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Buy Freesat+ this year or Freesat "Project Canvas" next year? |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,438
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Buy Freesat+ this year or Freesat "Project Canvas" next year?
The BBC Trust has opened it's consultation into Project Canvas which is proposed to launch next year to coincide with the start of HD on Freeview (I thought it was supposed to start at the end of this year, anyway). Project Canvas brings internet content beyond just catchup TV to the set top box e.g. YouTube, internet radio and linear IPTV channels (including all BBC channels for those without digital TV yet. It's a set of open standards which content providers and box manufactures will adhere to. The content will be integrated into an "EPG".
Project canvas will initially come in two flavours Freeview HD and Freesat HD (and could be extended to others later e.g. games consoles, pay TV boxes etc., as it's an open standard). It's timed to coincide with the introduction of Freeview HD to reduce confusion, so it looks like all Freeview HD PVRs will be project canvas compatible. The consultation talks about new hardware being required for both Freeview and Freesat so it looks unlikely that first generation Freesat+ boxes will/could be upgraded to it. A full specification hasn't been published AFAIK but it may include codecs or other features that aren't in the current Freesat hardware specs. With this in mind, is buying a Freesat HD+ box this year a good idea or would I be better off sticking with Freeview+ until next year awaiting project canvas compatible Freesat+ boxes? |
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,460
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Quote:
The BBC Trust has opened it's consultation into Project Canvas which is proposed to launch next year to coincide with the start of HD on Freeview (I thought it was supposed to start at the end of this year, anyway). Project Canvas brings internet content beyond just catchup TV to the set top box e.g. YouTube, internet radio and linear IPTV channels (including all BBC channels for those without digital TV yet. It's a set of open standards which content providers and box manufactures will adhere to. The content will be integrated into an "EPG".
Project canvas will initially come in two flavours Freeview HD and Freesat HD (and could be extended to others later e.g. games consoles, pay TV boxes etc., as it's an open standard). It's timed to coincide with the introduction of Freeview HD to reduce confusion, so it looks like all Freeview HD PVRs will be project canvas compatible. The consultation talks about new hardware being required for both Freeview and Freesat so it looks unlikely that first generation Freesat+ boxes will/could be upgraded to it. A full specification hasn't been published AFAIK but it may include codecs or other features that aren't in the current Freesat hardware specs. With this in mind, is buying a Freesat HD+ box this year a good idea or would I be better of sticking with Freeview+ until next year awaiting project canvas compatible Freesat+ boxes? |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Co. Donegal
Posts: 797
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Quote:
With this in mind, is buying a Freesat HD+ box this year a good idea or would I be better off sticking with Freeview+ until next year awaiting project canvas compatible Freesat+ boxes?
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Fife
Posts: 4,038
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I think the chip in the Humax can handle pretty much every mainstream codec that currently exists so I doubt there would be anything preventing any future firmware upgrades to allow youtube, internet radio etc.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 3,438
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I don't think it would be going to consultation if it wasn't on schedule? As to the potential content, who knows? But why jump in know and then maybe regret it when I could wait as I'm not missing much with so little HD on Freesat yet.
The boxes are predicted to retail for between £100-200 which sounds very optimistic to me unless they're ISP subsidised with the additional cost clawed back through higher broadband subs. I'm not sure what the ISP roll in the project is other than gaurenteeing a minimum quality of service to canvas boxes (c1.6Mb/s). |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 107
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A PVR Canvas box is going to be at least as much as the Humax. A non-recording box (ie live broadcast plus iPlayer) would be less but then it sounds like it might be tied into some sort of ISP contract.
There's always something better available in a few months time. |
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