I have been looking around for a new type of entertainment system / provider for my room for quite a while as i used to have SKY and i found this was a lot of money when i didn't hardly watch it and all i basically wanted it for was to watch sky 1 for the Simpsons UK Gold & Dave to watch all of my comedy programmes, At the time of me thinking about getting SKY my brother decided that he would cut me off from using his internet so i couldn't use it anymore! And basically my brother told me to get my own internet from a another provider, As we already have a account with Virgin Media it was extremely hard to get a new line installed with them as we already have a account with them in my brothers name and it was very hard for me to get anything from them, So in the end i decided that i would go with sky as it was the only last provider that i could try as i was going though bankruptcy at the time and no one else would give me the services, I agreed that i would sign up to the offer that they gave me at the time of me signing up to them and i didn't realize that i would also need a phone line installed for the internet so it could work, So i had to explain to the person on the phone that we already have a phone line installed with Virgin media and the account is in my brothers name and it was a nightmare from start to finish. I wasn't very happy with what they had told me because there was a £15 per month line rental charge from BT and also what else that i also added to my tv package as well, I started my contract with sky on the 14th November 2014 and my package was over £60 - £70 per month due to the line rental for the phone and the internet and also the tv bundles that i had was the Family bundle witch was about £35.00 per month & HD channels witch was about £5.00 per month extra and i only paid £10 deposit for the installation and set up fee witch was all good to me.My bills from that period just went up and down all the time and i was always checking on my phone viva the Sky app to keep a eye out on my future bills, As you can add different packages and box sets all the time and it can easily make your bill even higher for the next month for that current period that your in and my highest bill that i ever had was well over £189.00 because i added the F1 Sky spots channel as i sometimes like to watch some of the racing over the weekends and it was a lot of money for something that i wasn't gonna hardly watch,I fell behind with my account just before Christmas 2016 where there was a outstanding bill for £214.14 and in that time when the bill was due to be paid i fell extremely unwell with my depression and then i decided that i would end my services and rip out everything including the sky hd box and cable leading to the dish outside, a few weeks later my brother decided that he would let me use and share the internet once again witch was brilliant because i could now find something that was more practical for my room without all of the hassle. Since then i have been using my Freeview indoor Ariel to watch TV on as i have got HD Freeview built into my TV witch i didn't know nothing about when i had checked the settings on the TV, I have bought several indoor Ariels when i knew that my TV had built in Freeview and i must say that none of them gave me a enough single strength for me to be able to watch TV and if i did have a Ariel plugged into my TV i would have to lean myself and the Ariel outside my bedroom window just to get a good TV Signal for me to watch anything on Freeview and stay there all day for me just to watch a programme and if i moved the slightest with the Ariel i would loose the signal completely and it was really doing my head in and i wanted a quick fix.As my TV is placed on the right hand side of my bedroom window it is very hard to put in a indoor Ariel by the window because the power leads and cords are not long enough to reach and sometimes i wish that i had paid my debit to Sky and just have the tv installed again with sky Q as i was really upset about it when i couldn't watch all of my favorite channels, Within a couple of months of me having no tv i sometimes used the internet to watch some of the tv shows that i would get from my sky subscription and sometimes they wouldn't be available and i was thinking to myself i have a tv on my wall doing completely nothing. As the tv is kinda special to me as it was a gift from auntie who had bought it for me way back in 2014 ready for my sky to be installed so the tv is very special to me and i wouldn't get rid of it. As i was getting so annoyed and angry about having no tv to watch i was gonna ask someone to come out and sort me out a Freeview Ariel to put outside on the roof and feed it back into my tv but no one in my family offered to help me as indoor Ariels wasn't any good and i knew from having one on the roof would be better for reception,
As time was going on and i thought about getting one of these Now tv boxes or a apple tv to have something that was really easy and affordable to use and watch TV on, When i first saw the now tv boxes i really didn't like them and i was thinking that they wouldn't be any good for me and it took me a few months before i decided that i wanted one or not. I then went into CEX in town and i found a Apple TV first Generation for under £40.00 and then i took it home and started to set it all up and found out that it was the wrong one and i wanted the new Apple TV with the app store and games that you can use on the device witch was a shame. As i owed this money to sky i didn't really have much of a option really and then i decided about getting Virgin tv put in my name and in my own bedroom where me and my brother had a massive augment over it and saying its still a waste of money and plus you will never watch it like the sky that i had (He did have a point there) As we have a small little virgin media shop in town i went in there and explained everything to them and started to sort it all out for me, They had found me a really good deal and told me all about there terms and conditions and then they went ahead with the order and when they asked me some details about the property they found that we had already had a virgin account installed at that address and there would be a credit check involved and i would also need permission from the account holder for me to have this new account in my name and i thought it was a really stupid idea myself, As i paid the £20 deposit for the account to be set up i walked out of the shop and then i waited for the information to come back from Virgin themselves to see what had happened with my order. The next few days passed and i had a call from the shop who was dealing with me and my order to tell me that i had the all clear to go ahead and install the tv but the credit check came back as a decline and i was so shocked because i have never had anything from Virgin media in my life and i believe that the company is vey strict on there new services on there customers, They had asked me if there would be anyone else in my family that they