As we’ve come to expect from BT, the new channel is streamed over the internet directly to a YouView set-top box – in this case, the brand-new Humax DTR-T4000. The benefit of the YouView system is that internet channels appear in the YouView guide alongside broadcast channels and you can even record them. It’s this blurring of traditional and internet content that continues to make YouView a real winner in my eyes. Regular broadcasts work alongside a bunch of popular apps: BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, All 4, Demand 5, BT Player, Now TV, UKTV Play, Sky Store, Quest and S4C – with Netflix coming later. Do note that a broadband connection is a MUST – you can’t even setup the boxes without connecting them to the internet first. If that’s an issue for you, you might want to look at getting a Freeview Boxinstead. Note that the IP content including BT Sport will not work if you use a different make of router, and that the Humax box isn't wireless. BT does supply a 10m Ethernet cable, but you could try a Powerline connection.

There’s also Aviva Premiership rugby and the NBA basketball match from London. In between, you get endless adverts for UHD and for BT. Verdict Truth be told, there aren’t a lot of YouView boxes out there, so making a choice is – for good and for bad – not that complicated. Still, because the boxes aren’t cheap, you should still look carefully at the different features they offer (which is what we’re here to help with.) The BT DTR-2100 Youview+ box is small ,silent, and very responsive. Does everything I want it to do, plus I have now got quite a number of premium IPTV channels which provide excellent PQ. BTW you can also record the Internet channels. While live 4K football is shown simultaneously in HD and Ultra HD each channel has its own cameras, commentators and studio support. And both require a lot of equipment and manpower to capture and deliver the picture. Happily, the IPTV stream is outside of your internet service, so watching a broadcast won't affect simultaneous streaming or web browsing elsewhere in the home on a computer. Also, the IP stream is user-agnostic so your speed won't be affected by the number of other users in the district.

Similar to its predecessor, BT TV Box Pro comes with integrated search – helping streamline viewing and removing the need to remember which show is on which platform. BT TV’s set-top box also offers pause, rewind and record functionality. We've investigated this thoroughly and have made some significant improvements to the HD Picture quality on the Ultra HD 4K box. Version 2.1 of the HDMI specification supports a new signalling system called FRL (Fixed Rate Link) to enable higher bandwidth. With lossless compression (DSC), HDMI 2.1 supports up to 120 Gb/s bandwidth for 8K/120FPS, within the 48 Gb/s specified. John you mentioned on 5th June “You can even get 8k30fps content over HDMI 2.0 with DSC.”, so you know about FRL/DSC. Do you or anybody else disagree with Pete’s info about the specifications for HDMI 2.1. A YouView Set-top Box –This is the main receiver that connects to your TV. The YouView+boxes also have a hard drive for recording content.

Once you've done a Maintenance Mode reset, you'll need to go through the first time setup again. To help this run smoothly, make sure: You can get a YouView box in one of two ways – either as part of a bundle from BT or TalkTalk (combining broadband, YouView, and optional extra TV channels), or by buying the box directly from a retailer. As a cord cutting advocate, I of course prefer the retail route, which comes without any contracts or monthly subscriptions – but if you get your broadband from BT or TalkTalk, it might be worth at least taking a look at the prices they’re offering for the bundle. Now (TV) –Sky’s contract-free streaming service – but only on some devices (Also see our NOW review) Is it worth it? Yes if you’re a sports fan with an existing BT Infinity subscription. Yes even if you’re not, but desperately want to watch UHD TV right now. Eventually, though, Freeview introduced “Freeview Play” on higher-end boxes: a very similar (to YouView) service, that offers a mix of over-the-air channels with a 7-day catch-up service and a selection of apps. Sounds familiar?I got my sister a retail Youview box last Christmas from Currys I went for the one with the 1tb that's a little dearer.

Note the other boxes were not affected. 4K picture quality on these boxes is unchanged too and I think everyone is very pleased with the sharpness on the 4K BT Sport programmes. BritBox: The streaming service from ITV and the BBC with classic British programmes. Again, only available on some YouView boxes. With no compatible studio cameras, the half-time bit is done by the commentator up in the stands, which gives the game away that BT has yet to put resources in to the overall presentation. But when the actual live footage is so impressive, that hardly seems important. The bottom line is that UHD is here, and not before time. Those already signed up for BT broadband are advised to book an engineer in for an install as soon as possible. Related Articles:

All the YouView boxes come with all the standard features: Over the air channels (some in HD), 7-day catch-up on selected channels via the Electronic Programme Guide, the major broadcasters’ catch-up apps, and the ability to pause and rewind a live broadcast. You can also add premium (paid-for) channels via BT, TalkTalk and Plusnet. Then you’ll want a compatible 4K TV. That’s a set of 2160p resolution, with an HDMI 2.0 connection that supports HDCP 2.2 content protection – many older sets won’t cut it. Of course, you can watch downscaled 4K on a regular HD TV, but you won’t get your money’s worth. The need for a new STB is perhaps further underlined by developments elsewhere in the market. For example, Virgin Media are preparing to launch their next generation Virgin TV 360 service, which is already in UK trials, and that looks set to arrive before Christmas ( here). YouView+ Ultra HDadds 4K support – but remember you also need a telly that supports 4K. The 4K content is limited at the moment – you get some 4K content from Netflix (provided you have their highest subscription tier), and from BT (if you pay for it.) The BBC are planning to offer 4K content in the future – so you’ll be ready for that as well.