A new on broadband Freeview service is being planned by the BBC, ITV and BT. The service will use a new type of Freeview set-top box, and combine it with a broadband connection. This means that we will be able to play on demand catch-up TV over broadband, but watch it on our TVs. The service is currently going under the name of Project Canvas.
This new broadband Freeview service will also launch on Freesat (Freesat is a satellite TV service which requires a one off cost for a satellite dish and installation, but then offers free-to-air satellite TV channels with no ongoing subscription cost).
Unfortunately this broadband TV service will not be available until January 2010 – so just 13 months to wait!
But it does sound worth waiting for. Project Canvas will offer:
• TV, radio and high-definition services
• on-demand catch-up TV
• programmes from the extensive BBC and ITV TV archives
• films
• interactive TV services
This new Freeview broadband service will be kept separate from the BT TV and broadband offering BT Vision.
Find out about the current Freeview service here.
What is BBC iPlayer?
BBC iPlayer is a unique service which lets you watch television on your PC. And it’s legal!
It offers catch up on up to seven days of BBC television programmes and also offers live streaming of popular BBC radio stations and “listen again” capabilities.
The programmes, as usual, contain no advertisements and are “free” to UK license fee payers. They adopt a clever 30 day period - the programme is retained on your computer from when you download it, so that you can watch the episode of Heroes that you missed, whenever you feel like it. You can also share these files with your friends and family, through peer-to-peer technology, though there are guidelines on how you copy or manipulate the files.
BBC iPlayer is available on other platforms as well as online. Virgin TV has iPlayer capabilities as well as the Nintendo Wii and some Nokia phones (Nokia N96). Soon Apple iPhones and Apple Macs will be ready to use the BBC iPlayer system as well.
You can find out more about BBC iPlayer in the BBC iPlayer Help section.
How much does BBC iPlayer cost?
Nothing. BBC iPlayer is free of charge to UK license fee payers.
How do I get BBC iPlayer?
Simple. Hop online and go to BBC iPlayer, from there you can access all of the BBC channels including BBC 1, BBC 2, BBC 3, BBC 4, CBBC, Cbeebies, BBC News and BBC Parliament. And not only TV but radio as well.
If you have Virgin TV, a Nintendo Wii, a Nokia N96 or an Apple Mac or Apple iPhone then you may also be able to access BBC iPlayer and catch up on all of the latest programmes that you didn’t have time to watch.
It might seem that on-demand TV services and catch-up TV offer a similar product, but ultimately the two are different in a couple of subtle but meaningful ways.
On-demand TV is something that can be accessed through a few major digital TV providers’ various packages and also online in the form of software driven internet received content.
On-demand TV, put simply, is a collection of programmes and films that you can either watch for free or purchase for a small fee at any time of the day or night that is convenient for you. It is essentially a convenient replacement for video rental, and each different digital TV company will offer different programmes, such as Virgin Media’s Movie Bank or BT’s Vision package.
Catch-up TV is a service offered by many of the major channels on their websites, giving you access to most of the shows aired over the last 30 days - which again you can watch at any time on your PC or web-enabled device. This is primarily a browser-based streaming facility, like b or ITV’s Catch Up page, and as such the quality is equivalent to most internet streaming resources and slightly worse than on-demand.
However, most catch up TV services put programmes only a click away. While on-demand TV, even when received via an internet connection, will require some kind of registration, log in or monthly contract before any of the content is accessible.
Posted in:
