If you're not familiar with the UK service, TVCatchup is a free way to watch television shows when not sat in front of the big screen. Unfortunately, despite the naming, TVCatchup does not sport functionality to enable users to watch shows that have already been on air, but the available free streaming is a great feature for any device.
TVCatchup already has an app available for Windows 8, but there's also currently an app in development for Windows Phone 8. All About Windows Phone has taken a look at what we can expect.
The app is basically a native experience for what's stored and presented on the main website (www.tvcatchup.com). It provides users a list of what's currently on television as well as future programming on UK Freeview channels. When selecting a channel, detailed descriptions of current and following programmes are displayed.
When the app is published on the Windows Phone Store it'll support all three Live Tile sizes, which flip over to reveal thumbnails of last viewed programmes. Individual channels can be pinned as small or medium sized tiles for more convenient access to favourite sources. TVCatchup offers two video quality settings for streaming, which can be selected automatically depending on connectivity (WiFi or 3G, etc.)
Unfortunately, while the service is free, users are viewing what's broadcasted by providers. This means advertisements are present (with no way of skipping through), but the app does allow users to repeat the previous handful of seconds of the stream, handy if you have missed some content. As well as channel adverts, TVCatchup also sports some adverts of its own but are reportedly not as intrusive.
We'll keep an eye out for when TVCatchup is released for Windows Phone, expected to be approximately two weeks. Until then, be sure to check the desktop app out, which is available on the Windows Store.
via: AAWP
