Be to offer HDTV via broadband?
So what’s an investment of £24.5 million in a broadband company got to do with HDTV? Well it now seems clear that Be, the outfit which has claimed the money, has big plans for high definition TV on demand via the web.
Be were in fact the first UK company to deliver ADSL2+ technology. This broadband system means they can offer download speeds of up to 24Mbps, though it has to be said you need to live every close to a BT Exchange to get that kind of data speed. Even if you live a few miles away though you should be able to access the web at speeds of up 12Mbps which is more than enough to stream high definition TV. Besides why else would you want data delivered at that speed other than if it offered good quality video streaming and downloads of large video files?
Be might offer its own video-on-demand service, or more likely team up, or even be bought out, by one of the big broadcasters or ISPs.
The new cash will now go to fund the investment in developing the service in London, Manchester and Birmingham with a view that over half the population will be in reach of the company's broadband offering by the end of the year.
