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Comparing the “new generation” cable-like IPTV services

icdg

We’ve had a lot of talk about the merits of each of the “new generation” services and there’s a bit of overlap between the various threads.

This is my attempt to compare them. Only my views and yours may vary!

First to define what we’re talking about. These are streaming services that purport to provide the user with a cable tv like experience. They will provide users with the full range of cable channels including most Saorview channels, the BBC and Channel 4. So we’re not talking on-demand streamers like Netflix, Prime etc here. I’m including Now for completionists even though, as we’ll see, it’s a bit different from the others.

So what are the pros and cons?

Eir TV

This had a five year head start on the others - it’s around since 2019! It’s USP is that it’s used the commercially available Apple TV box, the same one you can buy in Curry’s.

Pros

Can record most channels (other than VMTV/RTE.
Apple TV box - good range of apps. Not tied into eir tv service
Easy to add multiroom
Free Prime Video
eir TV app
Voice support via Siri

Cons

Limited channel range - no Sky channels (apart from Racing)
Doesnt use channel numbers - may infuriate some.
Apple Remote annoys some people, eir have tried to fix this by giving own remote, which may in turn annoy Apple fans.

Sky Stream

This is Sky’s attempt at this type of product. First made its appearance with the Sky Glass proprietary TV.

Pros

Interface similar to Sky Q
Widest range of channels of any streaming platform - if still smaller than Sky Q
Good integration of apps
Good voice control feature
Uses traditional channel numbers
BBC Catch-up available
Sky Go app

Cons

Charge to skip ads!!!!
“Playlist” feature instead of traditional recording - you will either love or hate it
BBC Catch-up may be too limited for some
Sky Go app still doesn’t support casting (in 2024!!!!)

Vodafone TV Play

The USP here is that the STB has a built in soundbar. This may or may not be a Good Thing

Pros

STB has a soundbar built in
Android based OS

Cons

Like eir tv similarly limited range of channels - no Sky channels (except History and Racing)
Extremely limited recording ability

Virgin Media Streaming Box

This doesn’t really have anything to stand it out from the crowd. You’ll probably have it because you’ve chosen.VM for broadband and they upgraded you to fibre

Pros

Better range of channels than either eir or Vodafone (but not as good as Sky). Most but not all Sky channels available
Interface similar to Horizon 4
May be good deals with VM broadband
VMTV More channel for additional Champions League coverage from September.

Cons

Did we mention the limited recording. It’s an issue for all these services (eir TV less so than the others, but it has its own issues).

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icdg

I promised I’d mention Now TV. This is a bit different to the others in that, while it has a linear channel offering, this is focused on pay TV channels, and doesn’t offer terrestrial services. You will need to pair this with something else - Saorview/Freesat, or eir TV or Vodafone TV. (Indeed you can pair it with any other service - but Sky and VM customers may prefer to get the premium channels on their main platforms.

Now TV

Pros:

Very cheap - check out the deals thread in Bargain Alerts for the codes. Cheapest way to get Sky Sports/TNT/Premier
Easy interface for on-demand content
Platform and address neutral - you can take it on holidays and have the same experience as at home
Supports Chromecast and Airplay
Bring your own device - no specific STB needed. (May still be able to find Now Smart Sticks in Tesco).

Cons

No terrestrial channels
Doesn’t support recording (and likely never will)
limited PVR features on some devices
EPG is Now and Next only, and not obvious how to access
Boost required for HD/multiroom
No UHD Boost in ROI (yet)

lertsnim

Sky Stream also comes with free Discovery+ and the basic level Netflix.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058340604/comparing-the-new-generation-cable-like-iptv-services

Thanks for this really useful, currently with Vodafone Play and hate it. Will move when out of contract.

Brian CivilEng

Do these IPTV services allow you to “flick”. I haven’t used any in Ireland, still use Sky Q here and my primary way of finding something to watch of an evening is to switch channels until I find something. Visiting family abroad who used IPTV to change channel you needed one button push to bring up a list of channels, and button push to highlight the next channel then a third push to select it. Worked well if you knew what you wanted, very poor for discovery.

NewClareman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893773#Comment_121893773

You have two options. You can browse through the EPG and see what's on. You can also go back through the EPG to see what you've missed and for many, though not all, programs you can also view them.

You can bring up a channel list, sorted by category, while still viewing a program. As you flick through the list you can see what's on and what's on next. I find it easier than having to flick through channels.

NewClareman

Just a few comments.. about eirTV.

eirTV

You can use your standard TV remote to control the AppleTV. We use this approach on three TV's, LG, Samsung and Philips. Wifey approves and I don't even know where the 3 Apple remotes are, it's so long since we used them.

