The television and entertainment world, while constantly changing today, is no longer the old linear system that has defined it for decades. Instead, the new world is much more dynamic and provides a lot more flexibility for viewers and listeners. In a world in which half the population has, it is rumored, at least one screen in the bathroom, people watch what they want to watch when they want to watch it. But something called Internet Protocol Television has been the biggest game changer in this new world. IPTV, as those with the latest in terminology may like to refer to it, has been described since the advent of the internet itself as the “big thing.”. What is it? How does it work? Does it work as well for you as some other systems that are available in the UK? These are some of the questions we will try to answer in this guide.
IPTV is Internet Protocol Television, a very innovative technology that allows streaming of TV programming over the internet. Instead of satellite dishes or coaxial cable, you access a world of possibilities through fast broadband and an IP-enabled device. And while IPTV isn’t yet a household name, it already works within many popular viewing platforms across the US. And so, whether you are at home or on the go, IPTV gives you the ease of television just about anywhere having an internet connection.
A near guarantee of an IPTV service is a massive channel selection, often including niches, specializations, and international options. However, with most IPTV services, you can expect watching on your television across any number of devices, including smartphones, tablets, and computers. For many viewers, IPTV pricing, although similar to what one might pay for cable in general, doesn’t make promises for any long-term deal, whereas the content at least on the cheapest tier does seem generally more watchable—again, because there aren’t so many commercials to see. The navigation is likely considerably better as well.
In the UK, the name Sky TV is synonymous with broadcasting. The company offers a complete range of IPTV services that bundles together live channels, on-demand content, and even exclusive programming. The selection of channels is impressive, especially the large number of those that are dedicated to airing sports and movies.
And an interface Sky Q offers really does make for a view, one that is of course rather more expensive than some competitors, and does require the use of a box for best and fullest effect.
Virgin Media blends together its broadband and television service to provide a robust IPTV service with an awful lot of channels and a vast amount of on-demand. It serves measured high-speed internet and TV bundles along with a large library of on-demand material. Recording content isn’t a problem; the TiVo box has all the advanced features necessary to pull that off in style. The only issues are its availability in certain spots and the extra money you need to throw down for certain premium package features.
BT TV brings together a unique mix of channels, sports and entertainment which overlap with its broadband. For the sports lover, it is close to an ideal choice. BT Sport forms part of the channels offered, with viewing packages in a great range of exciting deals. YouView is the interface for BT TV. The same user experience that TalkTalk TV provides but better for sports. To add a DVD player to YouView, though, is a problem; and to make matters worse, international peacekeeping forces appear to have no interest whatever in this problem.NOW TV is a flexible viewing service, offering viewers an ability to access Sky channels. There is no lock-in period for the service. So it would be perfect if someone just wanted to try some Sky content. It comes with pay-as-you-go model with several passes. This means that viewers are allowed access to hand-picked packages of movies, sports, and entertainment. The app through which one accesses NOW TV is pretty basic but is functional across most devices. The live TV options are rather limited, though, and picture quality is differentially comparable with that of full Sky packages.
Sling TV is mainly an American-based service, but has a popular niche in the UK. And it’s for obvious reasons: Sling TV is customizable and inexpensive. You can choose a package, you are provided with a small which do not even approach the full range of channels available on regular cable, but you are allowed to pick and choose a few of your own channels. Better pricing is hard to come by, and you can put together a package with six channels that probably comes close to what you get on a normal local cable subscription. You still need to use a pretty reliable VPN, or else just hope that a couple of your channels are in the list of the 13 for which Sling TV has secured the necessary broadcasting rights for the UK.There are several things that can help you make a choice in the most suitable UK IPTV service. To start with, you look at what channels they have, and make sure that their lineup will fit into your viewing tastes. Then you should check whether they can provide HD quality or even better and not droop down in the middle of a big game or finale. You should also ensure that the IPTV service will work on all the devices you wish to use (or that you can use). Then, you should compare them in terms of price to see which ones are the most affordable. You shouldn’t pay more to a service and it shouldn’t also be for them to have subpar customer service.
As IPTV becomes mainstream, British viewers can have a wider choice of content brought to an increasing number of platforms across an array of devices. While this great content may tempt you to subscribe to as many services as possible, its sheer volume also makes it nigh impossible to select a “best service.” In this first installment of a guide to the very best IPTV services in the UK, we detail the top offerings to give you a clearer look at what’s available.