HBBTV Channels & YouView website

mikealanr

Hello YouView Community,

Quick question I’m hoping someone can answer. Recently moved to BTTV and I am using the BT Pro box. Have been watching via IP mode, but had an aerial installed today.

I am aware that the YouView box is HBBTV compatible, but doesn’t support MHEG-IC so not all “Freeview” IP channels will work, however on the YouView website there are a number of internet channels listed (https://www.youview.com/why-youview/) such as Ketchup Too, ROK, UK Radio Portal, however non of these will load for me on my BT TV box. 

So the question is should they be working or is the YouView website incorrect? 

Thanks

MikeAlanR

Darren

I know the UK Radio portal is a hit or a miss.
I dont have a prob box but it will not load on my Youview box also and will not load on my 2014 Samsung full HD smart TV. Yet UK Radio Portal loads fine on my sisters 2019 Samsung 4k Smart TV.
As for as I know the kids app Ketchup Too has never worked with the Youview boxes.

Roy

@mikealanr

Can you get these channels on the TV the YouView box is connected to?

If so, you can use an extra cable from the Aerial Out on the Pro box to the Aerial In on the TV, and watch them via the TV’s tuner directly.

This will work when the Pro box is On, and also when it is in Standby if you turn on Passthrough/Loopthrough (whichever this box calls it) in Settings. 

It doesn’t work if the Pro box is powered right off, though.

Visionman

mikealanr said:

Hello YouView Community,

Quick question I’m hoping someone can answer. Recently moved to BTTV and I am using the BT Pro box. Have been watching via IP mode, but had an aerial installed today.

I am aware that the YouView box is HBBTV compatible, but doesn’t support MHEG-IC so not all “Freeview” IP channels will work, however on the YouView website there are a number of internet channels listed (https://www.youview.com/why-youview/) such as Ketchup Too, ROK, UK Radio Portal, however non of these will load for me on my BT TV box. 

So the question is should they be working or is the YouView website incorrect? 

Thanks

MikeAlanR

Hi and unfortunately the web pages are no longer updated with new information, so yes, they are inaccurate. Agree with Roys suggestion.

kodikid

Me thinks you made a massive mistake moving to BT tv.

I subscribe to BT sports though EE and as such I'm entitled to free Discovery channel...except BT tv dosnt have the Discovery app. 

It gets better as from July 17th  BT sports will cease to exist becoming TNT.

And yes BT tv dosnt have (or plan to in the foreseeable future) TNT.

Far smarter to access the now content elsewhere.

Not bothered about sports?
 Well the The last app added to BTtv was Britbox in 2018.

BT tv is in its its death throws soon to swallowed up by EE. 

If your still in the 14 day cooling off period just get out  ASAP .

mikealanr

Thanks for the responses all. It’s a shame that the YouView website is inaccurate. I’m not too fussed about the missing content, it was just more of curiosity as my viewing experience wasn’t tallying with what the website was saying!

@kodikid not sure what you mean by BT don’t have TNT? The channels are being rebranded and will continue to be available on BT TV. The apps will be changing to Discovery+ etc but the channels will still be on the EPG.

It is a 50/50 partnership between BT and WBD at present. This has been confirmed over on the BT forums.  BT have also advised they are working on adding Discovery+ So fingers crossed before July. Although I also use an Apple TV so not too much of an issue for me. 

The interesting development is that the service is being moved over to the EE brand, so fingers crossed for an injection of investment into the platform.

MikeAlanR

Visionman

mikealanr said:

The interesting development is that the service is being moved over to the EE brand, so fingers crossed for an injection of investment into the platform.

MikeAlanR

Is it? I didn't know that, so have learned something new today. Cheers.

Roy

Visionman said:

mikealanr said:

Hello YouView Community,

Quick question I’m hoping someone can answer. Recently moved to BTTV and I am using the BT Pro box. Have been watching via IP mode, but had an aerial installed today.

I am aware that the YouView box is HBBTV compatible, but doesn’t support MHEG-IC so not all “Freeview” IP channels will work, however on the YouView website there are a number of internet channels listed (https://www.youview.com/why-youview/) such as Ketchup Too, ROK, UK Radio Portal, however non of these will load for me on my BT TV box. 

So the question is should they be working or is the YouView website incorrect? 

Thanks

MikeAlanR

Hi and unfortunately the web pages are no longer updated with new information, so yes, they are inaccurate. Agree with Roys suggestion.

@mikealanr @visionman

I see they have been updated recently enough for the Sony channels to have become Great! ones, though.

Darren

@kodikid the Discovery app is due to come to BT TV by the end of the Summer so I heard. 

Do love Youview but it's starting to look a little outdated and although some improvement with the BT Pro box. It's still now looking as though Youview could do with improving more.
Was at a family friends funeral the other week and went back to a cousins house and they now replaced there Sky Q box with Sky Stream and that looked far better than Youview and has all the main apps but they paying not much more for the service including sport and Sky Cinema than the top VIP package from BT TV and that seems way to dear. Plus they will have FTTC broadband to pay on top of that as well unless that's included in the price they paying a month as they had a Sky Hub 4.2 router same as the one I now have.
I do agree BT TV is not the best if you want to also use apps. As the Youview  is now poor for apps and has started falling a little behind.
I use my Amazon Firesticks far more than my two Youview boxes for apps.
I dont have Apple TV. 

I just have Netflix, Prime, Disney+ and Now. Also Spotify Premium and Audible. 

mikealanr

@Darren I’ve just come to BT from Sky Glass and 4 Pucks (same hardware as Stream). For me I’m getting the same content via BT TV plus BT sport for £30 less per month.

I love the Glass TV, but the service is just far too unreliable. Adding content your playlist is hit and miss, as is cloud recording. You add something (a movie for example) from one channel, but trying to playback will be from another service. It feels like Sky need to sort out these rights issues. it could take from minutes to hours for playback of sports content, with no consistency.

As I missed recording so much, I decided to go for BT. I couldn’t revert to Sky Q as have removed the dish and moved the living room around. I like BT TV and Youview, but you are right it feels like it needs investment and a refresh. Even freeview boxes have Apple TV etc nowadays.

As I say hoping that once all BT consumers are moved to their EE brand and the TV service is rebranded, there will be some investment to update apps and look and feel. Given that the Pro Box is relatively new and BT have only started offering the mini box again recently, I’d say their partnership with youview is here to stay, I just hope they do improve! 

Rohit

Hi @mikealanr,

That's correct that YouView STBs don't support MHEG-IC, however the channels listed on our website are kept updated as they are available on Sony TVs with YouView.

Thanks,
Rohit

kodikid

mikealanr said:

@Darren I’ve just come to BT from Sky Glass and 4 Pucks (same hardware as Stream). For me I’m getting the same content via BT TV plus BT sport for £30 less per month.

I love the Glass TV, but the service is just far too unreliable. Adding content your playlist is hit and miss, as is cloud recording. You add something (a movie for example) from one channel, but trying to playback will be from another service. It feels like Sky need to sort out these rights issues. it could take from minutes to hours for playback of sports content, with no consistency.

As I missed recording so much, I decided to go for BT. I couldn’t revert to Sky Q as have removed the dish and moved the living room around. I like BT TV and Youview, but you are right it feels like it needs investment and a refresh. Even freeview boxes have Apple TV etc nowadays.

As I say hoping that once all BT consumers are moved to their EE brand and the TV service is rebranded, there will be some investment to update apps and look and feel. Given that the Pro Box is relatively new and BT have only started offering the mini box again recently, I’d say their partnership with youview is here to stay, I just hope they do improve! 

Here to stay?
Mike Google youview funding March 2024 and let us know what you think now about the "here to stay" bit.


I have 2 Pro boxes and used to use them all the time.
But back then I had adsl max 11mbps.

Then I got BT full fibre 500 ( it's actually 524 mbps) and haven't record a programme since Xmas.
The same rationale that stopped development on the sky q box and Sky pushing Sky stream/Glass. 
Even when I recorded a lot BT tv was never considered. 

It's way too expensive and any miniscule changes means you restarting the 24 month contract. 
Me I bought both Pro boxes from Ebay..no more then £90 each.
Have now sports for £20 and entertainment/movies £10 till November. 


Like I said if you can cancel your order.. and Literally save yourself hundreds..

Buying now tv through BT is madness and £10 monthly for a muti room mini box which is basically a streaming device is ludicrous 

Roy

kodikid said:

Here to stay?
Mike, Google ‘youview funding March 2024’ and let us know what you think now about the "here to stay" bit.

@kodikid

I did, and all the links were March 2022. Which suggests that we won’t be able to read about any 2024 renewal, or the lack of it, until March 2024.

So wake me up when we get there….