It has a 7-day catch up service direct from the EPG. This covers most programs, including many that can't be recorded.

It allows 'start from the beginning' with most programs. (Though you can't zip through ads, like you can with recordings.)

Recordings can be accessed on any device, even outside the home. You can start watching a recording in one location, say the Kitchen, and finish in another, say the Sittingroom or even mobile home.

AppleTV

You are not locked in to apps/services selected by your Broadband/TV service provider. AppleTV supports apps from a wide range of streaming providers to allow users pick and choose what options they want. This is done in an intuitive, seamless manner, with a high degree of functionality.

We use apps from eirTV, NowTv, Virgin Media, RTÉ, TG4, PrimeTV, Netflix, Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts... In effect it is a fully integrated, multi room, personalised, entertainment system, that is very easy to use.

You can take subscriptions to many services on a month to month basis, like NowTV on steroids.

It is big (31 mm X 93 mm x 93 mm), compared to Sky Stream and other dongles. This makes it a bit of a pain using it with wall mounted TV"s.

eir provide the Apple TV 4K (1st generation), which is a 2017 model which is getting old. It struggles a small bit with the latest versions of TVOS, particularly 17.4. My strong recommendation is that you don't update to that version, as you can't roll back. With TVOS 17.4, the functionality to allow your TV remote control the AppleTV is all but broken. It still works but is very slow and can hang. (This information is true as of late 2023 and eir may now provide a later version of AppleTV.)

lertsnim

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121893773#Comment_121893773

Sky Stream allows you to flick through the channels using up or down on the remote.

JDxtra

Is it possible to compare what channels are in HD on the different services?

Red Silurian

An interesing "coming soon" one for our Norhern Irish friends is freely. Essentially freeview/freesat over the internet.

Would it be massively difficult for somebody here to arrange an Irish version of same. An app with an EPG that integrates with the RTE/TV3/TG4 streams. Not sure how legal it would be unless licences were received from the broadcasters to carry the content mind...

icdg

Freely is being discussed here, or at least it was before the last few posts went on a tangent:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058314279/freely-proposed-free-uk-iptv-service-from-bbc-itv-c4-c5

As someone who uses the Players (with all their faults, most of all, lest I keep banging this drum, pre roll advertising) to access the Irish channels a Freely-type service here would be very welcome. I’ve heard nothing about any such development so far. It would have to be led by the broadcasters. The problem is they seem to want the pre-roll advertising, basically a string of up to four adverts every time you change the channel, which is annoying as hell, and why I don’t watch so much Irish TV now - typically when there’s a particular programme or sporting event I want to watch.

JDxtra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925086#Comment_121925086

Yes, a Saorview app with IP delivery of channels is what is needed. At the pace we move here in Ireland though, it would take 10 years from concept to delivery! 🤔

We'll be stuck with seperate players and the pre-roll adverts until then.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925099#Comment_121925099

Is Sky Stream, with the facility to skip ads, albeit for an extra charge (after the intro period) the answer to this?

icdg

Well, there are no preroll adverts on linear channels on Sky Stream, or any other platform. The ad skipping charge relates strictly to catch up content, and to be fair I don’t really have a problem with preroll adverts on catch up (I mean, I’d rather they weren’t there, but money has to be made right?).

My issue is specifically with preroll adverts on the live streams of linear channels, which both RTE and VMTV (not TG4 though) have on their players. The potential to miss goals is real!

As for the solution, Saorview would probably be most people’s solution. My difficulty is I don’t have a rooftop aerial, don’t propose to get one, and I can’t get even a reasonable signal even from a powered set top one. (Window open, aerial hanging out the window maybe!)

So yeah, an Irish Freely couldn’t come soon enough for me, but I suspect I’ll have returned to pay TV eventually (probably when Freesat eventually bites the dust) by the time it appears.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121925672#Comment_121925672

I'm not sure freesat will ever bite the dust. The fact that it reaches 100% of the population, a requirement of the BBC and something internet based TV will never be able to do, suggests freeview might be for the chop when freely gets big enough but not freesat

icdg

Nothing lasts forever I’m afraid.

I think its fate will be tied to Sky satellite, not least because the same feeds from the same satellite serve both.

