F1TV App on Smart TV?

[barrykm]

Hi All, a lapsed Hubber here.

I ditched DSTV two months ago. Motorsport coverage was my main reason for persevering for so long.

I subscribe to F1TV on my laptop and have rather used that for F1 viewing for the last year or so (albeit with some stuttering/buffering transmission from time to time?? I'm using Cool Ideas Vumatel 100mbps home fibre.)

Now that I have ditched DSTV I was hoping I could simply watch F1TV onto my now oldish Samsung Smart TV (Gen 4 I think), but not so; F1TV is not listed in the TV's Smart Apps, and when I find the website in the TV's Web Browser it will not allow me to log into my account in the F1TV app.

I have tried linking my laptop to the TV with an 8K HDMI cable but experience more frequent buffering than when watching on my laptop (coincidence or technical, I don't know?), so that experience was not great.

Dipping my toe into Google I see talk of Google Chromecast, Amazon Firesticks and suchlike - I don't want to go down this rabbit warren unless I have some concrete advice or information, it's beyond my limited tech knowledge and experience!

I will be grateful for any information or advice - how do Hubbers watch the F1TV App on their smart TVs? Any suggestions?  

[UnclePolli]

the app is not on all samsungs, due to the tizen version not been full androit.  used a mavricks tv chrome stick and then bit the bullent and went appletv.  no issues with apple.  the mavrick buffered as well from time to time.  not an apple fan boy, but that apple tv works.  also no buffereing when streaming via laptop hdmi port.  if you still have buffering, then its prob your isp.  i had this issue also and since changing to afrihost all buffering is gone.  since coolideas is also afrihost owned i dont think its that.  if i did my speedtest it was fine, but the streaming was from eurosport at that time for cycling, there was someting funny there happening with the traffic.

Edited July 4 by UnclePolli

[UnclePolli]

make sure you disable hardware acceleration in the chrome websettings if using chrome to hdmi to tv.

 

 

[barrykm]

Thanks Polli - perhaps your suggestion of disabling hardware acceleration in the Chrome websettings before HDMI would be a good start at this time

Now, AppleTV looks interesting? I am a first-level Apple fanboy, I love both my iPhone and my iPad but nothing beyond that at this time - I will need to research what it can do for me.

[UnclePolli]

Disable this one.  if you are an applefanboy, you wont be disappointed with appletv, just get the 4k one.  its pricy, but the thing just works.

[barrykm]

Thanks again Polli.

[JayLow]

I use the F1TV app on my TCL android TV. For some reason it's not available on the TV's Google Play Store, so you have to sideload it by downloading the APK and then using a USB drive to install the app on the TV.

APK can be found here: https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/formula-one-digital-media-limited/f1-tv-android-tv/
 

[barrykm]

Thank you Jay.