There have been tons of rumours circulating about whether or not Apple will launch a television set in the near future and there’s been heaps of speculation about what kind of technology would be in it, such as what services it would offer and how owners would control it.
However, the people who share these rumours tend to disregard the fact that Apple has already helped to modernise the TV industry with the trusty iPhone and iPad. Not only are these little gadgets great for watching TV on simply because of their brilliant image quality and their clear glass screens, but they are also great because they are developed to suit the need of TV lovers.
The use of on demand services, social networking, live-streaming channels, dedicated apps and 3G and 4G coverage has changed the idea of watching television completely. Watching TV used to be a passive pastime, but now it has become an engaged activity where you can keep up with live broadcasts, seek out the shows you love and even tell your friends about it whilst you’re watching! People are even beginning to watch things that they might never have considered before and are now always able to catch up with missed TV shows or even an entire series.
It doesn’t matter if Apple ends up producing an actual TV set or not because this type of flexibility is sure to be the future of television. This article will help show you how to turn your iPad and iPhone into a portable TV using apps and services that are currently available on the market and some are even free! Here we will take a look at the best ways to watch TV no matter who your provider is. All you need in order to get started is the App Store.
Watching Live TV
First up is how to watch live TV on your devices in the best and most effective way possible. Although there are various different ways to watch live shows as they happen, it is generally better to stream them using the internet.
If you are using a Wi-Fi network, then any iOS device can connect and stream videos. Whereas if you are using an iPhone or Cellular iPad model then you can also use 3G and 4G mobile broadband connections, but it’s likely you already know all of this.
When it comes to watching live TV, the owner or channel will usually provide an app but if you want to be able to find this all in one place without having to download a variety of apps then your one-stop shop for watching just about anything will be the TVCatchup app. This app offers over 50 channels to watch for free, including Freeview channels and all the channels from major UK broadcasters.
Not only is the TV Catchup app free to watch, it’s also free to download and the Universal app is supported on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The quality of the video streams is both solid and reliable, but the level of detail isn’t that high. However, you will be happy to know that the app’s adverts never get in the way, which is more than you can say for most apps!
Of course there are other similar services such as the BBC iPlayer and ITV Player apps which each let you watch their respective channels directly through the apps, but remember these apps don’t have as much choice. The Sky Go app is also popular at the moment, but is only available to Sky subscribers. Sky subscribers can download Sky Go to receive access to 32 live channels and all Sky Sport channels as well as Sky Movies, Sky Atlantic and Sky1.
Virgin Media customers can use the Virgin TV Anywhere app which will provide users with access to all live channels. Conversely, this app only works using Wi-Fi connections, so you will need to be somewhere with a steady network in order to use it.
Watching TV On Demand
Who knew that life could change so dramatically in just a matter of a few years? On demand services have radically changed the way we think about watching TV. It all started with DVD box sets, which meant fans could watch their favourite television series in just a day if they wanted to.
Now we have the facilities to watch whatever we want, when we want and at a pace that suits us. This convenience is all due to the array of on demand services available to us. The first ever on demand service was provided by the BBC and is now known as the BBC iPlayer. The iPlayer app allows you to browse through a list of recent shows, or if you are looking for something specific then you can simply search by category or use the search tool bar to find what you’re after.
The iPlayer provides something quite rare that many other similar services don’t. It allows users to download shows to your iPad so that you can watch them even when there’s no internet connection, which means you really can take them anywhere you go.
Although there are plenty of other services to choose from, they all require you to be online. The most popular apps are free, such as ITV Player, 4oD and Demand 5. Again, Sky Go for Sky subscribers only provides access to its on demand library.
Netflix and Lovefilm are the two most popular paid-for on demand services. Each of these services charge a pay monthly fee, allowing users to watch as many shows as they like, as often as they want and across multiple devices, which can work out to be a really good deal depending on what you are after.
Watching TV using iTunes
Even though on demand services are brilliant, if you are looking for a specific show you want to watch then it might not always be available using the different apps. However, there is always a good chance that you can catch it on iTunes.
The iTunes Store allows customers to buy TV series either by the episodes or the entire series, and sometimes iTunes will even offer bundles of episodes for a discounted price. In many cases, episodes of a show will be available on iTunes almost instantly after they are broadcast.
If you’re a fan of a show in particular and never want to miss a thing, iTunes offers a Series Pass that you can buy. The Series Pass means that you pay for the whole series up front and when the shows are available you can watch them immediately.
Watching TV With A Sidekick App
Since the launch of the iPhone, the idea of having a ‘second screen’ whilst watching TV has become really popular. Many people believe that having a second screen will enhance what you are viewing using apps. This could mean playing along with the show, looking up an actor you recognise but don’t know where from or simply chatting with friends about what is happening.
Zeebox is one of the best companion apps that pulls together social network feeds about the shows you are watching, provides information about who is in it and suggests relevant apps so that you are always one step ahead. Zeebox also provides a TV guide, but there’s a separate app for that too (named TVGuide) if you don’t want all of the social extras.
If you are the type of person who is forever curious about the shows you watch then why not try out the IMDb app? This app will provide all the information you need about the show, movie or actor.
For Sky customers, the Sky+ app will enable you to set recordings and control your Sky+HD box even when you’re not there. The Sky+ app allows you to manage and organise your Sky box directly from your iPhone. The Virgin TV Anywhere app also lets you do the same thing but only for the newer Virgin TiVo boxes.
YouView box owners are also lucky because the YouView iPhone app features the same wireless control tools that let you record, control and organise the box as a remote.
If you have some other great app insights then please do let us know using the comments section below!
