off to a good start and will likely only grow as more TV manufacturers support the software.
Freely will be the default way to watch live and on-demand TV on new smart TVs from popular brands like Hisense and Vestel. Instead of a TV antenna, it uses an internet connection and catch-up services such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX to stream shows
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Everyone TV says Freely’s arrival marks the first time all four of the UK’s public broadcasters have come together to launch a streaming offering and marks the start of a “journey to secure the future of free TV through collaboration”.
Unlike Freesat, which requires a satellite dish, and Freeview, which relies on an antenna to beam live channels to your TV, all you need to get started with Freely is a Wi-Fi connection. So you are not restricted Where You can place your TV in any room…as long as you have good WiFi coverage.
Freely is not a software update for your existing Freeview-enabled smart TV or set-top box. Instead, you’ll have to switch to one of the many new smart TVs that will be available in UK retailers in the coming months.
Browse a new menu on Freely devices that combines live channels and on-demand shows to suit your tastes. It has a special button on your TV remote control
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TV brand Hisense will be the first to ship smart TVs with Freely as the default way to watch TV. These new sets will be available to order from Currys, Argos, AO and Very later today.
Rival manufacturer Vestel has confirmed plans to launch free-powered TVs in the coming weeks, with other brands likely to follow soon.
Everyone TV confirmed that it is in discussions with UKTV to bring its portfolio of free channels to Freely via your broadband connection. UKTV is the award-winning brand that owns and operates channels including Dave, Drama, Yesterday and W.
All of these are currently available via Freeview and Freesat. We therefore expect them to be added to the TV Guide and on-demand options when the first Freely TVs appear on shelves.
In addition to its involvement in Freely, the BBC outlined plans to expand its BBC iPlayer service next year ahead of the next UK government’s next review of royalties.