This topic

Add a second TV

geedee — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 19:59:57 GMT

Hi I currently have a TV and a BT-TV Pro Box in my lounge. I want to set up a second TV in the bedroom but I have a couple of questions -

1) I guess I need a second TV box; they now seem to be EE-TV boxes, are there any issue with running an "old" BT-TV Pro Box and a "new "EE-TV" box?

2) is it easy to set up the new EE-TV box?

3) can I record programmes on the second box?

4) can use the second box to access recordings made on the BT -TV Pro Box box?

Thanks!!!

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:27:34 GMT

Hi @geedee

No problems, they are the same kit underneath the hood
Easier than a Pro Box as it only connects via WiFi. It either works or it doesn’t
No you can’t. It’s live TV, catch up and normal apps (like Netflix) only
Nope, they do not function like Sky Q

Re: Add a second TV

SoupDragon57 — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 23:54:20 GMT

The BT/EE mini box I have supports WiFi and Ethernet. Agree with @Anonymous on the rest.

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 06:34:54 GMT

Good point @SoupDragon57 , I meant it only works over broadband and doesn’t use an aerial.

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:09:28 GMT

@geedee

Given how dumb the extra boxes are I can see no reason to pay BT £10 pm for one when you could buy a Roku or Firestick to do the same job.

Re: Add a second TV

geedee — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:34:39 GMT

Hey thanks everyone for taking the time to answer with such helpful responses. @Anonymous can I ask, what is a Roku? My Panasonic TV is like 15 years old, will a Roku be compatible?

Thanks again!

Re: Add a second TV

SoupDragon57 — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 08:37:16 GMT

@Anonymous unless you want an IP feed of the Freeview channels? Agree that you can get Now TV, TNT, Eurosport from apps. It's a choice. Seems like the additional boxes are at no extra cost on EE (potentially a mini box or a branded EE Apple TV box with all their channels on the. EE TV app). One for the next contract renewal?...

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:06:58 GMT

@geedee

Roku is either a "stick" that plugs directly into an HDMI port or a small box that connects with a cable. It then connects to your WiFi & delivers all the subscription channels via apps. It also has the "on demand"apps from the live broadcasters such as iPlayer, ITVX, etc. They start from around £20.

But @SoupDragon57 makes a good point if you require most of the Freeview channels to be available live rather than on demand. Note that not all channels are currently available over BT's IP service. Also a new Freeview type IP service named Freely will launch later this year.

It's correct that the extra boxes are free with EE but it remains a mystery as to whether or not you can migrate a BT broadband & TV package to EE currently due to the (wholly predictable) way the merger has been botched.

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 10:44:28 GMT

Agree with @Anonymous, the value judgement here currently is do I want to spend £120 extra a year to access my live channels and on demand through a BT/EE interface, or am I happy to use apps on another device that could cost me as little as £40 - £50 one of cost.

Whilst you might not have a familiar EPG, you can access live streams of the majority of the channels delivered over IP by BT through the normal apps on many other devices.

The only 2 reasons I can see for even using BT/EE these days is the ability to record streamed channels and/or the Apple TV integration.

If they are not important to you, then as I have said before, you can replicate the rest of the service much more cheaply and flexibly.

Re: Add a second TV

geedee — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:07:24 GMT

@Anonymous , @Anonymous , @SoupDragon57 thanks for all your input with this, very much appreciated. I think I'll do a search for one of those Roku's at lunchtime!

Thanks again!!

Re: Add a second TV

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:14:41 GMT

The cheapest Roku is the "Express HD", which is a small box that sticks to the edge of the TV & is controlled by a standard IR remote. You then progress up to the stick devices, then with 4k & then with ever fancier remotes, all of which are WiFi controlled so you don't need line of sight to the device.

The age of the TV means it won't be 4k, so an HD device would do unless you have plans to upgrade it soon. If you do then most modern TVs will have all the aps you require anyway, & some even come with Roku built in.

Re: Add a second TV

Carlusha — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 11:53:01 GMT

@geedee Given you won't be wanting a huge 65" TV in your bedroom, you might consider an upgrade.

A 5* 43" 4K Ultra HD Smart TV can easily be bought for around £200 these days.

Re: Add a second TV

Brucemeister5 — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 12:59:33 GMT

I set my 85 year old neighbour up with a Roku Express HD around the time that the BT Sport app closed down. It’s far better than fiddling about with Chromecast from his mobile phone as he’d been doing before. He uses it for his 2nd tv in the conservatory as he’s got Sky on the main tv in the lounge.

Re: Add a second TV

Midnight_Voice — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:39:21 GMT

@Anonymous

We have some experience in this area, having tried to run a TV in a room without an aerial by using a Roku Express instead. (The utility room, where we iron; it doesn’t look like the builder asked any women about this design, though the rest of the house is dripping with aerial outlets. But all driven off a central feed from a small relay station feeding the estate, as individual house aerials wouldn’t work here).

Now the Roku Express is a very nice device, does exactly what it says on the ~~tin~~ box, and we run several. And the broadcaster apps it carries all offer the live channels, unlike the ‘same’ apps on the TVs - including the TV we were using - and we lined up the apps, which Roku call channels, so they went BBC iPlayer, itvX, Channel Four and My 5 across the top, i.e. as close as we could get to a ‘Freeview channel change’ experience.

It was the apps that did for it, though; you could get into them easily enough with the above arrangement, but you couldn’t set a live channel and have that be there next time; every time we went back, we had to start from scratch and pick our way through the myriad other offerings the app had for us, just to get back to where we wanted to be.

And of course, no EPG.

What would have been perfect is the Freeview Play app I have on this iPad, which gives easy access to the main channels live, and provides an EPG; but the Freeview Play app on the TV is different, and doesn’t do that.

So, after struggling with it for a while, we bit the bullet and had our nice TV aerial people come and drill through the wall to pick up an aerial feed from the next room. So now this TV works just like the others.

So yes to a Roku Express augmenting a TV with an aerial, if that doesn’t carry the apps itself. But no to trying to replace a mini box with one, to get the broadcast channels. Maybe Freely will bring an advance this year, or next year, if Freely boxes become available, though.

But it still leaves pause and rewind live TV as the mini box’s unique party trick though, if that matters to you.