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dj999
10-02-2016
and any word on a replacement channel for bbc3?
carl.waring
10-02-2016
Seriously?
dj999
11-02-2016
yes seriously. as losing 1 channel, any new channel(s) on the way
rick_694
11-02-2016
Saw on TV today a channel called "W" starting soon???
East
11-02-2016
Originally Posted by rick_694:
“Saw on TV today a channel called "W" starting soon???”

Just a re-brand of Watch. It will carry a repeat of Eastenders from BBC 1 originally on BBC3 at 10pm. Will be interesting to see it with advertising.

This is from Tuesday 16th February and channel numbers remain the same.
carl.waring
11-02-2016
Originally Posted by dj999:
“yes seriously. as losing 1 channel, any new channel(s) on the way”

My point was that VM are not responsible for, - nor have any control over - channels closing so they have absolutely no requirement to immediately replace any channel that does close with any other.

They add channels when carriage agreements are signed with the relevant channel owners.
johnlingard
19-02-2016
I just opened my email to see that VM are "giving" me CBS Drama until May. Wow!! This channel has been FTA on satellite since forever............................
YouView
19-02-2016
I contacted AATW about their weirdly branded app/EPG slot for their 4 music channels and their answer was they don't think their own AATW brand is strong enough to get noticed by viewers hence the messy way they have tried to create a single name out of 4 others.

When I asked why they aren't just listed in the EPG as proper channels rather than housed in a app when said that was the only method made available to them by VM, which I can't understand unless VM really do have a capacity issue and are limiting any new channels.
stuntmaster
19-02-2016
Originally Posted by YouView:
“I contacted AATW about their weirdly branded app/EPG slot for their 4 music channels and their answer was they don't think their own AATW brand is strong enough to get noticed by viewers hence the messy way they have tried to create a single name out of 4 others.

When I asked why they aren't just listed in the EPG as proper channels rather than housed in a app when said that was the only method made available to them by VM, which I can't understand unless VM really do have a capacity issue and are limiting any new channels.”

capacity issue does not affect internet streams, which is what these 4 music channels are. (you can tell by the really bad quality).

Instead of having 4 apps for each music channel and thus 4 slots on the EPG, AATW have bundled the 4 into 1 app, therefore only 1 EPG slot can be given. unless the app has launch flags.

so AATW is blaming Virgin when really, it's them who won't pay the costs.
Richardcoulter
21-02-2016
Originally Posted by carl.waring:
“My point was that VM are not responsible for, - nor have any control over - channels closing so they have absolutely no requirement to immediately replace any channel that does close with any other.

They add channels when carriage agreements are signed with the relevant channel owners.”

This was actually in the t&c's last time I read them.
carl.waring
21-02-2016
Is it? Wasn't actually aware of that
YouView
22-02-2016
Originally Posted by stuntmaster:
“capacity issue does not affect internet streams, which is what these 4 music channels are. (you can tell by the really bad quality).

Instead of having 4 apps for each music channel and thus 4 slots on the EPG, AATW have bundled the 4 into 1 app, therefore only 1 EPG slot can be given. unless the app has launch flags.

so AATW is blaming Virgin when really, it's them who won't pay the costs.”

AATW are saying that launching the channels in an app (as internet streams) is the only method made available to them by VM, I was suggesting that VM must have a capacity issue if they had to do this rather than allowing them onto the EPG as normal channels (like all the MTV music channels on VM, or all the AATW channels on Sky and Freesat).
Richardcoulter
22-02-2016
At this time VM have no capacity problems, so I believe that it's probably down to AATW wanting to do things in the most cost effective way available to them- but not wanting to admit it for fear of them looking to be short of money or being deliberately tight and thus damaging their brand.

They might genuinely not believe that there brand is strong enough, but to try and blame VM for the current arrangement is somewhat disingenuous IMO.
omnidirectional
22-02-2016
AATW are part of Universal Music, the world's biggest record label so they aren't short of cash. They could easily launch Clubland etc as proper channels on cable if allowed by the gatekeeper (Virgin).

You have to wonder why channels like Spike, TruTV and MovieMix are on every platform except Virgin, and 3 MTV channels had to be removed to make room for Comedy Central HD, but it's always been like that with cable.

A while back, The Register did a really good article about how Virgin Media TV works, and the person they interviewed said:

Quote:
“it's quite plausible that, over the long term, we might look at taking low viewing channels (what we'd classify as 'long tail') and turn them into Multicast/Unicast delivery so that if they're no longer sat in the DVB-C broadcast spectrum, they might be sat in the DOCSIS [Internet] part of the spectrum.”

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08...e_sofa/?page=4

That's kind of what has happened with these AATW music channels. They've been allowed to launch, but only as an app which streams over the internet so the channels aren't using cable TV bandwidth.
stuntmaster
22-02-2016
Originally Posted by omnidirectional:
“AATW are part of Universal Music, the world's biggest record label so they aren't short of cash. They could easily launch Clubland etc as proper channels on cable if allowed by the gatekeeper (Virgin).

