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BT to bring out 4K STB this autumn |
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#1 |
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BT to bring out 4K STB this autumn
Telegraph article Quote:
Sky is expected to bring forward the launch of its next generation set-top box to this spring to help counter the threat from BT’s exclusive deal to show European football. Though the article focuses mainly on Sky bringing their 4K/UHD plans forward, the pertinent news for us BT TV customers is that BT look set to broadcast Champions League in 4K from next season. One would assume that any Premier League matches shown on BT Sport may also be broadcast via 4K.New hardware and services will be offered as an incentive for households to sign up to new pay-TV and broadband contracts before BT’s monopoly on Champions League matches kicks in next season, industry sources said. Sky is also likely to charge more for the premium service. The set-top box will be capable of showing ultra-high definition 4K pictures, four times as sharp as current high definition broadcasts. It is understood that Sky’s pitch to customers will focus on other advanced features, however, such as “multiscreen” viewing on smartphones and tablets, and the ability to store recorded programmes online for access anywhere. The focus on portability and user-friendliness has been prepared with penetration of 4K screens very low, in spite of prices coming down rapidly. Sky has had mixed experiences introducing new broadcast technology: high definition was for years a major source of growth, but consumers rejected 3D. The set-top box has been developed as part of a major overhaul by Sky. The company originally intended to introduce the update next year, but it has accelerated in an effort to maintain its reputation for technology leadership among “early adopter” consumers. The tighter schedule will help Sky meet the stronger football challenge from BT. In contrast to Sky’s wait-and-see attitude to 4K, it is understood that BT aims to introduce the technology on BT Sport within months. It is also poised to launch a new set-top box and mount a major marketing push in spring. BT will begin trials of ultra-high definition streaming via the internet by May so the system is ready to carry high-profile Champions League clashes in the autumn, sources said. The pictures will require a superfast connection so BT will use its launch to encourage customers to upgrade their broadband contract. Virgin Media, the cable operator, is also currently running trials of 4K. Sky’s decision to bring forward its launch underscores how it has been forced to act defensively as BT threatens its pay-TV stronghold. Last week Sky announced a wholesale deal with O2 to complete its “quad play” of pay-TV, broadband, home phone and mobile services. After years of shunning the mobile market, its move was seen by analysts as necessary in the face of BT’s £12.5bn acquisition of EE. A Sky spokesman said: “Innovation is at the very heart of Sky’s business. We have a proven track record of leadership in the industry as we continually strive to find new ways to enhance the customer experience”. BT are looking to be quick to the races here and Sky are playing catch up, though it will be a harder sell to get their customers to upgrade now they have lost Champions League to BT. Still what Id consider to be an early adaption period for 4K hardware, but the prices of UHD television sets are starting to fall, and the announcement that Sky will bring their STB out in the spring, and BT theirs soon after. Anyone here have a 4K ready TV? Would you be interested in upgrading your YouView box to a 4K one, which lets face it, will really only be for a handful of sports events in the early days? Saying that, you'd have to believe that Netflix, who offer a 4K subscription plan, would also be a UHD feature on the forthcoming STB. Everone knows I'm not a Sky fan at all, but I can't say I blame them for getting their 4K service out a few months earlier than BT. This year will be interesting to see exactly how the two companies will promote what will be a premium service until 4K hardware truly enters the mainstream. BT still have the advantage by announcing this early that their vaunted Champions League coverage will be available in 4K, so presumably Sky will do the same for whatever big-time sport they'll have left to show later in 2015, and I'd have thought them eventually showing 4K movies is also inevitable. |
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#2 |
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Join Date: May 2008
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Looks like I'm going to save up for a 4k tv then
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#3 |
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Not interested in either of their 4K offerings, it's pretty well pointless on normal size TVs (<=65 inches), and I won't hunch up on the floor nose-to-screen like the grandkids do
.I love the idea of real competition for the first time, at the leading edge though. Incidentally, I see the media still spout marketeers nonsense regarding 4K, e.g. "The set-top box will be capable of showing ultra-high definition 4K pictures, four times as sharp as current high definition broadcasts." It's twice as sharp, but in other picture quality aspects, much the same so overall, a bit better quality. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Quote:
Not interested in either of their 4K offerings, it's pretty well pointless on normal size TVs (<=65 inches), and I won't hunch up on the floor nose-to-screen like the grandkids do
.I love the idea of real competition for the first time, at the leading edge though. Incidentally, I see the media still spout marketeers nonsense regarding 4K, e.g. "The set-top box will be capable of showing ultra-high definition 4K pictures, four times as sharp as current high definition broadcasts." It's twice as sharp, but in other picture quality aspects, much the same so overall, a bit better quality. http://www.rtings.com/info/4k-ultra-...0p-full-hd-tvs |
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#5 |
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Sky will never want to suffer the indignity of being beaten to 4K by BT. I'm sure they will pull out all the stops to get something on air ASAP, even if that's only a barker channel showing trailers to a couple of execs with prototype receivers.
