The Freely TV Guide is your central hub for watching live, free-to-air channels broadcast over the internet. It works just like a traditional TV guide but with clever features designed for the modern streaming age.
How to Access the Guide
How to Access the Guide
You have two easy ways to open the Freely TV Guide:
Using Your Remote: Press the dedicated Guide button on your PLEIO remote. It’s usually marked with a grid icon.
From the Home Screen: Navigate to the Freely TV Guide icon within the 2nd row and press the OK button.
Browsing Channels
Browsing Channels
Once inside the guide, you can easily find out what’s on now and what’s coming up later.
Use the up and down arrows on your remote to scroll through the list of channels.
Use the left and right arrows to move forwards and backwards in time, allowing you to see what’s on later in the evening or even in the coming days.
Programme Features
Programme Features
The Freely TV Guide offers more than just a list of programmes. It provides a seamless experience for live and on-demand viewing.
Watch a Live Programme: Simply highlight the programme you want to watch and press OK on your remote. The channel will change instantly.
Restart a Programme: If you've just tuned in to a show that has already started, you can press OK to open it and then look for the 'Restart' option on the screen. This will take you back to the very beginning of the programme.
Catch-Up on a Show: The Freely TV Guide allows you to scroll backwards to see what you've missed. If a programme is available for catch-up, it will be clearly marked. Highlight the title, press OK, and select Watch On Demand.
Setting Programme Reminders
Setting Programme Reminders
Can I set programme reminders?
At the moment, you cannot set reminders for live TV directly through the main Freely TV Guide.
Reminder Availability
While the core Freely platform doesn't have a built-in reminder function, many of the individual player apps (like BBC iPlayer or ITVX) may have their own features that support reminders for their specific content.
What to do:
If you need a reminder, check the respective player app's website or settings to see if they offer an alert system. Freely will let you know if this feature changes in the future!
Pausing and Rewinding Live TV
Pausing and Rewinding Live TV
Why can't I pause some live TV programmes?
On your PLEIO puck, the ability to pause a live TV programme depends on how the specific content is delivered and the streaming rights associated with that channel.
You can pause live TV for up to 15 minutes on the majority of live Freely channels that are streamed to your device via Wi-Fi.
Here is a breakdown of when pausing is possible:
1. Live Channels Delivered by Wi-Fi (Freely)
Result: You can pause and restart the live programme for a short period.
Reason: The channel is being delivered via the internet, which allows your PLEIO puck to temporarily save the stream. This gives you the ability to pause the action, step away, and resume watching shortly afterwards.
2. On-Demand Content (Catch-up Players)
Result: You can fully pause, rewind, and fast-forward the show.
Reason: When watching a show via a dedicated catch-up player (like BBC iPlayer or Channel 4) after it has aired, the content is considered 'on-demand.' This format is designed for maximum playback control.
3. Channels with Limited Streaming Rights
Result: You may not be able to pause or rewind.
Reason: A very small number of niche channels on the Freely service may have content rights or technical limitations that prevent time-shifting features from working. If the pause button does nothing, it is due to a limitation from the channel provider.
Switching Between Live TV and Catch-Up
Switching Between Live TV and Catch-Up
How do I go back to the live Freely channel from catchup?
When you are watching a show in a catch-up app (BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Channel 5, etc.), you can instantly exit the app and return to live TV with a simple long press on your remote.
Standard Exit: Pressing the Back key once will exit the catch-up app and take you to the Freely app homepage.
Quick Return to Live TV: To bypass the Freely app homepage and return directly to the last live Freely channel you were watching, press and hold the Back key on your remote control until the live channel plays.