My5

My5 is the VOD service from Channel 5, bringing you your favourite shows from Channel 5, 5STAR, 5USA and Spike for free.

My5 uses advertising to help support the service, to ensure that a wide selection of your favourite shows are available for you to watch for free.
There is a 135 second ad block before any programme begins, these can not be skipped.

With My5 you can:
catch up on recent shows for at least 7 days (without registering for a My5 account)
create a free My5 account and enjoy longer catch-up windows for your favourite shows
watch My5 exclusive shows and content extras
access premieres of brand new shows and box sets of the best of our archive
subscribe to our newsletters and be the first to hear about new releases and offers
My5 replaces the Demand 5 apps on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets and is also available online

My5 Search

All of the shows My5 offer are free to watch, including those from the My5 archive.
You can watch shows as many times and on as many devices as you wish, for as long as they’re available.
High Definition (HD) content is not currently available via any My5 apps or on through the My5 website.

Note: UK only IP restrictions apply to all VOD services on My5.

Website: www.my5.tv

 

Bitrates on My5

My5 Player Alex PolizziMy5 video quality on computers,  is on average streamed at 610kbps depending on your connection. Although watchable on the small standard window, in full-screen mode the sub-standard definition streams clearly show the low bitrates used.

Video quality on iOS devices is around 1560kbps. on the iPad, the streaming quality appears acceptable for the enlarged tablet screen.
AirPlay quality is very poor, this is not an ideal way to view My5 content to your large TV screen. The iOS device must remain on, whilst the video plays on both screens, this will quicly drain the battery, so connect the device to th charger.

On Android, Video quality is adequate for a mobile displays, though not for tablets.
Bitrates on Android are around 1540kbps – a good SD quality stream.

On Xbox One bitrates are around 1490kbps.

On Playstation 4, Video quality for Demand 5 is very watchable, though still standard definition with an average bitrate of 1600kbps.

One of the best and cheapest platforms to access My5 content is with the NOW TV box (under £10), or a UK purchased Roku box.
Video quality on the Now TV/Roku platform is excellent, with an average bitrate of 2140kbps. This places video quality somewhere between SD and HD, a good quality SD stream.

My5 offers a static bitrate of 1500kbps on Samsung Smart TVs. If bandwidth limitations prevents this bitrate from being used, viewers may have to utilize a lower blurry or pixelated stream. 1500kbps video quality is almost as good as SD offered on BBC iPlayer.

Downloaded content was available with a screen resolution of 720 x 408 at an impressive bit-rate of 1,200Kbits/sec. This was clear enough for viewing on laptops and TV screens.

 

Using My5

My5 ProgrammesAll programmes on My5 are available for free, you can watch them as many times as you like while the programmes are available.
To view programmes or video clips in full screen, simply click the ‘full screen’ button at the bottom right of the video window.

To exit full-screen click the ‘exit full screen’ button at the bottom of the screen or press the ‘Esc’ button on your keyboard.

You have to register to watch clips or full episodes on the My5 site.
However. registering will allow you to interact with the site easier, such as commenting on episodes or web pages.

If you are experiencing issues with video playback, there could be a problem with the equipment you use to connect to the internet. You should first try restarting your router and devices, plus any network peripherals you may have.

To restart your equipment:
1. Switch off all devices
2. Unplug (if mains powered) or remove batteries
3. Wait 30 seconds
4. Plug in or replace the battery
5. Switch all devices on

Once all equipment is switched back on, see if the problem has been resolved.

If an episode does not start when the adverts finish, this is normally caused by connectivity issues with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or network.

Alex Polizzi's Secret ItalyTypical problems include:

  • Connection too slow to stream the video
  • Poor Wi-Fi signal strength
  • Noise on your ADSL line
  • Congestion on your local network

Resolving the problem

To resolve this issue:

  • Close any unnecessary browser windows or tabs
  • Close any applications that could be consuming bandwidth
  • If you are watching in a web browser, reload the page and try playing the content again
  • If you are watching via a mobile device or console, try restarting the device

If you continue to experience problems, try contacting your ISP.

 

Subtitles on My5

My5 SubtitlesTo switch on subtitles on My5:

  1. Click the play button to start playback.
  2. Hover your mouse over the video player.
  3. Click the S icon to switch on subtitles. A tick appears on the S icon to confirm that subtitles are switched on.
  4. To switch off subtitles, click the S icon again

Missing Subtitles
Some shows are not subtitled, and subtitles are only provided on selected devices.

To check subtitle availability go to channel5.com and locate the show in the Schedule.

  • The (S) abbreviation indicates that the show has Subtitles
  • The (AD) abbreviation indicates that the show has an Audio Description

Subtitles are generally available on:

  • Milkshake content
  • Shows on Channel 5 that are not broadcast live

Subtitles are generally not available on 5Star or 5USA.

 

Availability

Web Platforms

My5- Player showing programme barMy5 website
Demand 5 is the main source of on demand programs from Channel 5, 5Star and 5USA. It offers a 7 day catch-up service as well as an archive of shows from the past.

Facebook
My5 (Demand5) launched on Facebook in August 2010, becoming the first television network in the world to embed its programming into the social networking site.

TV.com
In February 2010, My5 (Demand 5) launched on TV.com with around 250 hours of archive content as well as catch-up. This represented the first major deal for long-form content in Europe for TV.com. As part of the deal, advertising is sold by CBS Interactive.

YouTube
My5 is also partly available on YouTube, launching in the United Kingdom on 4 December 2009. My5’s catch-up content reaches YouTube shortly after TV transmission and users are able to browse 250 hours of the broadcaster’s archive content.

 

TV Platforms

BT Vision
My5 (Demand 5) launched on BT Vision on 7 October 2008. Demand 5 was removed from BT Vision on 6 October 2010, although the two companies continued discussions in a bid to reinstate the service, having previously stalled during contract renegotiations. The service returned to BT Vision in May 2011.

Freesat
My5 is available as part of Freesat’s second generation Free Time guide, having been added on 6 August 2013, offering the last seven days of programming integrated to the TV guide.

NOW TV & Roku
On 26 July 2013, Now TV released a Now TV-branded Roku streaming box, including a My5 app. Three days after the release of the Now TV Box, Roku added Demand 5 to its own range of streaming devices.

Sky
On 26 July 2012, it was announced that Demand 5 would be added to On Demand later in the year. The service was made available on 26 September 2012.

Televisions and Blu-ray
In September 2009, an agreement was reached to make Demand 5 is available through Sony’s Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray home cinema systems and Smart TVs, via the BRAVIA Internet Video service.
On 13 May 2011, it was announced that Demand 5 would also be available on Samsung’s Smart TVs through their Samsung Smart TV service. On 16 January 2013 a Demand 5 app was launched and is available to download on Samsung Apps.

Virgin Media
Demand 5 is available on Virgin Media’s cable television service, offering programmes for 7 days after broadcast since November 2010.

YouView
Demand 5 was one of four service available at the launch of YouView in July 2012. At launch the Demand 5 app contained options to resume watching recent programmes, access favourites, browse featured programmes or a full list of shows, find similar programmes or more episodes and an integrated search bar.

Mobile Platforms

iOS Devices
The My5 app is available for iOS devices, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch.

Android
The My5 app is available on a range of Samsung Galaxy Android devices including smartphone and tablets

Windows Phone
Not currently available.

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