I moved to Canada from Ireland back in 2004. Way back then there were very few options available if you wanted to catch up with TV from back home. Having your folks send you a DVD or VHS of Eastenders or Fair City was a good bet.
Over the last 10 years there have been enormous leaps in the availability of content from all over the globe. Content is no longer restricted to physical borders.
If you're one of the many who've recently moved from the UK & Ireland or are planning your move right now, then there's one item you must pack in your suitcase if you want to keep up with TV back home. It's called NowTV and it's a £10 box that plugs into your TV. Recently a few new packages have also been added so that you can get more access to sports and movies.
It's essentially a Roku that has been rebranded and custom software installed. See my blog post on the Roku.
What does £10 get you?
Just like the Roku, in the box you'll find:
- A NowTV Box
- Remote
- Power cable
- Audio/Video cable
Credit: wired.co.uk
What Channels does it have?
From the information on the website it appears to have the following channels that are free:
- BBC iPlayer
- 4OD
- ITV Player
- 5 On Demand
- BBC News
It's also got the following social media apps installed:
- Flickr
- Vimeo
- Vevo
- Picasa
- Spotify
You can see a full list of available apps on the Now TV website.
If you want Sky channels, such as Movies or Sports you have to sign up for the Sky Pass program which allows you to buy access to watch sports games and movies. They have also introduced some new packages that come bundled with the NowTV box. Catch up with all the hot Premiership action or live Formula 1.
How can I get it to work outside the UK
Usually the content a NowTV box delivers is restricted to the UK and/or Ireland. To bypass those restrictions you will need to use a VPN. I've written a blog post on how simple it is to set that up. One thing to note however is that you'll need to set up the VPN via your Router and not your computer, as the NowTV connects through your router. Once your VPN is set up everything should work fine.
If you need help doing this I offer remote desktop sessions where I can set it up for you remotely, or I can walk you through setup via Skype/Facetime etc. Email me at info@tvsolutions.ca.
What else can I do with it?
It's also possible to put the wonderful Plex application on it. I've found a great tutorial on how to do that.
