Hi everyone, I've just joined SFN and am already in need of some advice.
We have just moved to the Languedoc (Agde) permanently and while we are embracing the French lifestyle and culture there are some things we can't leave behind - TV is one of those things. So my question is, what is the best way to get UK TV in France? (without paying Murdoch anything-Sky is a big NO!) Thanks!
yep...all agree on that....I dont feel guilty streaming the BBC anyway...I have a UK Licence for our apartment in Newbury!
Yes, Sky is only legal in the UK but they have turned a blind eye. BBC is paid for by licence money and they would love to stop broadcasting here but then they would have to block all the independent 'commercial' channels which would get them big trouble. When Shirley raised the question about the BBC disappearing, I came across a report on an abandoned legal attempt to stop BBC being shown by the likes of Filmon. It would appear that a company being a legal person requires a single licence! Sky has an arrangement but Filmon? Do we care?
I get far more channels with my receivers. We are getting close to abandoning HotBird as it becomes more and more stuffed full of Arabic language channels. We now seem to use it for a couple of Italian progs a week for OH. The other receiver picks up all the usually 'Freeview' channels plus far more. The list can be substantially expanded and potentially give us around 280. It is possible to get many more, but Russian and Ukrainian or their ilk, perhaps not. Filmon has the Italian RAI channels and so... As for Filmon, we run it through a laptop that is attached to our large TV and actually the quality is not too bad.
Basically, we do not care who is legal or whatever as long as we are at this end and have what we want and everybody is happy.
check it out on Google Nick....appears they have been through various legal battles and now this is the legal route....not quite sure how that can be as they stream BBC which I understood required a UK TV licence...but then all of us with Sky here in France are not strictly legal....I understood Sky is only legal in the UK...
Filmon does seem good but I have to wonder if its entirely legal and how they make money. It may yet disappear
It's the EXTRA channels that caught MY attention. Plus fact that I'm not limited to the lounge any more!
I was looking through the channels last night...and it is truly amazing...am hoping the site stays open... When we moved here we had a guy in who fixed our satelite dish...and we have a large tv in the snug....which runs my tv in the kitchen from the same sky box....in our large salon we have a separate freesat box.... The problem I had was I like tv or radio on in the kitchen when cooking which I do a lot of...if Nick wanted to watch footie or the news for an hour...I was stuck with it....not anymore thanks to Filmon.....and thanks to you Michael. I love SFN!
Hi Carol,
No problem, I have been using Filmon for ages so was pleased to be able to pass it on. There are quite a few extra channels than what are available on Freesat.
Mike
No catch I can find...you dont even need to subscribe...I am loving it....but a friend told me several sites like this existed before and were closed down...so may be short term. If you havent tried it...just put filmon into google and start watching....... To be able to watch all the major BBC drama's I so love...even when in a hotel room in the depths of France etc (if they have wifi of course).....is too good to miss...looking at this page...it appears to be Michael Collinson that mentioned this facility...to which he has my very, very grateful thanks x
WOW! And thanks for posting your thanks Carol -- I must have missed the original posting. So what is the catch with this FILMON thing? Seems too good to be true.
We have a satelite dish and get freeview with one tv....and freesat with another..different boxes...and different programmes...not all the same...
Whoever it was that mentioned Filmon, thank you! I can now have the tv droning on in the background on my laptop as I work my way around the house cleaning.....someone told me these sites are blocked on a regular basis...but at the moment...its magic and I love it....thank you .....!
Freesat is satellite, Freeview is terrestrial, but the content is the same.
Bog all, unless your Arabic is fluent...
Shirley, as long as you are picking up Astra it don't matta...
You can add a second LNB to your exsisting dish pointing to 5 deg (sky etc is at 28 deg). I have done it with my HD orange tv box and it works fine. It's a bit fiddly to set up but very possible.
you will need a fransat box around €90 or €200 for a HD box, you will get all the free french tv channels, but not sure what else.
Oh interestin, I could of course stream from the laptop. I use the blackberry playbook because, amongst other things my blackberry phone can remote control it which saves me walking across the room!
I expect I can find a version prepped for playbook if I look around enough
Nick
The Filmon app is free and has lots of extra channels to Freesat however I use the Apple app
For that you need a second dish, nice big one and motorised for Eutelsat's HotBird - the motor for focussing on the signals which are not as each to get as Astra. If you get somebody who knows to advise you, the cheaper option is to get a box that is neither Freeview nor Sky dedicated and pick up an unbelievable number of channels. When the dish adjustment bloke showed me the website on Friday my jaw dropped seeing what we can actually get if not limited to a single service. We have three receivers and two large dishes already so I am not aiming to add, but once the Freeview box seems to need to be put to rest I shall get me one of the open choice receivers...
Yes interesting altho id need a hacked app for the Playbook as its not true android. I cannot tell if Fimon is free or partially free tho?