This topic

BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

n1msr — Mon, 22 May 2023 08:51:12 GMT

I have had a BT TV Hub as part of the household Broadband package for many years. In the last two years approximately, the speed of the TV channel apps has degraded - some are now almost unusable. Examples of the works ones are ITV Hub - now ITVX, and Amazon Prime. They are really really slow to navigate.

I bought a cheap Amazon Firestick and that is much more responsive - makes me wonder why I should keep the BT TV Hub box. It has a recording facility (its actually a HUMAX device in "disguise"), but I have other HUMAX devices that I could use instead.

My assumption is that either the app software on the BT TV Hub is outdated or its the Hub itself. I did a factory reset and checked I have the latest version of the apps concerned, but this has made no difference. In fact I already had the latest app versions installed for these services. It is not the bandwidth of my broadband because this is fine for other services (e.g. BBC's iPlayer). Also, its fine for the Firestick apps. So what is going on?

On the Firestick I can get BBC iPlayer, ITVX as well as Netflix and Amazon Prime and others. Admittedly the video on the Firestick is not as smooth - I assume this is the decompression/decoding power of the Firestick being less than that of other platforms such as my BT Hub.

TIA

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

n1msr — Mon, 22 May 2023 08:54:29 GMT

*"works ones" should read "worst ones"

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

Weerab1983 — Mon, 22 May 2023 09:20:45 GMT

It seems like your BT TV box isn't the latest one and hardware gets updated over time and older hardware can't compete when new apps are developed/updated.

I would either stick with the fire stick for the apps as it will have a newer processor etc, or upgrade to the BT TV Pro.

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

NigelB72 — Mon, 22 May 2023 09:36:27 GMT

It'll be because your BT box is an older model and as Amazon etc improve their apps to deliver new features, older boxes will struggle with them. I've got a Pro Box and it works exceptionally well but I've found that the same apps on my new Samsung work better because of the higher processing power in the TV.

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

n1msr — Mon, 22 May 2023 09:45:51 GMT

Thanks you NigelB72,

I spoke to someone at BT - the BT TV Pro box means I would have to buy a BT TV package, which I don't want. (We used to have it but stopped using it). Therefore its a legacy recording box now.

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

zulu17 — Mon, 22 May 2023 13:44:07 GMT

Well @n1msr you don't yet have ITV X on your (Humax) youview box so you are really comparing ITV Hub on that with ITV X on your Firestick.

Re: BT TV Hub apps slower than Amazon Firestick - why?

n1msr — Mon, 22 May 2023 14:43:30 GMT

@zulu17

Well-spotted. I didn't get that detail correct, apologies. The ITV [Hub] app is almost unusable now - many times the program stops, or needs repeated presses of the pause/play buttons. Revert to Firestick.... 🙂