App review: TVCatchup.com

OK, so this isn’t an app, per say… it’s a website. But a damn fine site with an iphone and ipad version you can pin to your main page – so you don’t need to bother with the app store for it – and use whether you’re on 3G or wifi. None of that “You must be on wifi to use this service” crap, though with all the network providers switching to metered bandwidth it could be an expensive habit!

So what does it do? In a nutshell, it allows you to stream live Freeview (UK free to air digital) TV channels across the net on your PC or mobile. While there’s no mention of geographic restrictions, I’m guessing this one is a UK only affair. Sorry, but at least you Americans have Hulu!

There’s also no subscription, just sign up for a free login account and often you have to endure a preroll ad after selecting the channel you wish to view, regardless of whether the show is currently playing or not.

And those are the only caveats, really.

The standard web layout is refreshingly uncluttered and simplistic – minimal cruft! Just choose between the EPG if you are looking for something specific or a list of channels if you don’t need to know anything more than the channel name.

EPG View

Channel View

It’s even cleaner on your iphone and ipad, presenting you with just the channel list and no option to see an EPG, though the ipad version shows you the  program name currently showing.

Once you select a channel, it’ll begin streaming and the quality isn’t bad at all.

Right now you’re limited to bandwidth saving “low quality” and the default “standard quality”, with “high quality” versions of BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five in beta and restricted to certain ISP’s. No word on when the rest of us will be able to pick up the high quality streams.

Still, video quality we can access is perfectly fine in full screen for standard screen sizes and comparable to other sources such as standard def iplayer, 4oD et al. You can even change the aspect ratio to get the best looking picture for your screen.

It may lack the flexibility of watching past episodes on your time frame and no HD streams for now, but as a means of watching live TV on the go via your iphone, in a secluded room with your laptop or ipad or a cheap alternative to a tuner for your HTPC, this site takes some beating. Especially if you’re in an area with poor TV signal quality (like me) or you just don’t want to pay for an expensive satellite/cable subscription, proving once and for all that your net connection is king!

Verdict: If you’re UK based, why aren’t you using this service already? It’s a must!