Both the iPad and iPhone can do some pretty spectacular things. Long have they been the must have entertainment accessory for any long journey. Some are content with music alone, or a bit of app-game action.
In recent times I have become horrendously addicted to television. After the purchase of a somewhat mammoth flatscreen TV it is now perpetually on in the background rotting my brains. But what happens when I leave home? How can I obtain my need for a constant televisual fix?
Thanks to the joys of Apple devices (and Android too) I can stream television through my mobile browser. Simply head to tvcatchup.com and click the respective link above, this will allow you to then play various television channels on your phone or iPad. You do unfortunately need to sign up for the service but it is totally free and takes only a couple of seconds.
Once in you will be presented with a choice of various channels, simply tap what you want to watch and it will open up a stream. Beware however, doing this will utterly destroy your battery. You won’t get much more than an hours worth of watching out of an iPhone and maybe two or three from an iPad. It also gobbles data, so watch it if you have a cap on your monthly allowance.
This problem can be circumvented by introducing something called a Tizi. Essentially a miniature TV receiver, the Tizi receives signals and then sends them to an app on your iPhone or iPad via WiFi. 
The Tizi is extremely easy to use, operating much in the same way as MiFi devices. You simply turn it on and it does its thing, once signal has been found it then starts pumping TV out to your mobile device. Build quality wise the black box isn’t quite up to the high standards of some of Apple’s own accessories, but it isn’t bad.
The app itself is surprisingly good. Essentially when you hold your mobile device in portrait you are presented with a window showing the relevant channel. Below is whatever else the Tizi is receiving and the strength of reception each channel has. Click on whichever you want to change channel. It is instant as well unlike TV catchup which has to close and open another stream. If you would rather view the programme full screen just turn your iPad or iPhone landscape.
It is very quick and easy to use and makes mobile TV a genuine possibility. It also does relatively little damage to your battery making it far more useable than TV catchup. You will want to make sure that brightness is turned down and nothing else is running in the background if you want the longest TV viewing experience before charge. I found that I managed about 6 hours of TV watching, enough to fill any lengthy journey with entertainment.
The best thing about the Tizi is being able to stick your iPad in its stand and leave TV running. I was planning on purchasing a small television for my kitchen, but now thanks to this little device I can use my iPad.
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