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Anonymous User
Not applicable

Update Now TV app for apple TV

Will the Now TV app for Apple TV ever get an update?

 

The current version is complete rubbish and makes me regret ever getting a Now TV pass.

 

Unless there is an update my Now TV experience will be very short indeed.

2,755 REPLIES 2,755
nst
Elite

its all gone a bit quiet again hasn't it 🙂

 

That promised survey hasn't appeared.. but then last time it took over a month instead of a week.

 

Keeping specifics out of it.... version 2 seems a bit more stable but with a couple of things that still need fixing.

 

I must admit i have only used it to watch one show all the way through but that was a struggle as I find the difference between 'boost' HD and standard to be very noticeable on my TV at least, and I dont really want to be watching stuff in 720 when I have paid for 1080 and 5.1.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

Well it must be a week since I sent an email to the trials manager, no response yet. 

Pandemic or not this is way too slow. 

nst
Elite

@Anonymous User me too - no reply from trials manager.  a bit odd as normally hes pretty good.

 

 

Anonymous User
Not applicable
I wish I knew why this was such a low priority, Apple made it easy for them with universal apps. Yet they choose to write a custom UI at extra time and cost to themselves.

Worse still form the visuals the super buggy version is actually released in Ireland!

It’s a shame as they do have some good content. It’s still saved me a fortune cancelling sky 6 years ago, and due to the old poor app I only binge box sets periodically on nowtv when I can get a discounted pass - never paid full price yet!
nst
Elite

@Anonymous User 

 

I totally agree with you.  The whole thing is just odd.  Of all the platforms that NowTV "support" - the AppleTV (and therefore customer base) has been unbelievably poorly treated - for all the reasons we've gone over in these threads a multitude of times already.

 

But now, as of today, the appleTV desperately needs this update and also the boost function (yes I know some dont want it if they are using iPhones or iPads but we are taking about the HD and 4K AppleTV boxes here) - and that will only bring NowTV into line with what other streamers such as Amazon and Netflix have been doing for years. 

 

Even with boost, their service is way behind Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon as they have routinely been streaming in 4K for a while now.

 

NowTV is generally great... I mean that.  As a lifelong SkyTV subscriber I wouldn't be without the Sky one, and Sky movies services and having switched to NowTV as a money saving exercise it is tantalisingly close to being a fantastic alternative to those who do not want to commit to a high monthly fee, or necessarily want a dish on the house.

 

That being said, I understand that Sky intend to launch a dish-less service which will be a streaming service - but I wonder surely thats just NowTV isn't it?  Interesting to see what that is, and what happens to NowTV when it launches.  I suspect that you will get a 2 tiered service offering - either the Sky branded streaming service without the dish... which will miraculously be a 4K service with Dolby atmos level sound..., and then the NowTV service which is a lot cheaper per month but I suspect maxing out at 1080p and dolby 5.1.  I guess the Sky service would be a longer contract and more expensive too.

 

NowTV should be a major player in the UK market.... in fact they are but embarrassingly low-rent compared to others and at a similar if not more expensive price point.  The shame of it is, that NowTV have the content.. and they know it.  I dont know why that means that they think they can rest on their laurels and not provide a first class compelling proposition.

Again, this is to a tiny degree changing.  Now that Disney+ exists, some of the Disney movies such as Star Wars and Maleficent etc have released simultaneously on both platforms in the UK - the shame of it being that the same movie on Disney plus is a 4K stream and best you can hope for on a supported platform with NowTV is 1080p.

 

 

So lets hope that the new app is ready soon, and launched soon... i imagine those not on the beta trial are beyond fed up waiting for this and understandably cant imagine whats taking so long - its been 3 months in Beta so far with dare I say very little forwards progress.  I recall back in November last year we were all taking about the imminent release of the new App - and here we are half a year later 🙂 

 

 

@nst 

i imagine those not on the beta trial are beyond fed up waiting for this and understandably cant imagine whats taking so long - its been 3 months in Beta so far with dare I say very little forwards progress”

Not only them, according to my email history on this subject I’ve been on this beta trial since at least August 2018 & I’ve been thinking the same for about a year now... 😡

nst
Elite

@dr_necessitor 

Your experience fills me with despair!

 

But It does feel, to me at least, that instead of getting nowhere fast... we are getting somewhere slowly....

 

I'll take the latter.

@nst 

Your experience fills me with despair!”

 

😂

 

“But It does feel, to me at least, that instead of getting nowhere fast... we are getting somewhere slowly....”

 

Agreed

nst
Elite

Forgive me for taking the 26th January with a pinch of salt... being that its a Sunday and I dont think thats a very common day for apps to receive updates in the iOS app stores.... and today is the day but no joy.

 

However, worth nothing that we are in the last week of January. 

 

A couple of sources have mentioned a late January release... so I guess we wait and see.

 

Just don't hold your breath for the next week.

 

 

I would re-iterate that this is such an important release... at least as far as i'm concerned.

 

I think its fair to say that the AppleTV box is probably the best out there... now I know that things like the Fire Stick 4K are all well and good... and considerably cheaper than the AppleTV.... however in my experience the AppleTV is truly the one box you'll need.  

 

Why?  well its the only Box that I can see that has:

 

iPlayer, All4, ITV, Demand5, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, AppleTV, and NowTV.

 

Plus, the 'up next' function on the AppleTV app is excellent (but a real shame that Netflix doesnt play nicely with it)

 

From the above list... the NowTV stick is missing Amazon.  The FireTV stick is missing NowTV... etc etc. and thats not to even mention the Boost add-on that should be universal but isn't.

 

Personally I want to choose the best box to sit under my TV and i want to avoid the clutter with multiple boxes, multiple cables, and multiple remotes....

Its frustrating as we are almost there.... but I refuse to use the 4 year old NowTV app on the AppleTV as its basically unusable.

 

I feel we are almost there.... surely this cant be delayed much further.

 

Ever the pessimist... my next concern will be that they dont bother to keep it updated going forward... so the AppleTV app will stagnate again and not get the attention it deserves as they demonstrated last time.

Anonymous User
Not applicable

No idea where this January thing came from, but based on Sky's behaviour over the past five years (!!) I'd say the chances of the ATV app ever getting updated are essential zero. For whatever business reason they decided years ago the the UK ATV market is irrelevant.  

Just use Netflix, Amazon, ATV+ and the soon to be released Disney+. They're in 4K with HDR and Dolby Atmos. And they have good apps which are regularly updated. In short, support providers which actually give a damn. Sky don't, and after five years they clearly never will.