Netgem TV has launched a palm-sized ‘puck’ device it calls PLEIO that is compatible with Freely, the television platform provided by everyone TV in the United Kingdom. It comes with a remote control and gamepad and costs £99 with a three-month free subscription to games and additional channels, which is an optional £9.99 a month after that, although it may also be bundled by internet service providers.
Apparently PLEIO is to be pronounced “PLAY-oh”, although if you need to point that out it could spell a problem for the name.
It is the first Freely device that is not a television, so it will enable people to convert existing screens. Unlike Freely televisions, it does not include a traditional aerial input or tuner, so it only works over the internet with the channels. It uses Wi-Fi 6, with no support for a wired connection.
The Freely online offering claims to cover 97% of the most watched shows in the United Kingdom.
The £99 price point is significant, given that you can get a 32” Freely television for that. Or for £20 you can get an Amazon Fire TV stick.
PLEIO may be worth it for those that are happy with their existing television or want to use it in a room without an antenna connection. You can also take it with you to use anywhere in the United Kingdom with a fast Wi-Fi connection.
The Freely operator app sits alongside other apps, including Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime Video, and thousands of other apps on the Google Play store. It runs on Android TV 14.
The puck device is tiny, just 64mm in diameter and 14mm deep, weighing just 40 grammes, which is about the weight of a couple of AA batteries. It has HDMI 2.1 and USB 2.0 ports and comes with a mains power supply.
There is support for 4K video, although no Freely services are available at that resolution, together with HDR10, Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD, and 5.1 Surround Sound.
The remote control is Bluetooth 5.0, with infra-red for controlling the television, and comes with voice remote features.
It comes with a Bluetooth gamepad as standard, which may or may not be of interest to some. It serves as a point of differentiation, and justification for the price point and optional subscription model. It also helps explain the name.
The company says that its target market is the half of the country that do not have a gaming console. Those that do would probably not be satisfied by it. The question is whether those that do not have a console will want to play games.
The product is available on Amazon, where it currently has one three-star review that questions the price relative to Amazon and Roku products.
Bundling deals have been announced with some alternative network providers, including BRSK, now part of Netomnia.
What it is not is an inexpensive mass-market device that will enable anyone to simply ‘upgrade’ their television to the Freely platform. The PLEIO puck is not currently available separately. That may be yet to come, from Netgem or someone else.
Netgem says that unlike other products and sticks on the market, PLEIO is a full TV solution and a set top box in the palm of your hand. “It’s not a sidekick HDMI product; it’s the main event.”
“We built PLEIO as the answer to the fragmentation of the entertainment market,” said Sylvain Thevenot, the managing director of Netgem UK. “PLEIO delivers a truly comprehensive viewing experience — Watch, Stream, and Play — that is ready for any fibre broadband-connected home today.”