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Original poster

Tv package help please

26 replies

Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 08:47

I have a tv with freeview but that's all. Quite an old tv. I never watch it but think I'd quite enjoy being able to watch dramas in the winter months, but am clueless about how to get them. I know that Netflix, now tv, etc exist. I've heard about the Amazon firestick. But I really don't know what the best option is. Can anyone advise me?

OP posts:
sleepismysuperpower1 · 03/11/2018 14:53

this probably won't be much help since I can only comment on 1, but we have netflix and I think its great. You can get TV shows, movies and documentaries and they have a wide choice for all these categories.

Fuzzywig · 03/11/2018 15:05

Get a digital areal or freesat.

peridito · 03/11/2018 16:09

bumping as I'd lso like an idiot's guide .

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TV
Sunflowersforever · 03/11/2018 16:14

you need broadband first

Get a 4g tv - John Lewis have them from about £400 - then sign up to amazon prime for movies

Or

Get modern TV and sign up for Virgin or Sky and they supply the box for tv packages and you can get Netflix too

Or

Get 4g tv and only sign up for Netflix

Or

Watch Netflix only on laptop or mobile and just sign up for Netflix and forget about the new tv

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 19:41

I have broadband already. Are most options going to require a new tv do you think? (Not buying one....)

OP posts:
Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 19:43

I'm not fussed about films. I have a stack of dvds that I haven't watched, I'm thinking more of drama series, an hour at a time maximum.

OP posts:
blackriver · 03/11/2018 19:45

You can get a roku, connect it into the TV and connect it to your WiFi and you can use it to steam Netflix, amazon, whatever other services you sign up to, on your tv

NannyR · 03/11/2018 19:49

If your tv has a hdmi port then you can watch Netflix and all the catch up channels (all4, iPlayer, itv etc) as well as Amazon prime with a fire stick. Netflix has some great dramas on it, I've just watched all three series of line of duty, unforgotten is good, I think happy valley is on there and hinterland.

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 20:08

@NannyR Thank you, that's just the sort of help I need. Tv does have an HDMI port and I think a firestick is the cheaper option of all. I have switched the tv on a handful of times over the past 12 months so not keen on investing too much.

OP posts:
PurpleCrazyHorse · 03/11/2018 20:10

If you have an HDMI socket on your TV then you can buy an Amazon Fire Stick and plug that in.

NowTV also have their own stick that does the same thing. I don't think it will give you Amazon Prime Video (which you'll get with the Fire Stick if you're an Amazon Prime member) but you will be able to buy NowTV passes, and they have an entertainment one which might be of interest.

Both the NowTV and Amazon Fire Stick will give you access Netflix providing you have a subscription to the Netflix service. Both Netflix and NowTV are month-by-month, so you aren't tied in if they're not for you or you don't watch as much as you thought you might.

As you might be able to tell, we have Netflix and NowTV!

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 20:12

Can I ask how much the subscriptions are and which is best for drama/documentary?

OP posts:
Ollivander84 · 03/11/2018 20:15

I was the same, I got a chrome cast. Easy to set up and I got Netflix

NannyR · 03/11/2018 20:20

I pay £5.99 for the basic netflix. I did have the now tv entertainment pass but I never really found much I wanted to watch on there. Both netflix and now tv do a free trial so give them both a go and see what you think of what's on offer - just remember to cancel if you don't want to continue after the trial as they will charge your card.

StoorieHoose · 03/11/2018 20:24

Don’t bother with amazon prime. Netflix is much better

PurpleCrazyHorse · 03/11/2018 20:25

NowTV

  • £14.99 for the stick (or £19.99 for the stick and 2 months NowTV Entertainment pass)
  • 14 day free trial here so you could give it a whirl on your laptop or phone and see what you thought first before buying the stick for your TV
  • Owned by Sky so has Sky One, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts content.

Netflix

  • I think it has slightly older content than NowTV but the Netflix Original series are very good and lots of choice.
  • One month free trial, again maybe watch on your laptop or phone before committing to buying a device to connect to your TV?
HundredMilesAnHour · 03/11/2018 20:38

I have Amazon, NOW TV and Netflix and I use NOW TV the most by a LONG way. I also like not being tied in to a subscription with NOW TV. Quite often they do special deals on their passes (for example, I'm currently on a deal with my Entertainment pass that gave me a Movies pass for 12 months for only an extra £2 total). You get access to Box Sets included with an Entertainment pass (whereas Sky charge extra for Box Sets if you're a regular Sky user) and I find I am never short of things to watch, especially the latest episodes of current series. It's a much cheaper way of watching Sky channels than having Sky itself. I also like that I can buy access as a one-off to Sky Sports (day pass / monthly pass) when I want to watch a sporting event that only Sky are showing (e.g. some of the Formula One races).

I have a free subscription to Netflix and while there is a LOT on there, I find the most recent series tend to arrive later than they do on NOW TV. Amazon is included with my Prime membership and gets the occasional interesting own series (a notable one being Black Sails which was fabulous). Of the 3, Netflix is my least preferred and I won't continue with it when my free 6 month subscription ends.

Drunkandstupidagain · 03/11/2018 21:42

Can I ask - If you buy a now stick? (If that’s the name) can you record,pause etc? I have sky and Netflix but thinking of cancelling sky but my partner likes being able to record - even though most programmes are available on demand anyway !

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 22:06

Can I ask, if I buy a firestick, do I literally plug it into the HDMI? Doesn't need to be near the Wi-Fi?
Is it worth getting the Alex's dot thing with it?

OP posts:
Ollivander84 · 03/11/2018 22:11

Mine is a chromecast, it's in the same room as the router but not near it. I plugged it into the HDMI and it needed a power source (just standard plug socket)
Took me 10 mins to set up

Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 03/11/2018 22:16

I've ordered one! Eeep.

OP posts:
GreenandBlueButterfly · 03/11/2018 22:17

I have an Amazon Fire Stick and quite an old TV (at least 10 years old). I have a Netflix subscription and access it via the Fire. It is very easy to set up.

If you want to buy extra films every now and then, you can access amazon or Curzon from the Fire.

Mine is about 6 meters away from the router, in a different room, and it works fine

peridito · 04/11/2018 09:58

Can I ask - If you buy a now stick? (If that’s the name) can you record,pause etc? I have sky and Netflix but thinking of cancelling sky but my partner likes being able to record - even though most programmes are available on demand anyway

same boat here again .We pay a fortunefor our Sky subscription and the idea that we could cancel and buy a plug in device for £14 blows my mind .I have to be not understanding .

MadisonAvenue · 04/11/2018 10:03

Watching with interest to see if you can pause/rewind with any of the plug in devices. We’ve just cancelled Sky as we were rarely watching anything on it which wasn’t available on Freeview but I’m missing the pause and rewind functions and all I can find that offers those are TV recorders which are quite expensive.

blackriver · 04/11/2018 12:04

You can rewind and pause on them, using any of the sticks or devices for on demand shows via Netflix, amazon, now etc, nothing to record.
If your using the nowtv to watch live stuff you can pause and rewind for 30mins

thismeansnothing · 04/11/2018 12:07

If you have a TV that has a USB port get a £30 Chromecast then you can ping anything from your phone/laptop/tablet to your TV

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