EE TV review – The ultimate TV streaming box now with Recordings to Go

Replay is EE TV’s other useful feature. You’re able to choose up to six favourite channels from a specific list of options. These include the terrestrial channels as well as the Freeview channels from the main providers, such as BBC Four. You can then set how long will be available in Replay mode up to a day. EE TV will then constantly record these channels for you to watch back at any time, presenting them all on a specific Replay screen. This lets you organise the recordings by channel or genre.

Turning on Replay mode does have a side effect, however. While the EE has four tuners, so is capable of recording four different channels simultaneously, this is reduced to just two if Replay is turned on. This seems a decent compromise for the ability to catch up on an entire day’s worth of television, especially as it’s not going to be that often you’ll want to record four different channels simultaneously. The 1TB internal hard disk stores all your recordings.

The Replay function also goes some way to make up for an area where the EE TV is distinctly lacking: on-demand apps. The EE TV launched with support for BBC iPlayer and Demand 5, but there’s no ITV Hub or All 4. Netflix and Amazon Instant Video are missing too, meaning your only option for renting or buying movies is Wuaki.tv. There is at least a YouTube app. Loading up apps was rather slow, taking around 20 seconds from the home screen to the app opening. It’s not a lot quicker on rival services admittedly, but there’s room for improvement here. 

EE has just added support for BBC Connected Red Button, which lets you access BBC iPlayer and the Sport and News apps while watching BBC channels. This will be particularly useful during sporting events such as the BBC’s annual coverage of Wimbledon and F1 for extra content or watching alternative coverage when lots of events are happening simultaneously. Support for Dailymotion, Deezer, Hopster, Euronews and Cloudio TV were added following launch.

Since March 2015, Sky Now TV became available. With a suitable subscription you can watch live and on-demand content from Sky’s entertainment (Sky Atlantic, Sky 1, Sky Living), sport (all seven channels) and movie (all of the most recent content) channels. It expands what you can get via Freeview, adding premium content into the mix for not too much money. It also brings the EE TV box closer to what’s offered by YouView, such as on the BT YouView+ box. We’re now over a year since EE TV launched and it’s still a glaring omission that ITV Hub, All 4, Netflix and Amazon Instant Video are still missing, however, and it sounds like this isn’t likely to change for a while yet.

Recordings to Go

While new apps have been slow to arrive, one new feature is the Recordings to Go option, which allows you to record Freeview content and transfer it to a mobile device as soon as it airs. Content that can be transferred has no blocks on content type, so films and football highlights won’t pose a problem and content won’t expire after a set time period, either. It’s the first of its kind and will be particularly useful for people wanting to catch up on their television while on the move. Content is transferred from the EE TV box to your mobile device over Wi-Fi. The EE TV mobile app has also been updated and lets you manage your recordings remotely, so you can make sure the box is recording while you’re away. The EPG has also been redesigned to have a consistent design to the one found on your television. Once you update your EE TV’s software, you’ll find a new Recordings to Go hub where you can manage all of your recordings. 

Conclusion

EE TV is a great set-top box if you’re looking for a subscription-free Freeview box. Its four tuners alone make it stand out, but the ability to stream to tablets around the home is simply brilliant. The smartphone and tablet interface works really well as a remote control and flicking content to the big screen is seamless. The current lack of Netflix, Demand 5 and 4OD is a pity, but most people will have other options for watching these if desired. The addition of Now TV is a real bonus so fingers crossed support for more services keep being added.

If you’re on EE and meet the requirements to get the box for free then you should certainly take it up. Those on other broadband packages, who don’t pay for additional channels, should also consider EE TV if the streaming technology is of interest. BT charges £5 a month for its equivalent YouView+ PVR, which can’t stream to mobile devices, but then you do get BT Sport with that.

Alternatively, if you’re happy to simply splash the cash then our favourite PVR is still the Youview-based Humax DTR-T1010 for around £200, this does now support Netflix and the full range of catchup services – but that’s £200 you could save yourself with the EE TV or BT’s equivalent service.