iBox User Guide

Table of Contents

Overview

This app provides a high-quality TV service for subscribers located in Ireland, with 50+ channels streamed over your internet connection. It includes TV schedule listings, and you can also customise it with your own list of favourite channels.

Our TV streams automatically adapt to network conditions, so if your internet connection slows down, the TV will not stop. Instead the app will reduce the quality of the picture, until the connection speeds-up again, and then it will increase the picture quality again.

This app is compatible with Google's chromecast, which allows you to send video from your phone to your home TV.

iBox is a 100% Irish company. To learn more about us and our services, please go to our website at www.ibox.ie.

Video Manual

You can view our video that explains how to use this app on our Youtube page.

The Channel List

On the channel list you can see all the channels we offer. Beside each channel is details of what's on now, and what's on next. You can move around the channels in the list by dragging up/down with your finger.

To play one of the channels in the list, simply tap on it. When the channel starts playing, information about the current programme will be displayed.

To return to the main menu from the channel list, use the back button on your device. When a channel is playing, you can swipe left or right to change channel, or swipe up to end.

Favourite Channels

Using this feature, you can create a list of the channels you watch most often. This saves time, because you don't have to scroll through the full list of channels, to find the ones you like.

The first time you use this feature, you will be presented with a list of all the channels available, so you can tick the ones that are favourite. Tap to tick the channels you want on your favourites list. Use the back button on your device, when you are finished selecting channels.

After that, whenever you go into the favourites page, you will only see the selected channels (with the now/next information for each one). You can tap any channel on the favourites list, and it will start playing.

You can edit your list of favourites by pressing the menu button (or menu icon) on the favourites page.

Controlling the TV Player

While watching TV, you can issue commands by dragging with your finger, as follows:

  • Drag left or right to change to a different channel.
  • Drag downwards to show information about the current programme.
  • Drag upwards to stop playing this channel.

The Channel Guide

The TV schedule for the next few days is displayed in our channel guide. When the guide first loads, it contains all of today's programmes, for all channels. The 2 buttons in the top left can be used to move to another day.

Tap on a programme with your finger, to see detailed information about it (this will appear at the top of the page). If you tap-and-hold on a programme (aka long-press on it) you will see a menu that allows you to play that channel.

Drag left or right with your finger to move forwards or backwards in time. Drag up or down to move through the list of channels.

You can also move back to previous days (or earlier today) and replay any progrmmes that you missed. Or you can set reminders for programmes that have not started yet.

Searching For Programmes

Using the Search button on the main menu, you can quickly search through the entire programme guide for the previous or next week, across all channels, to find a programme you are interested in. On the search page, start typing a word from the name of the programme you want to see. After you have typed a few letters, you will see the search results. If you wish, you can keep typing, to refine the list of results.

You can tap with your finger on any item in the list of results, to view its details.

TIP: On smaller screens, the keyboard may obscure the list of results. Using the search screen in portrait mode (instead of landscape) will help solve this problem. Also, after you have finished typing in your search word, you can hide the keyboard, to provide a larger area for displaying your search results.

If the list of search results is bigger than the available viewing area, you can scroll the list with your finger.

The list of results contains both programmes from previous days, today and future days. You can replay any programme from a previous day (or earlier today).

Browsing Programme Categories

One way to replay programmes that have aired in the past 7 days, is to browse the programme categories.

On this screen, you first need to select a main genre of programme (eg movies) and then select a sub-genre (eg comedy). You will then see a list of recent programmes in that sub-genre.

You can tap with your finger on any item in the list to view its details, or to replay that programme.

Replaying Old Programmes

With iBox you can replay old programmes that you missed, if they were broadcast less than a week ago. To find an old programme you want to watch, you can either scroll backwards in the Channel Guide, or select something on the Browse Categories page, or you can use the programme Search feature.

While replaying, you can pause the video whenever you want. You can also jump forwards or backwards through the video. To do this, simply tap the screen while the video is playing, and you will see the controls.

If you stop replaying an old programme, the app will remember where you stopped, and a Resume button will appear in the corner of the main menu. This allows you quickly get back to where you stopped playback, so you don't have to search for the programme again.

Viewing on Chromecast

You can use this app with Google's Chromecast TV dongle. This is an inexpensive way to get iBox onto your home TV big screen. This app should automatically detect if there is a Chromecast on your local network. If it finds one, it will display the Chromecast icon at the top right of the screen, on the Channel List, Favourite Channels, Channel Guide and other pages.

Before watching iBox on your Chromecast, you first need to put the app into Chromecast mode. To do this, simply tap the chromecast icon, and then tap on the name of your Chromecast. After you do this, any TV channel you select (or any playback programme) will be played on your Chromecast, instead of your phone or tablet.

If you are replaying an old programme via Chromecast, the app will provide you with controls for pausing the video, as well as jumping back / forward.

While watching iBox on your Chromecast, you can use other apps on your phone or tablet. You do not need to remain in the iBox app. You can return to the iBox app whenever you want and browse other channels, without interupting the Chromecast.

Reminders For Programmes

This app can remind you when its time to watch a programme you are interested in. You can even create a reminder booking several days in advance of the programme.

Starting in the Channel Guide, tap-and-hold on the programme you want to book a reminder for.

A menu will appear. Select Add Reminder on this menu, and the reminder booking will be created. The reminder will popup on-screen a few minutes before the programme is due to start.

Reminders will appear even if the iBox app is not running. For example if you are reading email or browsing the web, you will still see the reminder. Also, on most devices, the device should wake-up for the reminder, if it is asleep. However its important that the clock on your device is set to the correct time. Also, please note that reminders will not appear if your device is switched off at the time of the reminder.

Managing Your Account

On the Account menu, you can carry out the following functions:

  • See details of the current status of your account.
  • See a list of your past invoices & payments.
  • Change your payment settings.
  • Sign-out from the app (which will put it back into demo mode).

If you wish you can also login to the www.ibox.ie website, and manage your account there. The website also has discussion forums where you can interact with other iBox customers and iBox staff.