DS Forums

 
 

New HomeChoice film channels


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 20-07-2004, 11:35
Zapomatic
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London SE17
Posts: 681

Switching on my TV this morning I was greeted with a trailer for some new channels!

Film 1st is still the same, recent releases for £3.50 per 24 hour rental.

FilmChoice has been replaced by MoviesNow Unlimited, seems to be pretty much the same (major but not quite so recent releases for £2 per 24 hour rental) but with a greater choice and better categorisation.

There's a couple of new ones too. The first is MoviesNow Express, which is a selection of 50 on-demand films for £5 a month. Not a bad price, though these are generaly films that could possible by shown on terrestrial channels, or as fillers on Sky Movies. They range from major, recent-ish films like The Dead Poets Society, down to old classics like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The last one is Screenies, which is like a kids version of MoviesNow Unlimited. So about 100 on demand kids films for £2 each, mostly supplied by Disney it seems. Quite a nice selection there, though I can see parents maybe not being too happy because it could invoke pester power! Perhaps they can fool their kids by playing them the free trailers!

I'm not the biggest watcher of films on TV, so I won't be subscribing to MoviesNow Express. However I can see this plus the occasional individually charged rental being a very good value alternative to Sky Moveis. After all, that's just a few good films plus filler repeated for a month, isn't it?

I do really enjoy being able to start things whenever, and to pause and rewind etc.
Zapomatic is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 20-07-2004, 14:16
andyk22
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 17,473
This is a good indication of how other cable VOD services will look , especially the NTL VOD plans.

Recent PPV like Front Row - stays as it is now - same cost.

Older Movies (not so recent release) - a bit less to pay for.

Then a monthly pay service of films that are used as fodder for terrestrial channels, or as fillers on Sky Movies.
andyk22 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 15:22
Inkblot
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: West London
Posts: 24,303
The big advantage of this kind of offer over Sky Movies is that the viewer chooses what to watch and when to watch it. I gave up paying for Sky Movies when I realised that only way I'd ever watch it was if I taped the films and watched them when it suited me. Which is exactly what VOD does, only without the hassle of tapes.
Inkblot is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 15:24
andyk22
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 17,473
Originally Posted by Inkblot
The big advantage of this kind of offer over Sky Movies is that the viewer chooses what to watch and when to watch it. I gave up paying for Sky Movies when I realised that only way I'd ever watch it was if I taped the films and watched them when it suited me. Which is exactly what VOD does, only without the hassle of tapes.
For the increasing number of people with Sky+ that problem is being erradicated , not to mention they have a more recent selection of films to record and watch via Sky Movies.

If you went back to Sky movies and Sky + or similar PVR i'm sure you would like it.
andyk22 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 17:21
Dolly
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: London - N7
Posts: 192
Originally Posted by andyk22
For the increasing number of people with Sky+ that problem is being erradicated , not to mention they have a more recent selection of films to record and watch via Sky Movies.

If you went back to Sky movies and Sky + or similar PVR i'm sure you would like it.
Sorry but I don't agree with you.

I can see the value of having Sky+ for ensuring you don't miss regular programming - but for feature films I doubt the Sky+ solution is really workable. My understanding is that you can only store so much on the box at one time (20hrs) - and people will not be happy filling the box with a few movies. You also have to plan your viewing in advance to ensure you tell the Sky+ box to record the movie - something that does not come easily to most people.

All in all I think the Sky+ solution is good. It offers some great features that many people will find useful.

However. It does not offer the spontaneity and flexibility that VOD offers. The current offering from HC is extremely cheap to get started using and as a v2 service is very advanced. Of course it does not have the content that satellite can offer, but what is there right now is not half bad.

Finally don't forget the cost of installation. HC VOD = £50. Sky+ = £209.
Dolly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 17:30
Brush Master
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: London, U.K.
Posts: 1,560
Originally Posted by Dolly
... Finally don't forget the cost of installation. HC VOD = £50. Sky+ = £209.
Installation and subscription cost aside, it seems clear to me that Sky&Co are a dying technology. They might be around for a while (doesn't bother me), but the future will be build on different technology.

The future demands bidirectional communication and seamless integration of the Internet and all kinds of multimedia offerings. Which is exactly what BT, Microsoft, or Homechoice are doing.
Brush Master is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 19:54
Zapomatic
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: London SE17
Posts: 681
Originally Posted by Dolly
Finally don't forget the cost of installation. HC VOD = £50. Sky+ = £209.
Actually they seem to have a semi-permanent £1 installation offer running all the time, plus first 2 months half price. (I was unlucky in that I requested my subscription a week or two before the half price offer - still got the £1 install though).
Zapomatic is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 20:55
red_g00ner
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 790
Also worth noting that a big plus that homechoice (and cable) is that they own the STB.

How much is it going to cost if your sky STB goes up in smoke.
red_g00ner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 20-07-2004, 21:22
BroadbandRules
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 82
I can't wait to these Movies on Demand (with FF and RW controls) on NTL so I can get rid of the Sky Movies which I never watch because it seems to show the same films. Eventually these services will get better as they expand their libraries.

NTL, Telewest and Homechoice will now have some extra ammunition to convert those people with their one dimensional Sky TV.
BroadbandRules is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-07-2004, 12:32
dronkula
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 1,641
Originally Posted by Zapomatic
Actually they seem to have a semi-permanent £1 installation offer running all the time, plus first 2 months half price. (I was unlucky in that I requested my subscription a week or two before the half price offer - still got the £1 install though).
The £1 install is just for 'standard' Sky and not Sky Plus. That's still £199 if you want it or £149 install if you take out a 2nd 'multiroom' subscription with Sky at the same time.
dronkula is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 21-07-2004, 18:41
pissedbob
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Surrey
Posts: 417
dronkula I think he was talking about Homechoice
pissedbob is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply



Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 23:32.