Wonder how much the satellite capacity will cost however? Could be the start of a real differentiation with IPTV services where the cost of adding UHDTV services will be marginal. |
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#6 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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Quote:
Could be the start of a real differentiation with IPTV services where the cost of adding UHDTV services will be marginal.
BT should find it a lot easier since they already have everything in place for SD/HD as far as content delivery networks/multicast are concerned |
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#7 |
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Quote:
In Sky's case they'd have to set up the infrastructure to do it, while they can do on demand content, they don't do linear stuff on a significant scale (Now TV/Sky Go aren't this). They'd have to start playing with multicast and what not to reduce the load on their network, which might require changes to how their network operates and will require changes to the routers that they supply to their users
BT should find it a lot easier since they already have everything in place for SD/HD as far as content delivery networks/multicast are concerned http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/sky-uhd-201404283750.htm |
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#8 |
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The BT case for 4xHD on there system to beat SKY is just waste of money and time for most people as Sport is not the reason to get a TV package and only people to make out of any fight is the footballers with higher wages then they do now as the clubs will ask extra for the rights as they do each step from radio, TV SD, HD live replays etc...
BT also needs to make sure the TV customers are happy first and at this time the channel list has not grown and film fans have no Sky movies HD when Sports has 4 HD channels . |
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#9 |
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Quote:
for most people as Sport is not the reason to get a TV package
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#10 |
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Sky have built their whole business on you being wrong about this.
Though film based material will look better. it usually takes a while for movies to really shine in a higher res format. early HD transfers from film where quite frankly better but not alot better than SD vs the latest blockbusters which ooze HD detail and look like night and day vs SD, where as live pictures from HD camera's when properly lit the pictures always looked great . Though I suspect most of the donkey work as been this time with 4k for digital cinema and capture and film scanner Tech is already moving past 4k. 4k blu-ray is due out later this year assuming no hiccups. |
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#11 |
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Sounds good but I and a good few others will only have full HD TVs and not 4k TVs.
I would hope the new BT set top box would come with a choice of 500gb or 1tb hard drives. Darren |
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#12 |
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Quote:
Sounds good but I and a good few others will only have full HD TVs and not 4k TVs.
I would hope the new BT set top box would come with a choice of 500gb or 1tb hard drives. Darren Only a bit better mind (fewer artifacts, which lower the apparent resolution of broadcast HDTV, will improve the apparent resolution, but obviously not beyond 1920 x 1080). It will seem a bit sharper. |
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#13 |
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Quote:
4K played on a Full HD TV (via a 4K box) should look a bit better than Full HD, in the same way that Full HD broadcasts played on a digital SD TV look better than broadcast SD TV.
![]() It's not the fact it's a higher resolution that helps, it's that much higher bandwidth is used. |
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#14 |
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"It [BT] is also poised to launch a new set-top box and mount a major marketing push in spring."