You have to wonder why channels like Spike, TruTV and MovieMix are on every platform except Virgin, and 3 MTV channels had to be removed to make room for Comedy Central HD, but it's always been like that with cable.

A while back, The Register did a really good article about how Virgin Media TV works, and the person they interviewed said:


http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/08...e_sofa/?page=4

That's kind of what has happened with these AATW music channels. They've been allowed to launch, but only as an app which streams over the internet so the channels aren't using cable TV bandwidth.”

Thats fine but tell me this, if this were the case why do it haphazardly by making the user click on the one channel, then having to press red, then wait for an app to load then choose again from there.

If what VM are saying is true in that article then said internet channels, why are they app based then and not actual casting channels like what we see on YouView platform. where the channel seamlessly integrates into the EPG?

That said, there is no reason why VM couldn't shut off it's DVB-C option and just use the network for multicast streams on a youview style box....
1andrew1
22-02-2016
Originally Posted by omnidirectional:
“AATW are part of Universal Music, the world's biggest record label so they aren't short of cash. They could easily launch Clubland etc as proper channels on cable if allowed by the gatekeeper (Virgin).”

I'm sure VM would permit this if the price were right.
omnidirectional
22-02-2016
Originally Posted by stuntmaster:
“Thats fine but tell me this, if this were the case why do it haphazardly by making the user click on the one channel, then having to press red, then wait for an app to load then choose again from there.

If what VM are saying is true in that article then said internet channels, why are they app based then and not actual casting channels like what we see on YouView platform. where the channel seamlessly integrates into the EPG?”

I agree that would be better, perhaps the current solution might be the only way they can do it at the moment. If the TIVO software can support automatically loading a stream like those streamed channels on Freeview/Youview, then it should definitely be done that way.
Richardcoulter
25-02-2016
TV3 (Irish channel) will be temporarily made available to UK VM customers this Sunday on channel 996.
Andyland
25-02-2016
Originally Posted by YouView:
“AATW are saying that launching the channels in an app (as internet streams) is the only method made available to them by VM, I was suggesting that VM must have a capacity issue if they had to do this rather than allowing them onto the EPG as normal channels (like all the MTV music channels on VM, or all the AATW channels on Sky and Freesat).”

Isn't there a lack of memory on the non-Tivo boxes? Didn't Virgin reduce the amount of guide data they provide on these boxes as a result (IIRC they definitely did for the 2012 olympics) Could the reason for launching an app rather than 4 standalone channels be this, rather than capacity issues?
Richardcoulter
25-02-2016
Originally Posted by Andyland:
“Isn't there a lack of memory on the non-Tivo boxes? Didn't Virgin reduce the amount of guide data they provide on these boxes as a result (IIRC they definitely did for the 2012 olympics) Could the reason for launching an app rather than 4 standalone channels be this, rather than capacity issues?”

You could well be right.

They reduced the data for the Olympics by taking away the synopsises for most radio stations. The promise to bring them back never materialised.

Later on, they reduced the V+ EPG from 8 days to 7 and took away the EPG information altogether for channels that didn't really need it, such as the Pin Protection channel.

IIRC, they also reduced the EPG for the few radio station that still had synopsises to one day.
Andyland
26-02-2016
Originally Posted by Richardcoulter:
“TV3 (Irish channel) will be temporarily made available to UK VM customers this Sunday on channel 996.”

The service will only be available to Tivo customers and appears to be app-based:
"we are able to create a new service, which we can turn live for a few hours, which no other platform is able to do."

http://about.virginmedia.com/press-r...-media-and-tv3
Richardcoulter
26-02-2016
Originally Posted by Andyland:
“The service will only be available to Tivo customers and appears to be app-based:
"we are able to create a new service, which we can turn live for a few hours, which no other platform is able to do."

http://about.virginmedia.com/press-r...-media-and-tv3”

That's a shame as I don't have a TiVo.
Richardcoulter
26-02-2016
Originally Posted by johnlingard:
“I just opened my email to see that VM are "giving" me CBS Drama until May. Wow!! This channel has been FTA on satellite since forever............................”

Yup, CBS Drama, CBS Reality, Horror Channel, CBS Action, CBS Reality+1 and Horror Channel+1 are available to all subscribers until May.

In addition, Euro channel (French) and TVRI (Romanian) have joined the Worldbox- lineup.
Richardcoulter
04-03-2016
The CBS channels are still available to all customers until May.

As per MB, four new streams are testing for WORLDBOX:

-SPANISH TIER
-PORTUGUESE TIER
-FRENCH TIER
-POLISH TIER

Racing UK is available free all this weekend to all cable customers.
Richardcoulter
10-03-2016
As per MB, VM are currently testing:

- An app called 'hayu'.

- 'Formula E'. It's not yet known if this is an app or a linear channel.
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