The BBC has been given the go-ahead for Project Canvas which could be a major step in the evolution of full internet TV and is likely to be called YouView, a hybrid of YouTube and Freeview. A partnership between the BBC, ITV, BT, Five, Channel 4 and TalkTalk is to develop standards and will see a range of set-top boxes available to access on-demand TV services such as iPlayer and ITVplayer. Users with a broadband connection will be able to access a wide range of on-demand content including BBC iPlayer, free of charge, through their TV sets. However as always there are a number of conditions the BBC trust has imposed such as ensuing all viewers are able to watch BBC programmes without a subscription and allowing other broadcasters and content providers to have have access to the platform.
However, rivals BSkyB and Virgin Media still question whether the BBC should be involved in such a commercial service and there could still be a challenge to its status under competition law and other legislation. They claim that Project Canvas will restrict competition and innovation and ultimately this will harm consumers and also that the BBC's involvement is an unnecessary use of public funds.
We welcome the move forward on Canvas and see the need to create a common platform and architecture to support the online on demand TV of tomorrow. Can we have 3D thrown in too!
Showing posts with label on demand TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label on demand TV. Show all posts
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
The BBC plans to show repeats on demand
When you flick the channel hopper and find those hidden shows of yesterday you often realise many were not as good as you fondly remembered.
But there is about to be even more of them made available as the BBC opens up its archive in an on demand trail to some 20,000 homes in the UK. The pilot is part of the BBC's plans to eventually offer more than a million hours of TV and radio from its archive.
The corporation's ambition is to ‘enabling any viewer to access any BBC programme ever broadcast’. Broadcasters around the world are grappling with the shift to on-demand media. Channel 4 has launched its on-demand service via the net and cable services, while networks in the US are shifting content to platforms such as iTunes and the web.
At the recent media event in Cannes the BBC announced an iPlayer service, offering catch-up TV via the web and cable TV, re-engineered to work with Apple Macs and eventually rolled out to digital terrestrial TV (DTT) and set-top boxes. In addition they aim to trail hybrid set-top boxes which are connected to the net and can record TV to access BBC archive material.
The BBC iPlayer is expected to be launched later this year but is still subject to approval from the BBC Trust. If launched, it is designed to offer a seven-day catch-up service for viewers who can download content onto their computers.
This interesting as it comes at a time when it is reported that overtook Sky as the main way of watching TV in the UK homes ad now is in more than 11 homes. It will be very interesting to see the impact of the PC reception as more and more PC s are now sold with integrated TV Freeview reception.
But there is about to be even more of them made available as the BBC opens up its archive in an on demand trail to some 20,000 homes in the UK. The pilot is part of the BBC's plans to eventually offer more than a million hours of TV and radio from its archive.
The corporation's ambition is to ‘enabling any viewer to access any BBC programme ever broadcast’. Broadcasters around the world are grappling with the shift to on-demand media. Channel 4 has launched its on-demand service via the net and cable services, while networks in the US are shifting content to platforms such as iTunes and the web.
At the recent media event in Cannes the BBC announced an iPlayer service, offering catch-up TV via the web and cable TV, re-engineered to work with Apple Macs and eventually rolled out to digital terrestrial TV (DTT) and set-top boxes. In addition they aim to trail hybrid set-top boxes which are connected to the net and can record TV to access BBC archive material.
The BBC iPlayer is expected to be launched later this year but is still subject to approval from the BBC Trust. If launched, it is designed to offer a seven-day catch-up service for viewers who can download content onto their computers.
This interesting as it comes at a time when it is reported that overtook Sky as the main way of watching TV in the UK homes ad now is in more than 11 homes. It will be very interesting to see the impact of the PC reception as more and more PC s are now sold with integrated TV Freeview reception.
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