EE TV BOX PRO defaults always to live TV when turned on

[janwright]

My new EE TV Box Pro annoyingly always reverts to, and starts playing, a live TV channel when powered on. This is taken from the “What’s on TV Now” category. I am worried about this because I have cancelled my TV licence and only want to watch apps like Netflix etc.  

So for example, if I watch a Netflix film and eventually power off, when powered on again, it starts playing a live TV channel!

Any help much appreciated. Thank you.

[zulu17]

Perhaps you could hide all the TV channels leaving the radio channels in your EPG.

[Midnight_Voice]

@janwright 

Pull the aerial out, and don’t use IP Mode.

[janwright]

That sounds good, I wonder could you briefly explain how I hide the TV channels ?  Sorry to be a pain.

[janwright]

I don’t have the aerial plugged in.  I use HDMI mode.  It picks up through my Wi-Fi.  I have tried experimenting different strategies of turning on and off but nothing stops the box starting with a live TV channel.  I’m terrified I’m going to get a visit from TV licensing !   (As I cancelled my TV licence).

[janwright]

Hello Zulu … I just figured out how to hide the TV channels, using the EPG …  all 500 odd of them !  But it hasn’t hidden the “What’s On TV now” category of the HOME screen, and having turned off and turned on again, it still started by playing the Live TV channel which is first in the long line of channels in the What’s on Tv now”.

But thank you any way for your time.

[Midnight_Voice]

@janwright 

If you are in IP Mode, you can’t stop it doing what it’s doing.

As long as you actually have a TV aerial, plug it in, Factory Reset the TV, and let it tune. Then pull the aerial out and retune (don’t reset again!).

This will leave you with a TV which hasn’t got any terrestrial channels, though I can’t guarantee that it won’t start showing you the live Now channels instead, which are just as much a no-no as the terrestrial channels.

As regards TV Licencing compliance though; detector vans are and always were a myth, and compliance officers have no powers to enter and inspect your premises if you don’t want them to. So as long as you take all reasonable steps never to watch live TV (or linear TV as it is called, to stop all those ‘clever’ people trying to make a distinction between the broadcasting of live events and of prerecorded events), and never to watch the BBC iPlayer, you are fine.

Did you know you can’t watch iPlayer, by the way? And the BBC will know if you are watching that, as they make you sign in. I always wonder why they don’t ask for a TV Licence number….

[janwright]

You are very kind to go to so much trouble in your reply.  Thank you for all the advice.

Goodnight and God Bless