YouView - is it really viable?
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So it's got some major muscle behind it, tech specs look OK for the proposed STB but...there are a number of stumbling blocks which could kill it not long after birth.
Firstly it is IPTV based. For live TV you're gonna need a pretty nippy connection, even for SD. Otherwise Corrie will be buffering every ten seconds. Especially if Adam is playing CoD online multiplayer at the same time on his 360.
Not a problem if you're on Virgin's 20/50MBs service, but then you'd probably have your TV with them too.
You'd need unlimited usage, and if you have one of those speed crippling fair usage policies to adhere to, you could find yourself not being able to watch anything at all!
Record something whilst watching something else? Theoretically possible with a fast enough connection. Sorry not you Mr Smith, that lowly 2MB/s isn't gonna cut it!
And forget live HDTV on anything less than the aforementioned Virgin offering, or BT Infinity (or anything similar that may have appeared by the time YouView launches).
An on demand service would have less pitfalls, but those pesky FUP speed traps may decrease the user experience. Nobody wants to wait 20 minutes before they can start watching Tron Legacy (in SD) because their speed has been throttled.
Triple AES secured recordings sound good in theory, but if it ever gets cracked...
And if your Internet goes down, you're stuck without the service. Being mostly FTA, you wouldn't be able to call for loss of service credit like you can with Sky/Virgin. So unless you have Freeview or another alternative, no Internet = no TV.
Content is unlikely to be an issue given the partners involved, but you never know...
I just don't see YouView replacing Freeview/Freesat/Sky/Virgin/whatever in the home as a viable alternative for receiving live TV. At best it might become an on demand complement to live TV from Freeview, but then it might as well be called BT Vision.
Do you agree?
Firstly it is IPTV based. For live TV you're gonna need a pretty nippy connection, even for SD. Otherwise Corrie will be buffering every ten seconds. Especially if Adam is playing CoD online multiplayer at the same time on his 360.
Not a problem if you're on Virgin's 20/50MBs service, but then you'd probably have your TV with them too.
You'd need unlimited usage, and if you have one of those speed crippling fair usage policies to adhere to, you could find yourself not being able to watch anything at all!
Record something whilst watching something else? Theoretically possible with a fast enough connection. Sorry not you Mr Smith, that lowly 2MB/s isn't gonna cut it!
And forget live HDTV on anything less than the aforementioned Virgin offering, or BT Infinity (or anything similar that may have appeared by the time YouView launches).
An on demand service would have less pitfalls, but those pesky FUP speed traps may decrease the user experience. Nobody wants to wait 20 minutes before they can start watching Tron Legacy (in SD) because their speed has been throttled.
Triple AES secured recordings sound good in theory, but if it ever gets cracked...
And if your Internet goes down, you're stuck without the service. Being mostly FTA, you wouldn't be able to call for loss of service credit like you can with Sky/Virgin. So unless you have Freeview or another alternative, no Internet = no TV.
Content is unlikely to be an issue given the partners involved, but you never know...
I just don't see YouView replacing Freeview/Freesat/Sky/Virgin/whatever in the home as a viable alternative for receiving live TV. At best it might become an on demand complement to live TV from Freeview, but then it might as well be called BT Vision.
Do you agree?
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My understanding was that it was a purely IPTV offering.
What you've described I can do already with a bog standard PC.
Thats the major point, not doubt.
The idea of Freeview HD, PVR, On Demand Services and other online applications like Netflix in an easy to use box to connect to your tv is a great idea. With broadband speeds getting better all the time and I believe Cisco dealing with the software aspect, I think this will work better than you think.
As a taster I just watched a few minutes of live BBC One (something about sheep) and it didnt handle movement well at all, and movement in the background was even worse, still where you had still shots (and by chance the show provided plenty of those) the detail was fine, but even the average episode of EE has alot of movement, so say nothing of watching something like Spooks.
True, but I guess some (many?) people will not have the capability to connect their PC to their TV in the living room (where they do all of their viewing). As I understand it, YouView is for those people who want a simple "plug in and go" solution that combines the ease of installation and use of a Freeview pvr with a combined Freeview/YouView on demand epg.
Nope, as I have said it is a box that combines Freeview+ capability with IPTV features.
You may very well be able to have those features with your bog standard PC, but that isnt the point. Many people simply do not understand how to connect a PC/laptop to a TV monitor. Many people may have an older TV that does not have a PC connection of some sort. Many people do not have a computer in their living room. I am very interested, yet I know how to do all of the above. I would simply would like a device that is neat beneath the TV and allows me to record dual channels and access iPlayer when I want, and still allowing me to sit on the sofa working on my laptop, and without me having to go to the trouble of constantly plugging in my laptop round the back of the TV and messing with cables. Convenience is an attractive selling point.
I could go through the hassle of stringing cable etc - but as my router is near my telly anyway - one box under the telly... means I can then comment on here while watching catchup...
Or stuff streamed from Seesaw... or Lovefilm etc.
Consider that Blockbuster closed a few months back and I may not want to arse about with DVDs...
I think that Youview http://www.youview.com/ will be a useful addition to an existing basic service. Despite their whingeing about Youview, I don't think Youview will be a threat to either Virgin Media or Sky because of the wide range of extra services that they have on offer.