Spring seems very early for a 4K box from BT. Could this just be a new YouView box that they are talking about? |
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#15 |
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Quote:
"It [BT] is also poised to launch a new set-top box and mount a major marketing push in spring."
Spring seems very early for a 4K box from BT. Could this just be a new YouView box that they are talking about? |
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#16 |
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Any new youview box that allows 4xHD in put and out put will need 2TB hard drive because of the space needed to hold a good number films sport and other shows a 1TB will just hold but I feel that after six months calls for large space will get very loud ....
As they go for it a 3 channel recording would be handy too along with use of USB.3 to add Hards USB sticks to record and play back or photos etc.... I think sky will bring out 4xHD film channel in time to go along with sports so I hope BT gets a contact to add HD and 4xHD films too. |
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#17 |
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Quote:
As would broadcasting SD (or HD) at a decent bandwidth in the first place
![]() Quote:
It's not the fact it's a higher resolution that helps, it's that much higher bandwidth is used.
This also explains why BT's SD Internet channels are usually better quality than Freeview or satellite SD - their 3Mbps is encoded h.264, unlike the archaic 2 to 4 Mbps/mpeg2 of traditional and satellite broadcast SD TV and certain penny-pinching reduced-resolution channels. |
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#18 |
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I rather enjoy watching IMAX films in the cinema, but I don't want it in my living room. From what I have seen of 4K TVs, they are all enormous and getting one of more common dimensions (40" - 46") would be rather pointless because the difference would not be particularly appreciable. I may be wrong, of course, but I doubt whether I am alone in having this view.
If the new box turns out to be an extension of YouView, presumably TalkTalk will be bringing one out as well. They don't have BT Sport (yet) but they do have Netflix. On the other hand, now that BT have bought EE, what about their set top box? It has only just become available, so presumably it doesn't have many users yet. What will happen to it? I am quite happy for Sky to charge headlong into UHD, however, because it might mean that they start releasing their HD channels to YouView providers, and that will suit me on my fairy modestly-sized TV. |
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#19 |
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Quote:
It's not solely bandwidth.
Another 'non-broadcast' option (which is why DVD and BD look better) is to compress BEFORE distribution - such as NetFlix, catch-up etc. can do. This isn't an option for broadcasting, as it's transmitted live so has to be compressed in real-time - thus causing much larger bandwidth requirements. |
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#20 |
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Quote:
I rather enjoy watching IMAX films in the cinema, but I don't want it in my living room. From what I have seen of 4K TVs, they are all enormous and getting one of more common dimensions (40" - 46") would be rather pointless because the difference would not be particularly appreciable. I may be wrong, of course, but I doubt whether I am alone in having this view.
If the new box turns out to be an extension of YouView, presumably TalkTalk will be bringing one out as well. They don't have BT Sport (yet) but they do have Netflix. On the other hand, now that BT have bought EE, what about their set top box? It has only just become available, so presumably it doesn't have many users yet. What will happen to it? I am quite happy for Sky to charge headlong into UHD, however, because it might mean that they start releasing their HD channels to YouView providers, and that will suit me on my fairy modestly-sized TV. EE's STB has had some good feedback here, and they use the same system as Eircom's IPTV service in Ireland which looks decent, but if BT are fully committed to YouView for the foreseeable future, I can't see why they'd carry on with EE TV for much longer than the middle of 2016. Unless they retain it as like a budget alternative to BT TV. Which would be understandable as EE TV doesn't have a lot of the premium channels/apps BT YouView does like the IPTV Entertainment channels, Netflix, sports etc. |
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#21 |
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Quote:
Not solely no - but almost entirely.
Quote:
Another 'non-broadcast' option (which is why DVD and BD look better) is to compress BEFORE distribution - such as NetFlix, catch-up etc. can do. This isn't an option for broadcasting, as it's transmitted live so has to be compressed in real-time - thus causing much larger bandwidth requirements.
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