could use for my credit check like my mom etc for it to go though and also the payments would come out of my bank as normal and i asked so many times and i had also explained what would happen and no one would agree to do the credit check for me and i decided that i would go back to the shop and explain it to the person who i was dealing with and i managed to get my £20 deposit back with no hassle what so all.So as the next couple of days went by and i was getting really annoyed about not having no tv to watch and then i decided that i would like a apple tv as i could easily download the apps and games that i would love to watch and also play games on it and only pay for the apps that i did use witch was a few quid a month, As there is a app called tv player that works on the apple tv and on your iPhone too it sounded like it would be a really good idea. I was gonna buy myself a apple tv when i could actually afford one as i found some really good reviews on it and i knew that it would be perfect for what i wanted it for and also to play my minions game on, As there are so many tv boxes out there at the moment i just din't know what i wanted as i already had my eyes set on a apple tv but i had to wait until i had the funds to go and get one because they aren't cheap and i just wanted something for the time being for me to watch tv and also to keep me busy. I looked in Argo and other places to see what boxes were available and i was thinking about one of these now tv boxes as they were great value for money and i just didn't know what they were all about and how they worked,As i was kinda new to these boxes it must of been a few months before i decided that i would like one because they are so compact and small that it would be perfect for my room as i don't have a lot of space, As i saw them in ASDA one day they were only £25.00 and also what was included with it was a great deal and i couldn't miss this incredible offer! I showed my mom the box and she didn't really understand what these tv boxes were and all she said that was also a good deal and it would be perfect for you! I agreed i couldn't leave ASDA that day without one in my bare to hands.As there was about 2 -3 boxes to choose from i didn't know what kinda package i would like with my box as there is a box called a smart box witch allows you to plug your Ariel into the back of the box and have tv and plus your passes on your box witch was really good but sadly i don't have a Freeview areal and no one would set it up for me witch i was gutted about, As ASDA only had a few of these boxes left there was the original passes box available and when i saw it online on ASDA i thought that box looked huge but i said it would be ok for me. As time went on i would always look at these now tv boxes everytime i went to ASDA and i just wanted one as i never had the chance to go and buy one when i did have the funds for it, I was getting so annoyed that i didn't have one of these amazing boxes that on Tuesday 14th March i went shopping with my auntie and she was happy to give me the £25.00 for the box and also give my mom £200 for her birthday so she could by herself a new tablet (as she broke the last one) i was super happy that i had one of these now tv boxes in my own two hands. As these now tv boxes came with passes i got the one with a 3 month entertainment pass that lasted me unto June / July that same year and i was so happy with the outcome and also what was available though this box. I got the box home and i decided that i would leave it for a few hours before i started to set it all up as time was getting late and i didn't have any tea as yet and i also wanted to read all about it first and to see what needs to be done and set up my now tv account, I found that the box connected very easily to my tv without any hassles whatsoever but the internet was the problem because it wouldn't connect to our network but after a few hours later it worked fine and i haven't had any issues with it ever since i first had it. It is very easy and simple to use and also to set up and i pay about £20.97 for my 3 passes a month from the kids to sky cinema pass and entertainment pass witch does work out to be a lot cheaper then sky. its a really good box and it shows up really well on my tv and in super HD.Here are some photos of my current set up....
As you can see that it does give a excellent picture as i have a 1080 HD tv the quality is quite amazing and i was quite amazed how well it tuned out and there are so many apps to choose from but i would of liked to have seen things like Netflix added so i could watch my programmes on there but i read that it isn't possible to add it, I am very pleased and how easy it was to set up and also to add the passes for under £2.99 per month witch is a super ideal price as i was paying double when i had my SKY installed in 2014, As these NOW TV boxes are like on demand service where you can watch all of your shows and box sets under a few quid per month. There are three passes to choose from that all come with a 14 days free trial and then you pay so much a month for.
The passes.....- The Entertainment Pass - £6.99 per month
- Sky Cinema pass - £9.99 Per month
- Kid pass - £2.99 Per month
- Sky Sports Pass - Exclusive Live sports (Choose from 3 packages)
It is so much cheeper then sky and virgin media as i don't watch a lot of tv that much so this box isn't costing me a lot and i can watch it when i want to and not have high bills like i did with the sky and add the passes that i want at anytime and also cancel when i want to with no hassle whatsoever and it is just simple with no paperwork and phone calls its just brilliant, I will continue to use my box to see what new features are added in the next couple of months as i would love to see Netflix added to it when i did use to use it but i don't use that any more because its a waste of time and money, I will be getting a Apple tv as soon as i have enough funds to go and get one as i can play my games on my tv and also use a app called Tv player where i can watch live tv for free and i can add extra channels for under £5.00 per months for things like cartoon network uk gold etc. The apple tv and the Now tv boxes are super ideal for anywhere in the house including bedrooms that doesn't have a lot of room for huge sky boxes and it fits anywhere by your tv witch is fantastic, If you are looking for a great deal for catch up tv and some live channels then this little device is super ideal and also great value for money too. My live channels contains sky 1 UK gold and others for under £6.99 witch is incredible as you are paying double with sky and its nice to have as i have been watching sky 1 since the early days and its great.If you are thinking about getting one of these now tv boxes then i would highly recommend getting one they are great value for money and they are super ideal for small places and bedrooms and costs under £20.97 for 3 passes all year round without a contract with the box only costing £25.00 with a free 3 months passes of your choice.