When that goes, and if Freely is by then established a few years, and has essentially national coverage, the arguments against continuing a satellite service will probably outweigh those in favour of continuing.

decor58

Freesat will last for a while yet, but in what form, the PSB broadcasters could find themselves in a lonely place, as the broadcasters on Saorview have found. Broadcasters are in the business to make money, except BBC, for the moment, providing a service is secondary. So if a broadcaster can find a more financially attractive platform they may well take it, don't pay Sky or Freesat for the service, go free to air or online. The same could be true of Freely, if the finances aren't attractive look for alternatives. The Freely project looks to be a certainty but other than the the PSB's have other broadcasters signed up, is there any detail of what will be on it. Vestel and Hisence are to carry the Freely app but have any of the bigger names, LG, Sony, signed up, broad casters may wait to see take up from the public and manufacures before signing up.

icdg

The current satellites are expected end of life around 2030 (though SES tend to squeeze longer out of them), before that SES will want to know it has long term customers before it invests in replacements, and that will probably what brings things to a head.

yankinlk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121917327#Comment_121917327

Super thread thanks all. Flicking is a requirement for those older, with bad eyesight and a touch of dimensia. I wont go near sky personally (customer service Only reasons) but its the only game in town for someone i mind.

Now the difficult job of cancelling the sky sat and swapping for sky stream. Do the sky shops offer a good all-in-one service for that task?

icdg

Is there a particular reason you want to cancel Sky satellite and move to Stream? Satellite is still superior to stream in virtually every way and will be around for probably the next five years. If it’s an old box you’re on they are still installing Sky Q (get on it before they do stop, though) which will give you virtually every feature Stream has and proper recording to boot.

Dont get me wrong, Stream is great for new customers, I’m just not sure why an existing Sky Q subscriber who already has that setup would voluntarily move. (And I think forcing people to move is still a few years away).

Its a DIY job to install Stream - no harder than a Fire stick or Chromecast. Plug into the back of the TV and a power supply. Job done.

yankinlk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121944511#Comment_121944511

Old people with poor eyesight enjoy none of the features of sky q. Also in this case its a shared satellite for an apartment. 15 years ago it was fine and used a booster box that simply doesnt work for 24 hours, must be regularly restarted and leaves no sat signal found way too often.

Cals to sky support never fixes the issue and instead when said older person calls, the next month sky support have managed to add another service to her sub. Imho part of the sky business model is stealing money from helpless old people. Ever try and reduce or cancel a sub??? Impossible. Fart and they add something extra to your bill tho.

icdg

Ciara O’Brien has also had a go at comparing the streaming TV offerings in today’s Irish Times…

https://www.irishtimes.com/technology/consumer-tech/2024/03/28/tv-over-the-internet-is-here-but-be-sure-to-read-the-small-print/?

tiegan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121948684#Comment_121948684

Behind a paywall. Would you care to tell us the key points made? Cheers!

icdg

As you know, I can’t copy and paste the article, as to do so would be breach of copyright. (and anyone who decides to do so after me saying this will be banned for one week without further warning).

She basically does the same thing I did in the OP, sets out each service and its pros and cons, albeit in narrative rather than bullet point. I don’t think we diverge on many points but she talks down the lack of recording a bit more than I would and also includes some details on price, which I didn’t address.

cloudhopper19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058340604/comparing-the-new-generation-cable-like-iptv-services

Great comparison. Sky is still the only stand alone tv service you can purchase in Ireland. EIR, Virgin and Vodafone all require you to have their broadband services to obtain the tv service. So you couldn't have SKY broadband and Vodafone TV for example.

Loads of talk on the Sky forum that Sky Glass 2 is coming this summer. So will be interested to see if they have learned from the mistakes of the original .

DopeTech

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121989138#Comment_121989138

Is Sky Glass 2 a software update or newer hardware?

KildareP

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121989169#Comment_121989169

I would imagine updated hardware, the display panel used in the current Sky Glass was already somewhat dated when it launched nearly 3 years ago.

Red Silurian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121949714#Comment_121949714

On the recording issue, is it possible to get a box that will record for you separate to the puck? Like you'd connect your puck to this box and then connect the box to the telly… Probably need another remote and recording more than one feed would probably require a second puck but I assume there's a device out there somewhere?

icdg

if you can find one, a dvd recorder with a hdmi input might do the trick. Probably more trouble than it is worth, though.

cloudhopper19

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121989169#Comment_121989169

Updated panel from what I have been reading. A mate works in marketing and there is an event penciled in for summer 24. Related or unrelated who knows.

[Deleted User]

I'm coming to the end of my Sky Stream 12 month contract, so it would be good to know more about the other options. I found these threads, but they don't go into much detail really.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058338964/virgin-media-stream-tv-new-streaming-box

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122678639#Comment_122678639

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058330442/vodafone-launches-tv-play/p2

Do any of the other products (Vodafone Play TV, Virgin Media 360 Streaming , Eir TV) allow for ad skipping, in the way that Sky does?