[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

You also get a blu-ray player thrown in for your £190.00

In the early days of BD a LOT of PS3's were sold purely as BD players, as it was then the cheapest way to get a BD player (and you get all the other benefits for 'free').

[David (2)]

Originally Posted by ugley_matt

Right so you have other options to watch catchup. But for the majority of people that dont have PC or a PS3 or any other way of accessing the iplayer this is a solution.

Most people do have a PC.
Why bother trying to put a few of its features on a set top box, or even in the tv, when a PC does a better job of it, and you can use the PC for lots of other stuff as well.

A service like Youview or Smart features need the owner to have broadband anyways, so surely they would have a PC?

PC connected to tv, but with a wireless keyboard and inbuilt trackpad is the way to go.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

You have lost the plot, a PS3 is a pretty capable media server. I can stream HD content video to it from content stored on my network. Never mentioned flash video from the net, the web browser on a pS3 is frankly a waste of time.

You also get a blu-ray player thrown in for your £190.00

I shan't take offence at the opening sentence, just mild bemusement. The statement you made was "A PS3 slim has all the same catch up services as Youview and costs about £190.00 and you can play games on it when you get bored."

Although someone with your skills can use it to stream content from your network, it does not come with all the catch-up services that YouView does as it does not have Demand 5.

As it stands now, I agree that the long-established PS3 gives you a lot more for your money but the various YouView devices will not only come down in price over time but will be subsidised with contracts like mobile phones.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by grahamlthompson

The ones that don't have PC's PS3's Smart TV's Media Servers Set Top Boxes or any of the myriad ways of VOD demand services don't have high speed broadband and home networks either

Why would anyone without a PC have broadband ?

In any case there are much cheaper ways of getting catch up services than £300.00.

You can buy a Freeview-HD box with iplayer capability for as little as £20.00

eg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISA...m=280913066455

This could actually drive up broadband adoption and grow the market. Once people understand how it works, technophobes may buy into the benefits and get TalkTalk or BT to install the service. Hey, once they have broadband they may even move onto an e-reader or tablet!

I think this quote puts across what YouView is all about.

Originally Posted by chrisbartley

I think your missing the point a bit, we're talking about a box which has been designed do a fairly fixed and known function and provide that as straight forwardly as possible to as wide a range of people as possible, its not intended to be the holy grail of computing hardware

[call100]

Ohhh never mind......!!!
Best advice then would be for anyone to wait until at least Christmas (and maybe beyond) to get Youview. Looks like it's way over priced.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

As it stands now, I agree that the long-established PS3 gives you a lot more for your money but the various YouView devices will not only come down in price over time but will be subsidised with contracts like mobile phones.

I would partially disagree - obviously prices will come down - but I wouldn't particularly expect boxes to be subsidised with contracts.

YouView is essentially a new standard specification for Freeview with added IPTV services - I would expect all Freeview boxes and TV's to eventually migrate to meet the YouView standard (rather than the confusing number of non-compatible systems at the moment).

[captainkremmen]

Originally Posted by David (2)

Most people do have a PC.
Why bother trying to put a few of its features on a set top box, or even in the tv, when a PC does a better job of it, and you can use the PC for lots of other stuff as well.

A service like Youview or Smart features need the owner to have broadband anyways, so surely they would have a PC?

PC connected to tv, but with a wireless keyboard and inbuilt trackpad is the way to go.

You're coming at it from YOUR perspective though.

For a huge number of people having their computer connected to their TV is still complex, or they don't want the computer sitting near the TV etc. etc. Why do you think access to IPlayer on various PVRs and TVs is so popular?, because not everyone wants nor likes the idea of using their computer for catch up services.

Take my mother. She has a decent Compaq laptop and is OK signing into and using Facebook, or using Tesco online, but she cannot get to grips with connecting the laptop to the TV, then having to find her way through ITVPlayer or Demand Five, and then having to click fullscreen, or as I said before looking for something on BBC IPlayer and finding it not available because the programme was on Five etc. So for someone like her, what could be easier than scrolling backwards through an EPG and clicking PLAY?.

I have my PC connected to my TV, but when it comes to the likes of IPlayer I much prefer just to fire up the PS3 and watch it through that, and I'm not alone.

Plus as Nigel says, YouView is essentially the next generation of Freeview +HD PVRs and I fully expect over the coming months that all replacement Freeview +HD PVRs from the major companies will be YouView certified.

[ftsemonks]

Originally Posted by David (2)

Most people do have a PC.
Why bother trying to put a few of its features on a set top box, or even in the tv, when a PC does a better job of it, and you can use the PC for lots of other stuff as well.

A service like Youview or Smart features need the owner to have broadband anyways, so surely they would have a PC?

PC connected to tv, but with a wireless keyboard and inbuilt trackpad is the way to go.

