New to the forum today!
I was just wondering...what are the legalities surrounding IPTV and streaming of UK / European TV?
I have seen posts about people using Android boxes etc., but is it actually OK (from a legal standpoint) to do it?
There seem to be lots of companies out there advertising "free" English TV in the Costa Blanca...but are they legit, and what are the differences between them?
Hi Fuzzygirl - i'm the resident techie & work for a local TV / telecoms company.
IPTV is a generic term, so it is technically not possible to have a single clearly defined answer as there is different types of IPTV, some more legal than others!
1. Kodi (free)
Kodi is legal - content on it (aside from Filmon) often is not. However you are not hosting the content, nor liable for it. What is the worst that could happen? An application could be stopped / shut down - some have received legal notices previously. However one goes...another comes.
2. Subscription based services - MAG / Blademedia / Opus etc
Does get a little muddier - as in the realms of international law. Many countries broadcasting law is not the same as EU / USA and allow retransmission of overseas content. As an example, if a server was in Russia - on the Russian side (it complies with their law), it is ok for them to transmit. Ask Sky in the UK and you will have a different answer.
Depends where is transmitted from.....
As Pete mentions above - if you want FTA TV, BBC etc, a satellite system is most cost effective, pay once, original service. If you want Sky, you can use either satellite or an IPTV solution. If you want catch up (in Spain), then you can also do that with IPTV.
A few words of caution - companies promises of you can get 'everything' on an Android box should be taken with a pinch of salt, as you are not paying for a hosted service, there can be no guarantee of anything at all! Companies promising 100% of football games, are a little optimistic, need to be a little wary of over enthusiastic marketing. For sports or guaranteed stability for live content, hosted solutions are better (though you pay appropriately).
More info on IPTV services and hardware. Downloadable PDF help guide.
http://tvtech.sharepoint.com/Documents/ ... 0guide.pdfPaul
http://www.televisiontechnology.eu