Currently have Sky+ & a lovefilm (DVD by post) subscription but it all seems pricey. We’re moving house soon so thinking its a good time to change the deals.

The wife wants easy access to CSI boxsets & the ability to series link / record Home & Away / generic dating tat

I’d like easy access to good US shows & the ability to record stuff while I’m out

I was thinking a Now TV Box for the new stuff and an Android TV box for Netflix & 4OD / iplayer but neither seem to suggest that we can record, only watch live stuff or download stuff.

Any ideas which one of the growing number of options is likely to be best?

Thanks

i just been through exactly the same dilemma, and tried things such as using laptop with chromecast, looked at android boxes etc.
i was then advised itd be better to use a PS3 for bluray/dvd/netflix iplayer etc and get a little ‘play tv’ box that works with the PS3. this is a little freeview box that records freeview too. works a treat.

but…. i dont use it any more. i finally settled with a samsung bluray player (with apps such as netflix, iplayer etc) and an old freeview dvd recorder i wasnt using.

so the PS3 and play tv box are up for sale if youre interested in going that route?

Anything that runs xbmc will be a good place to start.

I signed up to Netflix last night. Wow.

Bye bye virgin, hello freeview and Netflix.

steveoath – Member
Anything that runs xbmc will be a good place to start.

I´ll second xbmc. There is a bit of a learning curve but it´s years ahead of anything else, plus it´s free.

Xbmc demonstration

Bye bye virgin, hello freeview and Netflix

You need a good intermanet connection to stream netflix though. In our area virgin are fastest

I’d normally be up there with the XBMC suggestion but the series link recording requires a bit more hardware and setup. Get something plug and play for that (most digital recorders do it now)

A few people have suggested xbox & PS3 setups but I’m not sure if I’m that happy with the slow boot up times (versus almost instant access I’m used to) and / or having another big machine plugged in plus the wife wont want to go through a handful of devices she knows nothing about

I’ll have to look into xbmc but it just looks like a snazzy version of plugging the laptop into the TV which I can already do.

I was thinking of a Now TV box and an Android TV box plugged into the existing Sky HD box to give us the access and the recording facility. I also have a newish smartphone with HDMI out but I dont think the quality is good enough.

PS3’s implementation of Netflix is really good. Apple TV 3’s is bollocks.

95 Mbit connection and it regularly drops out of super HD and has constant audio sync problems. Just in case you were considering a one…….

Not really an apple fan anyway

2nd Netflix on PS3. Bag of chips to operate. I’m on a pathetic rural Suffolk broadband connection and HD streaming is faultless on the PS3 over wifi. Love how it holds your place. Watch something on PS3. Pop onto the turbo & it carries on. Sit in MOT station waiting room and watch the rest on my S4 over 3G.

That’s a nice feature.

Just been suggested a Roku and a digital recorder, seems to cover what I’m after