YouView TV is due to launch in the UK in the first half of 2011 and brings internet TV and Freeview into one box. It promises to bring all the best aspects of catch up TV and pay-TV channels all into one box, but what do we know so far?
YouView TV - the ultimate internet TV experience?
YouView will be launching in partnership with the BBC, ITV, British Telecom, Channel 4 and Channel 5 during the first half of this year and has the best chance of bringing everything into one box in our living rooms.
All of the existing catch up TV services such as BBC iPlayer, Channel 4OD, ITV Player and Demand 5 will be included on the platform via broadband, and all the linear services available on Freeview into the one box.
It’s expected that viewers can record two live Freeview channels at one time onto the boxes hard drive and that the box will feature a full Freeview Plus Electronic Programme Guide for ease of use.
Internet TV
Very little has been said so far about what content providers will be available on the new YouView TV platform. It is expected though to have a good mix of SD and HD content, free content and pay-TV. So far there has been no mention of Sky TV joining the line-up, so it will be interesting to see what pay-TV providers join the scheme.
Internet TV is expected to be one of the ‘must haves’ over the next few years as broadband speeds are gradually increased throughout the UK, giving us more freedom than ever before of what to watch and when.
At the moment different technologies are competing for our viewing, with the computer winning at the moment. This is expected to change over the coming years as more internet TV enabled personal video recorders are released on the British public. This will once again make the television as the centre of entertainment, with it’s HD capability and viewing on a large screen again.
Other Internet TV providers - SeeSaw and BT Vision
SeeSaw has been one of the recent new upcoming providers giving the viewer over 3500 hours of free television. SeeSaw also has a large amount of paid content where there is a rental scheme for each programme or saving money by renting the whole series. Much of the programming has been shown previously on either free or paid TV but it’s a useful service to catch up on shows you’ve missed.
Anytime Plus
Sky’s recent launch of Anytime Plus is proving quite popular. This service is accessed through the existing Sky Plus boxes meaning that you must be an existing Sky TV customer.
Sky Player is available for access through a computer and has subscription packages available for viewers not currently subscribed to Sky TV.
BT Vision
BT Vision is only available to customers of BT’s broadband service but offers a Freeview personal video recorder recording two Freeview channels at one time and access to many thousands of hours of TV on demand libraries. Several different packages are available with BT Vision, or you can rent on a per programme basis.
The future of TV is certainly getting more complicated with the different forms of delivery, but it’s all heading in the direction of live linear channels and broadband on demand. With nearly 1000 licensed TV channels in the UK, will we ever be short of something to watch ever again?
Update:- According to sources, this service may now be delayed until February 2012.
Source
- YouView TV 31st January 2011
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