We have just signed up to have fibre installed in September. It seems straightforward enough. My one question is how to connect the (non-smart) TV to the Internet. In the Uk we use a Humax Freeview set-top box which picks up from a local mast through a roof aerial. Here we have a Humax Freesat which picks up all our Uk programmes from a satellite dish. Both connect through HDMI cables and sockets. After we have moved to France, the Freeview STB will be of little use (we bring it here to catch up on old recorded programmes!) but I wonder if we can use its Ethernet port to provide French TV to our set which has no direct internet connection. Can I connect the new router to the Freeview box and then this via its HDMI cable to the TV?
Treat yourself to a new TV?
If you need a Freeview STB in the UK (i.e. the TV canât receive Freeview itself) it must be a really old model.
I must start by saying I am no expert but I have managed to do what I think you are trying to do.
Your internet box (I have a Livebox 5 from Orange) will output an internet connection either by WiFi or Ethernet. You will need something between that and your TV to decode a TV signal. This could be a computer on which you have installed the relevant program for UK or France. This then connects to the TV by HDMI. I donât think a Freeview box will do it.
An alternative is to by a Roku device. A Roku Express is only âŹ30. This will pick up the WiFi signal (other more expensive Roku models can use Ethernet and give higher quality than the standard HD). The Roku express then plugs into the HDMI port and you can get zillions of free programs and just as many âpaid forâ subscriptions. If you want BBC, ITV, Ch 4, Ch 5, Dave etc. when in France, you will need a VPN (and vice versa for French TV when you are in UK). This is easily installed on a computer as per the first solution. If using the Roku, you will need a router on which you can install a VPN.
I opted for the more expensive router solution and control the Roku with an app on my phone. It is quite impressive to simply say âplay the next episode of Coronation Streetâ â and it does. I am still learning what it can do.
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The TV in France is a bit newer. It is a Toshiba 32DL833B which can received Freeview, I gather. It works well and I see no reason to add to the déchetterie unnnecessarily these days.
Many thanks for this advice. I am paying Orange for a decoder and assume this is for the TV. If it will output using HDMI, then all is done. I have no problem in getting all of the UK terrestrial programmes in HD with Freesat, despite being in Occitanie. Presumably it will be easy enough to switch between French and UK programmes through using the separate HDMI inputs. I will have a look at Roku though - it may be a useful solution. In due course I will go for a VPN but it can wait a month or two.
DVB-T only by the look of it so no HD channels.
Iâm generally of the same opinion but, personally, I donât think Iâd keep that set. No HD tuner (so wonât work at all for French terrestrial TV), 1366x768 so not even much use as a computer monitor, nor really for the various HDMI Freeview dongles, and only 32" so rather small by modern standards.
The sad thing in many ways is that it is only about 10 years old, so I fully understand your reluctance to throw it away if it is basically working - but TV technology has moved on a lot in that 10 years.
Do you have any recommendations about specification, etc, so that the TV would be directly connectable to the Livebox? A specifc tip about a set would be useful but, of course, we will do our own research when it comes to the point. Thanks for your helpful response.
Iâve generally stuck with Samsung.
How large a screen do you want? Budget?
It will be further away as I intend to put it on a wall bracket, so I guess 108cm (43"). Budget not crucial but I am looking for value for money. This isnât our primary interest in being in France!
Samsung UE43TU7020 43 inch Ultra HD Smart 4K HDR TV cuurently at ÂŁ289 in UK (going back in a week or so, so could buy this). Some are over ÂŁ700 - what is the benefit?
Yes, Thatâs certainly a reasonable option, probably the one I would have recommended had you not beaten me to it.
Mostly it depends on the display technology - backlit LCD is the cheapest, but TBH OK for most people, then OLED and finally âQuantum dotâ LED.
Iâve checked on Amazon and they have the UE43AU7110KXXU ( AU7110) for ÂŁ349 (down from ÂŁ499). It is in my outbasket because I canât choose an exact date for delivery and, from previous experience that Amazon can deliver in under 24h, donât want it left on the doorstep or in the greenhouse. So I can still change my mind but the advantages of this model for me are 3 HDMI ports and Bluetooth. Many thanks for pushing me in this direction. Now to fight with my wife!
I use a piece of software called OnlineTV is only around âŹ15 to buy and has the UK tv channels and other channels from around the world. You can get it from á onlineTV 17 Offer | Engelmann Software | Made in Germany
Sounds a good piece of kit. Iâve looked at the site and it seems good value. For me, however, I have a very good satellite dish (left behind by the previous owners) which tracks the emissions excellently so I get all the terrestrial TV from the UK unless the system packs up altogether (used to be unlikely but nowâŠ). My requirement after we get the fiber is for IPlayer (etc.); this really does mean investing in a VPN.
Or buying a Streamlocator.
https://www.amazon.fr/dp/B08L58VHY1/?coliid=I3U4AOXYAWW0YB&colid=2E3URX93PLVGQ&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
But, according to Amazon.fr:
Accédez au contenu britannique limité aux géo-restreints sur BBC iPlayer, Channel 4, My5 et iTV
Can you not keep your current satellite setup with your freebox to around this?
BBC iplayer, automatically blocks anyone using a VPN on their website. Not sure about the ITV equivalent.
It blocks some VPNs (those ip addresses it recognises) but not all
BBC (and others) v VPN will be an ongoing battle and I think one ought realise the implications of this when signing up for a VPN subscription (if watching the BBC is one of your intentions) You could sign up for 5 years and itâll fail on day 2.
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