Smart TV's - W...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] Smart TV's - Why do some not have all apps available?

10 Posts
11 Users
0 Reactions
65 Views
Posts: 8306
Free Member
Topic starter
 

I have a Panasonic Smart TV that has the BBC iPlayer and Netflix app but not Amazon, Ch4 or ITV player.

Why is that?

Surely it's in a TV manufacturer's interest to have as many apps available as possible.

I suspose Amazon can sell it's FireTV sticks but don't see what benefit CH4 or ITV would have from restricting their app availability? Besides you can put the Amazon app on your PS4.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:28 pm
Posts: 41395
Free Member
 

I found the same when I got my Panny. Lotsa flaming of them online, I guess they CBA.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:39 pm
Posts: 6874
Full Member
 

If you want proper catchup internet telly get an unwanted but unused BT-branded Humax YouView DTR T2100 box. Ebay is awash with them that people get via BT package subscriptions.

It'll record and play Freeview
It'll load the relevant catch-up app seamlessly from the EPG for stuff that's already been on
Or you can load catch up app manually and search that way if you wish
The search function is very flexible and intuitive and shows partial matches carved up into 'things you can watch now via on-demand' and 'things on in now/future that you can watch or record'
There's millions out in the field so there are software updates available
You don't need BT internet for it to work but via BT internet you'll get access to BT TV too
If you have Netflix etc then the Search function will load telly from there too
The EPG works really well

I've had one for a while and whilst I have a newer LG TV in another room which has the supposedly amazing Web OS TV 3 of whatever the Humax/BT craps all over it for 'I want to watch telly' usability and performance.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:45 pm
Posts: 3985
Full Member
 

Dunno, our LG doesn't have CH4 or ITV either.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:49 pm
Posts: 3445
Free Member
 

Licensing, I suspect.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:52 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I am going to post the answer I always do, keep the "smarts" outside the box. Use your phone and a casting device. The TV co's are bolting on smarts as an after thought and selling tv's into many different countries, C4 and ITV - who really cares they may (and probably do) say.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:55 pm
Posts: 1156
Free Member
 

I think that Samsung signed an [url= http://www.whathifi.com/news/samsung-smart-tv-line-gets-itv-player-app-exclusive ]exclusive[/url] with ITV for their player. Thought that had lapsed

It looks like it's still not on [url= https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2152945/panasonic-vieira-tv-itv-hub-catchuptv-service ]panasonic[/url] though

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:57 pm
Posts: 91000
Free Member
 

On our Samsung there an 'app store' from which you have to download them. Are they just not downloaded?

It has every service I can think of and loads I've never heard of.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 1:58 pm
Posts: 17728
Full Member
 

molgrips - Member

On our Samsung there an 'app store' from which you have to download them. Are they just not downloaded?

It has every service I can think of and loads I've never heard of.

Same on our LG - tons of apps ready for download if you want. Are you sure you've just not installed them.
Our LG seems to have all the main ones that we want (and loads that we might want/will never want...

BBC iPlayer
ITV
C4
C5
Netflix
NowTV
Waiku (spelling?)
Spotify.....

There just the ones I can remember from the thing that pops up along the bottom of the screen....

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 2:23 pm
Posts: 20561
Free Member
 

On our Samsung there an 'app store' from which you have to download them. Are they just not downloaded?

It has every service I can think of and loads I've never heard of.


Although what is missing is a proper catchup TV service after they had the mother of all fall-outs with TVCatchup (apparently one of them shafted the other during the development process but I don't recall the details). It annoys me that I can watch ITV Player on my laptop and stream live TV but on the Samsung app it can't - the only live TV I can watch is on iPlayer.

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 2:31 pm
 P20
Posts: 4153
Full Member
 

All 4 doesn't appear in the App Store for Samsung 6400. Samsung and 4 couldn't answer why

 
Posted : 03/03/2017 2:57 pm

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!