How do I connect my all in one PC to my Smart TV? Yes I am Dumb

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by ftsemonks

How do I connect my all in one PC to my Smart TV? Yes I am Dumb

Via either VGA or HDMI, depending on the capabilities of the two items.

Essentially your TV becomes a PC monitor.

[grahamlthompson]

Originally Posted by ftsemonks

How do I connect my all in one PC to my Smart TV? Yes I am Dumb

To use the TV as a monitor or to use the smart TV's internet capabilities like iplayer and streaming video from your PC to the TV ?

[David (2)]

A HDMI cable lnk from PC to TV would be to display the PC (and its internet) on the tv.

The TV's own Smart features get their internet connection through a connection on the tv (either Ethernet, also called LAN, or Network, or RJ-45), or a WFI input.

[chrisbartley]

a copy of the YouView user manual - LINK

[tom558]

Why would anyone want to link a PC to a TV,in order to watch internet delivered TV content,it's a rather crude way of doing things.

Far better to use a smart TV or set top box,like the YouView one.

I see YouView as a common system,for me,that's better than the fragmented mess we have at the moment,each company doing its own thing.in terms of content.

[gomezz]

Why? Because that way you do not get crippled access limited by what the Smart TV or Youview provider gatekeeper wants you to have access to. A non-brainer really for people who have wider interests than the same ol', same ol' Youtube, Netflix etc.

My nettop PC permanently linked by HDMI to my TV with a wireless keyboard and mouse is as elegant a solution as your alternatives but with the advantage I can access *everything* that is out there.

[ugley_matt]

The advantage the youview has for the non tech person is the intergration of the catchup services into the UI.

[chrisbartley]

but with the advantage I can access *everything* that is out there

Anyone hear that whooshing sound ...?

You can, but can your mum ?, your nan ?, your average 'main in the street' TV viewer ? etc etc

[gomezz]

Originally Posted by tom558

Why would anyone ...

Originally Posted by chrisbartley

You can, but can your mum ?, your nan ?, your average 'main in the street' TV viewer ? etc etc

The meaning of the word anyone appears to have passed you by.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

I would partially disagree - obviously prices will come down - but I wouldn't particularly expect boxes to be subsidised with contracts.

YouView is essentially a new standard specification for Freeview with added IPTV services - I would expect all Freeview boxes and TV's to eventually migrate to meet the YouView standard (rather than the confusing number of non-compatible systems at the moment).

I agree totally with your second paragraph. However, I have read on many occasions that BT and TalkTalk will be selling subsidised boxes (see below) and as this is common practice in pay-tv it seems very likely. , "with subsidised versions from partners BT and TalkTalk following later in the year."http://www.techdigest.tv/2012/07/youview_catch-u.html

[tom558]

''Why? Because that way you do not get crippled access limited by what the Smart TV or Youview provider gatekeeper wants you to have access to. A non-brainer really for people who have wider interests than the same ol', same ol' Youtube, Netflix etc.''

I take your point ref 'gatekeeper' but with luck YouView will
attract a large number of content providers big and small,so will give plenty of choice for people.

[gomezz]

If spending that sort of money better to go for an option that does not rely on luck.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by 1andrew1

I agree totally with your second paragraph. However, I have read on many occasions that BT and TalkTalk will be selling subsidised boxes (see below) and as this is common practice in pay-tv it seems very likely. , "with subsidised versions from partners BT and TalkTalk following later in the year."http://www.techdigest.tv/2012/07/youview_catch-u.html

Presumably simply providing a box, at a subsidised price, in order for subscribing to their services - don't BT already do this with BT Vision?.

[tom558]

Originally Posted by gomezz

If spending that sort of money better to go for an option that does not rely on luck.

The price is the top end of what I had hoped for,but a decent Freeview HD PVR was around the same price about two years ago,don't forget.

Just for video and TV content from the internet, I think once most people have used a smart TV or set top box,as I have for a couple of years,they would not want to fiddle around connecting a PC to their television.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by tom558

The price is the top end of what I had hoped for,but a decent Freeview HD PVR was around the same price about two years ago,don't forget.

It still is pretty well - the Humax one is only £20 cheaper than the YouView price. For a box with MUCH higher processor power that looks pretty reasonable to me?, hopefully the faster processor means it runs faster as well?.

[chrisbartley]

The meaning of the word anyone appears to have passed you by

explain it to me then ...

you are saying that 'anyone' ( with an internet connection, PC & hdmi connected TV) can access " everything out there"

No dispute the equipment can provide the access but

but can your mum ?, your nan ?, your average 'main in the street' TV viewer ? use that equipment do to that - I would say they can't

hence why this YouView integration is a good idea for the average TV viewer out there

[gomezz]

Originally Posted by chrisbartley

you are saying that 'anyone' ( with an internet connection, PC & hdmi connected TV) can access " everything out there"

Gosh, are you confused. That is not what I said. Try re-reading the posts in the their proper order with their proper meaning and refrain from imagining fancies against which to argue in vain.