Freeview without aerial?

[okgo]

We have cancelled Sky as rarely watch anything on channels that can’t be got on Freeview.

Have moved to a new house and I can’t see any aerial cables anywhere and I don’t have internet yet. But when I do, can I get freeview with just the web on a smart TV? Or do I need a box or?

Kind of regretting binning Sky tbh, as it doesn’t seem as straight forward as I’ve hoped

Edited by okgo on Friday 18th October 23:38

[PhilboSE]

Most channels you might want to watch are available via streaming with apps if your tv is smart and relatively recent, or if you use a plug-in device (I use Amazon Firestick).

BBC, itv, c4 and some other apps offer streaming of live broadcasts, so an aerial isn’t really necessary.

[Mr Pointy]

It's called Freely:
https://www.freely.co.uk/

However, it's only slowly coming together & at the moment it's only available if you have certain HiSense, Bush or Toshiba TVs (Fire TV is coming):
https://www.freely.co.uk/products/televisions

[RenPug]

If the house has a sky dish you can get a Freesat box which is just Freeview but through the dish instead of an aerial.

[megaphone]

Why not fit a TV aerial? Easiest a most straight forward way to watch TV.

[theaxe]

I got a 'flat' digital TV aerial for one of our TVs where running a cable to the loft is impractical. I stuck it back to a picture and it works perfectly, YMMV depending on the signal strength where you are.

[TheInternet]

If you are where I think you are you should be able to get away with a very modest indoor aerial as a stop gap, perhaps even just a bit of wire.

Edited by TheInternet on Saturday 19th October 12:12

[okgo]

TheInternet said:

If you are where I think you are you should be able to get away with a very modest indoor aerial as a stop gap, perhaps even just a bit of wire.

Edited by TheInternet on Saturday 19th October 12:12

Se21 is me.

Signal for phones seems poor, and the dish on the roof I am unsure if it’s connected to anything. Virgin are doing fibre internet soon if that makes a difference? Can I just use internet for it?

I could try an indoor aerial I guess. Is there a website to show me signal strength for the area?

[TheInternet]

You don't need a website, there's a good chance you can look out of your window and see one of the country's biggest TV transmitters a stone's throw away. Unless you're in the basement any old aerial should do.

[8-P]

theaxe said:

I got a 'flat' digital TV aerial for one of our TVs where running a cable to the loft is impractical. I stuck it back to a picture and it works perfectly, YMMV depending on the signal strength where you are.

I did this in our bedroom and 99% of the time it’s perfect.

[okgo]

Crystal Palace? Can’t see over the hill

[Panamax]

okgo said:

Se21 is me.

If you just plug about 5 metres of coax aerial cable into the back of the TV it will probably work just fine. If you want to get fancy you could even stick an indoor aerial on the end but it may not be necessary.

I'm assuming your property is reasonably well elevated. This approach probably wouldn't work in a basement flat.

[leef44]

okgo said:

We have cancelled Sky as rarely watch anything on channels that can’t be got on Freeview.

Have moved to a new house and I can’t see any aerial cables anywhere and I don’t have internet yet. But when I do, can I get freeview with just the web on a smart TV? Or do I need a box or?

Kind of regretting binning Sky tbh, as it doesn’t seem as straight forward as I’ve hoped

Edited by okgo on Friday 18th October 23:38

I was in exactly the same situation previously. Had Sky and cancelled when the contract expired. I was going to get the connection adjusted to use the Humax Freesat box but decided just to get a Roku stick (similar to Firestick). This might suffice for you if you can be patient to get internet set up first.

I am finding that this is all I need for my TV viewing.

[okgo]

Indoor jobbie has got me 112 channels so that’s good. Thanks all, hadn’t realised they were actually effective.

[SydneyBridge]

I have an indoor aerial with a smart TV and freeview is perfect. I am Kingston. KT2.
Get sport with Now tv, using WiFi

[outnumbered]

okgo said:

Indoor jobbie has got me 112 channels so that’s good. Thanks all, hadn’t realised they were actually effective.

They are if you live in SE21 !

Our family house was about 8 miles as the crow flies SE from Crystal Palace, and my Dad always insisted that "we do not need a roof aerial because we are so close to CP". So my entire childhood was spent dicking around with the bloody indoor aerial(s) to try to get a vaguely acceptable picture

Edited by outnumbered on Saturday 19th October 23:13

[DonkeyApple]

okgo said:

We have cancelled Sky as rarely watch anything on channels that can’t be got on Freeview.

Have moved to a new house and I can’t see any aerial cables anywhere and I don’t have internet yet. But when I do, can I get freeview with just the web on a smart TV? Or do I need a box or?

Kind of regretting binning Sky tbh, as it doesn’t seem as straight forward as I’ve hoped

Edited by okgo on Friday 18th October 23:38

Go to Amazon. Type in 'indoor TV aerial'. Up will pop an entire list of cheap Chinese rubbish that will clearly never work. They bloody do!!

I have one of the flat pad ones stuck on the wall behind the TV. The wall is one of the central spine walls about as far away from the exterior as you can get and it manages to pick up all the freeview channels. I won't be bothering with roof aerials again.

Worth a punt for £20.

[NDNDNDND]

No point pissing about with aerials, just get a Roku stick.

https://amzn.eu/d/8MYDpPv

[okgo]

outnumbered said:

They are if you live in SE21 !

Our family house was about 8 miles as the crow flies SE from Crystal Palace, and my Dad always insisted that "we do not need a roof aerial because we are so close to CP". So my entire childhoold was spent dicking around with the bloody indoor aerial(s) to try to get a vaguely acceptable picture

A bit embarrassed to say I hadn’t realised the tower was actually doing all that much. As you’ll know I’ve raced in its shadow many times and now am very close by.

A quick google said its range reaches Stevenage! So you’re all perfectly correct to say that being about 1 mile of it probably means I could have stuck a safety pin in the TV and managed signal.

[James6112]

NDNDNDND said:

No point pissing about with aerials, just get a Roku stick.

https://amzn.eu/d/8MYDpPv

“ We have cancelled Sky as rarely watch anything on channels that can’t be got on Freeview”

Can Roku get all of the Freeview channels incl BBC/ITV etc?