TVCatchup – an app to stream HD television free (only available in the UK)
by Paul Wilks
Oct 19, 2012 1:23 PM –
Install
TVCatchup is an HD streaming application for Android users in the UK (sorry to everyone else!) The app lets you stream freeview channels directly to your mobile device in crisp high definition. There are more than 50 channels available to view and a smattering of other features that make it a go-to app for watching TV on Android… well, if you’re in the UK anyway!
Price: Free
Tested on: HTC One X
Content Rating: Low Maturity
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- Nice user interface!
- Lots of channels to choose from!
- Most channels are very sharp and play smoothly!
- Fully social, share what you’re watching on Twitter or Facebook!
Cons
- Perhaps the ‘Catchup’ part is a little misleading, it only plays live television, it isn’t a catch-up service.
Features:
TVCatchup is pretty much the ultimate in freeview television apps in the UK. Sure, there are the likes of BBC iPlayer or ITV Player (which bizarrely isn’t available on my more-than-capable device), but with mass ratings of 3.0 and 2.0 respectively they are very poor. Most channels on TVCatchup are bright, crisp and HD- meaning no horrible blipping and nasty digital errors. I say most because the woefully titled ‘Movies4Men’ is pretty choppy.
There are over 50 channels available, from the BBC channels through to Sky News and Clubbing TV. Channels load quickly and are usually very high quality, making the app a good option for TV on the move. Now, I would only recommend using the app when you’re on WiFi as the 3G quality isn’t great (any US readers still with us, we don’t have 4G or LTE networks here!), in my experience it tends to freeze quite a lot- so definitely don’t judge it based network speeds.
I have to stress, however, I initially thought it was an all-in-one catch up service. I thought it was a central hub app that would allow you to watch TV shows from various channels from the past week- similar services are available for customers of Sky, BT and Virgin Media on their set-top boxes. However, TVCatchup is nothing of the sort. It provides no recorded content, just live channels. I don’t see this as a problem, but some users might find it a little misleading.
This aside, I’m hugely impressed with TVCatchup. It’s easy to use, the UI is great and the TV stations are remarkably sharp and easy to view. Over WiFi the reception is flawless and genuinely gives you the feeling of having a TV in your pocket.
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TV Catchup – Front page
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TV Catchup – Login
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TV Catchup – Great HD show view (1)
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TV Catchup – Great HD show view (2)
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TV Catchup – Channel list 1
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TV Catchup – Channel list 2
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TV Catchup – About in landscape
Usefulness:
If someone is hogging the TV with some drivel you can’t stand, it’s very useful indeed!
Ease of Use:
The app, when opened, provides a list of all the channels, displaying what is on now and next. Simply touch the channel to view it. The programs are displayed quickly, just like switching channels on your normal television.
Frequently Used:
This depends very much on the user and how often they need to use it. While it’s no substitution for a nice widescreen TV, it’s pretty handy if you want to watching something in a room without a television.
Interface:
The interface is very polished and responsive. Scrolling through channels is very smooth and the stations themselves are remarkably crispy and present very sharp images.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
bbc,
Freeview,
HD,
Internet TV,
ITV,
Television,
TV,
UK
Categorised in: Entertainment
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