My Apps shows all the apps you have installed, while the App Store allows you to add more. Scroll down through the menus on the left-hand side and you’ll see a standard EPG for live Freeview channels (aerial dependent, of course). If you have an aerial plugged in, there’s also a section displaying a preview of your most recently watched live channel, so you can easily hop back in. The Smart Box’s main screen shows a grid of Sky highlights, plus programmes you’ve recently watched but not finished. Plugging in an aerial and scanning for channels feels old-fashioned, but it only took about a minute to tune in all 152 channels (that’s including all the radio channels that nobody ever uses). The final piece of the setup puzzle is the built-in Freeview tuner. At first I thought it was just rubbing it in, but Sky says support for higher-resolution streaming is coming later this year. My box required a software update that took less than a minute, and after automatically adding all the default apps, it also detected the type of TV it which it was connected.Īll Now TV content is restricted to 720p, but the box clocked that I had a 1080p-capable TV. Ditto for scrolling through the licence agreement. Using a remote control’s D-pad to enter your Wi-Fi details, email addresses and passwords is irritating enough, but even more annoying is the fact that the unit supplied with the Smart Box is just a bit too clicky, making a bothersome sound each time you enter a character.įortunately, you’ll should have to go through this process only once but entering details to sign into your Now TV account, YouTube app and Sky Store can become tedious. Once you’ve done that and selected which Now TV passes you’d like to sign up for (from a choice of Movies, Entertainment, Kids and Sports), you have to connect the box to your Wi-Fi network – or, you can use Ethernet if you’re feeling old-school. Well, you will be once you’ve signed up for an account online first. The Smart Box comes with an HDMI cable and batteries for the remote, so once you’ve plugged in the power and connected it to your television, you’re pretty much ready to go. Setup isn’t quite as simple as Now TV’s Smart Stick – which simply plugs into the HDMI port and stays in place – but it isn’t far behind. However, with a four-way D-pad, playback controls, plus dedicated Now TV and Sky Store buttons, it has most of the major functions covered. The bundled remote feels a lightweight and lacks volume buttons. There’s also a USB port on one side (more on that later). Round the back are terminals for your HDMI cable, TV aerial, power lead and Ethernet cable (although Wi-Fi is built in), plus an inactive microSD card slot. It’s fairly flat, too, and the top is an absolute dust and fingerprint magnet – you’ll be reaching for the feather duster on a regular basis. What sets it apart from all the other streaming devices out there, however, is that it has a Freeview tuner built-in – but in this age of on-demand everything, does anybody really need such a feature?Ībout the size of a small side plate, with a Now TV logo plastered on top, the Smart Box’s shiny black finish makes it look like a Wi-Fi router. The Roku-made Now TV Smart Box even allows you to download catch-up apps for all the main terrestrial channels.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |