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Want more telly than Freeview can offer but not ready to stump up for Sky or Virgin? VuTV fills the gap with a bunch of extra channels — including MTV, Comedy Central, CNN and Nickelodeon — all packed into your Freeview box.
For £6.99 each month VuTV offers 13 extra channels without needing a Sky dish or Virgin Media cable, and with no lengthy contract. Think of it as being a bit like a pay-as-you-go mobile phone rather than a contract phone.
Like rival service YouView, VuTV aims to seamlessly mix broadcast telly with online programmes. But unlike YouView, which does so through its own set-top box, VuTV comes into your living room through the equipment you already own. All you need is a smart TV or a recent Freeview box, controlling the service with your regular remote control.
How it works
Here’s how it works: sign up online, then on your telly go to channel 238. Log in, and channel 238 becomes a portal to choose from various channels.
Using the up and down buttons on your regular remote control, pick a channel including Lifetime, Comedy Central, MTV, CNN, History, H2, Crime & Investigation Network, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Nick Jr., Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito. VuTV has a simple Now and Next guide, but no full EPG as yet.
Some features are missing: you can’t pause, rewind or record VuTV channels. On demand video and high definition are coming soon.
VuTV launches today, with a free trial to get you started.
Similar services include Connect TV, which is free and offers music channels including Kerrang! and 4Music, international channels such as CCTV and TeleFrance, and religious channels including Muslim TV and GOD TV.
Is VuTV a nice compromise between Freeview and pay-TV? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.
