Linking tvs

[Erfolg]

Without going into the details and blaming the better half, I will say the problem is not my fault, hmm, I now know it is.

We have changed our BT contract, where I was informed that I would be able to see BT Sports on our other Tvs.

The engineer informed me that would not be possible without purchasing  some kit.

We are still waiting for yet another engineer to connect us to a Fibre optic sauce.

I am not expecting that the the fibre optic engineer will not deliver what I actually would like.

 

The first engineer suggested that i would need a BT-Z4 Zapperbox. Idealiy a double. I would also need  a Internet Powerline adapter, for each TV plus a telephone socket.

What was he talking about?

[Frank Skilbeck]

To watch BT Sport you'll need to be able to connect your TVs to the internet, the Zapper-Box does this, but it needs to be a wired connection, hence the powerline adaptors which use your mains system as a wired network. Something like a Roku stick would plug into the TV HDMI port and connect via Wi-Fi to your wireless router and you can put the BT Sport app on the Roku and put your contract details in, being a stick it would be easy just to plug it into the TV you want to watch. This assumes you have good wifi coverage where the TVs are.

 

I have a Roku for watching Amazon Prime and Netflix on my TV, works well, also does BBC I Player, 4 on demand and ITV hub etc too.

 

 

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

I have a BT TV recorder box in my hall cupboard. From there HDMI is split using an HDMI splitter box, to 3 rooms. But this requires long HDMI cables. Infra red remote is relayed back to the BT box via the HDMI cables using little add in boxes at each end. 

Complicated, it works, but only one channel can be watched in all 3 rooms at one time. 

 

So, to watch BT sport in another room while the BT box is tuned to a different channel. I use a £30 Chromecast plugged into a another HDMI on the TV. On my Android phone I have the BT Sport App. This, along with many other phone apps like iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube etc, will "cast' to the Chromecast. i.e. they will direct the Chromecast unit to connect to the web and stream the BT channel direct to the TV. This works really well. (As previously stated it does require a decent WiFi signal where the Chromecast is situated)

[Erfolg]

Thank you for your replies. I will study them and do my best to research products and understand the technology concepts.

 

The us of cables is out, as the distances and geometry is awkward.

 

The BT engineer mentioned that one bit of the kit made use of the ring main earth to send the signal to a device, is that is what is happening.

 

We have a Amazon stick on one tv (the other just uses the standard stick) do you think that this will cause any issues?

[Julian Murch]

I have a similar type of issue.  I purchased a Hitachi43HK6100U smart tv.  This has come with several pre set links to things like You tube, netflix etc.  There is also a button marker WWW and using that I have made access to the internet and downloaded a link to UK TV.  However although can access the channel I cannot download any of the programmes.  The help line says that is because the browser in the tv does not support that.   Is there anything I can do about that.

[Frank Skilbeck]

1 hour ago, Erfolg said:

 

The BT engineer mentioned that one bit of the kit made use of the ring main earth to send the signal to a device, is that is what is happening.

 

We have a Amazon stick on one tv (the other just uses the standard stick) do you think that this will cause any issues?

Yep the powerline adaptors use your ringmain, you plug one into your router and the others where ever you need them, I have one in my office for my work laptop using an ethernet cable and 2nd wifi unit in the garage so I can get internet in there. 

 

I am not familiar with the Amazon stick, but according to the BT Sport website it is available on Amazon Fire, so just check if the app is available as a download on your Amazon stick.

[Chris Bott - Moderator]

1 hour ago, Frank Skilbeck said:

I am not familiar with the Amazon stick, but according to the BT Sport website it is available on Amazon Fire, so just check if the app is available as a download on your Amazon stick.

That sounds like the best advice so far. To add a BT Sport app to a device you already have. 

If you're already using a firestick successfully, that suggests that WiFi signal strength is fine at this location. 

 

[Erfolg]

I never expected that the issue of renewing our BT and Manchester City/West Hamstead game on BT would lead to a disagreement, with my wife. Specifically the new contract was entered into on the basis that the BT Sports could be watched on another TV, to where I could be relegated. For sum strange reason we have ended up with a new router (better apparently)  although our existing one was fine by me. Plus we will now also have a fibre optic connction, again i had no problem with the copper. From my wifes perspective all would be at the same price. 

 

I had no idea that this other TV which has built in NetFlix and Google built in had a AMazon fire stick, which had not been available for some time. Even asking a question as to how it had stopped, was greeted with a little restistence. The problem was obviously of my making. 

 

I suspected that the handset battries were discharged. Eventually I found that they were in the wrong way.

 

After a further (meaning full) discussion, I discovered that the assured method of entering Amazon was not the strongly presented process of just pressing the OK handset button. You need to go to the port menu then go to port set to amazon, selecting it. This was just rubbish apparently, I know nothing (true though).

 

Now I was feeling good about what I had achieved, not withstanding the mis direction issues, to be told in no uncertain manner, just forget about getting the BT Sport app on Amazon. You just watch football on the other TV, I will watch what i want on this TV.

 

At that I slunk off, and in a few days have a go at downloading the App.

 

I will be back no doubt asking for help, for one of the other TVs, or even the miscreant rouge TV, that I must have messed up, some time ago

 

 

[Erfolg]

At long last I have linked two televisions.

 

I can now be banished to another room to watch TV. At least I perhaps will not suffer from earache.

 

Whoever suggested that Amazon Firestick did what was required, was absolutely correct.

The real problems turned out to be we no longer knew who the account holder was or their Identifier, plus there was some doubt with respect to the current password. In our defence it is about 4 years since we opened the contract.

 

What staggers believe id the shear ambiguity of what is available via the two sticks the port menus. We can get Netflix, Google and Amazon, plus so much more via sub menus. No of which appears to be obvious or constant across the various ways of accessing.

 

On the other hand when i think some 50years ago, when I was taught Fortran, when you had to declare variables, construct a top down program, have it compiled, in the middle of the night, a long way has come. Yet the structures from a users perspective, things are now pants in some respects.