Comparing the “new generation” cable-like IPTV services

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

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.

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.)

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

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

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

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.

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?

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.

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

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 .

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.

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/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?