FilmOn

IPTV Week logo Android owners are not well served for UK TV content. We now have a version of the BBC iPlayer after a long wait, and while ITV has released its ITV Player for the Googlephone OS, it's not very good. Other channels don't offer player apps. Morally, we ought to accept the situation gracefully. Given the dross …

[JDX]

Is there a Browser/PC version?

[Al Taylor]

Yes

http://www.filmon.com

[CDPlant]

RE: PC/Browser version

www.tvcatchup.com

[M Gale]

I use this.

A friend with iOS introduced it to me. Thing is, it stopped working for a bit, then came up as a different name on iOS with a lot more features such as a TV guide and red button. Us Android owners have to stick with this version, which isn't entirely bug free. It's random as to whether I get annoying regular glitches in the video, and obtaining full screen is a pain. You're lucky on Gingerbread if you can go full screen at all without the notification bar obscuring the top of the image!

So yes, it does work, for varying definitions of "work". Guess it's not too moan-worthy for free though.

[Only me!]

TVCATCHUP

Tvcatchup is not an app but a website that works wonderfully well over 3G and WiFi....plus it has all the Freeview channels

Why moan about not having an app when a web link works perfectly well!

[Bob H]

Didn't work without Flash installed, I know that FilmOn is a paid service so I don't know how long it will work for free.

[jonathanb]

Geography lessons required

If you go to the "Irish channels" section, you get two channels, BBC 1 and UTV, neither of which are Irish. You have to go to the task manager to close the app. I will probably continue to use the TVCatchup website unless FilmOn has a channel I want to watch that TVCatchup doesn't offer.

[Richard Wharram]

Depends on your definition of Irish.

If it's just taken to mean "pertains to the island of Ireland" then it's not incorrect is it.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are both physically located in Ireland.

[jonathanb]

The background graphic for that section is an Irish Tricolore, so I expected to see channels like RTE 1&2, TV3 etc, not channels from the British part of the Island.

[David Evans]

No Irish channels

I think the "Irish Channels" have been gutted; which isn't surprising as far more UK rights holders (particularly in sport, but other content as well) are concerned about UK users seeing Irish channels than the other way around.

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps it refers to channels available in Ireland, not their origin

Perhaps the reason why BBC channels are listed as Irish channels is that such channels are available in Ireland by conventional broadcast means, i.e. satellite or cable (and possibly terrestrial too). Well, some Irish TV listings include BBC channels. So with this app they are attempting to provide the equivalent choice via their streaming service.

[Ian Yates]

Useful

This was great when I was in Paris on business, as it doesn't check your location so I could watch UK telly in the hotel (Transformer with HDMI to hotel TV).

I've used it on and off for ages; it's always had that dirty "is this legal?" feel, but it's always worked. Can't see why the commercial channels would complain since you still see the ads.

[Ol'Peculier]

That's sold it for me...

After being stuck in as hotel in Malaysia with no English language channels and no way to watch News 24 last year, the ability to watch stuff abroad is a big seller over TVCatchUp.

Yeah, it's probably illegal, but sue me...

[Richard Wharram]

Does the iOS version...

...work over HDMI to telly?

As it seems able to play CBeebies so this could be a handy kid-quietener :)

[Neil 44]

F1?

Does it carry any of the (non-UK) channels that will be showing ALL the F1 races?

That would be a HUGE attraction!

(Wonder if they'll do a version for "Smart" IPTVs - that would also be good...)

[Ol'Peculier]

Don't think so

Non that I can see - RTL would have been a first point of call. Still, got a few weeks yet to sort out an alternative.

[David 140]

Maybe I'm missing something but...

when I tried to get the App using the QR code, the Store told me it couldn't be found. When I tried using the browser, I got numerous SSL Certificate warnings.

[Sampler]

I like living in the future

I clicked the link to the store and hit install, by the time I'd read the comments and took the phone out of my pocket it was installed, fired it up and I'm watching telly on me phone - ain't the future great!

[Anonymous Coward]

Public limited company

What has being a PLC got to do with the legality of the service? Anyone with £50,000 capital can register a PLC. It doesn't mean that it is actually floated on a stock exchange. It certainly doesn't mean that the company has the correct licenses to carry third party content (I don't know whether they have or not).

[Anonymous Coward]

UK TV Abroard???

I've just installed this app in Australia and don't see any of the standard UK channels being offered (BBC, ITV, etc). Do you have to be in the UK when you install the app or something? Any way around this?

[carl 10]

Great app but doesn't seem to be possible to view full-screen? When I click on the full-screen icon it prompts me to log in then takes me back to the list of channels.