carvoeiro

of course there are always crooks - not cowboys - in every walk of life

Raspberry Pi + kodi - easiest and cheapest way to watch things

macliam

Then it is the cowboys who are the problem - not the "box" as you call it. Without kodi, they would sell another product, or lease a VPN to provide access to UK TV .... there will always be a way to con people out of their money.

Some people have paid for boxes to access the BBC backup satellite, which could also disappear at any time..... others pay so-called "experts" and get what they get ..... once things move away from the normal "legal" path, there are always sharks looking for easy pickings.

I pay a UK TV license, but the BBC choose to block my access. I live in the UK part time, so the adverts that pay for commercial TV are as relevant to me as to anyone in the UK, but again I am geoblocked. When access was available by satellite, I had what I required - but by changing the satellite on which UK TV is carried, I was forced to seek alternatives - which DO offer other access.

It's a mess, but it's a mess caused by the companies and the copyright laws that do not recognise the changing nature of access and the requirements of people outside the "norm" of their customers. When some normal consumer is prosecuted for accessing a program abroad that he could legally access whilst in the UK, I'll start to worry...

EMR

I am sure they are and can, by using their service you accept what ever conditions they impose, whatever agreements they strike with governments for access to their markets etc.
Nothing is truly free.
You will know what flack Facebook is facing because of lack of controls over its content.
It is not too big a step for access to Facebook to be blocked or restricted if it does not take steps to edit it's content.

AliceCaroline

I'm not sure if I'm missing something but why don't people just pay for Netflix?
Most of the shows are in English and it's €8 a month.
I know people love a bargain and some people haven't got alot of free money, but it's not exactly expensive.

carvoeiro

i could be wrong but i don't believe it shows live tv programs - not in portugal anyway

mfesharne

Why pay for Netflix when you can get endless on demand movies & TV (including all the most up to date) on Kodi & endless scheduled programmes (including Sky) on Mobdro for nothing?

EMR

The recent ECJ ruling has said that it is illegal to stream copywritten product.
Selling get pre loaded boxes is now illegal.
Sky ,Netflix etc have very deep pockets when it comes to seeking out and stopping those who " aquire " their products and attach it to Kodi etc.
FREE TV access to a decent product is on borrowed time.
Would it not be so much easier if they could all get their acts together and that we could legally purchase a box legally preloaded with subscription services.
Pay for what you want to view
Cut out the middlemen, the installers, do it all yourself.
Just like connecting your tablet, laptop etc to your wifi.

AliceCaroline

What do you mean by live tv programs? Things like the X factor, sports and up to date soaps?

I googled it and this is their list of Netflix shows, there is a separate list of films.

https://www.finder.com/pt/netflix-tv-shows

If you just want to pass the cold winter nights with a bit of English TV surely it is easier to use an undisputedly legal and reliable method?

I like to watch the sport in a bar.

carvoeiro

I could be wrong but i don't think they are live
you can watch the tv series - but only after the event
kind of kills sport etc

AliceCaroline

Yes, I think it is stuff that has already been aired, apart from the shows made for Netflixs like House of Cards.

But surely unless you are an avid follower of the soaps then it is just Sport that you'd miss watching live?

I do tend to watch the footy in the pub anyway because of the atmosphere.

Personally I think €8 for a good service is a reasonable price to pay.

mfesharne

I also like to watch live sport if I'm going to watch sport (though I only watch Rugby) but Mobdro gives you all the Sky sports channels & most good sport or at least the sport I want to watch is on that live....... and if not there then on BBC or one of the others.

AliceCaroline

I just mentioned Netfix as we have a long thread here about UK TV, and I've read others that are very similar, yet people never seem to mention Netfix.

To me it seems the obvious choice, so I was wondering if I was missing something. We don't move over until January but I was planning on getting an internet only package and run Netfix on a smart TV.
We watch very little TV but I think €8 a month is cheap, and you can cancel if you aren't impressed, in fact the first month is free.

mfesharne

I think Netflix is another good option but tend to think Kodi & Mobdro are better options but of course everyone must make their own decision of which to use........ what I don't understand is why so many get their knickers in a twist over what choice others choose to make.

EMR

Think of it this way, who is paying for the stolen channels you want to watch for free.
If the providers did not get in enough revenue to pay for the sports services that others are paying for ,how would you feel if they stopped broadcasting.
Would you buy stolen goods in a bar ?

liveaboard

I signed on for the netflix free month; the interface is terrible, but the real problem is the Portuguese site has so few programs, that I'd already seen all the ones even remotely interesting [to me].
I could hire a VPN and get American netflix, but that would be considerable additional expense.