FREE UK TV IN SPAIN

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sunflower1963
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FREE UK TV IN SPAIN

Post by sunflower1963 »

I have a wifi connection. I need to know what is the best and most cost effective way of watching U.K. tv. in Spain. Do I buy some sort of tv box. I am not technical at all so please any information in simple terms please. I do not want anything where I have to pay a monthly subscription.
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

I think you said you are rural sunflower. That being the case not all options will be available to you. I had a satellite based system for a while, but the signal was dire and the TV unwatchable most of the time. I was then told that the only way I would get a decent signal was by installing a dish the size of Joderell Bank and that was not acceptable to me aesthetically. After that I got an internet based system using an Android box. Many people have a good service with this but not me. The box needs constant updating and for a holiday rental this is just not feasible. Now I have internet TV and just stream when I want to view. I use FilmOn a lot but also the individual station sites via a VPN. I recently bought an iPad Mini to use as my TV controller. This option suits me, but there are others. Whereabouts in the campo are you?
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CSE
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Post by CSE »

maybe this guy can help you with a set up.
https://www.facebook.com/satandpcguy
but that depends on where you are located.
or search for an installer near to you.
Never try to out-stubborn your guests.
Paul Carmel
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Post by Paul Carmel »

Filmon.com
Cheers
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costa-brava
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Post by costa-brava »

If you have a decent internet connection go for FILMON. You download their HDI Player free and you watch all UK free-to-view channels for free (but not in HD). You can upgrade to getting HD and films. But the great thing is you can try the free version first.
We have used the free version since the satellites moved over a year ago.
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Another one for Filmon which I now use both in France and Spain. A cheap Android media box will give you an easy interface to access it and other internet services and connects to your TV with HDMI usually.

The end part of my video I give to guests shows it in use.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11q5cbBweaM

Skip to 1:25 to see Filmon being used. I only have a 5M internet connection there.
gunnyandbob
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Tv

Post by gunnyandbob »

Astra 28 went but not Astra19 which you can still get. If you have German a and French guests then you can easily tweek your system to get those channels. But otherwise it's the net in our house in the Costa del Sol. We have found that iPads are very good for this.( better than laptops ), but the signal degrades too much when it rains.We have a 5Meg. signal with BB4S. we also paid a one off fee E130 for an android box using Film On but it's tricky to use for guests and not as good as an iPad. The Beeb is getting onto charging for Internet tv.
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kevsboredagain
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Re: Tv

Post by kevsboredagain »

gunnyandbob wrote:Astra 28 went but not Astra19 which you can still get. If you have German a and French guests then you can easily tweek your system to get those channels. But otherwise it's the net in our house in the Costa del Sol. We have found that iPads are very good for this.( better than laptops ), but the signal degrades too much when it rains.We have a 5Meg. signal with BB4S.
Sorry to pick fault with your statement but why would a £600 iPad display TV in a web browser any better that a £100 cheap tablet or any device for that matter? All devices you could buy today will have no problem whatsoever displaying such content so forking out on an iPad for guest use would be foolish.

For less than 100 Euros you can connect a media box to your TV and not need any ipads, tablets or laptop to watch TV.

If you get a worse signal when it rains then you have an electrical problem on your line and a bad connection somewhere externally. Rain does not affect signals going down a wire if all connections are sound. You should report this to your ISP and check your line attenuation reported by your modem at different times.
gunnyandbob
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Post by gunnyandbob »

Like many homes in Spain we are on a signal transmitted from a mast therefore rain degrades it. I don't know why an iPad works better but our guests are welcome to bring one!
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

gunnyandbob wrote:Like many homes in Spain we are on a signal transmitted from a mast therefore rain degrades it. I don't know why an iPad works better but our guests are welcome to bring one!
Sorry, my misunderstanding. I assumed 5MB meant a cable DSL connection.
costa-brava
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Post by costa-brava »

GUNNYAND BOB wrote:
"The Beeb is getting onto charging for Internet tv."
I've seen that there is to be a major revamp of the control of the Beeb and they plan to do a licence fee for the I-player but I'm hoping the free-to-view won't change and Filmon will still be able to pick it up and bounce it out a few seconds later. Fingers crossed.
As to equipment I started with an old PC tower parked behind the telly. I took about 15 metres of LAN cable from the router in our dining room. Now I have an ASUS box (about the size of a book) with windows. It's a little cumbersome to switch on and login etc but we have very little bother.
BUt this is just for our personal use. We have never attempted to provide TV for UK guests or for French or German, just the standard Spanish "terrestrial".
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Cameratrav
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Chromecast

Post by Cameratrav »

Not by any means live UK or other TV but I have a Google Chromecast plugged into my Spanish TV. Almost every guest arrives with an iPhone or an Android phone which they connect to the house WiFi and then the phone becomes a controller for the Chromecast to stream mainly YouTube or Netflix (if they have a subscription). My internet connection is about 8M which is good for Spain although far too expensive compared with the UK.

Streaming works well with only the occasional pause. YouTube has much to entertain guests and about 80% of 'Spanish' Netflix is in English. to use Netflix, guests must log in with their own account, not mine. Roll on the UK channels including the BBC allowing guests to log on to such as iPlayer with their UK 'licence number' as required by the EU. Unless we Brexit of course.

The Chromecast is popular with guests and cost me 35 Euros to buy.

Several neighbours of mine used to use an IPTV service with hundreds of live channels from across the UK and Europe streamed via illegal servers in Hungary and resold by several providers on the coast. This went dark earlier this year with no refunds!
Love Spain except for the bureaucracy :-(

www.casanaranja-busot.com
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Lets Go To Puglia
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Post by Lets Go To Puglia »

And another one for FilmOn .... as long as you have decent bandwidth.
Ciao, Debbie

Puglia Holiday Villas Facebook Page
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It's not the things you did you look back on and regret it's the things you didn't do!
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kevsboredagain
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Post by kevsboredagain »

Lets Go To Puglia wrote:And another one for FilmOn .... as long as you have decent bandwidth.
I only have 5MB and it seems to manage on the free SD quality.
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Casscat
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Post by Casscat »

The issue I have with FilmOn is really mainly one of picture quality. On my TV at the finca it's fine because it's a big room and when viewing TV you sit quite some distance from it (and therefore don't notice how rubbish the picture quality is) but in my apartment you are much closer to the screen and the poor quality really does reveal itself. If I stream live TV directly from the source then it's perfect, but the FilmOn interface really does impact quality quite significantly. I signed up for HD at one point but it made no difference at all so they cancelled my contract.
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