Android TV box with Freeview TV?

by AEWExcalibur

So I recently got (UK) TalkTalk TV with my broadband. But it basically has freeview TV and then any additional channels they want you to buy bundles from NOW and then use those channels from inside the NOW app, whilst the locked channels still appear in your TV guide list. Point is: Their TV package although very very cheap, is pointless.

Is there an Android TV box which can use an aerial and access Freeview TV and all of the good stuff accessible on Android.

No I don’t want IPTV. Do not mention it at all. Thank you!

HyperGamers

Expensive but the Humax Aura 4K looks like it has this, though I don't know if it's true Android TV: https://www.freeview.co.uk/get-freeview/products/humax-aura-4k-android-tv-recorder

Full list: https://www.freeview.co.uk/get-freeview/products

Edit: seems like it is proper Android TV but do your own research!

UsediPhoneSalesman

This isn't technically IPTV but I have an HDHomeRun with a Google Chromecast, which uses your aerial but does stream it over your local network. Works great with Freeview

triplebeamz

The formuler GTV supports hauppage tv tuner cards it works great with its my TV online client.

They also have the CC with built-in tuner,. However the cc is not android TV os.

andrewdotlee

I’m looking for something similar and the Humax Aura is the only thing I’ve found so far

https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/humax-aura

craigbeat

I am in the UK, and I use a Raspberry Pi 4 with a USB DVB-T2 dongle (that you plug an aerial into). The Pi runs Raspberry Pi OS, and has TVHeadend installed. I also have Home Assistant and diyHue for part of my home automation routines.

TVHeadend allows me to scan for all Freeview channels (or Freesat if you have a DVB-S dongle). I then have multiple Android TV devices that run PVR Live to connect to TVHeadend over the network which exposes the channels in the Live Channels app. I like this setup, as it means all recordings and schedules are shared across all devices.

One thing I would say is that you probably want to use a wired connection for the network to the Pi. Not sure if it's fully necessary, but I would imagine it does limit any connectivity issues. Your other devices can be wireless, though.

It is a bit of a hassle to setup if you are new to all of this, but take a look at some tutorials and you might find it's the right path for you.