Not that they weren’t pretty excellent already, but some major BBC channels are due to get 1080-line upgrades by early next year. UK viewers will get five new channels in total, with no need for any subscriptions (courtesy of Freeview HD, YouView and Freesat), including BBC News HD, BBC Three HD, BBC Four HD, CBeebies HD and CBBC HD (so long as Mr Tumble can fix his make-up). The programming will match the standard-def counterparts and contribute a promised 250 hours of extra HD content per week. There’s also talk of broadcasting regional programs and variants in HD, although that proposal still has to be approved by the BBC Trust and could be a bit further off.
Google’s signed a deal to bring YouTube to Freesat, liberating users of the subscription-less service from the tyranny of needing an additional device. The BBC / ITV joint venture already has 60-odd channels and has now sold over 3 million boxes to 1.7 million viewers, who will be able to access the official YouTube addition through the main programming guide by the end of March. While details are scant, it’ll presumably join ITV’s player and the BBC iPlayer in the on-demand channel list, which require a compatible Freesat box (see coverage link below) and an internet connection. We’re not sure how it’ll look in the final guide, but the fanciful image above shows our best guess.
YouTube is set to arrive on UK free-to-air TV service Freesat, though you’ll still need an internet connection in order to actually watch streaming videos. The new access, which will be added as part of Freesat’s <free time> on-demand/satellite hybrid system, will offer a new UI designed for use on TVs, along with the promise of a more responsive experience.
Announced last fall, <free time> blends live and on-demand content with a “backwards” EPG that allows users to look at what shows they missed as well as what’s upcoming. Those titles – assuming Freesat has a deal with the provider – are then pulled in streaming form from iPlayer and other web services, within <free time>’s HTML5 interface.
Freesat says [pdf link] that it’s that HTML5 platform which makes enabling YouTube so straightforward, since the official Google app is also made in HTML5. Of course, it also means you need a web connection to your Freesat set-top box in order to access the streaming services.
According to Freesat, which launched back in 2008 as a subscription-free way to access satellite content, the company has seen its 3 millionth sale recently. It also claims growth is considerably outpacing rival UK services, such as Sky and BT Vision, with 55,000 new households supposedly signing up in Q3 2013.
Freesat is launching a revamped TV guide to pull together content from your satellite dish and the Internet. Free Time has a unified now and next view that lets you search backwards for shows you’ve missed that are available on-demand. It currently supports BBC iPlayer and ITV player, with 4OD and Demand 5 due to be added before Christmas — and while it’s still a rumor at this point, we’re expecting Netflix to arrive on the platform at some point in the future. The guide will form the centerpiece of the next generation of Freesat hardware, which will be available for £280 when it arrives later this month.
The next-generation of free-to-air digital satellite service Freesat has been revealed, <free time>, complete with a new listings system, catch-up TV from BBC iPlayer and others, and streamlined recording. The Freesat+ UK service now includes a “backwards” TV guide that shows what has been broadcast in the recent past, pulling content from BBC iPlayer, ITV Player, and – by the end of the year – 4oD and Demand 5 – while Humax has revealed the first of the new Freesat+ boxes.
The Humax Freesat+ with <free time> HD Digital TV Recorder (HDR-10000S) has a 500GB hard-drive (1TB is an option), twin tuners, HDMI, optical digital audio, ethernet, and two USB 2.0 ports. There’s also a digital card slot and SCART/RCA for older TVs. It’s expected to hit UK shelves later in September, priced at £279 ($444).
However, Sagemcom, Philips and Manhattan are all signed up to produce their own PVRs, which will also feature <free time>. The service includes a new “Now & Next” UI, for quickly finding something to watch straight away, and a Showcase section that recommends shows to watch in the coming days or on-demand. Recordings, meanwhile, are automatically organized into boxset-style groups.
Freesat also expects to add further on-demand services in the future, including movies and music, though unlike the basic free-to-air service they will be paid options. Smartphone and tablet apps are also in the works, which will turn the devices into remote controls, as well as allow for recordings to be set remotely.
Freesat has been around in the UK for a long time and offers free access to satellite TV programming to users who purchase set-top boxes compatible with the service. Freesat has announced a new partnership with Netflix that will make viewers of its service very happy indeed. While viewers will be glad to get access to all the programs on Netflix, the partnership is certain to put pressure on BSkyB.
BSkyB believes that Netflix is already a significant threat to its own offerings. The new Freesat box will allow more than streaming Netflix programming. Buyers of the new box will also be able to access other new on-demand services allowing them to rent films and TV programs via streaming services.
One interesting feature that the new Freesat box will offer is on-demand downloads allowing viewers to go backwards through program listings to watch shows up to eight days after they air. That sounds like a very interesting feature; I wish my set-top box could do that. In the UK Virgin Media and YouView already offer similar services. However, Freesat will be the only satellite TV company to offer this feature.
Freesat launched in 2008 allowing homes equipped with satellite dishes to view free to air television programs. The company also offers services to homes that use aerial antennas. Freesat has sold 2.6 million set-top boxes since it launched. I’m sure with the new features of its coming set-top box they will sell many more.
Netflix making good on those investment promises for its UK viewers, with the streaming service set to be included in a new set-top box coming tomorrow. According to The Telegraph, the new device will link straight into Netflix services. Freesat‘s satellite TV offering launched back in 2008, with both BBC and ITV behind the project, while the new set-top box is rumored to add on-demand downloads and the ability to view programs up to eight days since they first air — catching up to similar services from BT, Virgin and Sky. We’re likely to hear more tomorrow, but Freesat’s hoping it will be enough to make Brits reconsider those wallet-thumping Sky subscriptions.
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