Where Youview, combined with a PVR, will probably have an effect is on the limited Freeview add-on services of BT Vision and Top Up TV. If viewers can access and record loads more free content via Youview, then the rationale for getting either BT Vision or Top Up TV is reduced.
There is a broadly comparable sort of service available already in the form of the 3view box http://www.3view.com/Home.aspx which has Freeview HD, PVR functionality and IPTV access. It been discussed here http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=233. It seems very promising though there have been initial teething troubles.
Don't you need a TV licence for Youview then?
Great news if that is true.
I am afraid you will need a license.
The YouView spec says it combines a dual tuner Freeview PVR with IPTV catchup services. In that respect it is designed to compliment Freeview not be any kind of rival to it. True your PC can probably do everything a YouView box will do, as will Virgin TVs services (with many more channels of course). Some IP enabled TVs can also do much of what a YouView box will do in terms of the catchup services but what YouView is designed to do is make these services pretty seamless, provided your broadband speed is up to it. Instead of having to go to separate services, or obscure menu options on your TV, you will simply scroll back through the EPG and select a program you have missed. That plus it combines all the major catchup services into one box. As far as I can see the only non PC device that can currently access almost all of the catchup services easily is a PS3, but even that is missing Demand Five which YouView will have access to.
The whole point appears to be the seamless access via the EPG, which potentially makes it so easy your Gran could probably use it.
Of course this does indeed depend on your internet service, which is probably why they have partnered with BT and Talk Talk, two of the country's biggest ISPs. I can see a YouView box being offered in place of BT Vision or Tiscali TV once it launches. No doubt TT and BT will have offers available with unlimited internet access on major exchanges, but those on slower exchanges or with heavily capped services could have problems.
My own service peaks at around 3.5Mbps which is perfectly fine for iPlayer, 4Od and Demand Five SD streams.
I haven't fully investigated but will a YouView box allow you to download these programmes to your hard disc, albeit encrypted, or is it streaming access only?.
If you are watching live TV on a TV set or live online or are recording live TV then a TV licence is required:
More here http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/check-if-you-need-one/.
It doesn't pump live TV via IPTV. And around 1.5 to 2mb is enough for SD-ish quality via VOD, its certainly enough for BT Vision.
You understand wrongly.
YouView is simply an increased specification for Freeview and Freesat, YouView capable boxes will give extra IPTV type services (plus other facilities) bolted on Freeview and Freesat boxes (if and when it ever starts).
I believe there are plans for purely IPTV boxes?, but I suspect they will be in the vast minority.
So how is it "Free TV"?
Yet more misleading claims like "free"view and "free"sat?
Not at all, loz. Just like Freesat and Freeview, Youview is subscription free and there's no monthly payments to anyone. The licence fee is another, separate, matter and that payment, and its alternatives, has been the subject of much debate in this forum.
The box can do both according to the specs, but it will be up to the individual broadcasters what they offer.
Given only the BBC has a PC download service (C5 has a PPV one), it's fairly unlikely that the other terrestrial broadcasters have bothered clearing download rights, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
Phazer
If you have a TV license it's free, unlike pay TV.
Simple, it really is!
This is like saying it's not free to walk down the street, as you'd be in prison if you didn't pay your income tax. :rolleyes:
Phazer
If I have to pay for a TVL, how is it free?
I understand I don't have to pay anything additional, but it isn't totally free is it?
It's just constant brainwashing into making people think something is free, when in fact it costs them £145.50 a year.
Rubbish. How is the TVL a "separate matter"?
It's what pays for this isn't it?
Are you suggesting that if we didn't have to pay the TVL, then the BBC would still be broadcasting for free?
It may be so called "free to air", but it isn't free by any sense of the word. It costs £145.50 every year.
Hence, "free TV", "Free"sat, and "Free"view are just very misleading advertising. Nothing "free" about them.
It is not just suppose to be Iplayer, there will be more ways to view live stuff, say the Olympics, so you will be able to watch other sports that is going on at the Olympics, I know they can do that now, but pretty limited since the BBc got rid of the interactive channels.
You View hopes that other broadcasters will get on board and offer content, either free or for a fee.
There will be interactive stuff, not fond of that idea to be honest, more flipping red buttons and no doubt blue with pink spots.
The idea sounds good, but they also need to support Freesat at launch, when ever it is launched as it will be delayed now.
I see 3 problems now.
(1)The largest switch over in the U.K is going to happen in April, which means people are now starting to think about buying new boxes, some going HD, if You View is bnot launched soon it will miss the boat.
(2) no central payment system, so you have to set up direct debits with each broadcaster/content provider that you want to use. That is if you want to use any paid for services.
(3) Most peoples broadband is to be honest not up to the job, even if they get the speed, they have limits and traffic management. Sure Bt and Talk Talk will allow You View to pass though theirs
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Freeview/Freesat/YouView are all subscription-free - therefore you don't need a Sky subscription to watch their services.
You do however require a TV License (which is a legal matter, not simply fault of "the BBC")
Yes the BBC is funded by the TVL, but it's a legal requirement set by the UK Government.... therefore to watch any kind of live TV broadcast in the UK, you need a TV License, including IPTV services if they're streaming a live broadcast